Can you show me around?
“Beta?” Roxanne let out, confused by what Rita said.
She was stunned to find out that the man she had fought was none other than Rita’s mate, or boyfriend, or husband. The entire culture of these people was confusing for her to begin with. However, after their whole exchange, even though Roxanne still felt a little down, she was also hopeful in a sense. After all, Dax said he would talk to Asher on her behalf. While she didn’t want to rely on the words of such a suspicious stranger, she had no other option, plus he didn’t seem like the type to lie. Also, since he was in a relationship with someone like Rita, she had some confidence in his nature.
“Basically, he’s second in command to the Alpha… A deputy, if you will.” Rita explained.
“O-Ohh…” Roxanne said, soaking in what Rita said.
“He’s quite the catch, isn’t he?” Rita said teasingly.
“WWW-What are you talking about?” Roxanne protested, flustered by Rita’s sudden topic.
“You know, when I first met him, I didn’t like him… Kinda like how you feel toward Asher.” Rita smiled, moving toward Roxanne as she helped her up from the floor where she still remained.
Roxanne grabbed her stretched hand and Rita pulled her up. After balancing on her two feet, Roxanne shook her head to what Rita said.
“Okay, first of all… Talking like this doesn’t mean I trust you or anything. I still want to leave here no matter what!” Roxanne said with a stern face.
Rita merely smiled and nodded in an absent minded agreement.
“And secondly, you can’t compare your teenage love romance stuff to this weird drama you’ve all dragged me into. I don’t think that Dax person had you abducted without warning just because he ‘wanted’/you or anything” Roxanne argued.
“Well, he didn’t… But…” Rita said, trying to defend her point.
“Besides, I don’t even know who this Asher is. I’ve never met him before. I don’t even know enough about him to have an impression of him. The only thing I know is what you’ve told me and what he did to me… And let me tell you, totally not liking him! At all!” Roxanne pointed out.
“Well, you make a good point, but Roxanne… The thing is having a mate… It’s like destiny. You can’t fight it, you can’t run from it. It just sort of pulls you two together until finally you find yourselves in love” Rita said with a smile.
“Let me guess, that’s what happened to you?” Roxanne asked dryly.
“Well, yes. I mean… I didn’t like Dax at all because of his usual stoic and expressionless behaviour. I felt he was creepy and his behaviour is the opposite of mine. You’ve met him, haven’t you? Dax was even worse back in the day. He only believed in his duty and the rules of our pack. When I realised he was my mate… I was appalled to say the least.” Rita said with a laugh, remembering the last and enjoying the reminiscing she was doing.
“And? What happened?” Roxanne asked, half interested in her story, but also wondering what next to do at the juncture she was in.
“Well, he tried his hardest to win me over since he believed that having a mate would mean him adhering to the rules and customs of the pack, so he took a very mechanical approach with me. Of course, I accepted none of it but….” Rita kept explaining.
As she was talking, Roxanne pondered on the events that transpired so far and how she was going to come out of it. If Dax was telling the truth, then he would talk to Asher for her, but even if he did there was no guarantee that Asher would actually hear her out and agree to let her go.
“I mean, he’s the one who took me without my permission and chased me till I passed out. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care how I feel” Roxanne said to herself.
Fighting her way through them was also not an option. Dax was able to easily overpower her without even trying, and she was sure that Rita had similar methods, that’s why she was here with her. She couldn’t escape with that tactic. Her only viable option at the moment was to do nothing. If she tried anything suspicious, they might increase security on her which would be bad. Having someone like Rita around was actually the best thing for her, she wouldn’t want someone like Dax to be the one instead.
“In order not to raise suspicion, I should also try to show interest in what Rita is saying. Her guard will get lowered if she thinks we’re getting along well. When they all think I’ve given up on escaping… That’s when I’ll make my move” She decided.
“… So I finally considered giving him a chance and that one moment changed my life forever!” Rita said, finally pausing after a long time of talking.
“O-Oh, wow! That was so…” Roxanne said nervously, after all she didn’t hear over half of the story.
“Yeah, so you see Roxanne… You have to accept it sooner or later. It’ll be easier if you do. You can’t fight fate” Rita said with a smile.
“Y-Yeah…”Roxanne said awkwardly.
After this there was an awkward silence that enveloped the two as they stared at each other uncomfortably.
“This isn’t good. It’s clear I’m not paying attention and I don’t care about what she’s saying. Maybe I can…” Roxanne panicked in her mind.
In order not to rouse any suspicion, she had to ‘fit’ in. To do that in the most efficient way possible, she would need to fool Rita into thinking she was beginning to accept life in the community, and her new life.
“R-Rita… Can you show me around?” Roxanne asked hesitantly.
“What?” Rita asked in surprise. She didn’t expect Roxanne to say that.
Roxanne gulped. What was she thinking, just blurting out something like that? Now Rita would become suspicious of Roxanne and her motives for wanting to move around the village. However, Rita’s expression shocked Roxanne.
She placed her hands on her mouth with surprise, making a proud face. She looked happy that Roxanne finally asked for it and felt a sense of achievement that she was finally getting through to her. Roxanne let her think that and kept up the eager facade.
“A-Are you sure though? I mean, everyone will be looking at you strangely again and it’s pretty cold outside, you know?”
“Yeahhh… Well, I can’t remain holed up in here forever, can I? Besides, if I can’t leave here anyway it’ll be better if I at least take a stroll and see where I’ll be staying… Right?” Roxanne said.
She strained a smile, hoping she managed to deceive Rita. Rita looked at her in silence and observed her for a bit, putting her fingers on her chin. A bead of sweat dripped from Roxanne’s chin as her smile still stranded on her face.
“Fine! Why not?!” She said with a wide grin.
She heaved a sigh of relief, happy that Rita had bought her little lie. She stood up excitedly and returned Rita’s sincere grin.
“Yeah! Let’s go then” Roxanne urged.
“Hold on… Now?!” Rita asked in shock.
“No time like the present,” Roxanne replied.
Rita sighed and smiled.
“Well, since you’re so eager to… Alright then, let’s go!” She said,