Alpha calls for his bride.
Roxanne and Rita walked around the village and as they did, while her initial goal was to play along temporarily and feign interest, Roxanne started to enjoy the tour. Seeing a different culture and lifestyle out in the woods felt intriguing to her. The curious gaze of people suddenly disappeared and they started to look at her with a form of kinship.
Rita took her to talk to some other women, she played with some children, she heard stories from the teenagers. Slowly, she began to enjoy herself. However… She couldn’t allow that.
“Focus Roxanne! These people abducted you! You have to stay focused on the goal” She told herself.
So, as the tour proceeded, she used her eyes to scan the area, looking for prospective escape paths, or any vehicle she could hijack to make her way out of the foreign region. But, even if she found one she had no idea the direction to head to or the distance the pack was from normal civilization.
“I just have to keep listening for more clues.” Roxanne reasoned within herself.
Unfortunately for her, that hope of hers was about to be crushed.
“Lady Rita! Lady Rita!” A voice called out for Roxanne’s guide, Rita.
Rita, who was walking beside Roxanne in the midst of the village, turned back to see who called after her.
A well built young man, or older than Roxanne approached them hurriedly. He reached them in a jiffy and paused for a moment to catch his breath.
“Oh, Larry, what’s up?” Rita asked the young man.
“Lady Rita, it’s the Alpha… He calls for his Bride…” He huffed, taking a slight break in between his words so he could calm himself.
Roxanne’s face clouded over as she heard this, since she was right beside Rita. It seemed Dax was successful, even though Roxanne had doubted him. However, she wasn’t expecting it to be so soon. From the way she spoke to Dax, she wanted to leave vehemently. Asher, with this in mind, would place her under even closer supervision. This went against her new plan to play it safe. But…
“That bastard…” Roxanne growled, clenching her fist.
She just couldn’t pretend as she heard his name. The one who took away her freedom, the culprit behind everything. Her head lit up with fury and her heart churned with her death and anger which she had tried to lay dormant.
“Relax Roxanne” Rita said, noticing the change in Roxanne’s mood.
“Good job Larry, I can tell you ran nonstop from our Rockwood Peak to deliver this message.” Rita said to the man in front of her
“Yeah. I actually got to your house first, but it seemed you weren’t home. Someone told me you went for a walk with ‘Bride’ so I had to search for you as quickly as possible” Larry said with a relieved look.
“Hey, I’m standing right here, you know? I have a name, you know?” Roxanne complained within herself.
You’ve done well. I apologise, but it seems I’ll have to bother you for a bit longer. Please tell my husband, Dax, that we’ll be taking a while since I’ll have to prepare Roxanne to see him. Can you do that Larry?” Rita asked with a gentle smile.
Larry’s cheeks turned red as he witnessed her elegant smile and bright conduct. He nodded energetically and ran back with nearly double his initial speed.
“I will deliver your message! You have my word Lady Rita!!!” He screamed within himself as he ran.
Roxanne observed this and gave a sly smile. She didn’t really think about it too much, but Rita was a very elegant and beautiful person. She also had a calm outlook and a kind personality. It made sense that nearly every guy would have some sort of crush on her, even younger ones.
“Well, you heard all that, didn’t you Roxanne? It seems Dax made your grievances known to Asher. Let’s head back to the house and have you all freshen up” Rita said to Roxanne, as they changed their direction and walked toward her home.
While it irked Roxanne a bit that Asher was summoning them, and she had to ‘properly prepare’ to see him, she had to maintain her non-aggressive outlook in order not to rouse any suspicion. While thinking of that, her mind went back to Rita and her great popularity among the villagers, even the teenage boys and few young men around seemed to blush at Rita’s words.
“Lady Rita eh? Looks like you have many lovers despite your marital status” Roxanne teased.
Rita flushed with embarrassment as she heard those words.
“Oh, stop it Roxanne. They only admire me! Nothing wrong with that. After all, I’m not much older than them. I’m only 20 years old, you know?” Rita revealed.
“W-What? You’re kidding, right?” Roxanne said.
“Nope. Why do you look so surprised?” She asked Roxanne.
She couldn’t believe it. Rita exhibited such fine maturity and manners. She always seemed to be a wise and older lady, though Roxanne knew she couldn’t be that far off in age, she expected her to be nearing her thirties, with just her good charms being on the younger side.
“W-Well, you just seemed older to me. How old is Dax then?” Roxanne replied.
“Well, I’m not! Dax is 25 years old. How about you Roxanne? How old are you?” She ventured to ask.
“I’m 19” Roxanne answered.
“Ah, the perfect age to have a mate… Reminds me of when I first met Dax…”
Roxanne nearly rolled her eyes and groaned at Rita’s words. This was how Rita continued her reminiscing, with Roxanne listening to her every word as they walked back to Rita’s home to prepare for their audience with Asher.
“Yeah, on second thought… She seems more childish” Roxanne laughed to herself as she watched Rita divulge tales of her romantic past.
They reached the large, wooden house in no time and entered the warm place. Roxanne missed the heavenly smell and warmth that filled the room. She took in a deep breath and moaned pleasantly.
“As much as it makes me happy that you enjoy being back here, we won’t be taking long. You should get freshened up. Bathroom is that way, the hallway straight down to your left. Rita explained.
“I’ll go prepare some warm water, so just get undressed and wait there. Afterward, we’ll select the clothes that suit you most for your meeting.” Rita furthered.
“Is this all necessary? It’s just a meeting, you know? What’s wrong with what I’m currently wearing?” Rita said, displeased that she had to go out of her way for someone who was akin to a criminal.
“You’re kidding, right? This is your first time officially meeting your mate, you have to be dazzling and irresistible, you know?” Rita smiled
“Yeah, yeah” Rixanne rolled her eyes and retreated to the bathroom, following Rita’s direction, while she went to get the water for Roxanne’s use.
[Moments Later]
“You look great,” Rita said with a wide smile, staring at Roxanne in her outfit.
She wore a luxurious looking blue shirt, with dark trousers and a deep brown winter jacket. Her boots were thick and warm brown, with her cap being a matching colour with her jacket.
“This feels weird,” Roxanne grumbled.
“Nonsense! You look perfect, we should get going now.” Rita encouraged me.
With a heavy sigh and an uneasy feeling, Roxanne followed Rita’s lead and left the house.
“Where exactly are we going?” Roxanne asked.
“Ohhh, our destination is Rockwood Peak. Remember the cave you found yourself in when you woke up? The peak of that small cluster of rocks is our destination” Rita explained.
“Let me guess, that’s like the office of your Alpha?” Roxanne smiled smugly.
Rita laughed at Roxanne’s description. She clearly enjoyed the atmosphere Roxanne was making.
“Yeah, exactly like that,” Rita replied.
“Are you nervous?” Rita suddenly asked with a sincere look and an understanding gaze.
Roxanne remained silent as she heard this. She honestly did not know what to say. She was clearly scared of whatever might happen to her when she met the mysterious Asher. Flashes of the wolf chase still went through her head, a trauma she couldn’t let go of. If the wolf monster in her memory was the same as the Asher she was going to meet, of course she would feel uneasy.
“A little…” Roxanne replied.
Rita placed her hands on Roxanne’s shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Most times, the first impression we have of others isn’t exactly how they truly are. The image you have of Asher may not be who he really is in actuality. Just keep an open mind and give him a chance, okay?” Rita said with encouragement.
Roxanne nodded slightly and gave her a small smile.
“Sure, thanks” She responded.
Rita’s words had wisdom in them, and Roxanne could tell she was talking from experience. Maybe Asher was not the asshole she imagined him to be. Perhaps a small chance could be given for him to explain himself. After all, she was in a foreign place, with foreign cultures and policies. Perhaps abducting unsuspecting teenage girls was acceptable here… What bullshit.
“He’s still a piece of shit to me though. Should actually be otherwise, he’s going to have to prove it!” Roxanne resolved.