Do you want this or not?
“Do you want this… Or not?” Melissa asked.
Roxanne’s mind was fully awake now, entirely jolted after hearing the conditions her mother stated, especially the last one.
“Be naked… In front of you…” Roxanne muttered.
That meant everyone else went through the same thing. But what kind of weird ritual was that? Roxanne was beginning to get creeped out, but then again she had the option to refuse.
So far, her advantages were greatly outnumbered by the disadvantages if she picked to Awaken. Not only would she have some sort of ‘Link’ with Asher, she would also be put in a situation where she had to have a role within the pack, or whatever. The fact that she also had to be naked in front of her mother was a major turn off. But then again, when Roxanne considered the advantages, it made her want to forget the other side. She would finally have the answer to what she had been searching for within herself. Other than that, she could possess an increased chance of escaping the village, which made her get even more encouraged.
But still, the decision weighed on her mind.
“I would like to think about it,” Roxanne finally said.
Melissa smiled understandably and nodded.
“That’s probably for the best. But remember, you have to make it up by tonight. That’s when we do it.” Melissa said.
Roxanne nodded her head as she sighed. The topic weighed heavily on her and it was hardly 8:00 in the morning.
Suddenly the door creaked open and Rita entered the house. Roxanne froze as she saw her new werewolf friend. A look of guilt mixed with shame was expressed on her face as she stared at her.
“Oh, hey Miss Melissa. Roxanne… Roxy?” Rita said, repeating Roxanne’s name.
She was confused by her sudden look.
“O-Oh, sorry. I was a bit lost in thought” Roxanne laughed awkwardly.
“O-Oh, really? What’s got you so down this morning?” Rita asked with her usual calm smile.
Roxanne just couldn’t bear to look at her. The voice she heard last night kept resounding in her head and the image she had thought of kept appearing. She couldn’t relate the Rita she heard the previous night to the one she was seeing now.
“U-Uh…” Roxanne stuttered, unable to articulate her words properly.
“She’s worried about the conditions for ‘Awakening’.” Melissa cut in.
“Oh? Which one?” Rita asked with intrigue.
Then suddenly Rita gasped and gave Roxanne a sly look. She raised her brows and stared at Roxanne in a naughty fashion, making her think of the image she made of Rita in her head.
“Don’t tell me, Roxanne… You’re not a virgin, are you?” Rita said.
Roxanne’s expression turned rock solid as she put her face down and groaned. She just couldn’t have a break so early in the morning.
“No, it’s not that. I mean, she’s a virgin but that’s not the problem” Melissa commented.
“Way to help my case, mom” Roxanne thought to herself.
“So what’s the matter?” Rita asked.
“Being naked in front of me,” Melissa started.
Roxanne cringed when she heard this. The conversation was too unhealthy for her, so early in the morning.
“Oh my” Rita smiled.
“Well, if it’s Roxanne, I’m sure she’ll come to the right conclusion. After all, no one has seen you in your birthday suit more than your mother, ”she added.
“Oh god, not you too!” Roxanne said with frustration.
“That’s exactly what I said. See Roxanne? That’s quite the smart friend you have. It’s just common sense!” Melissa said.
“Oh, I’m not sure you should be using Rita’s opinion to measure common sense” Roxanne wanted to say, but quickly kept to herself.
“So, erm… Rita, where did you go so early in the morning?” Roxanne asked, changing the topic quickly.
This time it was Rita who started to look a little uncomfortable, like she was deliberating whether or not to say something.
“Oh no! Did they truly find out?” Roxanne’s mind rang.
“Dax and I went for a little moonlight stroll. We felt it would be best not to disturb you all since we get pretty loud at night, so we decided to take our business outside.” Rita said with a knowing smile.
“Oh… Wow! Is it what I think it is?” Roxanne said with surprise.
“Yesss! We had wild sex as we howled at the moon. Ah, it’s been such a long time since we did that. I missed him so much, especially in his wol-” Rita began to explain, going into details.
“No, no!!! I could have done without hearing that. Now my entire morning is ruined. Thank you both very much” Roxanne protested.
“Oh, come on, Roxy! It’s only a matter of time for you, you know?” Rita said with a wink.
Roxanne wondered if Rita had always been such a wild character. What happened to the gentle and mature Rita she used to know. Maybe this was the real Rita and she was finally showing her true colors.
“Ah, I’m out of here!” Roxanne yelled out and left the house before she heard any more of their words.
As she stepped out she took a deep breath and decided to take a lone walk around the village, she was confident enough to walk around without getting lost. The village seemed different in the morning, colder. Of course it was already bright out, but the lively ambiance was missing. Everywhere seemed nearly deserted as Roxanne walked through, once again seeing the wonderful new world she found herself in.
Appearing to be alone in the snowy village, she decided to do some exercise, something she was used to when growing up. Of course, since her father died and she started high school, she stopped her morning routine and focused solely on her afternoon sessions at the gym and wrestling in the night.
With her thoughts crossing wrestling, she remembered the finals which were coming up for her. By the end of next week… She had to be there, no matter the cost.
Removing her mind from the already depressing thoughts she was having, she decided to clear her thoughts with the usual jogging exercise she was used to. As she took in the icy winter breeze into her lungs, she took slow deep breaths, balancing her breathing pattern in order to maximize her energy, refusing to make the same mistake she did when Asher’s wolf form chased her. Back then she was so frightened that she forgot about her breath training and easily wore herself out. She wondered what would have happened if she was actually in top form. Would she have been able to escape him?
“I doubt it” She muttered to herself, and for good reason.
For the short while she had spent among the Rockwood pack, she had realized a lot. The people here outmatched her in both power and speed. Since Asher was an Alpha, and the proclaimed strongest in the entire region, clearly he was in a class all on his own. Plus, he was in his wolf form.
“I guess I never stood a chance to begin with” She thought.
Suddenly she started hearing thumping sounds. The sounds became louder the further she went and as she passed a corner, her eyes caught something by the side. She quickly halted her movement and turned to see what she barely caught.
A man was chopping wood by the corner. He lifted his axe wearily and brought it down, striking the wood. The axe dug deep into it, but it wasn’t enough. He slumped slightly and struggled, pulling the axe out. After he succeeded, he raised it up again wearily and brought it down. This time it sliced the wood completely into two. The man dropped the axe to his side and packed the chopped wood, throwing it among the pile of already chopped ones. After this, he took another stock of wood and placed it on the stump in front of him before proceeding to once again lift his axe and repeat the same process.
Roxanne watched the man go through such arduous labor and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. While everyone was in the warmth of their homes he was busy with labor. Something about the man seemed familiar. She moved closer to him as she observed his physique. Lean, with a slightly bent gait. Lanky and clearly exhausted, the man still pushed on.
“E-Excuse me sir…” Roxanne finally said, though hesitantly.
The man paused what he did. Still clinging tightly to his axe, he turned back to see who called for him. Roxanne’s eyes widened when she saw the man’s face.
“Y-You are… That man…” Roxanne muttered.
The omega who carried the large trunk the previous day. She had helped him with the very heavy burden and he thanked her for it. Yet, here he was again, working himself to the bone. Why? Because he was an Omega?
“No, I can’t accept this! This is wrong” Roxanne thought to herself.