I never asked to be chosen as Luna
Larry stared at Roxanne with surprise. He didn’t expect to see her with his father.
“A-Ah… Miss…” He stuttered as he tried to speak.
“Larry….” She said with a glare on her face.
After giving him a reminding look, Larry remembered what she said about calling her by her name. She had also told him her name to ensure this.
“R-Roxanne… What are you doing here?” He said, looking uncomfortable with his words.
“Ah, I was just catching up with this mister here. I didn’t know he was your father. Wow, I didn’t know you had a son. Who would have thought it was Larry” Roxanne laughed as she glanced at the old man who also had an awkward look, same as Larry.
“Well… I guess it never came up, ”he said.
Larry walked closer, though he still had a nervous attitude.
“You guys don’t have to act this way. I mean, we all know one another. That’s great, isn’t it?” Roxanne said, obviously enjoying the coincidence that just occurred.
“By the way Sir, I just realised I don’t know your name. You’ve also been calling me by Young Lady, right? Well, I’m Roxanne! How about you?” She asked.
The man didn’t know how to respond to Roxanne’s gesture. Assisting him once or twice was one thing, but from her expression and words, It was like she wanted them to be friends or something. This was something he wasn’t expecting.
“I’m… Uh…” He said, looking at Larry with a questioning look.
Larry sighed and just gave him a shrug, showing that he had no choice but to respond. After all, even Larry had no choice but to succumb to Roxanne’s request for familiarity.
“I’m Lenard” He said finally, giving up on trying to reject her friendly suggestion.
“Wow! Mr. Lenard. That’s such a nice name. You have such a good kid too!” She replied.
“I’m the same age as you… You know…” Larry muttered.
Roxanne was surprised by Larry’s response. This was the first time he talked back to her, though it was barely audible. Still… It made her happy.
“That’s more like it! Since that’s the case, we should be friends, right?” Roxanne said.
Roxanne shocked herself when she said this, remembering her antisocial nature before arriving in the village, and even just yesterday. Yet, since she woke up… No, even before that, she had been feeling much better and willing to associate with the people around her. For her to suggest friendship, it reminded her of how she was before her father died.
“Is this one of the whole werewolf things…?” She asked herself.
No, it wasn’t. Roxanne didn’t notice it at first, but what was happening to her currently wasn’t supernatural in any way. There wasn’t a werewolf magic that made her feel this way. The answer was so simple that she could just as easily dismiss it as nonsense. Roxanne was changing… And that was because she was comfortable here. Sure, the conditions were harsher than what she was used to, and she was still upset with Asher for being a jerk and abducting her, but she couldn’t deny how she felt. The feeling of friendship when she spoke with these people, like she could trust them somehow… Like how she felt with Rita when they first met.
“Are you an Omega too, Larry? Roxanne asked the young man in front of her.
“Yeah, so what?” He said in a defensive manner.
Roxanne was taken aback by his harsh response. She only asked in a friendly manner, trying to make conversation. Clearly he didn’t need to be so defensive.
“Larry, she’s just trying to be friendly, ” Lenard said to his son with a disapproving tone.
“Yeah, I know. It’s just… I… R-Roxanne… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that” He quickly said apologetically.
This made Roxanne feel weird and so she voiced her protest.
“It’s fine, really. I understand. It seems the pack doesn’t really think much about the Omega, right?” Roxanne said with an awkward laugh.
“Well… Yeah…” Larry responded.
“That’s not true!” Lenard quickly cut in.
Roxanne looked at him in surprise. Larry merely sighed as he rolled his eyes. His father was about to begin his preaching on something that annoyed him.
“I mean, sure, it might seem that way. But… As members of the pack we have an indispensable role. They might not say it with words, but the members of the pack appreciate our work!”
Roxanne heard this and remembered what Rita told her the previous day. So this was why he did his work with such diligence and joy. Why he felt such pride in it and was so consistent in it.
“Without us Omegas, the pack wouldn’t exist. We keep the balance.” He added.
Roxanne began to relate with his words. She considered all the roles in the pack, and clearly she could not see the pack being comfortable without Lenard’s wood chopping every morning. Without him doing that, in such a cold condition how would they get to keep warm in the house, and since they had no cooker, Roxanne discovered they used firewood to prepare their meals. Without the firewood made by Lenard, the pack would suffer. Besides, other than Lenard, there were other Omegas who worked for the betterment of the Pack.
“That’s a load of bullshit!” Larry suddenly let out.
This was the first time Roxanne had heard Larry this way. He had a fierce look in his eyes and his face was full of hate and disapproval.
Roxanne turned to look at Lenard, but found that he merely shook his head slightly and looked sad. From his expression, it seemed it wasn’t unusual for Larry to express himself like this. Roxanne, who was already giving herself to Lenard’s logic, began to grow even more curious about Larry’s opinion.
“I refuse to accept that!” He added, still in slight rage.
“Larry… Mind your words. Lady Roxanne is here” Lenard cautioned.
Larry’s eyes darted to Roxanne and kept his cool. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, appearing to be powerless and frustrated.
“No, Mr. Lenard… I want to hear Larry’s thoughts. Larry, would you please tell me what the matter is?” Roxanne asked in a calm tone. She had a concerned look, making Larry’s expression soften.
“I-It’s nothing Lady Roxanne… Please forgive my disrespectful outburst” He said and bowed his head.
Roxanne understood by his tone, what he was trying to tell her. While he didn’t explicitly say it, his words could be loosely translated to-
“I can’t tell you anything that can implicate me or my father, as well as the rest of us Omegas. You are Lord Asher’s bride-to-be. Anything we say to you may very well put us in trouble.”
The meaning of this weighed heavily on her and suddenly, her feelings of accomplishment began to sizzle and fade away. Even though Lenard had told her he appreciated her presence and smiled happily throughout their time together, it could have all been an act. After all, he wouldn’t want to make her, their future Luna, displeased with them. He could have pretended to be happy about her interference.
“O-Oh, I see…” She said with a sad smile.
“Well then, Mr. Lenard. I better take my leave now. I just realised Rita might be looking for me…” Roxanne said with a disappointed tone.
“A-Ah, is that so…?” Lenard asked with an awkward smile.
“In that case, we can’t keep you held up here. Please, you should go. We can take care of this ourselves”
“Yeah… Okay….” She muttered.
Roxanne started off by walking slowly, her axe in hand. She walked from beside Lenard, past Larry, leaving the corner. After she had departed from their presence, she picked her pace and started running. Her legs brushed the snow that seemed to hold her down as her feet sank into it from within her boots.
She felt pain within her heart as she ran. The pain of disappointment from those she thought she could understand and could understand her. It was a terrible feeling-
“…Dammit! I never asked to be chosen as a Luna!” She cried to herself.
However, this encounter had strengthened her resolve even more. She was going to go through with the ritual. Not because she was finally going to accept being Asher’s mate, but because she wanted enough strength to go against it. If she could do that, then maybe…
“I won’t let things go as you want!” She was determined within herself.