Can we talk?
“What do I do now?” Asher thought to himself.
He had accepted his father’s condition since there was no other choice, but he didn’t know how he would go about it. Of course, he could try using force to make her comply, but that wouldn’t work. In fact, it would backfire in the worst way.
He could try to appeal to Rita and Dax for assistance, but they seemed to tilt toward Roxanne in terms of support. Unless he used his authority as Alpha, they wouldn’t help him. However, doing so would be shameless of him. The easier way was to just talk to her like Melissa and Dax advised, but he was certain Roxanne wouldn’t give him the time of day.
However, he had no other option left. He had to talk to her himself… Their second conversation after the disastrous first encounter… Asher shuddered at the thought.
“Do you really have to leave now?” Roxanne asked.
Rita, Roxanne, and Melissa were already at the edge of the village, with Melissa all dressed up for departure. After they had finished their meal, Melissa informed them that it was finally time for her to go. Though Rita knew of this, Roxanne was still surprised that it was so soon.
“I still have a lot to learn, though… What about wolf training? I’ll need to learn how to control my new self, right?” Roxanne protested, hoping this would allow her mother to extend her stay.
“You don’t need me for that, Roxanne. In the first place, I’m not qualified to do that for you. That is the role of another, and I assure you, you’re in very good hands. ” Melissa smiled.
“B-But…” Roxanne muttered.
“It’s fine, really. Besides, I still have to take care of things at home, plus I have tons of work waiting for me. I can’t just disappear, you know? I don’t have a winter break, unlike someone here” Melissa chuckled.
Roxanne knew Melissa’s words rang true, and she was right. She couldn’t be selfish at home with her mother down. Well, there was also the fact that Asher would not like her mother staying in the village, and that would cause a skirmish.
But, somehow that made her want Melissa to stay even more, even if it was to spite Asher for a moment. She would have his attention then.
“Oh, what am I thinking!” Roxanne groaned within herself.
She found herself thinking more about Asher as time went on.
“I understand, mom. I’ll be seeing you soon, right?” She asked with an expectant smile.
“Weeell… That depends on a particular person. Let’s keep our fingers crossed,” Melissa said.
Yeah, she knew quite well, but she pushed the guilty party out of her mind again.
“Okay then. My regards to Damien, okay?”
“I sure will!” Melissa answered, walking away from Rita and Roxanne.
Roxanne waved at Melissa and watched her disappear into the woods. She could feel a slight pain in her heart, but she comforted herself. Her mom leaving was something she knew would happen soon, anyway. However, after her Awakening, she felt even closer to her mother than before, making it even more difficult to say goodbye.
Since their business was concluded, Roxanne and Rita retreated to the latter’s home. As they walked, Roxanne remembered Larry and Lenard, and since Rita was with her she decided to raise the issue.
“Rita, do you know a man named Lenard?” Roxanne started.
“Oh? You mean Larry’s father, don’t you? The woodchopper, right?” Rita answered.
Roxanne nodded.
“What about him?” Rita furthered.
“I was just thinking about him… I don’t know if it’s because you have seen no other Omegas apart from him and Larry, but doesn’t his work seem too much for him to bear? Even so early in the morning, he keeps…” Roxanne explained, telling Rita how she truly felt about his situation and her wonder if the other Omegas had similar treatment.
Rita patiently listened to Roxanne’s words and after she finished, she spoke.
“Roxy, I understand what you’re saying. But, there’s something you need to know. I don’t know the details myself, but Lenard chose to take on that job all by himself.” Rita revealed.
“What?!”
Roxanne couldn’t believe this. Sure, it seemed like he had a lot of pride in his work, and even said he voluntarily did it… But to think he was the one who chose to be responsible for it, Roxanne was stunned.
“B-But why?!” She let out.
“As I said, I don’t know the details… But that was his wish. Roxy, we’re a pack, a society. And in a society, there must always be labourers and there must also be leaders, as well as those in the middle. If it’s not Lenard, then someone else will take it up, such is the nature of the pack.” Rita explained.
“The reason we give roles is to maintain order, not to impose anything unreasonable on anyone. If a werewolf is dissatisfied with their role, they can appeal for a much higher one, so far as they are capable. If they are not able to do so but still do not want their role, then there is no place for them in the pack. Everyone needs to have a function. If they do not have a role, then they serve no purpose. If that is the case, they can leave the pack…” She added.
“Leave… The pack?” Roxanne muttered.
“Yes. It has happened before. If a pack member is dissatisfied with their roles, or even the Alpha… They may choose to leave the pack. It happened a lot when Asher became Alpha, you know? A lot of our pack members left and joined other packs.” Rita stated.
“W-Wow…” This shocked Roxanne. There was still a lot she didn’t know, after all.
“Well, what good did that do them? Asher became Wolf King not long after, so in the end, they still fall under his jurisdiction.” Rita chuckled.
“So, if Lenard or any Omega isn’t satisfied with how they are being treated, they can opt for another position or leave the pack? But why don’t they do that?” Roxanne asked.
“Hmmn, If I were to guess, I’d say it is their love and consideration for the pack,” Rita replied.
“Why would you say that? I don’t get it,” Roxanne responded.
“Think about it like this, if they don’t do it… Who will?” Rita asked.
This question hit Roxanne’s heart. She had a point.
“If the Omega deserts his position, another person needs to fill that spot. If the Omega’s position is one like Lenard’s, a hard job, they might not be willing to relinquish it to another since they realise how difficult the position is. Besides, in most cases, there isn’t even an Omega to fill up the position. If they desert their role, it would spell a great deal of imbalance within the Pack.”
“That’s true…” Roxanne commented
“So, a pack member who understands this, and loves his pack, wouldn’t intentionally abandon their role, no matter how difficult it is,” Rita concluded.
“So, using this as a basis, it’s safe to say that Lenard chose his position, realising how difficult it is so that another wouldn’t have to go through the same. He realised the difficulty of the role and put it upon himself to do it… I’m amazed.” Roxanne said with honesty and sincerity.
The more she discovered about him, the more she respected him. Then she thought to his son, Larry. Larry appeared to be a diligent person, but after their last conversation, she could sense a deep dissatisfaction with the pack seeping within him. She wanted to ask Rita about it but decided against it.
She didn’t want to rouse any issues. Besides, they were nearly at Rita’s house, so she didn’t want to prolong the conversation when they could have spent their time discussing a better subject.
“Oh my, look who’s here…” Rita smiled, looking at someone who stood at the entrance of her home.
Before Roxanne even looked, she smelled it, the familiar scent of someone she knew and thought about more frequently than she would like… The smell of olives and chestnut, with a hint of burnt wood. This scent definitely belonged to none other than-
“Asher!”
Roxanne and Rita exclaimed the name in a combined fashion.
Suddenly, Roxanne could feel her heart racing and her body reacting in excitement. Merely looking at him from a distance and taking in his scent, she wanted to draw nearer.
At this moment, Asher glanced over at them, and from his expression, Roxanne could tell he meant business. As his eyes met hers, her heart beat even faster than before.
“What the hell is he doing here?!” Roxanne thought to herself cautiously.
Rita and Roxanne continued moving forward, and within moments they were already at Rita’s home. With Asher only a step away from Roxanne, she could feel his scent, even more, it was stronger, and merely breathing seemed to drive her crazy.
Asher made to speak, but before he could, Roxanne’s voice interrupted him.
“W-Why are you here?” Roxanne asked, feeling entirely flustered, though she concealed it with a harsh tone.
With the both of them directly face to face, and Rita as a spectator, an awkward silence took over.
“Yes…?!” Rita finally said, breaking the silence, also raising a brow at Asher to demand what he was looking for in front of her house.
“Ehem… Well…” Asher cleared his throat.
He looked at her with sincerity, making Roxanne’s heart flutter. Finally, he opened his mouth and brought out the words.
“Roxanne… Can we talk?”