“D-damien”
“So…How did it go?” Rita raised her brows with a mischievous smile.
“What do you think? We just met with his father… Strange old man if you ask me.” Roxanne commented.
“Hold on, you mean… You met John?” Rita asked with surprise
“Yeah. Oh, I forgot he’s also your dad. Anyway, we…” Roxanne wanted to further explain, but Rita interrupted.
“Oh my, and how was Asher? Did he appear fine? Was he okay with the whole thing? It’s surprising though… To think he would take you there…” Rita muttered.
“Really? What’s so strange about that? I mean, it is strange seeing as I still haven’t accepted him and he’s already showing me to his family, but I suppose that’s natural for him to do!” Roxanne stated.
“No, I don’t mean that. You see, Asher has a very bad relationship with our father… One can say he hates him!” Rita revealed.
“For real?” Roxanne said with surprise.
“Come to think of it… He did seem to be on edge back then…” She mumbled, collecting the air that surrounded Asher back when they met John.
“Yes. I’m surprised he took you there. Did he tell you why?” Rita asked with curiosity.
“Well…” Roxanne laughed awkwardly. She explained how Asher tricked her into going, though she omitted the part of her thoughts on the matter.
“I didn’t end up finding out the real reason though.” She added.
“Wow, I’m even more surprised you went with him, alone for that matter,” Rita commented.
“H-Hey! I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself, you know?”
“Sure” Rita smirked.
“Enough of that, what about you? What have you been up to?” Roxanne quickly changed the topic.
“Oh yeah, about that, it has something to do with you, Roxanne,” Rita said.
“Me?” Roxanne let out in surprise.
“Yep! You’ve completed your Awakening, so you already possess werewolf abilities, but you’re still a novice when it comes to that department. You need training, a serious one at that” Rita said.
“Y-Yeah… That’s true. I wondered about that too. Mum said it wasn’t her role to train me, even though she was the one who was in charge of my Awakening… I wonder why” Roxanne said.
“It is a parent’s role to guide their young ones in the path. When it comes to harnessing their wolf aspects though, that’s a different ball game altogether.” Rita explained.
Roxanne looked confused about what Rita meant, but the latter explained further to help her friend understand better.
“In the entire pack, who do you think knows the most about Werewolves?” Rita asked.
“Erm… The elders, right?” Roxanne said.
“Yes, that would be the natural response, right? However, they are not able to teach younger, inexperienced ones their knowledge. It is mostly mature wolves that seek counsel from the old ones. It leaves the question… When it comes to the abilities and features of a Wolf… Who is the next best choice?”
As Roxanne heard what Rita said, she considered it. There was only one role that dealt with werewolf aspects more than the rest of the members of the pack.
“The Warriors… Right?” Roxanne asked, feeling not entirely sure about her response.
“Correct! Five points for Roxanne!” Rita laughed.
“H-Hey!” Roxanne responded, feeling slightly embarrassed by Rita’s overreaction.
“The warriors are the best choice when it comes to training newly Awakened werewolves. Since they use their Werewolf abilities regularly, they know more about their practical use than anyone.” Rita explained…
“So, I’ll be training with the Warriors starting tomorrow? Great! I’ve been looking forward to some exercise!” Roxanne smiled excitedly.
“Not so fast, young lady. To prove your sincerity, you have to pass their test first. Warriors are very busy, you know? They don’t spend their time on just anyone. You need to earn it. If you do, you’ll prove you are worthy of their training.” Rita said.
“Oh, wow. So how do I take this, erm… Werewolf aptitude test?” Roxanne asked with a chuckle.
Suddenly a knock sounded on Rita’s door. This made both their attention diverted to the direction of the front door.
“Speak of the devil… Just who I was about to mention.” Rita smiled, rising to her feet to get the door.
“Who is it?” Roxanne asked.
“One of the warriors I told you about…” Rita said, hurrying to get the door.
While she did this, Roxanne contemplated the issues Rita had raised. She needed to prove herself? How exciting. For the first time, she wouldn’t be getting any special treatment. The warriors were known to value strength so what mattered most to them was her first. This reminded her of her Underground wrestling.
The door creaked open and Rita proceeded to hug the man who was standing before it. Roxanne didn’t know who he was, but he had to be pretty close for Rita to greet him with such excitement.
“I wonder who it is…” Roxanne muttered.
“It’s been a while uh?” The deep voice said.
Roxanne’s eyes bulged when she heard this. She recognized the voice. Since she was Awakened, everything about her became heightened, so did her memories. She could remember the sound and faces of people she barely recognized in the past. This was someone she had heard before… It was…
He entered the house and his eyes immediately darted to Roxanne who was also staring intensely at him. Not only his voice but his face as well. She recognized him, and from his expression, he recognized her too.
Of course, he had to. After all… He was her mother’s lover.
“D-Damien?!” Roxanne let out in shock.
Damien, the one she found wrapping his arms around her mother, was right in front of her, in Rita’s home.
“What are you doing here?” Roxanne bellowed with shock.
“What do you mean? This is my Pack. What are you doing here?” He redirected her question.
“W-Well… It’s complicated…” She muttered.
“Does Melissa know you’re here? Oh, wait…” He paused, sniffing the air.
“She has been here, she spent at least two nights here… Hmmmn, she left some hours ago… Ah, I guess she really is aware you are here. So she decided to tell you the truth after all” Damien muttered.
“W-Wow…” Roxanne thought to herself.
For him to have been able to figure out so much with just smell, how skilled was this person? Was this the level of ability a warrior possessed? Even she could barely still hang on to her mother’s aroma sifting through the air, yet he could tell this much? Everything he said was spot-on accurate.
“How unfortunate, it looks like we missed each other. If I had been a few hours earlier, we would have met…” He muttered, turning to look at Roxanne.
“So, what’s your story? Why are you here? Come to learn more about your roots”
“Well, not really… How do I put this…It’s quite a long story” Roxanne said, unsure of how to put her words.
“She’s Asher’s mate. He found her in her grandmother’s place and brought her here.” Rita interjected.
Well, maybe it wasn’t so long.
“Wow, for real? Now, isn’t that some insane plot twist? Haha, I knew Melissa couldn’t hide you forever. But to think it was Asher, how hilarious is that?” Damien laughed.
“He’s calling Asher’s name casually… This guy isn’t just an ordinary warrior. Who is he? Is he related to Asher too?” Roxanne thought to herself.
“No, he’s not related to us, if that’s what you’re thinking” Rita quickly cut her thoughts short, as though she read her mind.
“O-Oh, then…” Roxanne stuttered.
“I assume Melissa has already explained my relationship with her, cleared all the misunderstanding between us…” Damien said.
“Yeah, she did… But that doesn’t mean I have forgotten what you did” Roxanne smiled.
“Ohhh, so you mean this is the mate Miss. Melissa was talking about… Wow! To think it was Damien, hehe… What a small world” Rita commented.
“Wait, so let me get this straight… Damien, you’re a warrior in this Pack?” Roxanne said to confirm.
Damien and Rita exchange glances and then chuckle. They both understood the reasons for their sudden outburst, leaving Roxanne out of the loop.
“What’s so funny?” Roxanne asked, even more confused than before.
“Oh dear, Roxanne… You’re not wrong to say he is a Warrior… But you’re still mistaken about one important aspect. You see, Damien isn’t just any warrior. You’re looking at the chief warrior of our pack!” Rita announced with a bright gleam.
“Nico way!” Roxanne received an even greater shock.
“I suppose I should introduce myself to you again Roxanne… My name is Damien, Gamma of the Rockwood Pack!” He smiled.