As he was about to knock again, the door finally opened. It was Dax, half-naked, with only his underwear left on him. He looked over at Asher with an impatient expression, feeling uncomfortable by his friend’s stare.
“Dude… What are you looking for here so late?” Dax muttered, scratching his head.
“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Asher smiled with a curious gleam in his eyes.
Dax appeared flustered by this, and for the first time, he noticed a painfully noticeable bulge in Dax’s boxer shorts.
“Ehem… Why are you here, Asher? Come one, man… This situation just got awkward. You really need me to spell it out for you?” Dax said, rubbing his head even harder, looking embarrassed.
“Well, I am sorry for my unwelcome visit. I just want to see Roxanne” Asher smiled.
“W-Wha…?! See her? Bu-” Dax looked surprised by Asher’s statement.
“I know, I know… It’s late. But I can feel it within me, Dax, she’s awake. She’s excited. She must also long to see me too. You understand, don’t you?” Asher said in a hushed tone, trying to suppress his excited voice.
“No. No, I don’t understand… Because Roxanne is not here…” Dax flatly responded, appearing confused.
“What?” Asher was stunned by Dax’s words.
“I-I thought she was actually with you, you know… Hooking up and stuff… It is the season after all…” Dax chuckled slightly.
However, from the look on Asher’s face, he could tell that it was no time for jokes. If she wasn’t with Asher, and she wasn’t with them… Where was she?
“Don’t mess with me, man. Just let me see her for a second” Asher said as he waved off what Dax said as a joke, trying to get past him.
“Asher… She’s not here!” Dax said, raising his voice.
Suddenly Asher heard a creak from within the house. His shocked expression quickly made a smile. It was Roxanne, right? It had to be! She had felt him too and decided to come out of her room.
“Roxanne! It’s me, Asher. I’m here for your answer now!” Asher shouted, hoping his mate and lover would pop her head out and bless him with her lovely smile.
He was wrong.
“Roxanne? Asher? What are you talking about?..? Dax, who are you talking to? You’re neglecting your Lil baby, you know…” Rita came out of the corner with only sheets wrapped around her body, her cleavage and a great deal of skin exposed.
Immediately she saw Asher, her face turned pink as she screamed.
“Asher?!! W-What are you doing here?! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!!!” She ran away in embarrassment, shutting her door tightly.
Dad watched as his wife scurried back into their room in panic and chuckled slightly. Rita was cute when she was embarrassed.
He turned to Asher to see his friend’s reaction. After all, he just saw his sister almost naked. However, Asher was no longer in front of him.
“Huh? That’s weird. Not even a goodbye…” Dax muttered to himself.
“Maybe he’s playing hide and seek with Roxanne and thought she would be hiding here. Hehe, who knew you could also play such a lovers’ game, Asher. Rita and I should also incorporate that one of these days,” Dax thought to himself as he shut the door of his house, ready to resume his night sessions with his mate.
“Awoooo!” He howled excitedly.
Asher panted and his heart raced as he ran through the village, searching for traces of Roxanne. She wasn’t with Rita, so perhaps she was stuck somewhere in the village, somewhere she couldn’t get out of? Asher searched everywhere in a flash, he couldn’t find her. Perhaps she was lost…? What direction did she go to? Asher sniffed the air, increasing the range and efficiency of his senses to the limits. A lot of different scents filled that air. After all, a party just concluded, so various scents danced around his nose. However, since Roxanne was his mate… Hers would definitely be the most special.
“I found it!” He declared.
He ran and chased the scent, following it to where it would take him. He ran to the edge of the village, not stopping. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he finally stopped. He looked in front of him, an expression of disbelief covered his face.
“N-No way… Don’t tell me… She… She left…?!” Asher muttered as the last trace he felt of her was her footsteps and scent departing from the village.
His face fell as he walked away from the scene, not looking back. Roxanne had left the village, was this her answer? Did she never really love him?
Myriads of thoughts and doubts played through his mind… He didn’t know how to respond to them, but he was sure of one thing… Roxanne wasn’t here anymore.
With that conclusion in his head, he went to the storehouse and brought out a large crate of the stored nectar he had reserved for his personal use…. He didn’t want to think, he didn’t want to feel… He couldn’t bear them.
He just wanted to drown in it all.
“Please let me make it in time, please let me make it in time!” Roxanne pleased desperately within herself as she dashed with all her might toward the village.
Immediately the match was over, she had left the scene, and not a moment after. Roxanne didn’t wait for the announcement or the big prize. She didn’t need any of those. She had won! She was the victor and champion of the finals. That much was enough for her.
Having achieved this, she had nothing else holding her back. She would finally tell Asher everything and reveal her feelings to him.
She got to the village before dawn, just as she planned. Roxanne checked the watch she had quickly snatched from an unsuspecting passerby. It was barely 4:00 am. She was early. She made it!
She didn’t bother going to Rita’s place. She ran straight ahead to the peak, to see Asher. She got there quicker than she thought. Had she gotten faster, or was the time just speeding up for her as she could barely contain her excitement. She didn’t see him outside, which only meant he had to be within his house.
Roxanne opened the door to his house excitedly, not even bothering to knock. As she did so, she ran into his house.
It was a wide space, well furnished and arranged. Asher was a neat and meticulous person after all. But Roxanne had no time for sightseeing. She knew where Asher would be, after all, it was so early in the morning.
“His room!” She said to herself.
Even though Roxanne had never been to his house before, it was easy to navigate as she quickly found the entrance to his room. As she got closer, though… She halted.
The room was slightly open, but not enough for Roxanne to see what was happening inside. She could smell Asher’s scent, but that wasn’t the issue. Other than Asher’s scent, she could smell another… The smell of someone familiar.
“N-No… It can’t be…” Roxanne said to herself to dissuade her mind from what she calculated based on her senses.
Her senses couldn’t lie, yet she denied it with her heart. This conflict raged on, but there was only one way she could confirm. She had to see for herself.
She walked closer to the slightly opened door and spread it wider. Her eyes bulged at the sight before her. Her senses were right… Asher was sleeping on his bed in his room, but so was another… A woman she knew… One whom she always suspected and never got along with… Daughter of the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack, Camilla.
“A-Asher…” She muttered, tears dropping from her eyes.
Asher’s eyes slowly opened as he heard his name from the sweetest voice he had ever heard. It was Roxanne’s voice.
“Why does it sound so sad? Is she crying? Why is she crying?” He thought to himself as he stirred from his sleep.
He looked at her face as she stood in front of his door and stared at him unbelievably, with a pained look of betrayal.
“Why is she looking at me like that? What’s going on?” Asher’s mind went.
But that didn’t matter right now. He was wrong! Roxanne didn’t leave him. She was right in front of him!
“Roxanne… I’ve been looking for you… I thought you had left… I knew you wouldn’t leave me like that… Roxanne…” Asher muttered weakly as he tried to raise his hands to reach her.
As he tried to, he could feel his hands restrained by something. It felt heavy as the construction weighed against his arms. He looked by his side to see the source of the resistance. His eyes bulged with surprise as he saw someone who had no place in his bed… Camilla, sleeping peacefully.
What had he done?
His head banged as he realised the situation he was in. He turned back to look at Roxanne, but she was no longer there. He heard a distant bang, caused by the slam she made on his front door. She had left the house.
“Nooo, Roxanne… It’s not what you think… I…” He struggled to speak.
He needed to chase after her… He needed to hurry up, but his body wouldn’t move. Why? Why couldn’t it? He was beginning to feel drowsy again. The effects of the excessive alcohol he took affected him once again as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.
Roxanne ran away. Away from Asher’s house, away from the village, away from Oregon woods. She ran back to the underground wrestling centre, where her prize money was waiting for her. She had hoped Asher would call out for her or stop her, grab her with muscular arms and tell her everything was okay, but he didn’t.
The image played on and on in Roxanne’s brain. Asher, lying half-naked with Camilla, the happy look on Camilla’s face, and the guilty look on his.
She had had enough of it, of everything. Asher, the werewolf drama… Her life there. She didn’t think she could stand it with the pain that filled her heart.
“What did I expect anyway… You laughed at it when I told you back then, and I did too… But it’s really true, isn’t it? I knew from the beginning after all… You’re truly terrible, Asher!”
That was when she made her decision. She was going to go away… Away from it all, and live her life!
No more Asher or crazy werewolf business… Just her… Because the only one she could count on after all… Was herself!