“You aren’t answering, Roxy. Did you really not feel anything?” Rita pushed further.
Roxanne bit her lip as she listened to her older friend talk. There was no way she mistook what happened that night.
“What do you want me to say? That I saw wrong?” Roxanne responded in an angry undertone.
“No. That’s not it, but… often times things aren’t always as they appear. I’m sure you understand that quite well…” Rita said, having a sad tone to her voice.
Roxanne knew what she meant. After all, the betrayal she had experienced from Donald, as well as the near death experience of the only family she had left her scarred.
“Then what do you think happened? What other explanation could there have been? Why don’t you tell me?” Roxanne asked.
At a point, she didn’t want to believe it either. But after contemplating for days, Roxanne ran out of excuses and decided to live with what she saw as truth.
“I don’t know, the only ones who know the whole truth are probably Asher and Camilla, and-” Rita spoke in a sigh.
“Then why don’t you ask you dear brother since you know him so well!” Roxanne quickly replied.
Her loud voice reverberated across the whole room, sending a wave of silence to fill everywhere. Rita didn’t take Roxanne’s last words kindly, and it was evident in her slight frown.
“I can’t… and that’s because for the past few days… Asher has been missing!” Rita revealed.
Roxanne’s eyes bulged as soon as she heard this.
“What do you mean he’s missing?!” She asked in surprise.
The Asher she knew would never abandon his duty. He was not only Alpha, but the Wolf King as well. In such a time of uncertainty, after the aftermath of the Hunters, his people needed his presence. Why would he-?!
“I don’t know for certain. No one does! At first he merely isolated himself in his residence, but Dax recently discovered he had left. He’s very sharp, so he covered his traces neatly… But if I had to guess, I’d say he left because of you!” Rita revealed.
“A-Asher did what?” Roxanne asked in disbelief, yet her heart began to beat fast, as though in anticipation and agreement with Rita.
She couldn’t explain it, but a warm feeling covered her and she could somehow believe Rita’s words.
“You share a connection to Asher, since you are both mates. Have there been times when you sensed his presence?” Rita asked.
Suddenly, all the strange feelings she had been having began to make sense to her as she recollected the moments when she felt Asher’s presence.
“N-no way, it can’t be…” Roxanne gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
“I didn’t want to mention this, but the state of the pack has not been so good since you left. Dax has been trying to fill in for Asher and manage the activities there, but it’s difficult. Asher must have been aware of the repercussions of his actions, yet he chose to chase after you.” Rita revealed.
“Do you realize what that means Roxy?”
Roxanne was dumbstruck. Unable to render words, she could only fee the swirling emotions within her. She was surprisingly happy and relieved to hear what Rita said. But… she didn’t want to feel that way.
“Stop it, Rita…” She mumbled, refusing to hear any more.
“It means you’re more important to him than the position he abandoned…” Rita continued.
“I said stop it…” Roxanne began to grit her teeth.
“… would someone like that really betray your trust and sleep with a girl he has no true feelings for?!”
“Just stop Rita! I’m not going back, okay?!” Roxanne yelled, silencing Rita’s voice of reason.
Both girls stared hard at each other for some time, giving heavy breaths.
“Why not, Roxanne? Even you must have your doubts about it… whether things were exactly straightforward that night.” Rita whispered in concern.
“Whether there was another reason behind it or not doesn’t matter currently. Even if Asher was not guilty, I still wouldn’t change my mind!” Roxanne answered.
Rita’s eyes bulged in surprise. She couldn’t believe Roxanne was uttering such words. Even though she made an unbelievable effort to look for her and sacrificed a lot to bring her back. She left her mate to face everything alone just to bring her back, yet…
“W-why…” She asked in a sob.
Roxanne felt sad by Rita’s disappointed face. The mere fact that she was letting her closest friend down made her feel heartbroken, and the pain she felt was far greater than those sustained from physical injuries.
“Rita… I’ve decided to leave Oregon!” Roxanne dropped the bombshell.
“W-wha-?!” Rita was dumbfounded.
“I thought hard about it, but I was unable to make my decision since I was still unsure. But now, after all this that has happened, the realization has finally dawned on me… I can’t continue this way.” Roxanne answered.
Donald’s betrayal, the deaths that had been experienced and the near death of her family, Rita and even herself, everything was due to their identity as a Werewolf. All she wanted was happiness and freedom to choose the path she wanted to take.
Yet…
“I got an offer, and I’m going to take it. A major wrestling deal came up, and if it works out well, I’ll be fighting at the international level. It’s more than I ever hoped to achieve. I can’t pass that up.” She continued.
“That’s why, I’ll be going to New York and leave everything behind here… I’ll start a new life and live to the fullest. If I end up winning, it’ll only he a starting point to a whole new life for myself. When I think about everything this way, there’s nothing better than that, is there?” Roxanne asked with a small smile.
“Do you… do you really mean that?” Rita asked with a trembling tone.
“Yes. I do… It’s the best option for me to-”
“What does your inner-wolf say?”
Those words hit Roxanne like a sledgehammer, and for the first time, Roxanne finally gave in to the gnawing pangs she had tried ignoring for so long.
Her inner being wailed as she felt utterly dissatisfied with the decision she was making. Roxanne felt like she would regret her actions, but she suppressed the thought.
“Be rational, Roxanne… this is the best course of action!” She thought to herself.
She had to use logic!
“I’m sorry for making you come all the way out here, but I’ve made up my mind, Rita…” Roxanne said with a straight face as she stared at Rita’s teary eyes.
“This is goodbye!”