My Alpha Mate's Christmas Gift

Keeping secrets

Over a week has passed since Roxanne first laid eyes on the mysterious village in the woods. A lot changed, she changed... And the one who brought her in as well.

"Ahhh, I'm so exhausted!" Roxanne muttered in a tired tone as she entered Rita's house

She looked spent, truly, as she dragged her feet and went to her room. Rita watched as Roxanne retreated to her chambers and she knew why.

It had been a week since Roxanne had started Werewolf training. The Wednesday of the previous week marked the first time Roxanne was indoctrinated into the Werewolf control art. Initially, she was excited and all fired up, raring to go. However, after a week of stress for her, she was already feeling the burden.

"Roxanne, are you too tired to eat?" Rita called out.

"No! Not at all! I'm starving!" Roxanne quickly replied.

"Heh, she's always so energetic when it comes to meals," Rita thought to herself.

After Damien had talked to Dax that night, they both entered the house and everyone had dinner. Since then, there has been no mention of Hunters. She was tempted to ask Dax about it, but she realised that if it was something she needed to know, he would have told her already. She decided to trust in his judgement.

Roxanne also took the hint and focused on her training instead. Since Damien was going to be in the village for a while, he decided to take up her training and see to it personally. Initially, this made Roxanne elated, but she eventually came to realize the torture behind his 'good' intentions.

After some time of idly lying on her bed, Roxanne went to take a shower, as was her custom after training. Though it was winter, Roxanne still loved her bath. The hot water made it all worthwhile, plus the warmness of Rita's room made Roxanne's body single with happiness.

She took her shower and met Rita in the dining area, where they both sat to enjoy their meal.

"As always, Rita... Your cooking is divine!" Roxanne smiled as she ate the lovely chicken salad, with the usual hot milk she enjoyed after such a draining session.

"So, how was it today?" Rita asked with an interested smile.

Rita always asked about her training every time she came back. Roxanne didn't mind, after all, she had someone to vent all her experiences on. From the complaint of how Damien was too strict, to how she couldn't understand the concepts he taught her, to how uncomfortable she felt with killing, Roxanne told Rita everything. The way things seemed now, it was as though they were sisters, best of friends. "Ah, Damien was extra hard on me today. I guess it's because this will be his last day in the village for a while again, but he took things too far...!" Roxanne groaned.

"Really? He never told me about it. Where did he say he was going to?" Rita retorted.

"Well, I didn't ask. Though it seems he's not the only one though. A lot of warriors are going with him as well... Also..."

Roxanne wondered whether she should tell Rita about what Asher had told her the previous night when they met.

"No, I probably shouldn't... I still don't understand it myself" She said to herself.

"Hmmm, I see... Dax also mentioned something about a mission he was taking that required him to leave the pack for a few days... This can't be a coincidence. Just what is happening?" Rita thought

aloud.

"Could it be what I think... I hope not... Dax, so that's why you wouldn't tell me. You're going to kill again, aren't you...? I'm sure you don't want me to worry... You silly thing" Rita's thought flowed. The both of them respectively thought about their mates, wondering what exactly the mystery behind their actions was.

After the time Roxanne and Asher went to his father's house, they met a few more times, each time, they would hardly talk... Just take walks or watch the village together.

She hardly knew anything about him, and the same applied to him. They both didn't know what to talk about, so other than the little talks they made, and him asking about how she fared, they hardly said anything else. But, that didn't mean they didn't enjoy each other's company. Roxanne didn't know about Asher, but her heart always felt warm when she was with him, and she wished such moments would last longer every time. But, she was still bound by reality, and as such, their time together was limited.

The last time they met was the previous night. Asher seemed more distant than usual, so Roxanne asked him what was on his mind. He smiled at her and tried to make everything seem natural, but Roxanne knew he was troubled.

"I'll be going somewhere tomorrow night... I probably won't be back for a few days." He finally divulged what he was hiding from her.

"Oh, is that it? Where are you going?" She asked, acting unaffected by the news, though she felt a pang within her. She would miss him.

"I can't say. But, Roxanne... Where I'm going... I'm going to do some really terrible things there. So when I return, I may not be the same Asher you are seeing now" He spoke softly, a look of pain appeared in his eyes.

Roxanne knew he wanted to say more, but for some reason he kept quiet. She smiled, deciding to cheer him up a little.

"Pfft, what do you mean? You've always been a terrible person in my eyes Asher! You doing more of that wouldn't change anything. You're a stalker and a kidnapper, after all!" She said jokingly. "Hahaha," He let out a short laugh.

He looked at her and smiled, looking better than before.

"Thank you, Roxanne... You cheered me up. I'm feeling a lot better now"

"You're so weird. You're like the only person I know who would get happy from someone saying they are terrible." Roxanne laughed too.

They both laughed as they watched the night sky. Asher looked at Roxanne, who kept her eyes fixed on the moon, unaware of his gaze on her.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐