Michelle was sitting on the bench outside the pack house. The night air was cool and crisp, and Michelle felt her entire body tense up as the slight wind kissed her skin.
She had heard about Arya going to visit her aunt and uncle the next day, and she sat there contemplating whether to inform Alfa or not, since her two alies who were at the gate were now gone.
By the way Rodriguez had described the short man with brown eyes and round face, Arya instantly knew it was Yalandro. Only the Goddess knew if he survived or....
Alfa had been feeling a lot of guilt, and maybe by talking to Arya, he can overcome that feeling and move on. But what if Arya knows that there is still someone else here, giving out their information to Alfa?
Then again, they might understand each other and make up for lost times and move on. But, how would she call him without raising suspicion?
The answer came in the form of a blue-eyed, dark-haired girl. Arya!
Arya was walking straight toward her, smiling, and Michelle immediately knew she was going to tell her about her visit to her family's home. Michelle took out the mobile she kept hidden with her and dialed Alfa's number, and as they had previously discussed, Alfa didn't say anything. He just picked up and held the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Arya," Michelle greeted while hiding the phone.
"Hey, what are you doing outside alone?" Arya asked.
"Nothing, just feeling boring. How 'bout you?"
"I was looking for you, actually. I wanted to tell you something, but you can't tell anyone," Arya said, looking at her excitedly.
"You know I won't. Now tell me," Michelle said, matching Arya's enthusiasm.
"Tomorrow, I'm going to meet my aunt and uncle," Arya said, half jumping on her seat. "Eversince they found out Rodriguez is my brother, they've been wanting to see me and him. My only wish is that Rodriguez would have gone with me!"
"He's not going?" Michelle asked, a little surprised.
"Well, he had to, but he changed his mind last minute. He said he won't be able to make it and would go some other time."
"Do you want me to talk to - " "No, no, no. I don't want him to feel like I'm pressuring him to do something he isn't comfortable with. Please, Michelle, don't even bring this up. Please, I beg you!" Arya cut Michelle and pleaded.
"Hey, it's alright. I won't say a word about it to him. I promise. Please calm down."
Arya gave a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"Hey, we should get inside," Michelle suggested, as the air around them became a little cold. "I think it might rain!"
"That's a great idea. Besides, I feel like I'll freeze," Arya said, rubbing her arms while hugging herself.
Arya went towards her room, and Michelle went to her room and finally whispered into the phone, "You heard that, right?"
"Yes."
The line went dead.
Michelle hid her phone and went to bed. The night was silent, except for the chirping of a few cicadas and some frogs croaking.
She lay awake thinking about what Rodriguez had said earlier. Yalandro was injured, and Marius had to save him, and they both had to run off. Rodriguez had said that he'd kill any other mole that he found on his territory, and Michelle was scared he would do that even if she was his mate.
The mate bond for a werewolf is very strong, but it can be broken unless marked by each other. In her case, neither of them had marked each other, and their bond isn't as strong as it should be.
Alfa had actually warned her about this, that Rodriguez was a rogue, the first ever pup to be born a rogue and who had survived being a rogue. And not just any rogue, the Alpha of rogues.
He had a reputation to not tolerate any kind of treachery and would kill anyone who dared cross him. She had heard of a story about how he killed his best friend because he once told someone that Rodriguez has to visit the nearby town alone, not knowing that the person he told was going to set up a trap to kill him.
Rodriguez somehow survived, and when he learned that his friend had given him away, he was so furious that he killed him without thinking twice. He later found out that his friend was innocent and that he was just talking to some of his own pack members, and a rival pack member heard him and told his alpha.
Rodriguez has never regretted that day and said he'd do that all over again.
Michelle took in a deep breath and rolled over to the other side. She wanted to stop, but she knew Alfa had an advantage over her. He knows her, and he could tell this to Rodriguez at any time.
Sleep came eventually, but it was very hard. Michelle kept having nightmares where Rodriguez knew about her and was coming to kill her. She woke up twice in the middle of the night. Soon, she heard the gentle sound of water pouring on tree leaves and knew it had begun to rain. Finally, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, falling asleep.
The chatting of the cleaning staff in the hallway finally broke Michelle's slumber. She stretched, yawned, and slowly got out of bed.
Looking at the clock that hung on the wall, all her sleep vanished. Eleven AM.
It was eleven a.m.!
She practically jumped out of bed and rushed in the bathroom to freshen up. Quickly tying her hair in a loose bun, she stepped out of the room, only to find two girls giggling at a bracelet that one of them was showing her.
Their conversations and giggles died the moment they saw Michelle standing on the doorway.
"We... we're sorry, luna!" One of them said, looking afraid. "We didn't mean to wake you up."
"That's totally fine. There is no need to apologize. But why didn't you wake me up sooner? It's eleven," Michelle enquired.
"It was my Alpha's orders. He didn't want to disturb your rest," the other girl said.
Both girls still looked very tensed and Michelle felt bad. So, to lighten the mood, she said, "Wow, you have a nice bracelet. Can I see?"
The tall girl with dark hair smiled and began to take it off when Michelle stopped her. "No. Don't take it off. I want to see it on your hand."
The girl stretched out her hand, and Michelle held it, looking at the beautiful ocean blue stone surrounded by wave designs.
"This is indeed beautiful."
The girls' cheek flushed so red it looked like a tomato.
"Her mate gave it to her!" The other girl said, earning a "hush" from her friend.
Michelle smiled. "He has great taste."
"Thank you, luna."
"Oh, um... where is your Alpha? In his office?" Michelle asked.
Both girls looked at each other. The second girl replied, "Luna, he and miss Arya have gone to meet their human family."
"Oh! Thanks for reminding me," Michelle said quickly when she looked at the way they both stared.
The girls went their way as Michelle went back to the room. She had to warn Alfa.
The first ring got cut. She tried again, and this time, he picked up. "Yeah, Mishie, what's up?"
"Alfa, Rodriguez is also there. He went with Arya!"
"What?"
"Yes. I just found out."
"Okay."
Michelle suddenly felt someone's breath on the phone, and she cut the line. Could it have been Rodriguez?