My Alpha Mate's Christmas Gift

　　It had been a few days since the incident.

　　Not much time had passed, yet it felt like so long ago since everything came crashing for Roxanne. It was already the 29th of December… Nearly last day of the year.

　　Roxanne decided to get up from her bed and leave the house. She needed the exercise anyway. She looked around her. This wasn't her room… At least not the one she was used to.

　　It wasn’t comfortable like Rita's, or familiar like her house's, or cosy like her grandmother's. It was just a hotel room. Of course, it was a quality place, and the bed was better than any of the beds she had used before, but somehow it didn’t feel quite the same.

　　Roxanne pushed those thoughts out of her head. She went to the bathroom and took a classic shower. As the water poured on her body and oozed throughout her skin, Roxanne indulged in the feeling. It was definitely something she lacked back in the village… Ah, how she had missed the sublime feeling of having a proper shower. After she was done in the bathroom, she got dressed and left her hotel room.

　　Walking down the street, she smiled as she took in the ambiance. Snow fell all around her as she mused at the fleeting beauty of such little white moulds of ice. She walked through the clear pathway, already shovelled and layered with salt to ensure everyone who passed there had a comfortable walk.

　　Most people would want to start home during such a snow day, but not Roxanne. She loved walking. It allowed her to let go of all the tensed-up feelings she had and push away the thoughts that never seemed to leave. Thoughts of her family, thoughts of her friends, thoughts of the pack… Thoughts of Asher…

　　She shook her head, trying to shake off the painful memories of the night she had left, abandoning everything. The thoughts however persisted, no matter how hard she tried to forget them.

　　Roxanne didn’t know how she found the energy, but she ran, uninterrupted, back to where she was coming from, the underground wrestling ring. She was fortunate enough to still meet the manager, who had been waiting patiently for her.

after all. He offered her a contract,

nothing else going for her. Plus, she needed money for

sneak into their house, just like she remembered doing in the past, and pack up her most essential clothes and valuables. She took her secret

lodged in the hotel she was currently staying in and laid them upfront. Since she was an adult,

living a free life, uninterrupted or respected by anyone. She wasn't sure how long she could maintain this lifestyle, but she would do so as long as it took. She had enough money with her to last her for quite some time,

　　She finally settled down in the Park and heaved a heavy sigh. She was all alone there. Sitting with no one around her as the snow fell in the park, and all around. She closed her eyes and felt the cold, similar

let out in

great of the pack. Her parents could be worried about her, maybe file a missing person case, but so far she had gotten nothing of the sort, so she was probably safe for now… How long that would

really happened that night? Did she overreact? Asher seemed oblivious

herself never to make

that night. He didn’t chase after

now…” She closed her eyes

into the new year. Perhaps she could

　“I, Roxanne, will start anew and put all the craziness behind me! It’s time

　　She said this aloud in the park. After

a while and decided to go back to her hotel for some hot cocoa and a shower. Afterward, she would