Rodriguez stared at Arya as if she had grown a second head. No outsider had asked Rodriguez a direct personal question.
"And may I know why you're asking?" Alpha Rodriguez inquired, his face becoming serious. His eyes searched her face intently.
"Please, just tell me, I'm begging you," Tears filled Arya's deep blue eyes.
"Why?"
That was his answer. A question!
"My great grandmother's letter mentions something about a wolf with a crystal shaped birthmark that glows in the dark. There is a reason behind it that I can only tell him. That's why I'm asking you, do you have that birthmark?"
Rodriguez hesitated, and that was all it took for Arya to know the answer. The way I looked at Michelle and then back at Arya, anyone could see it was because he was contemplating whether to tell her the truth or not.
"You do, don't you?" Arya said slowly.
"Yes! So?"
These two words shocked Arya. She stood there, her mouth hanging open, eyes wide and staring.
All this while Arya was searching for her biological baby brother, and he was with her the whole time. She was filled with so much emotion that she felt like she might explode.
All this while, she had a feeling of connection with the Alpha of this pack, and she didn't rule out that it might be because they're siblings.
"Arya? Arya?" Rodriguez flicked his fingers in front of her eyes, which snapped Arya out of her shock.
"Yeah. I'm sorry," Arya mumbled. She then took out the translated letter and handed it to him. She had already scribbled on her full name for this exact moment. She didn't know if her brother would be alone when they met or not.
Rodriguez still stared at her face as he took the letter. There was something on Arya's face that he couldn't read.
Her heartbeat told him that she was kind of shocked and relieved at the same time. Then, there was fear. Why was she fearing him? Probably something in this letter that she feared he wouldn't accept.
Then, there was love in those eyes, but not the kind he sees in Michelle. It was different, a kind he had never seen before. Maybe this letter will tell him everything he needs to know.
He slowly unfolded the letter and finally looked at it.
Arya and Michelle both saw different emotions pass through him. First boredom, then interest, and finally, the kind of shock that was visible on Arya's face moments ago.
He looked at Arya with wide eyes and a frown, then went back to reading. Michelle heard his heartbeat rise, then steady, then almost stop.
"Hey, you all right?" She asked her mate, placing a hand on his shoulder.
This did calm him down, and he slowly looked up at Arya. "Is this true?" He asked, holding up the letter and looking at Arya so intensely that Arya felt the full weight of his alpha glare at her.
Michelle flinched, and so did the others who were close enough to them. Most of the wolfs had retreated, and that's how Arya knew he was using his full Alpha aura.
Though it didn't work on her, she still felt goosebumps on her arms and legs.
"Every word!" Arya confessed.
They both stared at each other, not knowing what to say.
Rodriguez just handed her the letter back and walked away. Michelle, not knowing whether she should run after him or stay behind, looked at Arya with a questioning look as if to ask for her guidance.
"Stay close to him, but don't say anything. He has to process this alone," Arya told her.
Arya could see her hesitation and knew she wanted to know what had happened. She also knew that Michelle should be there with her mate. Maybe Rodriguez will tell her when he feels like it.
"Rodriguez will tell you himself. If he doesn't, I will. But right now, he needs you there as his shadow. Go!" Arya said, and Michelle nodded and ran off in the direction her mate went.
Arya stood there, not knowing what to do herself. Will he believe it and grow a relationship with her? Or will he rule it out as a lie and banish Arya from his pack?
Michelle wanted to know what was in that letter, and her hope was that Rodriguez would tell her. Maybe this information would be of value to Alfa, and.... Alfa! The wolf who sent her here as a spy!
What was she supposed to do? She can not blow up her cover.
She felt like she was a doll, and Alfa was pulling on the strings, and now, she found someone and wanted to be free, but wad afraid of rejection. Not from Alfa, but from Rodriguez.
She would have no choice but to tell him before he decides to mark her or he will know everything about her in an instant, and if he doesn't trust her, she'll die.
But betraying Alfa would also mean choosing the people who killed her family over the one who saved her.
She found Rodriguez sitting on a huge rock, aimlessly throwing small stones at a tree. He looked lost in thought, and Michelle cautiously approached him.
"Did she tell you?" He asked, without turning back or looking at her. His voice held hurt and confusion. It seemed that whatever that letter held was breaking him from inside.
The surrounding area was completely empty, except for a few butterflies and birds.
"No. I didn't ask!" Michelle replied softly.
"I have grown up as a rogue," Rodriguez began, and Michelle sat quietly on the ground beside him. "All I knew was that my mother had died before giving birth to me, and since she was no longer there to protect me, my wolf came forward, and it protected me from everything. I only became human at around ten years of age." Rodriguez paused. He was clearly disturbed.
Michelle said nothing. She just held his hand and waited for him to continue.
"In my eighteen years of life, I've faced many hate and criticism as well as taunts for being a rogue who took his mother's life even before birth. I stumbled upon this pack when it was almost reduced to nothing. The Alpha took me in as his own and raised me. He's the one who taught me everything, from hunting to fighting." Rodriguez took a deep breath in and continued.
"He was the only family I knew of, and he never underestimated me. He always encouraged me to keep trying. It was almost like he did this on purpose, so I would later take his position as Alpha of his pack. I had always thought why make a rogue pup your successor! Now I know." Rodriguez finally turned to look at her. "Because he always knew I was his only male heir left!"
Michelle's eyes widened in shock.
"I'm Arya's brother!"