The cool afternoon breeze turned chilling as Michelle realized what this all meant.
She had heard of how Arya's parents had died in a car crash because of Alfa, and though Arya disliked the situation, she had to accept him in his life because of the pull of the mate bond. But now, Arya was no longer a wolf, and the mate bond was no longer strong on her end, and Rodriguez would want to know how his parents died, provided he doesn't know yet, and when he realizes that it was Alfa who caused the accident, he's dead meat.
Arya may have stopped herself by convincing herself that it was all a mistake, that Alfa didn't intentionally run down the road; but with Rodriguez, it's different. He owes nothing to anyone. While he is shocked, it is alright, but the moment he recovers from that shock and surprise, and reality hits, he will go after Alfa.
Michelle had to think of something that would be able to prevent this from happening. Why? Why Goddess, why? Why is she testing her loyalty? If she stands up against Rodriguez, she'll lose her mate, her life. If she chooses him, she will lose the person she should owe her life to. The person who saved her from a devastating fate!
She felt like a sandwich, two men squeezing her, and she didn't know how to get out. Maybe she can talk to Arya and try to awaken her feelings for Alfa... then again, her feeling for Alfa was because of Bella, her wolf. With Bella gone, so would her feelings.
She can try to talk to her about feelings. Yes, she can definitely try talking to her, but first, she needs to get close enough to her to talk about this. Arya would never talk to a stranger about all this, even when that stranger was her future sister in law.
Michelle only hoped that Alfa would find a way to either bring back Bella or to think of a permanent solution to this problem. If either Arya or Rodriguez finds out she was sent by Alfa, she's finished.
One thing would be certain, they would never forgive her. If she comes clean, it would mean betraying Alfa when he needs her the most.
She needs to somehow meet Alfa. But there's a risk. Any wolf would be able to smell him off of her if they get too close. She can not risk sending a message through Marius or Yalandro.
"Michelle?" Rodriguez's voice brought her back from the thinking journey.
"Yeah?" She said, finally looking at him.
"Are you alright? You look even more shocked than I am!" Rodriguez observed.
He had no idea about the turmoil that she was going through right at that moment.
"I'm just... actually, yeah, I'm shocked," she tried to deny it at first but remembered that he'd know.
"What is it?" Rodriguez asked, stepping down from the rock to sit face to face across from her.
"Maybe you should talk to her... Arya... about how you feel! I'm sure she's feeling the same pain as you are, I mean, growing up knowing your family didn't make it alive and years later, discovering that the sibling you thought had died turned out to be alive..." Michelle said slowly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. She stared at him with her big green eyes filled with hope.
She couldn't let him suffer from his own internal emotions alone. Talking to Arya, understanding her, and expressing his feeling might help them both to create a strong bond.
What was she doing? Her suggestion could become deadly for Alfa. What if Arya tells him that it was all Alfa's doing? What if they plan to kill Alfa? She couldn't let that happen.
"Michelle? Your heart is racing! Are you all right?" The concern on Rodriguez face made Michelle's stomach churn.
Here, she was trapped between being loyal to him or Alfa, and her mate was showing complete trust and love to her. He was genuinely concerned about her, and she was half betraying him. Half, because she hadn't transferred any information out of this pack.
She couldn't do this anymore. She had to choose and fast! Before Rodriguez finds out. And she couldn't lie to his face. So she just stood up and said, "Need my coffee," and walked off.
She knew her heart was already racing, so Rodriguez wouldn't be able to tell if she was lying or telling the truth.
Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving Rodriguez confused.
"Michelle?" Another familiar voice called out.
She had just reached the pack house entrance and was about to enter.
"Arya! I heard," Michelle said, smiling, while rolling her eyes inwardly. Just the person she wanted to see. Ironically.
"How's he holding up?"
"Honestly, not very good. I told him to talk with you, and maybe you both could share your feelings and thoughts, but I came before he replied," Michelle told her.
"Hmmm," was all Arya did before looking at Michelle closely. "Why did you leave him alone?"
Michelle looked at Arya, and then her mind raced. She could ask Arya if she still loved Alfa, but in a cryptic way!
"I am just concerned about what he would do when he starts to dig about his... your parents' death. He will go for blood, killing the person who is responsible!"
Arya's expression changed, and for a minute, Michelle saw genuine concern flicker in her eyes before it was replaced by something that couldn't be read.
"Are you alright?" Michelle asked, feigning concern.
"Yeah... I was just going..." Arya said, her voice filled with hesitation as she walked inside the house.
She had forgotten one important detail, Michelle was a werewolf! Her racing heart told her that she was still in love with Alfa. Michelle just needed to find a way to reignite the flame.
Inside the common area, an area where everyone lounged, Michelle sat on the sofa with a cup of coffee and thought about ways to unite everyone without having them killed.
She will have to make sure that they are all safe and become friends in the future. For that, she needed to talk to Alfa and maybe explain to him about what's going on. But how does she go out alone from this pack territory? She could tell Rodriguez that she wanted to go somewhere, but would he send her alone? She didn't think so!
"Luna, I'm Donna. We have met before," came a sweet voice.
Michelle looked up from her cup and saw a woman she had seen at the moon festival with Arya standing there.
"Oh, yeah, hi. I remember you from the moon festival. How are you?" Michelle asked.
"I'm good. Actually, my Alpha asked if you wanted to go out. We were going to town so you can also join us!"
"Us?"
"Yes, my mate and I."
"Well, that would be awesome. I'll get dressed." Michelle said excitedly.
She just has to send a message to Alfa, and for that, she needs Marius and Yalandro to see her leaving.