My Alpha Mate's Christmas Gift novel Chapter 70

　　"Larry?!"

　　“No, I can’t accept this! This is wrong” Roxanne thought to herself.

　　The lanky man smiled as he saw her. He had a certain twinkle in his eyes, an expression which had both a high of pain and happiness. It confused Roxanne when she saw him look at her this way.

　　“S-Sir… Are you fine? You look really tired” She quickly said, rushing to his side.

　　He gave off a weary look as he laughed while she approached him.

　　“I’m fine… Thank you very much for your concern, ``he said.

　　Watching such a man say that to her made her heart ache. He seemed so fragile that a single jab from her was enough to take him out, maybe for good. Yet, he engaged in such labour so early in the morning… In the cold.

　　“But this isn’t right! Why are you doing this sir? I don’t understand…” She protested weakly.

　　“It’s fine, little one. I don’t do it because I’m forced to. It’s my duty to my people, my role to the pack. I’ll carry it out no matter what it takes.

　　She couldn’t understand properly. He was doing this of his own free will? This punishment? Wasn’t this duty too much for a single person to bear?

　　“What about the others? Don’t tell me you’re the only one who does this!” Roxanne asked with her eyes blazing with concern.

　　“This is my work. We all have our respective duties. It’s fine… I am grateful for your concern, but there’s really no need for you to worry so much. I’m used to this…”

　　Roxanne's heart ached, so much that she didn’t know what to say. From the man's looks, he appeared to be at least 39-40 years old, but he even appeared older thanks to the look of exhaustion he had.

　　“Well then, if you’ll excuse me… I have to continue this. I have to complete this before the others wake, after all.” He said with a smile.

　　He turned his face back to his work, as though he was a machine and lifted his axe after placing the wood in it’s correct position.

　　Roxanne watched him continue his work for some moments, diligently bringing the bus axe down as he chopped the wood. He did so with such precision that Roxanne believed it when he said he was used to this.

　　“Just how many years has he been…”

　　She couldn’t complete her thoughts, but she also couldn't bear to watch. From the man’s smile, she could tell that he took pride in his work, but she could also sense a tinge of sadness and loneliness from his expression.