The Rejected Alpha's Vengeance

[SICARIO]

"I may be an ass, Theodore, but even I am not that much of an ass to be cruel to my newly fated mate," Rio said as he pulled Theo into a hug.

The Sicario high warrior was not expecting to get a hug from his mate, even as Theo hugged him close and tightly like he was scared of losing the warrior.

This was all so new for Theo and he wouldn't pretend and say that this was anything close to what he had expected. It wasn't, and he probably would take a few business days to process the truth of this all.

"But—"

"I have been to a few wars myself, Theodore. I have probably lived longer than you have and seen worse than you have. But of all the wars I fought, and all the chaos that got me to this point;

"... none of them have been as important to me as seeing you be brave and ready to fight one so huge. You won't have to do this alone, Theodore. I will be there, right beside you, and protect you above all else.

"You can fight to protect Sicario, but I will fight to protect you, regardless of the outcome. And if it happens that I die in the war, don't mourn me for long, Theodore. You can mourn me in passing, but not long enough to get your life on pause.

"You deserve to live and love. You deserve to be loved, regardless of what time it is, or what position it is you hold," Rio said and Theo was continuously concealing that this wasn't the man he had known in the past few days.

Where the fuck was the arrogant Rio who always looked like he wanted to punch Theo square in the face and force the warrior into an early grave?

Where the hell was the sailor who looked at Theo like he despised the man and where the hell was the man who had always strived to leave the pack he considered a hell hole?

What had happened to that man? Because this one right here sounded a lot like a mate and like someone who would truly fight for Theo.

The Sicario high guard had never had someone truly dedicate themselves to fight for him and it was so new that it was fucking with his head. If this was a game, then it had to be the costliest game of all time.

"What if it's not worth it? What if all I am bound to bring into your life is chaos seeing as we found each other in the chaos? What if your fellow sailors fall and you hate me?

"What if this is all just a dream and we will both wake up from it and go back to being indifferent?" Theo asked and Rio felt truly his heart shatter for the young wolf. He had been so protective of his fellow sailors that he had made his mate feel like he didn't matter.

"I know anything I might say right now will sound like a lie, because we are going to be in the battlefield, but I swear, nothing was as devastating as knowing they were my mate and finding out that you had an impending war.

"I know Sicario and the stories that have long existed, and the books talk fairly of you, Theodore, but none of them do you any justice. We will find out way back to each other, if it wasn't in this life then the next.

"But in all of them, I know I wouldn't want any other for a mate. Before you complain about the little time we have together, I know we still haven't gone on our first date, so we will when the sun rises and this battle is done, alright?" Rio said as he gently pulled back from the hug, as he looked at his mate.

He knew this was probably not what Theo had had in mind when he asked to talk, but he couldn't exactly confess to the warrior, right? Their mate bond wasn't complicated and yet the both of them had found a way to complicate it in a span of days.

He should have been able to protect his mate and made choices that told Theo just how much the warrior meant to the sailor, but they had both fixed that.

"The war—"

"I'll protect you above all else, Theodore," Rio said softly as he looked into Theo's eyes that had softened for him. it was something that had surprised even Theo himself, but then it wasn't like love ever came with a manual right?

They would find their footing in the mess and find a way to balance their lives like the psychic had managed to. It wasn't that hard for them because, at the end of the day, they would have to work things out or go their separate ways.

"Rio… This is all just… it's all very new to me. One moment you look at me with spite, and the next… what if—" Theo started and instead of saying anything, Rio interrupted him with a kiss, one that got Theo gasping in shock.
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He truly hadn't expected this, and it was obvious with the way he stared at Theo, his eyes almost bulging out.

Maybe because Theo had expected the warriors to come back and tell him that the barriers had been breached, or maybe it was because he wasn't sure what the actual hell was happening right now.

He wanted to fight it, but a part of him also wanted to lean into Rio and let things happen. Besides, there was a chance that none of them would make it out of the battlefield alive.

So, if this was their first and last kiss, then Theo wasn't opposed to it. And so, with that newfound realization, however horrifying, Theo gave into the kiss, and let their lips express all that they couldn't express with their words.

It had started as a rough kiss, one so demanding, almost like they didn't have time to be going peachy with each other but soon after, the tension reduced and they let themselves lean into the delicate kiss, one so comforting, and one that got them feeling everything that they had been holding back on.

"I'm scared, Rio," Theo whispered softly as their heads leaned against each other.

They had pulled back from the kiss but the desire for more was still obvious, even with the way the night was turning darker. They wanted to be there for each other, and they would be hopefully.

"That's okay, Theodore. Emotions are a part of us. It doesn't make you any less of a person to feel scared. You can't always have to be strong for everyone, you know," Rio said as he held Theo's neck gently, almost like he was scared he would break the powerful warrior's neck.

Theodore had always been undefeated in the battlefield and he knew there was a chance that this would be the same too, but that didn't make him feel any less scared of the immortal army that was headed their way.

"I'm scared I might lose you," Theo admitted and Rio looked at his mate like he had unlocked a new level on the easter bunny competition.

This day sure was filled with so many surprises, because he had never thought that there would come a day when he heard the great warrior of Sicario, talk about being scared to lose him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Theodore. You and I, we're going to go out there and fight, and then we're going to go on that date, remember?" Rio said, as he traced his hand down Theo's face.

The warrior's face was filled with scars, and battle reminders but it was easily the prettiest face Rio had ever seen.

"Yeah… The date. Sounds like a good idea," Theo said, his face; lighting up a bit.

It was like he was giving himself a chance to be happy just one more time, even though was truly scared that this was a battle he would lose. It scared the hell out of him, but with Rio, he was feeling like a lot was happening already.

"I don't want to let go," Rio said after a long silence. He had been breathing in Theo's woody scent and it was addictive as fuck. He wanted to spend more time with his mate, but then the circumstances were not letting them.

Perhaps this was the ultimate test of their loyalty to each other but was that even it when the battle was already here with them?

This wasn't about choosing where to be and when to be, but about what they had to do to keep the realm steady, what they needed to do to make sure that the night bloomed into the morning, however bloodied it would get.

It was a risk they were taking, but a strike worth it either way.

"Me too. I wanna stay here, with you. I want to tell you about my day, about everything that goes on in my head, about how you make me feel and how things are around me. I want to tell you more than I ever told anyone;

"... but I worry I might just push you away and even worse, that I might lose you… I can't lose you, Rio," Theo said, his voice cracking at the end.

This was Theo letting himself be raw around Rio, even though he wasn't sure that the fates would ever make their dream of finding their way back to each other a reality. It was a cruel assumption, but what could they do?

"Is it too soon to say I want to spend every passing day with you, and that you're the love of my life?" Rio said and Theo just chuckled.

"Is that a confession?"

"What if it is—" Rio began, only for the bells to ring.