Conversations and all

Leo's eyes widened at the noise Aleksandr let out. "Are you growling at me? Seriously?"

"I am not growling at you, Lev. But why do you keep rejecting our bond?" Aleksandr asked with a scowl on his face.

Leo blinked in confusion and wondered what his mate meant. "When did I do that?"

"Just now. Right now you said we were barely better than strangers. Wasn't that a rejection?" Aleksandr asked, indignantly.

Leo could feel how instantly the air of the conversation had changed and become serious around them. He hadn't meant to reject his mate though. "No, it wasn't." He tried explaining himself. 

"A rejection would be me stating clearly that I don't wish to have anything to do with you. That I no longer want to see you or meet with you or be a part of your life. I did not say any of that."

"Thank fuck." Aleksandr said in a decidedly soft voice. His eyes almost seemed to glow. His hands were balled into fists, veins straining against his skin. 

"So no, it was not a rejection. But I still don't like you calling me "your love" or "husband" or even "boyfriend". I don't want us to say these words to each other lightly." Leo paused, wondering how to make Aleksandr understand. 

"Before you say anything, I know that you probably mean it or that maybe it feels like that but it's just your wolf. It's the whole mate-bond thing making you feel like that. 'Cause we just met, like, a couple of days ago. How much do we even know about each other?" Leo continued.

Leo's expression had morphed into an anxious, cautious one as he added, "I don't want us to act solely on our wolf instincts. They're great for battle and war zones but not for building a relationship together. I just..." Feeling frustrated with this whole conversation, Leo looked out the window of the café, at the road, at people rushing by without seeming to take a pause. The anxiety in his stomach intensified as he looked back at Aleksandr and directly in his eyes, one more time. "I want us to get to know each other. With honesty." 

Aleksandr stared back with his warmest brown eyes looking like chocolate. Except, this time the chocolate seemed frozen. Like the kind that has been put in the refrigerator for too long. Leo could not decipher anything from his mate's face. The same mate whom he had all but pushed away. 

Oh god, what if Aleksandr decided to reject Leo now after all the dull, tedious things Leo had spouted at him? What if he ended things right now and decided to walk out of the café because he thought this deal was not doing him any favors? The more the silence strayed between them, the worse Leo's thoughts spiraled. 

At that point Leo, could not even look at Aleksandr again and dropped his eyes to his own hands at the table. 

Which was how he noticed a slightly tanned hand reaching out to him. It seemed like the hand was going to cover his own but changed his mind at the last moment and instead, after a second's pause mid-air, laid flat out at the table, palm side up. 

Asking. 

Leo stared at it for longer than a minute as the knot in his chest loosened at the gesture his mate was showing. Leo understood that being an alpha, Aleksandr must be used to claiming and taking things without anyone's permission or approval. Yet here he was, trying. Requesting. 

For Leo. 

He slid his hand in Aleksandr's and slowly looked up. Promptly the hand engulfed Leo's, made it look tiny in comparison and radiated a shot of heat directly to Leo's body. A breath of relief and calm exhaled from Leo's mouth involuntarily as his eyes fluttered close at the touch of skin against skin of his mate. It felt so right touching Aleksandr. All the chaotic, messy thoughts swirling in his brain died down. 

The chocolate in his eyes had become lava cake again, brown eyes swimming with emotions while looking at Leo. He claimed it as his favorite, in his head.  

"You're not going to say anything?" Leo asked. 

"I am." 

"When?"

"When I am done looking at you some more." 

A beat skipped Leo's heart. "When will that be?" 

"Never." 

"Well, that was fast. And that just makes the whole conversation pointless then." Leo scowled. 

"It's true. I can't help it." Aleksandr shrugged his massive shoulders. "I can't get enough of looking at you. Even after what you just said. Especially after that." 

Aleksandr didn't sound pissed off at the things Leo had mentioned. But maybe he could see Leo getting frustrated again since Aleksandr let out a sigh. 

"You want me to say something?" Aleksandr asked. 

Leo nodded. 

"Firstly, I just wanna say Thank you. For letting out all the thoughts in your head and clearing up any confusion or misunderstanding that could have been. I know it couldn't have been easy to share all that but I am glad and relieved that you did, Leo." His words shined with sincerity. 

"Not just for yourself but for me too. I would have never known otherwise. I mean, I had a feeling I was becoming an overbearing asshole and I have a premonition that I still might become one, from time to time, but when I do, I want you to tell me, like you did today. Shout at me, scream at me, fight with me, I don't care how. Just communicate with me. And I'll do the same."

Aleksandr had leaned closer to Leo as he continued. Leo could pick out Aleksandr's scent wafting sweetly to his nose, smelling like citrusy pine trees. Intoxicating.  

"You're absolutely right in saying that we should get to know each other. I agree and am dying to know everything about you anyway. I think, that's why, I unconsciously pushed you to move to Mologa that day. I mean, I still want you to but I also understand that you have a life here. And if that life doesn't allow you to move to a new place for at least three more months, then I'll do whatever it takes to make it work. I'll wait for three months. I'll wait for when you are ready. It doesn't matter. To me, they are just semantics." Aleksandr's eyes bore into Leo's as he spoke with seriousness and solemnity. 

He seemed to hesitate a bit but added, "If even after three months, you decide to not want to move to the country and leave the city, I'll move here. Permanently."

Leo inhaled a sharp breath at that. "B-but you...you...don't you have a pack? You are the Alpha. Your pack needs you. " 

His mate just smiled as if Leo had asked a silly question. "Yes, but I need you more."

"And besides, I have a very good beta. He can just become the leader. and take my place." Aleksandr spoke like he offered to step down from his position every day and it was as easy a decision as choosing a milkshake. 

However, before Leo could point that out, Aleksandr asked, "Now you didn't my question from before, mate. What's FNL?"

Author's Note: 

Hi guys, sorry for such big conversations but I felt like Leo really needed to let his thoughts out. 

I am glad I finally got enough time to make Aleksandr and Leo properly converse. This was the big hurdle and now we can move to the fun parts. 

Thank you! Happy reading!

Please vote and comment on my story. :)