By the time they returned to the main city, dawn was only a few hours away. The pack had been awake all night. Families who had waited the whole night. Guards stood at every entrance.
The moment Aleksandr stepped into view, heads turned. Everyone looked at their Alpha.
Leo saw the questions before anyone spoke.
Did they find them? Are they alive? Are they coming home?
The silence was painful. Because Aleksandr had no answer yet.
But he did have something that mattered. He walked among them. He did not hide inside the Alpha house. He did not send someone else to deliver information.
He stood there and carried the disappointment with them.
"We found a trail," he said.
The words traveled through the crowd. It wasn't enough. They had been there before. A hoodie, a notebook, a toy. They had found such things before but nothing had lead them anywhere concrete. No path towards finding the murderer.
But now they had something. A beginning. And the knowledge that the children were still alive. Whoever had kidnapped them had not murdered them.
The parents and families of the two missing pups held onto that small piece of hope like it was something physical.
Aleksandr spent the next hour assigning patrol rotations and ensuring the pack had enough rest before the next search. Only once everything was settled did he finally return home.
Leo followed quietly. Aleksandr's father placed a hand on their shoulders and instructed them to rest before he left to find his mother as they reached the house. The house was dark as his mother and siblings, Anton and Yuliya, were still sleeping.
Aleksandr led Leo to his room, knowing his bed wasn't huge but big enough to hold them. The moment the door closed behind them, the outside world disappeared. For the first time all night, Aleksandr looked tired.
Not Alpha tired. Not the kind of exhaustion a warrior admitted after battle. But something deeper. Something that made wolf look human. Something real.
Leo stepped closer. "You did well."
Aleksandr looked at him. "I didn't bring them home."
"No." Leo reached for his hand. "But you found a way forward."
Aleksandr stared down at their joined hands.
The silence between them softened. Then, slowly, he squeezed his fingers. A small gesture.
But for Leo, it meant everything.
He changed out of his clothes, made Sasha do the same and pulled him into his arms. Perhaps, some other time, he would have felt anxious, since it was the first time they'd be sleeping together, even if all they did was actually sleep.
But right now he was exhausted. And he needed his mate around him more.
And maybe over him or under him too.
~~~~
The next morning arrived too quickly. Even before Leo woke, he could hear Aleksandr. Moving around the room, going to the bathroom.
Leo opened his eyes but was sleepy enough to not want to leave the bed. At first, he thought the exhaustion was simply catching up with him.
Then the scent hit him.
Warm. Heavy and Familiar.
His body went still.
No.
No, no no!
Not now. Not with everything happening. He closed his eyes as realization settled over him.
His heat. His first heat since he had met Aleksandr. Since he had a mate.
It was early. Unexpected. And impossibly inconvenient.
Outside their room, the pack was already preparing for the search.
Aleksandr was preparing to hunt.
And Leo knew, with absolute certainty, that the moment Aleksandr realized what was happening, the man who carried an entire pack on his shoulders would try to carry him too.
The problem was, Leo wasn't sure he could let him.
Not this time. Not today.
But what to do??
Yesss, a cliffhanger. ;)