I am Not Moving

"Nyet, nyet, I am not moving!"

I am not moving! I am not moving.

Am not moving... Not moving.

Aleksandr could hear his mate's melodious voice ringing in his ears like a bell but had a hard time comprehending them since the words made no sense in his mind.

He thought things were going smoothly, despite that little rough start in the beginning. But they had talked things over after that. Hadn't they?

He felt anger simmer in his body at the thought that his mate might be rejecting him. Denying to be mates and rejecting their bond by refusing to move to Aleksandr's birth place where his pack resided. Low growls involuntarily rumbled in his body and slipped through his mouth.

Aleksandr looked at his mate who had now stood up and put even more distance between them, physically and metamorphically too it looked like. Leo's face looked pale and panicked as though he believed he would be kidnapped right that instant and shipped to a different city.

Seeing his mate's distraught face, Aleksandr made an effort to calm himself down a little. He didn't want to worry his mate or make him scared of him. He took deep breaths to think clearly again. Vlad, his beta, was always telling him to do that shit during such situations.

I'm not moving. He thought about his mate's words.

"Why? Why are you refusing to move?" Aleksandr asked in a strained voice. "Are you saying that you don't want to be with me? Do you want to deny our bond and not be mates?"

Are you rejecting me? Is there something wrong with me?

Unnecessary doubts creeped up in Aleksandr's mind but he did not have the courage to voice them out.

His mate stared at him with wide eyes. Dumbfounded. Aleksandr waited to let the omega speak what was on his mind.

And waited.

Leo just stood there silently staring at ALeksandr, as if really contemplating leaving him and breaking their bond. Or so he thought, the longer that Leo didn't break the silence. He was still looking a bit pale with his blue-gray eyes blown so wide that the pupil had dilated.

Aleksandr took a step forward, maybe if he touched his mate again, they could go back to the easy and relaxed way they felt before in each other's arms. He wanted to touch his mate's face, stroke his jaw and look directly in his eyes to know what he was thinking. Maybe, even change what he was thinking if those thoughts meant that they would have to stay apart.

Already, he had started feeling too much, too deep for his omega and he didn't think he could bear it if his mate denied him. Maybe he was the only one feeling this way though if Leo was thinking to cutting ties. How unfair, the fate was. He needed to know what Leo was thinking.

But when he took one more step, Leo suddenly winced, as if breaking out of a trance and said, "No!"

Immediately, Aleksandr froze and turned to stone. This was it.

It was over, wasn't it?

His mate was refusing him and didn't even want him near him.

Or so Aleksandr thought until Leo continued, "I didn't say anything about denying our bond or refusing to be mates. Just the thought of that was enough to..."

Leo inhaled sharply and left the words hanging.

"I'm just saying that I am ready to move yet. I still have three months left of my university and I'm really busy writing my thesis and completing my portfolio and finding a job and FNL. My whole life is here with my family, even though I don't usually meet them, and friends and I don't even know you yet." Leo had continued.

Aleksandr found some relief when he heard that they were still going to be mates.

But then Leo added, "I mean, I get it, we are mates and are supposed to be together and shit but I hardly just met you today and yet you expect me to just pack up my shit and go to live with you in the countryside?! Four hours may not seem like a big deal to you but then you're not the one whose life would be getting uprooted. Also, spending that much time in a car sounds very unappealing to me since I usually get car-sick. So, no, can't do. I can't move."

Aleksandr didn't know how to respond to the knowledge that he and his mate would be living apart. Because as much as he wanted to live with Leo, he still had his pack to consider. And it's not like he could move to the city with his entire pack along. His heart crushed a little at the realization.

But Leo wasn't done yet. He looked straight in his eyes and stated, "There's something else I want to discuss with you as well, Aleksandr. I don't know much about being mates but I do know that Alpha males can impregnate Omegas, even if they have the same gender."

Leo turned red at his own words, "I don't want that to happen to us until we have really gotten to know each other better." His mate looked at him and the blush on his cheeks deepened.

"I-I m-mean if y-you want t-that." His mate turned shy and looked at him with such vulnerability that Aleksandr immediately agreed. He would wait until Leo was ready.

But the rest of the stuff...

"Give me your phone." Aleksandr asked for Leo's phone and quickly saved his number in it. He proceeded to give himself a ring so he could get Leo's number as well.

His mind was still whirring with all the information Leo had given him and he didn't want to be hasty by saying anything. He needed to be alone or with his packmates to compose himself. City wolves had the habit of staying and living alone without needing any support from a pack but countryside wolves usually resided in packs and Aleksandr need some familiarity and solidarity of his pack at that moment. He felt frayed at the seems with all this talk of staying apart.

Leo was looking at him with silent determination in his eyes and Aleksandr understood that he wouldn't easily change his mind. They both need some time.

"Thank you for telling me your thoughts. And for not breaking our bond." Aleksandr said softly. He felt he needed to be grateful that his omega had not rejected him, his alpha.

He also couldn't help bringing his hand forward and grazing Leo's cheek tenderly. His mate had such smooth velvet skin and his eyes shone a fierce blue then.

"I need some time to process everything you said. We both do, I think. But I'll come back. I'll see you soon, moy lyubimyy."

With that, Aleksandr strode out the door.