The Rejected Alpha's Vengeance

She was mentally worn out and was so close to losing her mind. If Hawi got hurt, Malika was painfully aware that she would be in trouble, not just with Hawi, but with the protectors of Olyana too.

She would have failed the one mission that she was given and the break time that the protectors had given Hawi from her vengeance would be removed. That would trigger a chain of so many unfortunate events, given that Hawi was especially crazy on all fronts and with anger issues.

"Malika. Slow down. And stop pacing, you're making me nervous," Rukiya said as she looked at the antsy protector.

She couldn't deny that Malika was expressing what they all were feeling, but then if Malika herself had a bad feeling about this, if the protector was this worried for a woman who was supposed to be invincible, then what else would Rukiya do?

She loved Hawi, she would worship the woman if that was what she had to do to get Hawi to live the next minute. She would do whatever it took to make sure Hawi was safe, and even the devils around knew that too.

However, here and now, as the three women stood there trying to discuss whatever they could think of Hawi, they couldn't deny the fact that time was going by so fast and it would not be in their favor if they didn't manage to figure it out by morning.

That was how intense everything was.

Oh, how they wished to have Hawi screaming at them. Anything but the silence they were getting from the woman.

"If I don't pace, I'll start dropping bodies," Malika said angrily as she looked around. She was desperate and her blood was getting hotter by the minute.

The alphas were already leaving, the werewolves were coming out of their homes and Malika looked like she wanted to be everywhere but here. She just didn't know what the fuck she needed to do right now.

Who even built a maze in the dungeons?

It's not like the powerful warriors of Sicario could ever be bested by anyone, even their leaders themselves, right? After all, aside from Hawi, everyone else was no match for the brave warriors of Sicario, the same warriors that Hawi had trained herself.

"On second thoughts you can keep pacing. Perhaps she didn't want you distracted. Hawi does that a lot of times," Rukiya said, trying to make herself believe that Hawi was okay and that she wasn't worried.

"You seriously don't believe that, do you?" Malika asked and Rukiya smiled at her in reassurance, as if her body was not registering whatever the fuck they needed to do.

But that wasn't it.

Rukiya knew what was happening to and with Hawi.

She could feel it all, the pain Hawi was feeling, even though she wasn't sure if it was self-inflicted by Hawi or not.

Perhaps that was also why she was trying to be on her best behavior, trying to be whatever the hell people were when they were trying to be sane enough among their friends.

The oath she had bound herself to Hawi with was already acting up, and Rukiya Greyson could feel the blade cuts that Hawi was experiencing, she could feel the splitting headache, and more than anything, Rukiya could feel her breath shortening.

She knew that was because of Hawi's pain and boy did she want to go and find the love of her life. Rukiya could feel the burn of their bond, a bond that they had initiated before they came to Sicario, and boy was it hurting her so terribly.

Ruru was painfully aware that Hawi was most probably dying and she was holding on, counting on the fact that if she kept her sanity, if she was composed, then Malika could figure out where the dungeons were and then they would go and help her woman.

That was her only hope out of this, because she didn't know the dungeons well, and if she acted on her anger and showed them her anxiety and cruelty, she wouldn't be able to find Hawi on time, and that was too expensive a gamble.

So, she waited and listened to Malika and Elodie with hope.

A lot of hope.

"Maybe Rukiya is right— I can call you Rukiya right?" Elodie said to the Greyson alpha who looked at her as if to tell the woman that this wasn't the time for them to bond. They would definitely have so many days and hours to bond, just not when Awuor Hawi was in danger.

"Only for as long as you don't betray Hawi or break Malika's heart," Rukiya said with a shrug and Malika raised a brow.

What the fuck did the woman even mean by that? Oh, but Malika and Elodie both knew that so well, they just weren't ready to admit it to anyone save for Hawi who had her ways of making them admit they liked each other.

But that wasn't the current focus, right?

"Great. So, the thing is, Malika says that Hawi went to look for her father in the hidden dungeons. And those dungeons are always located under the pack. There are thousands of tunnels all over Sicario.

"Given how big our pack is, it's hard for anyone who hasn't been there to know where the man is. Hawi is familiar with the landscape and she went to her father. If she is hurt, there is a chance that she will meet other people there.

"But then the only person who should be in the Sicario tunnel dungeons is just the former alpha," Elodie said, trying to explain as simply as she could, given Malika was already functioning on overdrive.

She wasn't sure if this was what they had signed up for, but this was fucked up on so many levels. Maybe it was time for her to accept the help the protector clan had offered her the first time they learned of who she was going to be protecting.

From the day Hawi had been born, the protectors knew she would be a piece of work. Her very existence would cause chaos and a strong protector would be needed. That was why the protectors had assigned Malika to the psycho-alpha of alphas.

However, they also knew that there were very high chances that Malika would be overwhelmed and right now, they seemed to have been right because Malika was losing her shit in silence.

If Rukiya spoke about Hawi's pain then it would be game over for everyone in Sicario, because the protector would turn the lands upside down and cause more trouble than what was expected once Hawi took over.

"So Hawi is in danger?" Rukiya asked like she hadn't heard Elodie and her theories.

Well, Rukiya knew that Hawi was in danger, she just wanted to hear them say it, so she would try and convince herself that she wasn't crazy for feeling the extreme pain that Hawi was feeling and still staying silent about it.

"We think so, and we don't have a way of reaching her," Elodie added.

"I'll find a way to reach her and then I'll let you both know. Hawi created a common mind link for us all, so we can use that for communication," Rukiya said before turning to Malika, even though she had tried the mind link earlier and got nothing, just like Malika herself.

They were all locked out by Hawi and if they weren't careful, they would lose more than just their minds today.

"Don't rush into anything, protector. If you fuck up, we both lose her, and we don't want that to happen alright?"

"You have three days to find answers, after that, I will use my magic, even if it exposes me," Malika said before he walked away from the two women and went to the packhouse. Her mind was boggy and she needed to think clearly because otherwise she wouldn't function.

Well, three days was a lot of time, not to mention, both Malika and Rukiya knew that Malika wouldn't wait for three days. It was probably the worst lie that Malika had ever told Rukiya, but it wasn't like they weren't lying to each other to keep each other sane, right?

"I guess I'll see you around Rukiya," Elodie said lightly, though hopeful. For what, she wasn't sure yet. But surely there always had to be a way around that, right?

"Take care of yourself and Malika. She's in love with you and chose you as her mate. Don't hurt her, or I will come after you," Rukiya said to Elodie in warning, before she left too.

Her departure left a shocked Elodie wondering whether she was the only one who didn't see how Malika was in love with her. Was Warrior Kane emotionally dumb?

*****

On the other side of Sicario was a duo that was busy with their own developments.

"How is she?" -content

"She looks so real, like Awuor would. There are so many similarities between her and my sister it's creeping me out," Dom admitted as he looked at Jer who wasn't even fazed by it.

"Your sister died. I felt the bonds break completely. That only happens when someone is dead. Plus, if she were alive, she would have come to seek answers about your mother.

"This woman came to the dungeons a little too conveniently when we were at your supposed funeral wake, Dom. Relax," Jer said and Dom looked at him like the man had gone wild.

But what if he had?

****

[A/N]

* Not sure if I should be scared of a calm Rukiya or Malika simply being agreeable.