Contract Marriage: Married to My Ex-Husband's Alpha Stepfather [BL]

[Three Decades Ago]

[FROLO]

"Wh... What is happening?" a young beta, Daniil, asked as the gunshots outside continued.

It was something he was not used to, really, because in his life there had never been a reason to carry a gun or for anyone in his family to carry one. Maybe because they had their swords and blades, but with blades there was honor.

Guns were the most disrespectful weapons anyone would ever choose to use in a fight.

"It’s time," a curly-haired boy said to Daniil, who was still shaking his head. He had known this was coming; after all, the curly-haired boy’s family was known to be dangerous.

Way too dangerous.

Daniil had known that from the very beginning, but he’d hoped that perhaps things would be different. Easier for them.

"No... I’m not... I’m not leaving. You can’t make me leave," Daniil insisted, even as the curly boy’s hands came on both sides of his face, covering Daniil’s ears protectively like he wasn’t supposed to hear the gunshots.

"You have to, lapochka," the curly boy kissed his lips softly.

[Trans: lapochka = sweetheart]

But Daniil was not ready, so he pulled back, heart hammering against his chest.

"I can fight. I’ve mastered the art of swords. I don’t want to be without you; please don’t make me leave," Daniil begged, and the boy just smiled sadly at him.

"Sir, Sergei’s men have cleared the perimeter. We have to go now, or there won’t be time to leave," a butler said, and the curly-haired boy stared into Daniil’s beautiful brown eyes, like he was committing them to memory. Like he was determined to never forget them.

"I have a gift for you, lapochka," the curly-haired boy said, and Daniil shook his head fervently.

He knew what that was.

He understood it a little too well.

"No... You can’t... You promised we’d spend the rest of our lives together. I... I don’t want to be an alpha. You’re my alpha. I love you. I don’t want anyone else.

"I don’t want to be anything but your beta, please... please don’t make me an alpha without you," Daniil cried, desperately, begging, pleading with him to not do this.

Because they both knew it was the final step in the one thing that they had known was coming.

"Oh, Pietro... My precious lapochka," the curly boy said as the butler handed him a syringe and needle.

"Joe, please," Daniil begged desperately still.

"I will not make it out of this war, my Pietro. But you have to live. You have to survive. I was meant to die in a war like this. A year from now or even seventy years from now. It’s my fate, my precious. And I can’t outrun it.

"I just thought I’d last a little longer so I’d get to spend more time with you. But life’s a bitch when Sergei exists," the curly-haired boy, or as Daniil had called him, Joe, said, looking into Daniil’s eyes softly.

The sound of weapons clashing was coming closer, and Joe knew they were out of time. He didn’t have an option, or maybe there was, but not a safer one for the boy in the same room with him.

"This side of the world is not for beautiful souls like yours, lapochka. Promise me you’ll live a good life. That you won’t take up arms and fight back," Joe said, like that was all he needed.

But Daniil couldn’t.

A life without Joe was one he couldn’t handle.

Sure, they were still teens, but they loved each other through and through.

Funny how they had fought for approval from both their families, only to eventually get the approval and be separated by a man called Sergei.

All that fight.

All those sacrifices were for nothing, and Daniil refused to believe that.

"Lapochka..." Joe rested their foreheads against each other.

"Promise me, my precious," he insisted.

"I’m sorry... I... I can’t... I can’t lose you," Daniil said, pushing Joe back before he grabbed his blade and ran outside into the line of fire.

If they were to die today, then he would die too. There was no point in living a life without Joe. It was not worth it, and fuck if that was a sentence he agreed to.

"Sir, we have to get going," the butler insisted.

And Joe laughed tiredly.

"I can’t leave without him, Kenzo. I would die before leaving his side. And since he’s already running into the fire, I might as well protect the love of my life. You can go, though.

"Sergei doesn’t know you. He won’t come for you. You can start over," Joe said as he held the syringe with one hand and his red katana with the other.

He was going to fight, and he didn’t want anyone’s death on his conscience. Besides, if Sergei’s men made it this far into the main house, then there was nothing that Joe could do.

"My loyalty is to you, sir. If you stay, then I shall stay too," Kenzo said without mincing his words.

He’d served Joe’s family since before Joe was born.

And when he’d been assigned Joe’s personal butler, he’d dedicated his life to protecting him, even now.

"On second thought... my Pietro won’t stop unless I stop him. And once I do, I need you to inject him with this alpha serum. It’s the only way he’ll survive this loss. But you must take care of him, Kenzo.

"If not for the family, then for me. Consider this my last request to you," Joe said, and Kenzo stiffened.

The young master was not asking him something so simple. It was crazy, yet loyalty never had loopholes. Kenzo had never been disloyal, and he wasn’t about to start now. So, when Joe handed the serum in the syringe to him, he just nodded.

What could he say that the young master hadn’t thought of yet anyway?

"Prot—"

"With my life, young master. I’ll protect him with my life until my last breath," Kenzo said before they hurried after Daniil.

He was already fighting off some of Sergei’s men when he got there, and Gods was it a painful sight for Joe. This wasn’t the life he’d wanted to share with his mate. And he knew it would be so hard to go on, but damn.

"It’s me you want, Rastenkin. Let Daniil go," Joe said calmly.

Daniil turned to Joe, horrified that his mate was still here. A part of him had prayed for Joe to take the exit, but at the same time he knew that the man would never leave his side. Not when there was a war right here.

"Joe... Go! Get out of here!" Daniil shouted as he swung at Rastenkin, only for the man to catch Daniil’s blade in his hands. He didn’t care that the blade cut through his palm mercilessly. If anything, he loved the sight of blood.

But Daniil wasn’t used to the blood.

So, he stepped back instinctively, his blade still stuck to Rastenkin’s palm like an axe to wood.

And the man pulled the blade off, letting it fall to the floor...

Then Rastenkin drank his own blood.

"Thanks for the boost, Petrovsky," Rastenkin chuckled darkly at a shocked Daniil, who stumbled backwards.

Rastenkin didn’t stop, though.

He walked toward the beta, laughing sinisterly as his own blood dripped down his lips like a deranged psychopath.

"You want me, Rastenkin. I’m the one Sergei sent you to eliminate. Leave him. He’s not part of this. Besides, won’t you want to report to your boss that you took me out, and not a beta who doesn’t understand the dynamics of my operations?" Joe bargained.

Rastenkin chuckled, smirking at him.

"You’re bargaining for his life... He must really be important to you," Rastenkin laughed darkly.

"DON’T..."

"Maybe I should inflict the same scars you inflicted on the other side... or maybe I should let your precious Daniil know what you really did, huh?" Rastenkin mocked, stepping forward again.

"NO!!" Joe shouted before turning to Kenzo.

"Take him away, Kenzo. Protect my lapochka with everything you have and don’t have. Go!! Kenzo... Now!!!" Joe said, and Kenzo stared at him sadly before he carried a struggling Daniil away.

But not before injecting him with the alpha serum.

"Joee!!!" Daniil cried, fighting the effects of the serum for as long as he could.

"Let me go back for him!!" Daniil insisted, and at some point, he managed to break free.

Only to hear three gunshots.

"Joeee!!!" Daniil cried as he rushed toward the source of the sound.

And when he got there...

Joe was dead.

Sergei’s team was walking away.

"Come find me when you’re strong enough, Petrovsky. I’ll be waiting," Rastenkin chuckled, blowing him kisses as Daniil fell to the ground, unconscious from the serum’s effects.

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