The cantina was alive with laughter and music, the hum of conversation rolling through the warm night air. Alejandro was in his element, surrounded by friends, his laughter echoing off the walls. Rudy sat beside him at the bar, nursing a beer, his smile subtle but genuine. He wasn’t the loud one - that was Alejandro’s domain - but he didn’t mind watching his friend work the room, spinning stories that drew others close like moths to a flame.

“Hermano, you’re too quiet,” Alejandro said, elbowing him lightly. “You’ll scare people if you keep brooding like that.”

Rudy chuckled, taking a slow sip of his beer. “Someone has to keep watch,” he replied dryly, earning a bark of laughter from Alejandro.

The music swelled, an upbeat rhythm that had people spilling onto the dance floor, hips swaying, hands clapping. Rudy just shook his head, smiling faintly into his beer. He didn’t mind the noise. It reminded him of home, of normalcy, of moments between battles that felt almost human.

He slid his stool back, mumbling something to Alejandro about grabbing another round, and turned -

and someone crashed into him His gaze caught the reflection of the sunset bleeding orange across the bottles behind the bar, the scent of lime and salt cutting through the air... when suddenly, something else hit him.

A scent.

Warm. Sweet. Familiar in a way that clawed at his chest.

He blinked, sitting a little straighter, his wolf stirring under his skin. That pull in his gut came fast, sharp, a magnetic tug that made his breath hitch. His gaze flicked over the crowd, searching, though he didn’t even know what for.

Rudy stared. Words - any words - just vanished. The music dulled, fading into a low hum as his wolf snapped awake. The bond hit him like a flashbang, fierce and electric, his heart hammering as his instincts roared in recognition. The world narrowed to the warmth in his hands, the rise and fall of their breath, and the look in their eyes, curious, a little tipsy, but impossibly kind.

Alejandro, of course, saw everything. His booming laugh rose over the crowd. “Mira nomás!” he called, slapping Rudy’s shoulder so hard the stool wobbled. “Finally! The quiet one finds his match!”

Rudy shot him a look that could’ve silenced a platoon, but Alejandro only grinned wider. The omega giggled, brushing a stray strand of hair from their face, clearly amused by the scene.

“Don’t mind him,” Rudy said quietly, his voice softer now, edged with something protective, something his wolf couldn’t hide. “He talks too much.”

Their eyes met again and the air shifted. The laughter, the chatter, even Alejandro’s teasing faded into the background. The omega smiled, small and genuine, and Rudy felt it like a promise. It was supposed to be just another night. A drink, a talk with his brother-in-arms, a rare moment of peace. But as the bond thrummed through him, steady, sure, unrelenting, Rudy knew nothing about his life would ever be simple again.

And maybe… for the first time, he didn’t mind that at all.