The Game Of Quadruplet Mates
Ajax

The Games

'Alpha,' Jeremy whispers, his voice echoing quietly in my head. 'I want to... I want to claim someone. I want to be with her.'

The roaring of the fire in front of me seemed to double in size and I turned to look out the window where I last saw Jeremy. His voice was still fresh in my head, quiet but firm. Sure of himself.

Of all the people that would find a mate in the Games, I never expected it to be my Beta. This is for a number of reasons, like how he never showed much care for a future with anyone and how he almost always avoided the company of women if he could. My Beta is

a man of very little affection for others and his attention is always on the task at hand, never on anything else. It's what made us work well together. There was no one else but our work and our revenge.

He's been with girls, of course. In our years of working together, I've seen Jeremy with a few, less than my fingers can count, unlike the other men in our pack, but to Jeremy the girls he was with were never important to him.

No one lasts longer than a night. No one he spoke to ever stayed.

Fleeting.

That's all they were.

So, upon hearing him say this to me, it made me genuinely pleased for him and very curious. For what kind of girl could attract my Beta?

And he wanted it to be legal, official. It was only right that I came and showed my support even if I did despise the Games. Above everyone else, Jeremy was the closest I had to a family and if he chooses to claim someone, then it shall be done. "Have the plane ready. I'm going to the Games."

Moira, who was sitting outside the house, looked up. "What? Why?"

I didn't want to answer. I shouldn't have to answer. "Get it done."

"Is Jeremy choosing someone? I heard from the people that are at the Games that he has taken a particular liking to someone." She was trying to make conversation, desperate to have me say another word to her.

In the beginning, when I first saw Moira, I thought... I thought she was someone else. They had the same hair, the same features- farm pack features but not the same eyes. My disappointment was quick, but then she wouldn't leave my side. Selfishly, I allowed her to stay just to remember June.

The mere mention of her name has my soul on fire.

Years and years have passed, yet I still can't close my eyes without seeing the little girl abandoned in the woods. I had all the intention of finding June and the man that helped her but when I woke after passing out, I shifted for the first time and my wolf had taken over my body. I was in a completely different place than I was and the girl in the woods was never seen again.

I tried to look.

Tried to find her.

But it was like she was a dream, a figment of my imagination when my life was crumbling before me.

Seeing Moira now and the constant disappointment that she was not June, I walked away without answering her. "Ajax,"

I whirl back suddenly, nostrils flaring with rage. If there's anyone allowed to call me by my name, it would be my most trusted Beta, but he doesn't and yet she does? "I am your Alpha. You are not my mate nor anyone special. Do not ever pretend to be." Her lips trembled. "But,"

She stopped at the sight of me, my anger boiling as I stared down at her. Every time she does this, I feel like I'm betraying that little girl in the woods. I do not know why but it is what I felt and I wasn't about to let Moira ruin the one memory I had with June. "I'll have your plane ready, Alpha." She bows her head low, trembling at my rage.

I should have her killed. She's too close, too demanding. She forgets rules and crosses lines that she shouldn't.

If I ever do meet June again, and I... take her here. Moira would be a problem. And I can't have problems near my June.

It was already dark by the time the plane landed at the infamous Games. An elder standing guard at the front sees me and immediately goes down to his knees, his entire body shaking with fear.

Monster.

"Do not speak of my arrival to anyone." I commanded him. The last thing I need is for the Alpha's daughter to seek me out like some obsessed fool. I was here for Jeremy and only for Jeremy. "Get me a room."

The elder shudders as my order weighs him down but otherwise follows what I say. "Right away."

I kept to the shadows, avoiding everyone and taking in the atmosphere of the Games. There was laughter, the smell of liquor and emotions of every kind in the air.

There was one thing that bothered me as I took everything in.

Something in the air that distracted me.

I couldn't quite place it.

But it was unsettling and I felt restless, looking in every direction with caution.

'Gather in the woods.' I sent a quiet order to my nearby pack members.

I made it to the room that the elder assigned me to and stared at my hands in the darkness as the feeling of something coming momentarily distracted me. It was in the air. Faint but evident. My heartbeat was rising and I could only stare blankly into nothing, trying to understand what was happening.

Like an answered prayer, I heard footsteps in the distance, getting closer, getting louder and then my door opened and I was blinded by the sudden light until I saw a small figure by the door.

The smell was stronger. The one in the air. The one I couldn't identify.

And it was coming from her.

It pulled at me, calling for me.

The door closes behind her and darkness engulfs us. I could see her so clearly, so beautifully... the familiarity of her tugging at every part of me.

It can't be.

June?

My June?

Was this a cruel dream or was she actually here with me?

Am I hallucinating or has every quiet prayer been answered?

The hair was the same, her features almost perfectly as I remembered it but older, more mature. There was only one thing that didn't change, even after seventeen years. Her eyes. Innocent and kind, with hopeful doe eyes so confused about the world and scared of what's to come, I was instantly pulled.

Just like it was years ago.

And when she spoke, the same way she called her mother in the woods, I knew it was June. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

I couldn't believe it.

My lips parted, still utterly confused and amazed.

How many times have I yearned for this moment? Waiting for the day I will see her again? How many times have I dreamt of meeting her? And not from afar but with June seeing me too?

I was upon her before I could stop myself and when she took a step back, her back pressed against me. She jumps and lets out a little gasp as she turns.

"I'm so sorry." She muttered quickly. "I must have gotten the wrong room."

No. I wanted to say. You're in the right one.

I stared down at her, beautiful and like a dream coming alive but also... wet? She was drenched, shivering as water dripped from her hair down to her clothes. Her dress was short and white, and it was very much see through once wet. I could very easily see everything.

She wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Easily accessible.

Fuck.

I wasn't a man easily drawn to anyone. Desire and lust was something I was not at all used to because no one really grabbed my attention for it. But then there was June. Older June.

And the unfamiliar surge of heat that rushes down me is something as vicious as my wolf when it comes to controlling it. It was wild, untamed and was ready to take... to devour.

I was hungry, the kind of hunger that needed to be fed immediately.

Fed only by June.

The need to wrap June in something was overwhelming and I was about to offer her a coat or a blanket of some kind when she moved around me, the sudden distance allowing me to breathe but also cold with disappointment. "Again, I'm really sorry for this. I'll see myself out."

I couldn't help but follow, watching her go, making sure none saw her like that, but in the brightly lit hallways where she walked, where she turned to look back at the room she came from, I saw my June so clearly, so closely and just inches away from my reach. The sight was heavenly, the light focusing on her like a spotlight, a beacon.

Endless years of longing, of wanting, of needing her and now she was here in the Games where I could claim her as my mate. I was warm all over, the excitement, the undeniable surge of happiness that she was here. I had finally found her after so many years of searching, of yearning and aching.

Of craving.

I thought I was here for Jeremy, but it seems I was brought here by destiny, by fate, to find her. Because no one else mattered before June. This was what I was here for.

This was it.

It would seem that both Jeremy and I are to claim mates so unexpectedly in this year's Games. With that in mind, I remember my pack and Jeremy, who were no doubt waiting. I took one last look at June and the door that separated us before reluctantly walking away.

As I walked through the dark woodlands, I heard my pack in the distance, all teasing Jeremy as he laughed. They spoke of how in love he looked, how enthralled he was about this girl and I felt overjoyed for him. I have never seen Jeremy so relaxed and blissful before. This was a different side of him that was only unleashed by his future mate.

That, at least, I could understand.

Whoever his girl was, she really left a mark on him.

Just like my June did with me.

"Alpha," Jeremy immediately greeted, having seen me first as always.

Seeing him like this and knowing June was here at the Games, I knew what had to be done. "We will not be continuing the attack."

The entire clearing went silent and I know all of them had questions but they did not ask it.

"We will continue with our second plan." I told the pack, my thoughts on June and how I needed to finish this quickly so I could get to her. "I want their rations cleared and given to the farm packs."

The murmur of agreement went through the crowd. And then I see my Beta, skittish and a little excited about leaving too.

"Congratulations, Jeremy." I find myself saying. He was like my younger brother, the one I lost because of the city pack. Jeremy wasn't just my Beta, he was my friend, my only friend, and he's the only one I have ever truly trusted. I was not the kind of man to be vocal about these things, but I hope that by being here and giving him my support, it would be enough to show him that I did value him more than all the others. "I hope she makes you very happy."

"Do you know the girl he's claiming?" Someone asked.

And I shook my head. She could be a city pack for all I cared as long as Jeremy wanted her as his mate. "No, but Jeremy looks happy and that's all that matters."

It felt strange to speak like this to them, but it was for my ever loyal Beta and when he smiled in appreciation, I knew I had done something right. "She's wonderful, Alpha."

"I'm sure she is." I agreed quietly, already inching away from everyone to get back to June. "Once you're done with the task, you may enjoy your weekend."

Much as I hate to admit it, this year's Games should be celebrated for Jeremy and for my June, who I have finally found.

Turning away without another word, something on the ground grabbed my attention and, for a moment, I thought I smelled June. The smell was masked by the designated aroma of the farm, dung and dry lands, but then under all that was a hint of sunlight, of the gentle breeze in the spring, of the smell of earth on skin, of fresh harvest and of hours spent in the woods. It smelled of her.

Of my June.

I leaned down to pick up a bracelet- an identifier that the Games use to sort the poor from the rich. But what was strange was the smell of Jeremy on the identifier too.

My eyes glanced back at my Beta, who was already looking at me.

Why was June's identifier here? In a clearing so far away from the mansion? And why did it smell of Jeremy? Unless they were together, but... why would they be together?

My wolf stirred, angry and confused and very much threatening to be let out. I leave the clearing before my wolf can take over and I rush to find June.

Whatever it was, it can't be what I think it is.

That's impossible.

Jeremy isn't claiming June.

This was merely a coincidence.

Nothing more.

I find June easily. She was leaving her room dressed-dressed by the city pack and when I followed her down the stairs, I saw the city pack's Beta at the end of it waiting for June. At the sight of him with her, my teeth nearly cracked with how hard my jaw clenched. My skin started to blur with a shift, pulling painfully until fur nearly broke through.

Konstantin?

He wants June?

He should be mating with Cora.

I forced my wolf back, my eyes to the ceiling. Was I wrong? Was it Konstantin I smelled and not Jeremy?

It didn't explain why it was in the clearing where Jeremy was and when June was obviously never there. My hand tight around the identifier, I stared at it, asking questions it would never give.

I could be wrong.

I'm probably wrong.

I could ask Jeremy but I have a feeling that I would not like the answer.

With the shadows as my only company, I watched as June sat with the Beta and his table full of idiots. She was so uncomfortable and her eyes kept searching the crowd. Who was she looking for? She was standing up before Konstatin could stop her, running away from the table. I nearly lunged at them, to show everyone what happens when they hurt my June, but just as I do, June crashes into me.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking." She says without looking up.

But I almost begged her to do so. To have our eyes lock. To finally meet each other after so long. But she doesn't.

I leaned down, just a little, near her neck before taking the deepest of breaths. This was so obviously June. There was no mistaking it.

She still had the smell of the woods from before on her or was that just my memory coming back to me? Three days in the woods without sleeping with just her and the smell of our surroundings.

June.

It really is her.

My breath catches in my throat as I see her empty wrist.

She didn't have her identifier.

Because I had hers in my hands.

My eyes glanced down to my hand where I gripped her identifier tightly. Was my Beta with June? It can't be, right?

I walked back to my room, staring at the window and the moon, towards the woods and remembering June so clearly as if it had only happened yesterday. For years, all I saw was her when I closed my eyes. We were in the woods where it rained, it shined and it turned dark. For those three days, there was only us. The sound of her breaths, the look of hope on her face.

My ears prickled as I heard footsteps approach my room and for a hopeful moment I thought: June was coming, but as the doors opened, I saw only a monster.

The Alpha's daughter, dressed in absolutely nothing but high heels, walked towards me. "I knew you would come."

I find myself closing my eyes in disgust. This was not the time. June was here. My June. And she could be... with my Beta.

All I could think about at that moment was my girl, that small girl in the woods who had such hope, such positivity. She was the only one I could save, the only one I could help, and she became the only thing that mattered.

To see her safe.

To see her well.

Because I had lost everyone.

I didn't care about what would happen to me as long as she was okay.

June.

Cora tries to reach for me. I can feel the wind shift as she does and I quickly avoid her.

"Get out." I refused to look, refused to pay her any attention. I've spent years alone. My bed empty. Keeping it vacant for one person. And looking back, it was never a conscious decision. I just never found anyone worth it except...

The Alpha's daughter shook from the command that forced her to leave. She fights it as best as she can and it is hurting her. "Alpha, please, we're meant for each other. I'm only here to show you what you're missing."

When she reaches for me again, I remove myself from the room, thinking only of June and where she was.

In truth, curiosity was getting the better of me. I decided to seek out the answers to the questions that plagued my mind. Letting the sounds of laughter guide me, I find myself in front of an open ballroom where the lights are dimmed and bodies are pressed close. My eyes find her almost instantly in a crowd of thousands, in the darkness, her radiant smile pulling me like no one else could before.

I thought I knew what torture was like. I've done it plenty of times before and have experienced it at a very young age to know what it felt, but seeing Jeremy holding my June, was a different kind of t*****e and pain inflicting altogether. I never thought it was possible to hurt this much.

This... certainly gave me all the answers.

His hands were on her and the worst part of it was that she had her arms on him too. She was smiling at him, the love and the joy for another so clear that it nearly brought me to my knees in anguish.

Jeremy was whispering in her ear and she gripped his arms, unwilling to let go.

if noticing my presence, she glanced in my direction and, for the first time, our eyes met and the world became complete. She wasn't the same girl in the woods. That girl had grown up into this beauty that was beyond compare, that was beyond life itself and maybe... I was too late.

A day too late.

Just too late.

'Get Jeremy,' I find myself ordering everyone nearby. 'Get him to me immediately!

I couldn't look away from her even when she turned to Jeremy. Someone calls for Jeremy and I can see how he visibly didn't want to part with her.

My mind was swimming in despair and I could feel my heart tearing itself apart. The girl I had been looking for, the girl I had been waiting for, was already in love with someone else and it was my Beta. And by the looks of it, he loved her too.

The selfish part of me was ready to have Jeremy on his knees and executed, have him disappear completely with no one knowing where he went. I could easily order him to stand back, to stay away from the one girl I have kept in my heart. But he was Jeremy.

My friend. My brother. My Beta.

And to even think of that was disgusting and wrong.

So what was I to do?

Jeremy was suddenly in front of me, observant eyes closely examining my face. He was careful, watchful. He knew something was wrong. "Alpha,"

I couldn't wait any longer, needing to hear it from him. "Is she who you're choosing tomorrow?"

He glances back to see June and something inside me snaps as he nods. "Yes. June. From the farm pack. Is there a problem-"

"June." I find myself repeating, broken and defeated. "Her name is June?"

I was hoping that maybe it wasn't her. That either she just looked like June or something, anything but this. But it wasn't.

Because I had known she was June the moment she walked into my room.

I was visibly shaking, my hands tight around the identifier. I didn't want to know more and I didn't want him to see me like this as I turned away from Jeremy, my eyes only on June, who was at the bar and drinking heavily with her friend.

Jeremy didn't return to June and I didn't really look for him as I focused only on her. I felt like a little boy again, watching June from afar and making sure she was safe. Many tried to approach her but before they could get close, my hand was on their neck and they were tossed out of the window before they could call for help.

Hours went by as she cradled drink after drink after drink. She was wobbling on her seat by the time I had the courage to approach, something I never could before.

I took her hand, my body moving on its own as I interlaced our fingers. If it wasn't us in the end, at least I would have this.

She felt... immaculate on me and it was only a simple touch. I was breathing hard, my mind racing, but I kept it as proper and respectful as I could, my hand on her hand and the other on her back for support.

June could very well be Jeremy's- I couldn't even say it.

"You're so handsome." She slurred, blinking up at me.

No.

Don't speak, June.

Don't do it.

Don't make me...

"I like you." She whispered, leaning against me, and I hated how well she fit in my embrace.

A part of me, deep inside, was so amazed and so thrilled to finally have her close, to be holding her like this.

I realized, at that moment, how dangerous she is.

How intoxicating.

I know that I would bare my soul to her if she asked.

Whatever it was, I would give.

But she wasn't mine.

She wasn't my June anymore.

She was Jeremy's.

Even if I wanted to, even if I was ready to wage war on my own Beta, I couldn't. Because it's her choice and after what I've seen, I know her choice is Jeremy.

Jeremy, who is sweet and kind and loyal. I was never like that. I would never be like that.

If she knew the real me, I wouldn't even be an option.

I lay her down on the bed, tucking her in with blankets. She was always so cold before in those woods, shaking and hugging herself. I wonder if she still gets colds easily? It was so uncomfortable in the woods too, sitting on the hard roots. I wonder if the bed was comfortable enough? If she had enough pillows?

It was wrong but I indulged myself a little by pretending to be her mate, by scolding her for drinking too much.

I leave her then, taking one last look at the girl that has given me the strength to go on with my life even when it felt like it was over and felt my entire world break, shattering into a million pieces.

Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it, trying to remember every little detail about her before it was over, before it was time to accept my fate.

I brought her identifier to my lips and though I've never prayed before, I prayed now, for her happiness.

For a better future than what happened to us years ago.

I did not return to my room, knowing Cora still lingered. I kept to the woods, remembering memories that should be forgotten, remembering the little girl that kept me alive when I thought I had died.

Seventeen years, I looked.

Seventeen years, I hoped.

But it seems that seventeen years was too long.

When the next morning came, it was very much like how it was before. No sleep and numbness of all emotions.

The ceremony is happening today. Whatever happens, however painful or beautiful, it is likely going to change us all. I didn't want to tell Jeremy my past or how I knew his future mate. He didn't need to know. If he did, I know that he would do something he would seriously regret. It's best to let him continue what he wants to do and for me to stand back.

My Beta is pure and kind and good.

Unlike me.

He is untainted. Not... not a monster.

The better man.

He is the perfect match for June.

I know that if they end up together, he will make her very happy and keep her safe, which is all I ever wanted for June, even if it wasn't me that was going to do it.

Thinking it's safe, I return to my room to find that it is filled with a horrific number of flowers, chocolates and strangely... lace underwear. I could smell Cora so intensely, like she had left her scent in every inch of my room.

'Come,' I ordered to the pack, leaving Jeremy out of it so he could prepare for his day. It didn't take long for my people to come but the moment the pack entered my room, they all flinched back from the smell. "Have this entire place bleached by the organizers. I don't want to see or smell anything from that girl."

The pack sees the lace underwear and blanched. "Should we request a new room for you, Alpha?"

"No." June knows my room. She might look for me... "Just make sure they clean it."

"Right away." They bowed low and then whispered amongst themselves. "The underwear is used."

I sat by the study, my face in my hands. Helpers went in and out of the room, carrying cleaning supplies which my pack demanded more of.

My eyes on the clock, I let out a breath. Time was ticking. Soon the ceremony will begin and-

A knock on my door made everyone turn.

June?

No.

An elder.

"Alpha," He bowed so low his head nearly hit the floor. The elder was shaking in my presence and it was clear he was sent up here to collect me. "I am here to remind you that the ceremony is about to begin and that the Alpha Cora is waiting for you."

I turned to my men and, without needing to say a word, they approached the elder with Cora's used lace underwear in hand. The elder was quickly surrounded by my men as they proceeded to shove the underwear into the elder's mouth until he was choking. "Got the message?" My grinning pack asked. "We'll gladly shove another one if you don't understand, but this time it'll be up your a s s."

The blubbering mess of an elder cries out, his shouts muffled by the fabric in his mouth. We've been doing this for a while now, messengers coming to me for months with gifts and contracts to negotiate my mating with Cora. The entire thing was disgusting and a waste of time. I've already said many times I would never mate with anyone except... except with the girl that loved my Beta.

And it would seem that after yesterday, I was going to be alone forever, mating with no one.

For I can't fathom the thought of being with another.

I leaned back on the chair as my pack shoved the elder out the door. He will not be coming back, nor will the other organizers.

A soft music starts to play and I nod to the door, telling my people to leave for the ceremony.

"You're not coming, Alpha?" They inquired and I shook my head.

If I go, I won't be able to stop myself from claiming June. I know myself and I know how weak I am when it comes to her. As much as I want the best for Jeremy, I know that if I saw them together, I would lose my mind and forcefully take June from him. "No. Go ahead." A strong drink in my hand and leaning against the wall, I stared out the window overlooking the ceremony of the Games. It was far enough that I couldn't hear anything but close enough that I could at least see movements. Jeremy was already there, sitting in front. Cora was in front of him throwing a tantrum.

I didn't have to look for June, seeing her instantly. She was at the very back, far from everyone else, almost outside the venue. June looked like she was having a panic attack, hunched low on her chair and holding herself. I just wanted to save her.

Help her.

Speak to her.

I nearly begged my Beta to do so. She needs comfort. These Games are hard but they are especially difficult for the girls and Jeremy knows this.

But he doesn't even look back at June. Not even when all she focused on was him.

It was physically impossible not to keep still as I saw June fidget and panic and when she cries for her friend, another farm girl that doesn't get claimed, something inside me breaks and I'm running down the staircase like my life depends on it.

I know this is wrong.

I know that seeing her right now when the opportunity to take her is within reach is not the best option.

But I couldn't stop myself.

How was I supposed to stand idly by and watch as June needed comfort? Needed help? Needed someone? Anyone?

She was crying and shaking.

Her tiny body was trembling.

And this is the same girl that didn't cry when her mother left her in the woods.

My arrival at the ceremony did not go unnoticed. I saw the way everyone looked at me as I stood behind June, my hand on her seat, the closest I would allow myself. To everyone, I was something sinister and dangerous, something that made bells of warning go off

in all their heads.

But I didn't care for what they thought because June turned to face me then, her eyes wide with surprise and fascination. This is the first time she's ever looked at me, all of me. Without hiding, without the cover of the shadows, without the crowd in the way, and certainly not through the dark woods. It was just us at that moment. Only us.

In turn, my blackened eyes tore through June's body like a sharpened blade, making my thoughts scatter and my insides burn with need.

June.

My June.

I momentarily forgot about Jeremy, forgetting about everyone completely and only seeing her, the girl of my dreams, and how she was mere inches from me.

With only one look and those eyes, she made me feel like I was falling every time, tripping and gasping out of breath. She didn't make me feel like a monstrous Alpha that everyone feared. She made me remember the days before that, when I was younger and I was... happier.

Staring into her eyes, into her soul, I thought: was I really letting her go? Was this it? This the closest I'll ever be to her?

I'm completely caught off guard when she smiles at me warmly, a small curve of her lips, a gentle squint of her eyes as she tilted her head forward in respect.

The tightness in my chest multiples.

June finally looked away from me, allowing me a momentary respite, but even then she was an ever imminent presence, even when her gaze was not upon me, I could feel her so strongly, like a magnet pulling me towards her and only her, threatening everything I held dear to break and invading my thoughts and feelings without me being able to stop it.

I had never felt so powerless and strong at the same time.

"Alpha Ajax, would you like to take your seat in front?" An elder spoke up from the stage in front. Pissed that he had interrupted my thoughts, broken my concentration of June, I almost ordered to have his mouth stuffed with more of Cora's putrid underwear. But with June in front of me, sitting quietly and waiting patiently, I couldn't do that, so I forced myself to relax instead.

I stared into the elder's eyes, a frown on my lips, and it was all he needed to know about my answer to his question. The elder coughed loudly, unable to hold my gaze, and quickly shooed away the girl currently standing in front of everyone. "June," Her name was announced loudly in the quiet crowd of attendees. "Of the farm pack. Her dowry is a bolt of silk."

June was frozen in her seat. I could feel her shake from her nervousness.

If I could only tell her that I would claim her with nothing in return. And if I do claim her, that bolt of silk would be my most prized possession.

I leaned closer to June, hoping that my presence would calm her enough. She stood bravely then, her wobbling knees barely visible and I almost clapped for her, but that would only make things worse, so I kept quiet, watching her take one step at a time.

My eyes were on her the entire time, sometimes glancing at the bolt of silk that the elder was holding. I could almost feel the cloth under my fingers, feel the smooth texture of it. My grip tightened around the seat and it made a sound like it would snap if I held it any tighter.

June's gaze finds Jeremy and for the first time, he acknowledges her with a small smile, urging her forward.

It hurt all over again and this time, I broke the chair, snapping it in two as I am reminded yet again that it was Jeremy who she wanted.

On top of the stage, my June looked exactly like the frightened little girl in the woods. Her shoulders were up as though trying to keep her neck tucked in... preparing for the worst and trying to make herself smaller than she was. June was unmoving, her eyes closed, holding herself tight.

It was as if I was pulled into the past, in those dark woods, where there was no one else but us, where every little sound was a ghost of some sort, where the breeze that blew rustled the leaves which made us jump, and where insect noises were monsters that were coming to get us. We were there for hours and hours with nothing else but our own fears and worries keeping us company.

Just like before, my heart hurt for her.

I glanced towards Jeremy, angry at my Beta who should have claimed her already, but he merely stared at her.

What is he doing? Why was he waiting? This was his chance!

June wanted him. She was begging for Jeremy when she stood up from her seat earlier.

If it was me, if she had only looked at me that way, I would claim her the moment her name was called. I wouldn't wait... so why was he?

Jeremy turned to me, his eyes wide and begging me to listen, but I couldn't hear over the explosion of emotions that came from his mind. It was a mess of memories and feelings, all of them of June and some of them... A naked June in his bed, at the lake.

Did he want to d i e? What is he doing?

Why did I need to see this?

'Claim her, Jeremy. Or I swear to the heavens I will.' I threatened through gritted teeth. 'She wants you!'

But he was fighting me, the intensity of his emotions and the image of June through his eyes knocking the air out of my chest.

And then... the seat beside Jeremy moves, the man beside him, Konstantin, standing and bellowing his claim on June. A city pack. The Beta. They were taking my June.

No.

Never.

She is not going there. They are not doing this. Ever. Not when I'm still breathing.

Konstantin reaches for her bolt of silk and suddenly my feet ate the distance between June and I.

"June Valentine is mine." The words left my lips like they were always meant to be that way. Seventeen years I waited for this moment and now here it was.

June's eyes open and almost immediately she's staring at Jeremy, begging Jeremy.

Again.

She has shown her choice.

But Jeremy merely stares at her, unmoving, never responding to her.

June's face when he remained quiet was something of a nightmare, horrified and sad... abandoned like before.

And then she was looking at me, her eyes confused and there were so many questions in them. It was a long explanation but one I would tell her soon. Eventually.

"Alpha Ajax, are you sure?" The elder asked, just as confused as the rest of them as he glanced over June.

I didn't have to think about it. "I'm certain."

June doesn't move. Not even when the elder told her what to do next, her body was stiff as she continued to stare at me in utter shock.

"June?" Her name left my lips so smoothly, so perfectly. "Are you coming?"

I was giving her a way out. If she didn't want me, all she had to do was shake her head and it would be over. I didn't want to force her to be with me. I want her to have a choice in the matter. This was her life. Women in the Games never have a choice, but I would

make sure that whatever she decides, I will follow it even if it hurts.

It doesn't take an expert to know that she was most obviously in love with Jeremy, as painful as it is to admit, so I waited, giving her that choice to choose him, but she only stared at me.

A frail boy at the back stands, his voice so high that I thought it was a girl speaking. "No! I claim June Valentine. She's mine. She made a promise to me and she will see to it. I was just about to choose her! I was waiting for the right time!"

June knows this man and, by the smell, they were both from the same pack, but June's face of disgust and disappointment says she had no plans of ever accepting this man, so I take a threatening step forward, shielding June from him. The sight of me makes the boy stop in his tracks, knowing well who I am and what I can do.

I would do more but Jeremy moves from his seat, his eyes on June's. I thought then that this was it, she was going to choose him. The way she was looking at Jeremy, it was like she was giving it her all, showing him her true feelings.

Admiting it all.

But Jeremy looks away, breaking eye contact and, without a word, without anything at all, begins to walk to the woods, leaving her. June's eyes brimmed with tears, watching him go.

I felt horrible.

I almost ordered Jeremy back but she was looking at me now. She was keeping herself together as best as she could and I could do nothing but wait patiently for her like I've always done.

My hand was out for her to take, waiting for her.

It took only seconds but it felt like years as she took the bolt of silk from the elder's arms and when she came back to stand beside me, I extend my hand to her and she takes it.

The moment her hand interlaced with mine, I felt light and foolishly like a little happy boy, a boy that didn't go through what I went through.

June was everything I had wanted for so long, and now she was here, mine, mine to take as a mate. June looked up at me through hazy eyes, and smiled, a small one, but it was enough as my chest felt like the iron grip holding it had ceased.

It was okay that I was her second choice, the only choice that she was left with.

All of it was okay.

Painful but okay.

As long as I have her in the end, I can take anything.

June jumps when the elder reminds her to give me the dowry that she was holding closely to her chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

The elder openly scolds June and I shoot him a look that reminded him of the monster that he was facing. "You dare speak to June like this? In front of me?"

I stood there, dark and looming and monstrous, and it felt as if a dark stormy cloud had set upon the ceremony; the elder's knees wobbled just by looking at me.

The elder was quick to bow his head, continuing the traditional ceremony and babbling on as he declared June and I one heart, one flesh and one soul.

I felt every line, every word, feeling my entire soul give into June.

We were mates. Until our deaths. And, for me, even beyond that.

I held her hand tighter, feeling the rough callouses of hard work, and remembered how those same hands held the roots of the trees.

"Do you accept and bind yourself, Alpha?"

For there has only ever been June for me.

I already have. For seventeen years. "I accept and bind myself to her and only her."

The elder asked her the same thing and when I noticed that all her attention was on me, I gestured towards the elder to remind her. For a moment, I was worried that she was going to back away, to leave me in this makeshift alter of the Goddess, but June nodded

her

head, holding me tight.

"I

accept and bind myself."

I did not smile often. I did not smile at all.

But for this, hearing her say this, I happily smiled.

The next part of the ceremony was the permanent marking or branding done by a silver knife and I almost stopped them, uneasy that June would get hurt, but her eyes were almost eager and interested.

I went first, to give her time to see how it worked. The feel of the silver on my skin was painful, the flesh splitting apart from the mere contact, but it was nothing that I hadn't felt before. I offer my hand to her and she looks at it curiously.

The elder not so kindly reminded her what to do and June looked positively scandalized. Impatient and ever short tempered, the elder scolds her again.

I take a step closer to June, shooting the elder a look that effectively silences him.

"Don't listen to him. Take your time." I whispered to her ear, feeling the shortness of my breath in the anticipation of what was to happen next. She took my hand, her hands shaking as she brought my fingers to her mouth. Her tongue, pink and quick, licked the wound close and a heat like no other surges up my spine and then down my crotch, making me hold back a gasp. My wolf paced, tempted and hungry, and begging to be let out to claim June right in front of the attendees. It took everything in me to hold myself back.

Thankfully, June's turn took my mind away from it, her quiet hiss of pain making me weak in the knees, at least for a few seconds, because it was my turn to close her wound. I had all the intention of being quick with this, but I'm only a man, a man easily tempted by the girl he has waited his entire life for and before I knew it, I slipped her entire finger in my mouth and gently licked it. The taste of her drives me over the edge and I know if this continues, I will have to take her right here and now. June's eyes fluttered close, her breath shaking as I slowly removed her finger from my mouth, but not before I let my tongue glide over it.

When that is done, the elder drones on about our future as mates and so on. I half listened, simply enjoying June standing next to me. She was leaning heavily on my side and I gladly supported her weight by keeping her flushed against me.

It was surreal.

It

was a dream.

And I was half expecting to wake up from it. Find myself back in the empty house that I called my home, sitting and facing the woods and merely dreaming about June.

But she was here.

And I was here, fully conscious.

I felt her staring at me, at my neck, and when I looked down, our eyes meeting, I felt myself smile once more. The happiness that settles in my veins is immeasurable.

The kind I would never forget.

That is until I feel the weight of a pair of blue eyes coming from the woods. Red rimmed, continuously blinking with water falling down his cheeks. I knew it was Jeremy, I knew my Beta well, but what I didn't expect was the tears that seemed to fall from his eyes. That didn't stop falling from his eyes as he watched June and I finish the mating ritual.