The Game Of Quadruplet Mates
Chapter 24

"No. I don't love Jeremy."

Something inside me broke as I said this, but it was nothing like the pain of seeing Ajax so scared of what I would say.

It was so unlike him, so guarded and so confused.

And then the relief that I felt as soon as Ajax relaxed at my words, his entire posture slackened like he had been bracing himself for the worst the entire time.

It pushed away anything about Jeremy at that moment.

Ajax's arms were around me in an instant, pulling me close until I was flushed against his chest. He didn't say anything, but his hold on me was enough. It said enough.

We stood like that for a long time, the cool breeze blowing around us and calming us down from our first argument.

"Let's go home." He says, leaning down and kissing my forehead. It sent a fluttering through my whole body. "I've been away from you for too long. Now, I shall have my fill of you."

The air suddenly becomes thin. I glanced up at him only to see Ajax's intense stare directed at me. His eyes were dark but his lips were almost curved into a smirk. A warm sensation pooled in my stomach from it and it took a lot for me to shake off the feeling. He ran the tips of his fingers around the side of my face, resting his hand on the side of my neck and caressing my skin gently with his thumb.

His actions were so possessive, so greedy and wanting more and more of me that I felt hot all over. I savored the feeling, enjoying every motion, every sensation.

A look of deep longing went through his face. "I never thought I was a jealous man."

Ajax's nose pressed against my hair, going down to my neck and taking the deepest of breaths. He was sending me over the edge, making me dizzy from this familiar heat.

"But you've made me very jealous, my little mate." He says this in such a deep baritone, his words echoing inside of me. "Very jealous."

Tiptoeing so I could reach him, I touched my forehead to his and brushed my nose with his. Our lips hovered over each other, a mere breath away.

I was getting very distracted and by the way he held my hips firmly, he was too.

Ajax was breathing deliberately, his eyes so dark, so animalistic, so thrilling. "Do you want me, June?"

My emotions were a mess but one thing stood out among the rest. "Yes, I want you."

I'm off the ground before I can blink, Ajax carrying me in his arms as he ran at a speed that I didn't know was possible. He was faster than any werewolf I've ever seen and he was only in his human form.

A fraction of a second passed and, with my breath caught in my throat, I was surprised to be in front of our house. He hadn't set me down just yet, pushing open the front doors and walking through the entrance. I thought he was bringing me to the bedroom, but instead he deposits me in the living room, the couch catching my fall and my hair spills out over the pillows like a halo.

"I'm not going to make it to the bedroom," He explains gruffly, lips already seeking mine. With my back on the couch, I watch as he quickly removes his blood stained shirt before leaning down on me, his solid chest pressing me down.

He stared at me for a moment, like he was remembering every single thing about me, committing my body to memory. It felt like we were the only two people in existence every time he looked at me.

A hazy expression settles into his face and I only see it for a second before his lips crash into mine. This kiss was different than the ones before. This was claiming, desperate and hungry to prove his role as my mate. His tongue explored every inch of my mouth, his hands already trailing lower and lower.

My heart felt full as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

He overpowers me easily, ripping through my clothes like they were paper and leaving me completely bare under him. He grunted his approval, his lips sucking at my mark and eliciting a shuddering moan to leave my lips as I whispered his name. There was nothing gentle or slow about how we were, moving purely on instinct. Teeth were out, sharp claws were teasingly gliding on skin and this beast of hunger that overwhelmed us completely.

A fire was lit between us, burning wildly and raging out of control, and as much as I should be afraid, I'm not. For my desire for him is greater than my fear.

I want to give everything to the fire, give him all of me until I am consumed entirely.

Ajax says he was jealous, but in truth, I was jealous too. I had imagined her with him, that girl, and it was driving me crazy.

Compelled by the need to prove that I'm his mate, my mouth replaces my mark on him and I drag my tongue down the length of it. My lips locked on the mark, I began to suck and tease it with my teeth.

He draws in a breath, a low growl leaving his chest. "June,"

But I didn't let him speak, continuing my undivided attention on his mark. Encouraged by the sounds he was making, my hands trailed down his strong chest and slipped through his pants. I replace the length of his desire easily, throbbing with need and wrap my hand around him, stroking him slowly.

Ajax's eyes fluttered close, exhaling and breathing heavily.

I felt a wetness at the tip of him and using my finger with our marital mark, the 'x' made from a silver knife, I swept it over the wetness and brought it to my mouth to taste.

"Fuck," Ajax hissed, watching me the entire time with darkened eyes.

A man possessed, it didn't take long for Ajax to remove his remaining clothes and hover over me, gliding the length of him over my own wetness. The contact has my eyes closed, my own breathing irregular.

Slowly but firmly, he takes me by the wrists and pins it over my head before plunging into me completely, all the way to the end. His eyebrows knit together tightly as he let out the deepest of groans.

He wasn't gentle like he was the first time. The friction and the force surprised me, but the pleasure that comes with it leaves me breathless and wanting more.

To keep myself from whimpering, I pulled Ajax down on my lips and kissed him like I had never kissed before. He hummed in satisfaction, kissing me just as eagerly.

Ajax pressed forward, going even deeper inside of me and lost control almost immediately, nearly collapsing on me with every unforgiving thrust. With every entry, it's as if he replaces a new, deeper place to hit and I'm left digging my nails on his back to keep myself steady.

I felt the familiar wave of pleasure that washes over me, bringing me high as I finished and my teeth found my mark on his neck. A burst of shock went through us as I did so, with Ajax almost following instantly.

He buried his head on my neck, biting down on my mark as well, adding even more shocks that travelled down my spine, and moaned loudly as I felt him finish inside me, the warmth of him spilling.

Ajax doesn't stop as he finished, riding the last of his high with even more thrusts until he is breathless and cursing. He catches himself on the armrest of the couch, almost falling on top of me as he tried to get back down from the high he was in. I watched as the beguiling amber returned to his eyes, the dark beast crawling back deep inside of him.

It takes a few minutes to catch our breath, the l**t clearing from our heads ever so slowly. Ajax remains inside, looking reluctant to part with me. Lifting my head into the crook of Ajax's neck, I placed light kisses there as if to tell him that I was right here. That I wasn't leaving.

He ever so slightly nods and pulls himself out, still breathing hard. When I didn't shake as much, I rolled on my side and, without needing to say anything, Ajax followed, lying on the spot I made for him.

His arms circled around me, pulling me close until every part of us touched. I laced my fingers in his hair, feeling the softness of it before he leaned down to press a kiss on my lips, the tenderness of it making me melt into him.

"I shouldn't have left you earlier." He says into the kiss, briefly pulling away to look into my eyes. "I knew something was wrong before I went to the borders. My instincts told me to stay with you but I... I wanted to deal with the intruders personally." "You're an Alpha. That comes first." I tell him, wanting him to know that I understand his position and the role that he has among his people. "I know you have duties and they're your priority."

An Alpha's mate is different from other mates. Luna's are smart, strong and capable. They are the strength of their Alphas. A sound Luna is a sound Alpha.

Women who have a chance to be Luna have been training all their lives to be one, studying and learning how to support their Alpha or how to lead when he isn't there.

I know I'm at a disadvantage when it comes to being a Luna, but I'm determined to show him that I will try my hardest to be the best I can be for him.

"No. I'm your mate first. And you should always come before anything else." Ajax says determinedly, his hands on my face, tracing my skin and leaving heat where he touched. "Do you want to tell me what happened? What made you so upset that you wanted to leave our house?"

"It's okay. Jeremy," I paused, seeing his hardened reaction at the mention of his Beta. "He explained everything to me."

He tries to reign himself in, to keep his voice in check before speaking. "Explained what?"

As always, it's hard to string words together, especially when I'm about to mention her, so I decided to start from the very beginning. "On the way back to the house, I was cornered by a girl and she... she said some things that made me upset, but now that I look back, I shouldn't have let it get to me. I should have trusted you."

His eyes narrowed before widening in realization. "Moira. What did she say?"

"How you have a type and basically I was replacing her." I flinched at my words, realizing how outlandish it all sounded. "That before me, there was her."

If I thought I had seen the worst of Ajax, I was very wrong, because of the way he turned very still, the way his jaw clenched dangerously and the way his muscles seemed to expand. The air around us changed, even the gentle breeze that blew stopped for him. I couldn't read him again, his face utterly incomprehensible. "Ajax?"

"You. Didn't. Replace. Anyone." He said every word with conviction, as if this was all he had ever known and would not let anyone say any different. "There was only ever you. You have me. You've always had me. I have been yours. All yours. Since the beginning." My lips part at how sure he is with his words, how honest and utterly devoted, like he's only ever wanted me... for much longer than I realized.

Than we both realized.

His jaw clenches, his eyes dark once more. "And for her to say otherwise, it's treason, and she will be punished. You won't ever have to see her again."

"She's your Delta." I reminded him, thrilled that he was so angry and so protective but also startled at seeing just how serious he was.

He looked ready to kill.

Or worse.

Ajax doesn't even take a moment to think. "I won't allow any disrespect towards you. And after that? Cornering you when she knows I left? She made you feel awful. She made you second guess us. No. I won't have it."

His last words made me stop.

The gravity of what he's saying finally came to me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, terrified of his answer.

"You don't need to know." Ajax releases me from his grasp and stands up. He gathers his clothes on the floor and realizes most of them are torn except for his pants. He pulls it on without even so much as a huff and heads towards the door. "Stay here." I scrambled after him. "Wait, Ajax."

Ajax glances back at me with a look that makes me stop. "I mean it, June. You won't like what I'm about to do."

But I knew what he really meant.

You won't like seeing the monster.

His real words echoed through me like a clamoring bell.

"I thought we were mates. For better or worse. Through everything." I quietly say, feeling the need to see what he's about to do. To see the man I married, to see what everyone says he is. If not now, when?

There's a darkness in him, I know that. I can see it. I can feel it in the air that surrounds him.

But how long will he hide this? How long will I pretend it's nothing, that I see nothing?

He's scared. He's worried.

I can tell.

He doesn't want me to see him that way.

He doesn't want to prove to me that everyone was right. That he is a monster and that, in some twisted way, Jeremy isn't.

"No." Ajax finally says. "Not for this. You're not coming."

Before I can even get a word out, the door is slammed shut, shaking the walls of our home and I'm left in our living room, n a ke d and blinking in confusion. I heard his footsteps fade in the distance and gaped at how quickly everything went. One moment we're together and happy, the next he's racing out of the house.