The Game Of Quadruplet Mates
Chapter 30

Hours later, while everyone was loading the plane headed for my old pack, I found myself panting, breathing like there wasn't enough oxygen in my lungs. "We can stop if you want to," Ajax says in a low voice. "You don't have to push yourself too hard."

"I'm fine." I insisted, meaning it this time. The self defense moves he was teaching me weren't tiring at all, but learning them, step by step and repeating them over and over, was what made me pant. I wasn't even sweating but I was hyper focused on making sure I could get whatever Ajax was teaching me perfectly right. "I really want to learn this before we go."

"Afraid something might happen?" He asks with a lifted eyebrow.

"No but I feel like I'm slacking." I doubt anyone would try anything with Ajax nearby. My pack fears him more than anything and if my father's worried words from yesterday's call were any confirmation, the pack thinks I've been eaten alive by the Alpha they call a monster. "I'm so behind and I haven't even attempted to shift yet."

"It's been a day, my little mate." Ajax took my chin between his thumb and his pointer, making me look up at him. "These things take time."

"I know, but can we just do it one more time?" I asked, blinking up at him. "Just to make sure I got it?"

He takes one look at me and nods. "It's not like I can say no to you."

I tried to hide my smile, feeling all giddy inside. Ajax stood close to me, his chest pressed against my back as I felt every taut muscle. The brief contact sent a thrill through me. I had to remind myself we were training or else we would replace ourselves in bed again. "Get into position." Ajax orders, mirroring what he had said just hours ago before we got into a compromising position in his office. It sent a shiver down my body and it was all because of the images that flashed in my head- the ghost of his touch... his lips on my skin making me tingle.

If I hadn't been paying attention, I would have done exactly what we did earlier, sitting down and waiting for him to part my legs. Thankfully, I was focusing as I took a steadying breath, and nodded, standing the way he taught me to.

"Spread your legs more." He uses his hand that lingers to push my thighs apart. "There."

It didn't help that he was whispering in my ear, his tone distracting.

"Use your opponent's weight against them." Ajax instructed, though his eyes were dark. "And don't be afraid to fight dirty. Hit where you know it hurts."

My hand reaches for his crotch where I know the fabric is barely holding together from his hardness. "Here?"

He doesn't pull away, if anything, he presses closer until I can feel all of him. "Do not tempt me, my little mate. I'll have my way with you in this training area if you continue to test me and I won't be gentle."

I know he wasn't joking and, in spite of the fact that we had the training area to ourselves, I wasn't about to tempt fate by testing Ajax's horrible self control in such an open area where anyone could easily walk in on us. "When do you think I can shift?" "Soon." He says, eyes still dark but stepping back a little so I could breathe. "When shifting into your wolf, your body has to be prepared for the pain. Because there is pain, but the more you do it, the easier it'll be."

"I'm not scared." I told him, feeling slightly brave. I've always been jealous of people that could freely shift. At night, in my old pack, when everyone was asleep, I would watch the shadows of wolves that ran through our barren lands.

Ajax brushes my hair back and smiles encouragingly. "We'll try it as soon as you progress further into your training."

"I think it's best I train with Shannon." I teased, pulling away from his touch. "You're a great distraction."

"That makes both of us." He muses back. "You like Shannon?"

"Yes. She's so nice and patient. I was slowing her down yesterday but she acted as though I was faster than her." I shake my head, remembering how I saw her wave people back, stopping them from overtaking me. "You made a good choice with her. She's strong but gentle. The right kind of Delta for you."

"She was always supposed to be Delta. She was one of the first to join the pack. A rogue on the run from the city pack that was hunting her to make her work for their factories." Ajax explains. "But Moira," He glanced my way, making sure it was okay to mention her and when I nodded, he continues. "Moira was here the longest and she was already upset that Jeremy was the Beta. Shannon was the one that told me not to make her Delta to give way to Moira."

"I suppose all things happen for a reason," I said, holding his hand and squeezing it affectionately.

He squeezes it back. "Yes. It does."

My eyes flickered at the setting sun, the valley draped in buttery gold light. "Should we go now?"

He nodded, taking my hand in his. "Yes. They're almost done loading the plane. Are you ready to see your father?"

"Very much so." I said eagerly, smiling widely. "I, uh, I hope you'll like it there. It's nothing like this, our land, but it has been my home for a very long time."

"Anywhere with you." Ajax says, pulling me towards where the plane is waiting. "We'll be there by morning."

I know we're near the plane when I see men and women carrying a collection of things like several couches, baskets and baskets of fruit, cans of paint, a couple of thick mattresses and a few other weird things. "What's that for?"

Ajax glanced at the items and nodded. "A few things for your pack. I was told they needed some things."

"A whole dining table?" I gawked, following a guy carrying a long wooden table onto the back of the plane. "Who needs that?"

"Your father." He tells me, a hand on my lower back as he takes me up the steps of the plane. "He's going to have a lot of visitors from this point on."

"You make it sound like we'll visit him every week." I joked.

But Ajax merely shrugs. "If that's what you want and as long as I'm with you."

Like before, Ajax guides me up the stairs inside the plane onto the second floor. I know where I'm supposed to sit by the amount of pillows and blankets on one of the seats beside the window. Ajax helps me with the seatbelt and proceeds to sit across from me. I looked out the window, admiring my new home and feeling my heart lighten at the sight of it. The golden light that basked the beautiful expanse of greens and winding rivers will never get old.

"Alpha, everything is ready to go. We'll be taking off when you say the word." It was Jeremy, coming from the front of the plane.

My eyes widened at the sight of him. I didn't know he was coming.

I thought Shannon was.

Ajax looks out the window an expression I didn't recognize on his face. "Let's go."

He barely raises his voice, but the plane falls deafeningly quiet as various officers and high ranking members shuffle to take their seats. They settle down immediately, never questioning their Alpha nor giving him the opportunity to repeat his words. All there was, was the sound of seatbelts buckling as the plane started to move.

This man, my mate, was the law and he didn't need to put much effort into proving such. His unrivaled presence fills the room like a living, breathing thing.

I admired him quietly. He was relaxed in his seat, legs spread apart and hands on either side of the seat, but the power surrounding him was suffocating. Everyone in the room seemed afraid to breathe it in.

Ajax is truly unmatched.

When the plane starts to tilt upward, I settle back on my seat, tearing my eyes away from him. Instead of being scared like my first time riding a plane, I felt excited. The smile on my lips is ever present.

The lights dimmed as the plane took off flying in the sky. My stomach did a little flip as I watched the mountains get smaller and smaller, our valley almost nonexistent from the distance.

Ajax holds my hand through the entirety of it, his eyes still staring at the window. He was deep in thought, his mind elsewhere.

Why did it feel like he was keeping something from me?

It started when we first got on the plane.

Was it about Jeremy? Or did he not want to visit my father? There were so many questions, but for the first time, I felt as though he might not answer.

I fell asleep, staring at his face, wondering what secrets he was hiding.

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning and a blanket was yet again wrapped around me. The only difference is, I was on Ajax's lap, his arms circled around me as he read a paper. At some point in the flight, he must have carried me to his seat, cradling me in his arms.

As I took a quick peak of our surroundings, I noticed that most of his officers were awake but none dared look our way. Much like the training area, everyone seems confused about what to do when their Alpha shows affection.

Without anyone needing to tell me, I'm aware Ajax isn't prone to displays of affection or displays of any kind, for that matter. The man is stiff. He is strict and emotionless. He barely speaks. And he most definitely does not touch another. Yet here was their all powerful Alpha, holding his mate while she slept as he read- I glance at the paper in his hands- reports on food rations.

"Good morning, my little mate." He whispered, having noticed that I was awake. "Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, yawning sleepily and leaning back on him, enjoying the feel of his warm chest on my cheek. My fingers curled around his shirt, pulling him closer. "More sleep."

Ajax let out a low chuckle, allowing me to be flush against him. "We're about to land."

My eyes opened once more, glancing at the open window. White fluffy clouds were all I saw until I caught a glimpse of brown. A big contrast to the greens and blues of my new home, the dull browns and blacks of my old barren home appear as the plane starts to descend.

It was not a pretty sight but my heart leaped like it was the most beautiful place on earth. Because it wasn't as heavenly as my new home and it wasn't enchanting like the Assembly, but this place... it was my salvation.

I grew up here when I thought I was never going to be found. These lands represented a new beginning for me with my father and this place will always have a special place in my heart. This place, no matter how hard it was to live in, was all I knew and I loved it for all its imperfections.

And when we finally landed, I could barely contain myself.

I wiggled out of Ajax's embrace, standing up from his lap and staring out the window. Not much has changed. It was still absolutely desolate with very little plant life. For a pack supposedly for farming, the earth is d e ad and infertile.

Nothing has grown here in years. We sometimes have potatoes if we're lucky and that's almost as rare as the rain.

The plane stops moving, the sound of a door opening somewhere. I'm running before I can help myself, the officers giving way to me with a little: "Careful, Luna."

But no one stops me as I clamber down the stairs, the stale air of my old home making my heart ache.

My eyes fluttered close, taking the deepest of breaths before continuing down the stairs.

Jeremy was at the very end of the staircase, his eyes briefly met mine. His blue eyes were, if possible, bluer today, brighter and excited for me. My mark burned for him, pulling us close, and I felt him give in. He walks close but not close enough to be improper. His hand dropped inconspicuously by his side, and I felt him brush his pinky finger ever so slightly against mine as he walked past, the touch only lasting for a mere second. It made my heart skip a beat.

A jolt to my chest.

Stop.

I begged, feeling myself giving in as well, but stayed where I was, fighting the burn of my mark that wasn't his. Don't.

But he's gone, disappearing towards the end of the plane where the cargo is.

I took a few shaky breaths, trying to clear my mind by scanning the flat lands that we had landed on, eyes searching. A few unfamiliar men approach the plane- the people Ajax sent to help. They bowed low, giving their respectful greetings and then in the thicket of de ad vines...

"June!"

I'm sprinting, gasping and shaking. Words failed me as I threw myself at my father, arms holding him tight. He looked healthy, happy and well rested. His skin had a lighter complexion, his eyes weren't red rimmed and he looked like he had even brushed his hair. I found myself crying. I've never seen him like this. The last time I saw him, he was stick thin and barely able to stand from how tired he was, but now, he looked much younger, younger than he's ever been and it's all because of Ajax taking care of him. "You've filled out." My father manages to say after some time, holding my arms and then my face, feeling flesh rather than bone. "They've been feeding you well?"

In other words, I didn't look malnourished. "I could say the same about you."

No more were our hollowed ribs, our sharp elbows and knees, the darkened sickly skin sticking to bone and our eyes sunken. That farm land look we were always known for.

As we laugh, pulling away, I see him blinking away tears. But I also saw how he closely inspected me, his fatherly protectiveness checking for any sign of mistreatment. Monster.

I know he's thinking about it even if he's not saying it out loud.

The monster's mate.

But I don't take offense.

I've heard my old pack whisper about Ajax long before the Games, the way they fear him, the way they spoke of Ajax's power and how easily he could use it on us. Ajax was the scary stories told to us during a campfire when the elders wanted to scare children or disobedient teenagers. I've been in the crowd, listening about this monster, about this man that had the power of an entire army in his hands. I know the stories, I've had nightmares about them.

Cruel. Blood thirsty.

The man of our nightmares.

A monster.

And now he was my mate.

As if conjured by thoughts of demons, monsters and nightmares, Ajax appeared by my side, towering over both my father and I. He places a hand on my waist, a quiet way of claiming me in public. His amber eyes did not look friendly, they looked predatory and on the hunt as he looked around.

I wish Ajax could smile, but I think that would frighten my father more.

They stare at each other for a long time, their gaze intense, and just when I thought one of them would speak, I'm thrown to the ground by a body running full speed at me.

"JUNE!"

Blinking away the stars in my eyes, a shadow of a girl hovers over me and then I'm screaming back just as loudly as her. "Larissa!"

My beautiful friend, the most beautiful of all the farm lands, was hugging me tight, her smile so broad that I think it hurt.

We could only look at each other. The last we saw of each other was at the most horrible part of the Assembly. She was sent back to her seat, unmated and I was crying for her.

Until now, when she's home and unmated, her head is held high, unbothered and happy. I couldn't help but choke out another cry. "Hi."

"Hey." She says back. No words were said about the Assembly but our eyes said it all. She was contented and I was contented. Just like how we wanted it to be. Suddenly, her grin became mischievous. It was exactly how it was in the Assembly. Playful. Without a care in the world. "You're fat."

I rolled my eyes, grinning back at her with equal mischief. "It's called being healthy."

"Is that what it is?" She continued to tease, pulling me up to stand. "Whatever it is, you look good, June. You look happy."

I wanted to say that she looked happy too, but Larissa has always looked happy. She always took control of her life, not letting anyone get in the way and not allowing anything to pull her down. "I've missed you."

We were never close before the Assembly, but that place, it gave us a friendship that was better and more genuine than anything I've ever had before. She smiled, like she understood what I meant. "I've missed you more."

I had so many questions.

I wanted to know so much about what happened after the Assembly, the regret of not being able to talk before they left weighing down on my heart.

She sees this and takes my hand.

"A-Alpha," She shakily addressed Ajax who was at the side, watching us. She was trying to be brave, but one look at him made her swallow.

He barely regarded her, his attention on me.

Larissa continued on, unable to look at him for long. "There's a big celebration being organised in the town square. Do you mind if I show June?"

Amber eyes locked with mine and when I smiled, he nodded. "I'll meet you at the house."

His words were emotionless, monotonous and impossible to read, but I knew better. He was happy for me too and he was going to keep himself busy while I met with my old pack.

Suddenly, parting with him was too painful. "Where will you go?"

His expression softens a little, breaking out of his hard exterior that labeled him a monster. "Check the perimeter. I'll be back before the celebrations."

Larissa doesn't wait for anything else, her hands on mine as she pulls me forward. "Let's go!"

"Bring Jeremy." I heard Ajax say as we ran towards town.

I stopped mid step to turn around and to replace his jaw tight glancing to the side where his blonde haired Beta waited. Jeremy was looking at somewhere faraway, his posture stiff.

"I'll take a few men with me." Jeremy says to Ajax, a fan of men appearing from behind him. "For your safety, Luna."

My lips parted. "But,"

Ajax sees my hesitation and quickly comes to soothe me with his words. "They'll be far away enough that you can enjoy yourself."

I realized then that I did not have a say in the matter. Now that I see them together, I'm almost positive that the Alpha and Beta have talked about this already. If I protested, Ajax would be the one to come with me and he surely will scare everyone. He knows this.

And he's testing me, giving me the option.

I do not dare give both boys the satisfaction and pull Larissa forward. "What's happening in the town square?"

She was all too happy to fill me in. "The nameless pack had sent a few people over right as the Games ended and they had been working tirelessly to have the pack modernized! But now they're giving the square a total makeover. Remember before when a girl from years ago got mated with a distant relative of a Beta? They fed the whole pack and everything."

I nodded, remembering it well. It was the first time we ever got to eat different food. "Yes."

"They're doing something like that now. I saw them putting up lights, long mahogany tables," Larissa went on. "Our old Alpha is beside himself. He doesn't know whether to be grateful or sheepish."

"I can imagine the Alpha resisting help," I said, knowing full well how my old Alpha can be very stubborn.

Larissa lifted her eyebrows. "He did, but your mate can be very persuasive."

Or forceful, which is most likely what happened.

But I didn't tell her that.

"How are you?" I lowered my voice, looking behind us to replace Jeremy speaking with my father. If I listened hard enough, I could hear my father tell Jeremy where things were, pointing out parts of the territory. About six men were behind them, their eyes watchful and ready. "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk after the Assembly."

"It all happened so fast didn't it?" She says, a sympathetic look on her face. "One moment you're on the platform, the next you're being pulled out of it and I'm suddenly being rushed to the car."

It seemed so long ago but it's only really been a week. "Are you... okay?"

"I am." Larissa smiles, a genuine one that lights up her whole face. "I kinda knew I wasn't going to get chosen. The boys I was with weren't really interested in me like that. They chose other women, you know. Every single one of them. They all had girls in mind even before approaching me. I was just fun to them, but not mate material."

I didn't tell her, but I always thought she was going to be chosen. Every boy in our pack had a crush on her and when we got to the Assembly, she caught everyone's attention despite her identifier saying she was in the poorest pack.

Looking at her now, she didn't look bothered. She looked content.

Larissa looked like she wouldn't have it any other way.

She lowers her voice as well, eyes glancing behind us. "Pete hasn't left his house. His arm never healed back."

His arm.

The one Ajax broke.

"You haven't seen him?" I asked quietly, staring at the trees that had no leaves.

Larissa was actually grinning. "No. He refuses to come out."

Little minx.

"I say he deserves it. The way he spoke to the monster like that?" She froze, eyes wide. "I meant, I'm sorry, that's your mate."

I was quick to reach for her. "It's okay. I completely understand."

She squeezes my hand, her eyes staring at my mark like it was the oddest thing. "It's just so strange. We used to talk about him like he was a ghost story. He didn't seem real. The elders used him to scare children to sleep early." "How has the pack been taking it?" I gestured to my neck.

"They thought he claimed you to eat you." She says with brutal honestly which is what I appreciate from Larissa. "Don't feel bad when I say this but everyone is just really confused and afraid. When his men first came, everyone thought he was coming to kill us all or to finish off Pete."

I couldn't blame her. I would have thought the same.

"When no one heard from you, everyone was kind of convinced you were de a d." She bites her lip, guiltily. "I thought you were de a d."

Smiling, I spread my arms wide to show her all of me. "I'm perfectly fine."

"He's even scarier in real life. I thought the stories would be scarier, but seeing him in person? I nearly wet myself." Larissa, who isn't afraid of anyone, starts to shake, her knees rattling. "And you talk to him so informally and that mark! Nobody marks anymore! That's just... incredible. Everyone's going to talk about it."

My eyes glanced up at the rickety houses that we passed, focusing on the windows where I saw a few pairs of eyes staring at me.

I knew these people.

I knew those eyes.

But they all stared at me like they didn't know me anymore.

I was a stranger.

Worse.

I was an outsider to them.

"And they call you Luna." The way she said my title was teasing but impressed, pulling my attention away from the stained windows that we passed. "You're a Luna now, June. I feel like I should bow or something."

"Don't." I laughed, unable to imagine Larissa bowing to anyone.

Her eyes went back to my father and Jeremy, who were both laughing at something. Jeremy seemed to easily bond with my father, grinning at each other like they were old friends. "I don't want to pry, actually I do, but, I'm just trying to be nice."

Jeremy suddenly looked up from his conversation with my father, his gaze locking with mine and giving me a small smile. He winks before going back to my father.

Larissa sucked in a breath. "But Jeremy? How does it work? Weren't you two... something in the Games? You liked him, you more than liked him and now with his Alpha?"

"It's a whole thing." I fought off the urge to cover my face with my hands. "You only know the half of it."

"He should have chosen you." She says with a frown. "It was wrong that he just walked away."

So she saw.

Everyone seems to have seen.

Larissa glanced around, carefully whispering in my ear after making sure no one was listening. "He obviously loves you. I knew it even back then."

My mark burned and when I looked back at Jeremy, I saw him inconspicuously holding his neck. "I guess it wasn't meant to be."

She took my hand, bringing it to her chest and holding me tight. "But you're happy?"

My affection for my new found friend swells. "I am. It's complicated but I am."

Larissa smiled, the action creasing her eyes, "Then that's all that matters."

By this time, we had made it to the front of the pack house, the town square glowing in this otherwise desolate place. For a moment, I didn't recognize where I was. My heart and my body know that this is the pack house, our tiny town square. I've been walking here for most of my life, but the way it was painted a bright color, the way the windows shined and the way the surroundings were so pristine... it was as if I was in a different pack completely.

I've never seen it so clean and I've been cleaning this part of the pack every day of my life before the Assembly, but it's never looked like this. The mud like ground was solid, walkable without tripping or getting suctioned and the stubborn weeds that would never break from the ground were now nonexistent.

Like they were never there.

But I remember how I pulled and pulled and pulled.

Day in and day out, trying to get the weeds under control.

My father came to stand by my side and smiled. "It'll be prettier tonight. I've seen their plans and I think you'll like it."

An army of Ajax's men and women were hanging twinkling lights up in the trees, white cloth was strung between houses, enclosing the square in bright white lights. Several long mahogany tables were set parallel to the pack house, white cloth over them and a multitude of white cushioned seats arranged prettily on either side of it.

Noticing my arrival, the busy men and women turned, bowing their heads low graciously. "Luna,"

All I could do was smile, my heart soaring as I waved at them.

Larissa was grinning from ear to ear, her eyes twinkling as she repeated my title like it was the funniest thing. "Oh, Luna,"

"If you girls are done catching up, I was wondering if I could take June to see our house?" My father nodded towards the direction of the house. "There's a few things I want to show her."

"Of course!" Larissa beams as if she knows that I'll love it. She dramatically bows, her eyes gleaming. "See you later, Luna."

I shoved her, grinning like a fool before pulling her into a tight embrace. "Thank you."

"For what?" She says, hugging me back either way.

"For everything." I want to tell her that I've never had a friend like her, that I would have been miserable without her in the Assembly, that I wouldn't have made it without her by my side, but she smiles at me like she already knows all this.

We pull apart, still smiling at each other. Before she leaves us, her eyes glance at Jeremy who was staring at me, his gaze burning holes in the back of my head.

Larissa looks between us before she whispers a quiet: "He's a problem."

If I didn't know any better, I think she knew that Jeremy and I were hiding something.

And that scared me.

But I don't get to linger on it, my father wrapping an arm around my shoulders and bringing us towards the direction of the house. I could see the blackened lake from where we were. It didn't look any less disgusting, but it did give me a sense of home. The lake with no fish, the lake that was too dark to see the bottom... and the lake that was said to be poisonous.

Despite it all, it's good to be back.

As we got closer, I was able to see a white house in front of the lake, a stark contrast to everything dark around it. This beautiful white house was my home, the home I grew up in, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was better. It looked completely new, polished and speckless, not at all like it was before. The walls were painted, the house not so worn down, the roof pointed and remade and there was even a small white picket fence and some... plants.

Nothing green ever grew here.

Side by side, my father and I walked closer to the house with Jeremy and the rest of my guards staying behind to give us space. They stood like sentries around the perimeter, all tall and intimidating, oozing with their nameless pack energy that could scare anyone

away.

As we made it to the front doors, all painted nicely and replaced with a thicker material, I felt truly happy for my father and his new life.

Our door before was only pieces of wood that resembled tree bark tied together, the outside able to be seen through from the little gaps between each piece. Much has changed but for the better.

I felt proud as I savored it all, taking in the sight of his home.

When my father pushes open the door, I let out a shaky breath. There was a fireplace, a big one already burning and warming up the house. The walls had new cabinets built in them, filled with food, blankets and everything my father could ever want.

I almost laughed when I saw how many couches were pushed inside our tiny house. There were more couches than there were places to walk. This had Ajax written all over it but it all looked so comfortable that I didn't mind one bit and then my eyes found the phone beside the dining room, my number written on a small piece of paper.

My mind imagined my father sitting down, hunched over the phone and talking to me. The warmth that filled my chest was nearly overwhelming.

I knew Ajax was already inside the house before I saw him. It was in the air, the electricity that pulsed around him and when he walked towards me, I felt myself relax in his presence, absolutely taken by him and wanting nothing more than to wrap my mate in a tight

embrace.

From across the room, his eyes glowed a bright amber, watching my expression as I looked at the house that I grew up in with awe.

Like always, I reach out to Ajax, attempting to hold him close, but my father's voice from behind me stops me in my tracks.

"I knew I recognized you." He says, eyes focused on Ajax. "I was wondering where I knew you from."

My chest suddenly felt tight. "W-what?"

"You've gotten older." My father comments, his face just as unreadable as Ajax's.

Ajax doesn't respond, his eyes lowered and calculating.

"Do you two know each other?" My voice was weak, soft and scared, frightened of what was happening.

"We do." Ajax answered, his voice deep and guarded. "I just didn't know your father would remember."

My father continued to stare at Ajax for a long time, eyes searching. "Before he was an Alpha, he used to live near us, a farm pack that got destroyed by the city."

The nearest pack from us was far, hours away even in wolf form, but it's been so long since then. They've long been... erased from existence. Never to be seen again.

"I don't remember." I whispered, confused. My blood pumped as my mind was working overtime trying to remember, trying to piece together this missing puzzle that everyone had already solved before me. "Have we met?"

Ajax shakes his head. "No."

I pointed to myself, breathless like there wasn't enough air around me. "But you know me?"

Ajax swallows again before answering. "Yes."

My lips parted. "Did you always know? Since the beginning? Since the Assembly?"

"Yes." He says, his jaw tight.

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't.. I couldn't wrap my head around it. "You recognized me?"

"I... I sought you out. I tried for a very long time to replace you but I was young and I don't remember much of those times. Except you." He swallowed, his throat bopping. "I remember you well."

I feel like I didn't know him like I thought I did. Who was this man? And what is he saying? How- How does he know me? "What do you mean... I'm so confused."

"I've been looking for you for a very long time, June."