The Game Of Quadruplet Mates
(Bk 2) Chapter 34

Three doctors were waiting for us outside my room when we got there, all looking uneasy and all trying not to look my guard in the eye.

I can't blame them. I wouldn't be able to look at him either with the way he was staring, with the way that he was walking through the halls like he owned it.

My guard was tense like stone, muscles coiled and ready to attack at any moment.

It made me wonder who he was behind that letter of his.

From the very beginning, he didn't seem like a normal guard following the rules and, right now, with the way the doctors reacted to him, I can only assume he is more than what he seems.

But through all this, he continued to carry me, holding me close to him with his embrace ever so gentle. I felt so small in his arms, small but protected and safe.

Without saying a word, T opened the door and, with a quick gesture of his chin, ordered the doctors to follow behind him. Inside my room, my guard delicately sits me down on a couch and takes a reluctant step back to give way to the doctors. He stayed close, closer than he should be, especially with other people watching him, but after what happened, I doubt he'll let me out of his sight.

And I doubt he'll let anyone get in his way.

For a good hour, I was poked and prodded by several pairs of hands while sharp eyes watched me the entire ume

The doctors checked my neck, my head, my arms.

Everything. Twice. Three times. However much it took until they were satisfied that I was indeed okay.

My guard paid close attention to them the entire time, as if they would attack me.

Most of the bruises were already healing but the doctors cleaned the wound and applied antiseptic anyway.

"How badly did he hurt her?" My guard asked in a clipped tone, his lips in a thin line and his usual deep frown in place.

"Enough to leave a scar for a day or two." One of the doctors answered, softly patting his hand down the back of my head-feeling the cut that I got from the impact on the marble walls and floor. "Your neck will heal completely tonight but it will be a little sore until tomorrow. There are some swollen arteries and quite a bit of damage to your trachea."

My guard visibly grimaced as if it was his diagnosis he was hearing. He looked ready to resurrect Mister F only for him to killF all over again.

Probably slowly.

Most likely with as much pain as humanly possible.

Book 2: Chapter 31

"She was hurt, Badly." Another doctor said with a shake of his head. "The marks on her arms suggest that she was

My stomach twisted and thankfully the doctor didn't get to finish what he was saying because my guard shot him a look that effectively silenced him.

After that, they worked in silence and I stared ahead

There weren't many times I had to be looked at by doctors.

Mostly because, apart from training, I didn't really leave the borders or do any patrols that others did. My responsibilities to the pack were less physical and thus less prone to injury. Plus, with the peace that we've all been enjoying, injuries come very rarely. Another half an hour passes by and the doctors start packing their bags. They bow low before walking away and I watch them go, my stomach still in knots.

My guard doesn't even wait for them to leave before he kneels in front of me, taking my hands in his. He was so incredibly gentle with his actions that for a moment I didn't think it was him holding me.

"Are you okay?" My guard asks, almost too quietly to ever come from him. "Did he... did he do anything?"

My throat constricted at the reminder of what happened. " He tried."

"I'm never leaving you again." My guard tells me, gripping my hands tightly. "I'm so sorry that happened - I will never let that happen again. Never."

"It wasn't your fault." I said while staring into his eyes."

Listen to me, you did nothing wrong."

His jaw clenched. "I should have followed you like I was meant to..."

I took his face between my hands, moving before thinking.

"No. Don't blame yourself for something he did. Hes gone now."

A glimmer of something dangerous flashed in his eyes."

That he is."

I pause, thinking about my next question, but my guard has never lied to me before and I know if I ask, he'll answer if he could. "What was his name?"

I didn't need to specify who.

He knew.

And hiding someone's identity, someone who's d e a d, didn't seem to make sense anymore.

He thinks about it before nodding, understanding what I was asking of him. "Frederic. His name was Frederic and he was the son of the Alpha of the river pack."

I couldn't help the gasp that left my lips. "An Alpha's son?"

My guard was quick to put down my obvious dismay. "It does not matter what he was, only what he did to deserve his death."

"This could start a war." I whispered, as if speaking quietly about this would help hide the fact that an Alpha's son di e d in neutral lands... in the Games.

T merely rolls his eyes like it did not matter to him if he killed an actual Alpha in front of everyone. "The Alpha of the river pack would not want a war. He cannot afford it. At the very least, he is lucky your pack doesn't start a war because of the disrespect and dishonor he has brought."

My fingers unconsciously reached for the back of my head and then to my lips.

"T-"

"He will not start a war. I swear this to you." He confirms, staring at my lips as well. "Do you trust me?"

Surprisingly, the answer came to me immediately. "Yes. I do trust you."

More than I probably should.

But I do not say this out loud.

"Then know I'll never let anything bad happen to you." He reaches for my neck, his touch featherlight as his finger grazed through my bruises until he brings it down to my arms. "Do you regret it? Do you regret fighting off that fu c king demon?" I didn't even think about it. "No. I would do it all again and even worse."

My guard smiles and I feel like it has the power to make the entire world right and well. "Good. You should."

With our eyes locked, it was hard not to think about the possibilities if he was an attendee instead of my guard. It was a silly thought because I do not know if he would even like me if we were in the Games together.

No one was good enough for him during his time

"" He began, swallowing suddenly as he hesitated

Whatever he was about to say was important, I could tell. "I wanted to-"

The door to my room suddenly flew open, showing 0 who was out of breath.

"I heard from the doctors. Let me

see."

"O," I flushed, trying to resist, but he was quick to sit beside me, forcing my guard to stand and take a step back.

The man I had loved for most of my life shoots me a glare.

"Stop it. I might be dying but I have all the right to check up on you. You're still my responsibility."

I blew out a breath. I cannot win with him. I never could.

Not with this. "Alright."

"I've already told the Alpha." He says, inspecting my arms."

He is not pleased and your guard..."*

O and my guard shared a look that lasted several long seconds.

Worry creeped up my spine but 0 merely shook his head, seeing this and knowing me so well.

"It's been handled." O continues, turning back to me. "I know you. You're probably worrying about what's going to happen, but I am here to tell you and promise you that there's nothing to worry about. This is entirely that jackass' fault and it has been dealt with. If there's one thing I can do right... what I can do for you before that, it would be this."

Book 2: Chapter 31

And I believe him.

Because through it all, O has always protected me and made sure I was always taken care of.

O places a hand on my shoulder- the most he would allow himself from the pained expression on his face. "I am glad you're okay. I don't know... I don't know what I would have done if something happened. You... you're everything.

I was so worried about another Alpha starting a war that I forgot about 0 and how he was ready to do anything and everything for me... even start a war.

For he would surely start a war if something like that happened.

He was leaning close, so close that I could almost smell him through his bracelet and thought all I ever wanted was to be held - to be kissed by him, I wrapped my arms around him to stop this from happening.

It was not the embrace we wanted.

It was goodbye.

It was thank you.

It hurt to do so, more than I would like to admit, because it hurt... it really hurt, but the sad reality is there was no future for us.

I know this.

He knows this.

The entire pack has been saying this.

And it doesn't help that we keep coming back for more of what we know is doomed

It also helped that my guard hovered around us though, unlike how he is with everyone else, he seems to accept that O is somewhat a part of me and doesn't hurry him away

My guard was actually being respectful for once.

When O pulls away from my embrace, he understands what it was.

He always knew.

Because he knew me better than anyone.

Our final farewell. At least... in this way.

He reaches into his pocket, revealing the wolf figurine he made that I must have dropped during my encounter with Mister F. Tentatively, he wraps my hands around it and smiles. "No matter how this week ends, I am proud of you. Whoever you choose is the luckiest man alive and I will be there supporting you all the way."

My thumb glides through the wolf he carefully and meticulously made, feeling the carvings that he did.

I thought he didn't make anything.

I distinctly remember him in that class showing everyone he was above such a thing.

He must have... he must have asked for the materials in his room and made the wolf there.

For me.

125 Points

Book 2: Chapter 31

O smiles, but it was a sad one. With one last look that will haunt me for the rest of my life, he leaves the room, leaving me with a pain that breaks my heart all over again,

Just when I think I'm going to break completely, a hand takes my shaking one

"I's going to be okay." My guard says, his voice barely above a whisper.

Was it going to be okay?

Why didn't it feel like that then?

Too engrossed in my own thoughts, I barely notice how my guard takes me into his arms, lifting me up once more and taking me to the bathroom. He sits me down on the windowsill as I watch him turn the faucet on for the bathtub. He tests the water, adjusting the temperature before adding a few bath oils and other soaps to it.

The smell of flowers soon filled the room and, with a small towel that he took from the shelves, he dunks it into the water and kneels in front of me.

I stared into his eyes and felt my breath catch.

Gently, oh so gently, my guard started dabbing at my face, going down to my neck and then onto my arms. He does all this while staring back at me, eyes never leaving mine.

We were quiet but it was not awkward. In fact, it was soothing to have him here, so intimately close, with the only sound of our breathing and the flow of water coming from the open faucet. When he has cleaned what's left of the blood, he tosses the towel into the laundry bin and squeezes my hands.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, but a bath is ready if you want it." He tells me. "Wash away this entire night completely if you wish. I'll be right outside the hall if you need me."

I squeezed his hand back. "You take care of me so well.

You don't have to do all this."

He brushes my hair back and it is hard to ignore the flutter in my chest. "I want to."

My guard did another sweep of the bathroom, even though he had already checked it in the last five seconds and gathered towels and other things, putting them closer to the bathtub. He takes my hand again, as if for good measure, and grips it tightly He doesn't say anything

He didn't have to.

But I felt the chill of the room once he left, staring into the water with the rose petals floating at the top.

Just as I'm contemplating scrubbing myself raw, there's another knock on my door and I hate how excited I was about it... thinking it's my guard.

What I didn't expect when I ran out of the bathroom and towards the main door was to replace Mister W there.

He was, for the lack of a better word, horrible looking. His clothes were rumpled and his hair was in disarray.

The beauty that I had admired about him was gone, at least hidden by this unexplained distress and this absolutely soul crushing appearance.

Something happened to him tonight.

I do not know what.

But I can see it as plainly as I saw blood on me hours ago.

My guard is in the halls, his back to the windows as he was accompanied by Mister W's own guard and I can tell that whatever has happened to W has brought this tense atmosphere.

"What's wrong?" There was no time for pleasantries as I went right for it. "Did something happen?"

Mister W couldn't even look at me as he shifted his weight.

He was so uneasy. He was so restless. "I just wanted to let you know that you've changed my life for the better and I hope that whatever happens tomorrow, you'll keep an open mind." His words stopped the blood flow in my body. "What are you saying?"

"I will see you tomorrow, Miss X."

But just like 0, Mister W's words felt more like good bye than anything else.