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Jyriah sat with his back to the cave, tucked into himself as he tried to process the day's events.

'When I woke up, I had two sisters... now I have no sisters. What did I do wrong? I worked so hard...' his thoughts raced so fast that all he could hear was a loud ringing. He didn't even hear the others talking as he slowly collapsed into himself.

With both Joss and Jyriah having a bit of a freak-out session, it was hard for either one of them to find any peace.

"I don't understand - how do they succumb to the same injuries regardless of whatever fated mates are," Joss threw his hands in the air and gestured to Myranda and Metas who had been laid together as instructed. Nothing much had happened, though - so he wasn't entirely convinced of this whole thing.

"They're tied - don't you understand? Do they not teach you any of this in the tunnels? Fated mates happen so rarely that we throw huge celebrations when it does," Ajax explained and gave him a funny look.

"Yeah - they're said to be special souls that are bonded before they're ever born. Like the Moon Goddess puts them together herself. Their moon rings even match and everything. It's so romantic," Lara said with a little bit of a sparkle to her words.

"Moon rings?" Joss asked again. "This sounds like some upper-crust stuff. We don't get ceremonies or rings or whatever. We find each other, and hope to live happily ever after if we're in the same rung of life."

"They don't teach you about fated mates?" Lara asked in disappointment.

"No." Joss replied flatly.

"I have a feeling its to stop revolutions from rising again like the one a couple thousand years back or so - some princess defied her father to be with a palace servant, and he killed both of them. Everyone was so moved by their death that it caused a bunch of wolves to stampede to the upper levels. Fated mates are a huge, huge deal. There used to be more, but with the laws how they are now it's prevented a lot of connections. Some are found and killed if the wrong officials find out," Ajax replied sadly.

"Okay - so why the injuries?" Joss repeated.

"Well, they share a soul. I mean, what don't you get? They're already connected. Once they pair up it only blends them together deeper. They've been out here together for a week now - If they haven't gotten close yet, I'd be alarmed. It means they've blended together to where they can feel each other, and take away one another's pain, share it, or absorb it together. It's really, really sweet - you have no idea," Lara waxed on with glassy eyes.

"Lara and I are fated mates. I could feel her anxiety and the pain she experienced when she was locked in the dungeon by Silas. I was able to find her thanks to her scent, and my feelings shared with her getting stronger. I was trying to take away the pain she was in, but she wouldn't let me. It meant she needed me okay, more than she needed relief from pain," Ajax tried to explain the most alien concept to a someone who clearly didn't even have the basic idea.

"We don't know how it happens, or why - but we do know that once you separate found fated mates, they both get sick and die. It's like one soul inhabiting two bodies. Does that make sense? There's a really old myth about two Luna queens - Ophelia and Lilith. They were bonded and loved each other so much that when the great war came, they were able to blend into the other and created a giant wolf that stole the shine from the moon," Lara added with more excitement than the current atmosphere warranted.

"The whole reason our culture thrived and survived afterwards when everyone else fell apart, was because we had them to protect us. They were unstoppable - and many said that while they were alive no one came to harm our kingdom. That's probably why they don't want anyone other than the powerful to know. You can't destroy true love. No one can," Ajax tacked on, both of them bounced back and forth as though they were indeed the same person having the same thoughts.

"It was said that when they died together, they did so in the form of that giant wolf that glowed as bright as the moon - and when the light faded from the divine beast, their bodies were gone - meaning they never separated even after death. It's my favorite love story of all time," Lara swooned.

"So why does keeping them together help?" Joss asked, still a little confused, even though he was understanding the concept slowly.

"Like we said, they're one soul now. They feed off of one another like the swirl of light and dark. One cannot exist without the other. Bringing them closer makes it easier for them to connect when they cannot speak," Ajax answered and then gestured to Syrana and Veltar.

"Those two are not fated mates - you can tell because their injuries are completely different. They may be deeply bonded, but they're not fated. While we all heal faster with our chosen, fated mates heal together" Lara said with a nod.

"This is complicated. I'd rather just stick to the basic stuff that I know with Jyriah...." Joss replied and then gestured to his mate who was now staring at the ground in silent tears.

"Ah, Jyriah - I'm so sorry..." he cried out and rushed to his side. His mate was so cold, and he was shivering so deeply that it even made Joss quake a little.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, I'm here now. I'm here," he cooed and untangled Jyriah from his tight ball.

Both Lara and Ajax watched on with pity, but decided it was best to turn their backs and give the two privacy. Plus, they both needed a bath, and there was a lagoon up ahead they could use. Instead of giving an awkward goodbye, the pair left through the flowing ribbons of the waterfall.

*******

For someone with such a sour attitude at times, Ajax was a sweet prince to Lara. Once they reached the lagoon, he helped her remove her bloodied clothing, and untie her crudely pulled back hair.

Goddess she was beautiful - curvy, short, and eyes as bright as the most perfect sapphire. Her skin which was usually flawless had deep bruises on it from whatever Silas had beaten her legs with.

"Baby, are you okay?" Ajax asked gently as he tilted her chin up to inspect her face and neck first.

"Y-yeah... Just a little bit shaken up still, and gross..." Lara replied and gave a soft laugh.

"I can fix both of those problems," Ajax replied with a grin and before he swept her up, he removed his uniform so that he could carry her into the cool water.

Lara let out a soft cry of surprise and relief as the temperature aided in soothing her bruises and helping her flesh find a bit of numbness to push out the uncomfortable pain from earlier.

"You're my prince charming, Ajax..." Lara said with bright eyes that gazed into his with awe. No matter what he did - it impressed her. He always had.

"You're my princess, Lara. I am so sorry for what Silas has done to you. After Metas makes him pay, I'll ask to be second in line to return to him everything he gave to you," he reassured her and held her bridal style in the water with her arm around the back of his neck.

Lara was a bit sad she didn't get to see his nude form all the way - he truly was a handsome wolf. His beautiful peridot eyes were only the cherry on top of his silky silver hair, carved muscles, and the very present 6-pack that he had built up since he, Gerald, and Metas made it a competition.

"All that matters is this moment right now. I care more about you, than what Silas did to me. I'll get over it. Without you, I'll crumble." Lara replied lovingly and put her head onto his shoulder as he walked her around the small pond of water.

"...and I mean, I love the fact we're together the way we are, so that makes the moment better..." Lara tacked on with bright cheeks.

"Ah," Ajax returned with a grin and gave a soft laugh. "That is what you're thinking of at this moment?"

"Well..it's been a while..." Lara started with a bit of a pout to her voice.

"It has," Ajax returned with both of his eyebrows raised as though what came from her mouth was foreign and completely unexpected. They hadn't been intimate in a few weeks, and he thought it was because perhaps she wasn't interested in his skills anymore.

Perhaps it had just been that they hadn't gotten the chance to be alone together like this. He'd stir the waters a little bit and see if they were on the same page.

"I'd love to take your pain away and replace it with something else far better," he offered and looked to her expression to gauge if he had picked the right 'lane' or not.

"I'd like that a lot, too. I miss your teeth on my flesh, and your manhood tucked away inside of me...." Lara spoke softly as though someone would hear her speak so 'dirty'.

"Perhaps you'd enjoy a little inner massage, then? I'm willing if you are," the male tried not to sound so eager, but to pretend he wasn't horny, and that she wasn't what he wanted more than anything was not going to happen.

"Please..." Lara asked with beautiful eyes that begged for him to fill her and kiss her pains away.

He helped her switch positions and allowed his shoulders to be her support as she climbed to his front side and reached down to his erection so that she could guide him to her opening, and stir him inside far more comfortably than if he had tried to go in blindly.

They both let out a pair of moans that were sweet and harmonious. This was not their first time being so close to another, and since they had far more experience - he was ready to steel himself as she balanced her forearms on his muscular shoulders so she could push herself up, and return herself back down to where his manhood moved in and out of her slowly.

"Fuck, Lara..." Ajax hissed and leaned his head into hers so that they could share a passionate kiss while she took charge at warming herself up.

"I haven't forgotten what you like..." she said with a sultry voice as her lips came back for a moment, only to descend back down into his again as her hips came up slowly.

"Neither have I, Snow" Ajax returned and curled his right hand in between her legs and placed his index and middle finger's knuckles on both sides of her sweet pearl, and then gave her a deep kiss as he began to rotate the tender nub between them.

"Ooooo, Ajax~" Lara groaned out low and lovingly. "Oh, yes- oh f-f-fuck yes," Lara cried out ( and blushed rather deeply at the language she used).

"Who do you belong to, Lara?" Ajax asked with a borderline-sinister sound in his words.

"You! I belong to you, Ajax" she breathed out in pleasure as her hips couldn't help but pick up speed.

"Who are you going to come for?" Ajax continued in the same tone and gave a nip to the side of her neck.

The way he spoke drove her crazy, and as each word entered her ear she found herself inching closer to climax.

It had been so very, very long - and she was so very, very hungry. "You, I'm going to come for you, Ajax!" Lara sweetly called out and again her pace picked up as well as became much more fierce as both of them synced their feelings and each chained their pulses of pleasure together as they mounted towards shared ecstasy.

"I love you, Snow" Ajax grunted as he took over the pacing and moved his hands to her hips as he could feel her motions becoming tired due to her injuries. He squeezed her just a little as he brought her down upon his cock a few more times until he could no longer hold back the thick spurts of seed that filled her walls fully.

"Agn, Ajax - I love you, I n-need you-" Lara cried out lovingly as his orgasm crashed into hers and brought them both to an intense feeling of bliss and satisfaction.

Their intimacy had completely blurred the terrible events that just unfolded a few hours ago, and the two of them shared a small patch of peace in their bonded pleasure.