Once Upon A Rejection

Molly Morgan’s POV

“Where is he?” I asked. Talen didn’t reply. Instead he mumbled as he paced up and down on the same patch of grass he had been wearing a hole in for the last hour.

Grayson was meant to meet us over thirty minutes ago but he was nowhere to be seen. I was starting to get worried but Talen had been stressed from the moment that Grayson first mind linked us. He told us that he managed to get away from the pack without getting caught but Talen and I were sure they would send people after him.

They weren’t going to want word of what was going on in the forest last night getting out. They were going to find some way of making this look like it was Grayson’s fault and use this as further ammunition against him.

Everything that we had learnt about the council from the Davies pack didn’t help my concern. I wouldn’t feel right until he was holding me in his arms and I knew he was safe.

“I don’t know but if he doesn’t get here soon then I am going to go looking for him.” Talen growled.

I could feel his concern though our bond, even though he was trying to hide it from me. I don’t know why he insisted on pretending not to feel emotions like this around me. It was probably something to do with his upbringing, but I would have to remember to ask him about that some time.

“You can stop panicking now, Talen.” Grayson replied, although we couldn’t quite see him yet through the dense forest.

“Why didn’t you mindlink us, Molly was worried about you.”

I let out a snort of laughter. He was talking as though he wasn’t just as concerned as I was. I wasn’t going to call him out on it, I didn’t need to. Grayson would have been able to feel Talen’s concern though their bond just as I could.

“I was a little busy. I had to find some clothes and I didn’t realise how late it was getting.”

Grayson stepped out from the tree line and started walking towards our car. On his top half he was wearing one of his standard t-shirts but on his lower half he was wearing a pair of stretchy workout shorts. They were much too small for him and they were stretched so tight over his h**s and muscular thighs that they were almost see through. He may as well not have been wearing them at all.

“What the f**k are you wearing?” Talen asked, bursting out in a fit of laughter.

“I didn’t have much of a choice. I couldn’t exactly walk into a shop in nothing but a t-shirt. This was all I could find that fit me.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Fit is a bit of a strong word for what those shorts are doing. You look like you are going to burst out of them at any moment.” I told him before running into his arms. Even though he looked utterly ridiculous I had missed him dreadfully and all I wanted was for him to hold me and k**s me.

The moment his arms wrapped around me I was filled with a deep sense of relief. I felt complete again and my wolf was instantly calmer just from the proximity. A long sigh left my lips as I leaned into his broad chest and accepted the soft k****s he placed on the top of my head.

“Please tell me you have some clothes I can change into.” Talen was still laughing at him and he was starting to shift his weight uncomfortably as he held me.

“I do but I am tempted to make you wear those as punishment for keeping us waiting so long.” Talen joked. Or at least I hoped he was joking. Grayson clearly took it as a joke and smiled at him.

“I am sure I can find a way to make it up to both of you tonight.” He told us, holding me tighter against his body.

Talen nodded his head before heading to the car to get him a change of clothes. Grayson and I followed quickly behind in silence. I didn’t think that he needed to make anything up to me, but I wasn’t about to dissuade him from what he had planned for us. It sounded like it might be fun.

Talen’s trousers were a little large for Grayson even with a belt, but they were much better than what he had on before or one of my dresses. It would work until we could get to a shop. I just wasn’t sure how long that would be with everything that was going on.

‘Why can’t we just go home. We have more than enough evidence to prove their guilt.’ Jade mumbled in my mind.

Living out of a car while being constantly on the move wasn’t something that any werewolf would find comfortable and I was no exception. I craved the security of my pack which only made me feel worse when I thought about how the council were trying to dismantle it around us.

‘Jade is right. We should go back home and kill them all. Nobody would blame us when we share that video.’ Scarlett growled.

“What is the plan now that we have the evidence?” I asked, choosing to ignore my lycan’s comments. Grayson had just got into the back of the car, beside me and Talen was getting ready to set off.

“We’re going to my father’s house.” He replied with a grim expression on his face.

We had been so busy over the last few months that he hadn’t had time to fully grieve for his father. Perhaps, he had also been avoiding it to some extent because he had relied on Jimmy to look after his father’s lands and estate while he stayed with Grayson and at our pack.

I don’t think he had been these once after his death so this was going to be a difficult visit for him. It would be better if we could put this off until everything with the council had blown over. I nibbled on my lower l*p as I weighed up our options.

I know that he thought our position would be strengthened by me being surrounded by other lycans that accepted me as their ruler. That is why he wanted to take us to his father’s territory. We would run things together and get heavily involved in lycan politics over the next couple of weeks before trying to set me up as the leader of my father’s territory.

As far as plans went it was as good as any of the others we had come up with. But there was a major flaw. If Talen was so filled with grief that he couldn’t help me then my lack of knowledge when it came to lycans would be obvious. That would give them everything they needed to push me aside in favour of Finn.

“I don’t think that is necessary given the new evidence that Grayson collected.” I muttered.

“I know what you are worried about but you are wrong. We weren’t even close.” Talen’s voice shook slightly as he spoke.

The only person he was fooling was himself. Grayson and I both knew that but there was no arguing with him. He was stubbornly determined to do whatever would make things easier for me, without any regard for his own feelings. All that me and Grayson could do was make sure we were there for him while he was struggling. After all, he was much more important than some crown anyway.

The territory that now belonged to Talen was a long drive away, far from any of the wolf packs in the region. By the time we reached the edge of the territory the sun was just starting to go down giving everything a warm orange glow. But even that wasn’t enough to make my home for the next few weeks look welcoming.

The town seemed quaint but the large house looming over it looked nothing short of ominous. It was the kind of place that would have looked more at home in a horror movie than overlooking a small town such as this.

‘Maybe that is the look Talen’s ancestors were going for. Intimidate their followers so nobody would dream of challenging them.’ Scarlett suggested.

I didn’t really care why they had built it like that, I wouldn’t feel comfortable staying in the nightmare horror house for long. If we couldn’t go back to our pack then we were going to have to knock the whole thing down and probably have a seance. I have seen enough horror movies to know that nothing good comes from staying in the creepy house.

As we drove up to the house Jimmy came out to greet us. He looked as though he hadn’t slept since the last time we saw him, and that was three months ago. He had been in contact with us regularly since he left but he never told us that he was struggling. He seemed so relieved to see us. That wasn’t going to last for long, when he worked out why we were here all that relief would quickly disappear.

“Talen, thank f**k you are here.” He shouted.