Once Upon A Rejection
Part 2 Chapter 3

Grayson Ward’s POV

I walked slightly behind Talen and Molly as we made our way to the restaurant. It was Talen’s date and I did want them to bond with each other even if I wasn’t strong enough to let her out of my sight for even a few hours. I have spent this last year constantly worrying about her and I am not sure that it is a habit I was going to be able to break any time soon.

Talen was taking her (or is that us) to a restaurant in the nearest human town. He said that he thought it would do us some good to get away from the pack for a few hours before the lycans came back and made things difficult again.

He had parked a short walk away from the restaurant so we could enjoy a brief walk through the town before we ate dinner. It sounded like a great idea at the time but after the events of last night I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. So far I had spent most of the walk looking at everything but my mate.

“So what films do you like?” Molly asked Talen.

She was nervous, I could hear it in her voice. She got like that when she didn’t think things were going very well. She would start asking random questions to keep the conversation going. She has spent so long around humans that she thinks more like a human than a werewolf at times.

Talen has been quiet since we got out of the car but it isn’t because he is disinterested, he is being protective. He is watching his surroundings and checking for threats to his mate. He has one arm around her shoulder, protecting her from the world around her.

“I don’t know. I don’t really have much time for films,” Talen replied.

“What do you mean you don’t have time for films? Everyone has time for films,” Molly responded, shock written all over her face. She was terrible at hiding how she felt about things, it was really cute.

“I have been dealing with my aunt’s messes for the last few years. It didn’t leave me much free time,” He replied.

“What about before that?” She asked, she really wasn’t going to let this rest.

“My dad wanted me to be the best fighter of our kind before he would let me take over his position. He made me train for hours every day. I didn’t have much time for anything else.” He said.

“Oh,” Molly said.

“That’s ok though because it means I get to see them all for the first time with you and Grayson,” He said.

Molly’s whole face lit up with excitement. It made me feel happy to see her like this. Things have been stressful recently and Molly had been taking it worse than anyone else for obvious reasons. It was good to see her this relaxed and happy.

I continued to listen to them talking and laughing together as we walked into the restaurant. It was a large, busy restaurant that seemed to mostly serve posher versions of comfort food judging by the plates I saw as we crossed the room.

The waitress gave us a table in one of the corners of the room. Molly sat down beside Talen so I took the seat opposite them. The waitress handed each of us a menu, took our drink orders then walked away in the direction of the kitchen.

“This place seems nice,” I said, smiling at the two of them.

“It does. I asked a few people what the best first date location was. This place came up a few times,” Talen said.

“I’m glad it did, the food looks amazing,” Molly said, looking up from the menu for a moment.

“Not as amazing as you,” Talen said, pulling her closer to him. She blushed and turned away from him, trying to hide it from him.

“So, ermmmm. Is this what you usually do on a first date?” Molly asked.

I could tell that she regretted her choice of words as soon as they left her mouth. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide in shock.

“I didn’t mean that you dated a lot, or that I am jealous. I mean even if you dated every woman in America that would be fine because we hadn’t even met each other yet. I can’t expect…..” Molly waffled until Talen interrupted her by kissing her directly on the lips.

The k**s only lasted a couple of seconds but once he let her go she was quiet and confused. I guess that was one way of calming her down when she was panicking. I would have to remember that trick.

“I only dated two people other than you and both of them were people who I trained and worked with. We didn’t go on dates or anything romantic like that, we didn’t have time,” Talen said.

“I didn’t mean to overreact,” Molly said, blushing deeply and looking anywhere but at Talen.

“It’s fine, I understand how the bond can make you feel but trust me when I say you don’t need to worry about them,” Talen said.

Molly nodded her head in agreement. I could tell that she was still a bit hesitant but she was doing her best to hide her feelings. I am not sure that Talen picked up on it. He didn’t know her as well as I did yet but to me it was obvious. Her smile wasn’t as bright as it was earlier and it didn’t reach her eyes.

She had been slow to trust others ever since her mother was killed. It is understandable after the way the pack turned against her but I didn’t like it. When she went away she got back some of her carefree nature but not nearly enough of it for my liking.

When this is all over I am going to do everything I can to make her feel safe and happy. I want her future to be nothing but happiness and love.

“Hi, can I take your order?” The waitress said as she walked over to our table, pulling me out of my thoughts.

The waitress took all of our orders and once she had finished Molly decided to go to the bathroom before the food arrived. I watched as she made her way across the room, I noticed that a few other men were also watching her. They can watch all they like but she is mine and they can never have her. My wolf, Bran growled in agreement.

“Grayson, are you growling?” Talen asked.

“Maybe a little bit. These humans keep staring at our mate,” I whispered back.

Talen glanced around. His eyes flashed silver for a moment as he fought to keep control over his lycan. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned anything to him, lycans aren’t exactly well known for their impulse control. If he kills any of these humans it will be almost impossible for us to cover it up. Not to mention how badly the council would take something like that.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds then when he opened them again they were back to their normal blue colour. His eyes were the same colour as the sky on a summer day, I hadn’t noticed that before.

Talen let out a small laugh. I must have been staring into his eyes for a few seconds before I realised what I was doing because he was smiling at me.

“I hate to distract you but I think we might have a problem,” He said.

“What?” I asked, glancing around me nervously.

“It might be nothing but I have had a feeling that we are being watched all night,” He replied.

“I felt the same way. I thought it was just me being paranoid but if you felt it too then maybe there is more to it than that,” I said.

“Maybe we should just get out of here,” Talen said.

I could see the disappointment in his eyes but I knew that Molly’s disappointment would be much greater. I couldn’t do that to her, not when this whole thing might be in mine and Talen’s imagination. I had to be certain before I ruined her night.

“No, I don’t want to worry her. I will check it out, I will be back in a minute,” I said.

Before Talen could argue with me I stood up and walked towards the exit. When I got out of the restaurant I let Bran come part of the way forward in my mind and started looking for clues or scents to follow.

I walked around the outside of the restaurant then I started to make my way further out but I found nothing. Either the person who was following us around was good at hiding their scent or there was nobody to replace after all.

On the way back to the restaurant the weight on my shoulders felt heavier. Despite all the evidence that there was nobody following us, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Only now that was coupled with the feeling that I was letting Molly down, either through my fear or the fact that I wasn’t able to track the person following us. It wasn’t a good feeling.

By the time I arrived back at the restaurant the food had already arrived. Molly was trying to hold off eating but I could tell it was a struggle for her. She watched me as I walked towards her but every so often her eyes would drift to the plate of food in front of her.

As I sat down her resolve crumbled completely and she started to devour the plate of food in front of her like a woman who had been starved for a week. It was ok, I would be devouring her with the same hunger later tonight.