Once Upon A Rejection
Part 2 Chapter 17

Grayson Ward’s POV

Talen was busy binding Hayden’s wrists and ankles with silver as I tended to Ellie. Hayden’s b***d had closed the wound in her neck and she seemed to be doing better than she was just a few minutes ago. She was still unconscious but her breathing was less laboured and her heartbeat was steady.

Hayden couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Ellie as she lay unconscious on the ground a few metres away from him. He had marked her on impulse that the consequences of his actions were just starting to hit him. From what I understood of lycans, there were so few of them left and they were so isolated from other shifters that a lot of lycans didn’t meet their mate.

Hayden had a mate now and whether he had intended it or not their fates were tied together. If she died he would feel that loss and carry it with him for the rest of his life. If she survived he would fall madly in love with her and he would have to hope that she could forgive the way he treated her. If she chose to fight the bond he would be in for a world of pain.

“I left my car not far from here,” Hayden said. His eyes didn’t leave Ellie the whole time he spoke.

“How can we be sure it isn’t a trap?” Talen asked.

Hayden’s eyes shot over to Talen for a moment before drifting back towards Ellie. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.

“I can understand why you would think that but I am here alone. I just want to make sure she is looked after. I have been looking for my mate for a long time. She might not be the one who the moon goddess picked for me but she is mine now and I don’t want to lose her.” Hayden replied.

Looking in his eyes there was such sadness that I couldn’t help but believe him. The bond between two people who weren’t destined to be together wasn’t as strong as that between fated mates but it was still very powerful.

“Fine but if this is a trap, you will die first,” Talen said. I had no doubt that he would make sure that was the case. His voice had a cold edge that I wasn’t used to hearing from him. I knew that he had a reputation of being a fearsome warrior but I had never seen that side of him before now.

Talen dragged Hayden to his feet roughly, he kept hold of his arm and let him lead the way to his car. I followed a few paces behind with Ellie unconscious in my arms. Despite Hayden’s words of reassurance I was still worried that we were walking into a trap but the forest was silent around us as we walked. If there were other lycans waiting in the forest to pounce on us then they were very well trained because neither Talen or I could hear anything.

After a few minutes we came across a track which seemed to run through the forest. We followed this for a short while until we reached a car parked in the middle of the track. It was a large SUV, it wasn’t particularly high end but it looked rugged and well maintained.

“The boot looks big enough to store a lycan,” I observed. Talen chuckled.

“Please don’t,” Hayden begged as he glanced at Ellie anxiously.

He was fighting the urge to tell me to take my hands off his mate, it was written all over his face. It didn’t matter that I had a mate and had no interest in the unconscious woman I was holding. His possessive instincts were already starting to kick in and he didn’t want anyone else to touch her.

I felt sorry for him, maybe I was a pushover but I could understand why he wouldn’t want to be away from her while she was in her current state. The urge to protect and support your mate was strong, particularly if your mate was weaker than you.

“Maybe I could get Ezra to keep an eye on him in the back seat while you drive,” I suggested.

“Are you sure? He doesn’t pose much of a risk while he is bound in silver but he definitely deserves to suffer. I suggest we shove him in the boot and leave him there until Ellie wakes up. She can decide what we do with him.” Talen replied.

“As tempting as that sounds, it is a little cruel. How about we compromise and keep him in the boot until we reach the hospital.” I asked.

Talen reluctantly agreed to my suggestion. He shoved Hayden into the boot while I secured Ellie in the back seat. Once I was done I pulled out my phone. A chill went down my spine as I looked at the screen to see multiple missed calls and messages from Ezra. Without a moment’s hesitation I clicked the redial button. Ezra picked up the call before the second ring had even sounded.

“We have a slight problem,” he said. Talk about stating the obvious. I had been complimenting his maturity earlier today and now he was acting like a teenager who was withholding the key information to increase the suspense.

“What is the problem?” I asked, my tone was a little sharp as I tried in vain to hold back some of my frustration.

“I think Molly’s heat got too much for her. We thought she was showering but she snuck out the bathroom window to replace you.” Ezra replied, sounding a little nervous.

“I will head back towards campus and replace her,” I was about to hang up the phone when Ezra interrupted me.

“Just one more thing, she is either in her wolf form or she is running around the forest with no clothes on.” He said.

My wolf stirred in my head. He had been in a bit of a huff with me for the last few hours because I wasn’t giving our mate what she needed. Now that our mate had taken matters into her own hands my wolf had decided to do the same. He was fighting me, trying to take control of our body.

I pushed him back in my mind but he wasn’t going to give in that easily. I was able to keep him back long enough for me to tell Talen what had happened. He told me that he would meet back at the hospital before getting into the car and driving off. Once the car had set off Bran pushed forward in my mind once more, pushing me to the side completely.

He was on the hunt. Using his enhanced senses he was able to pick up on her trail in only a few minutes. He ran through the forest on her trail until suddenly it went completely cold. He stopped running and started to sniff the air for traces of her scent.

“Are you looking for me alpha?”

We turned around to replace Molly was standing directly in front of us. She didn’t have any clothes on and one look into her eyes told me that her lycan and her wolf were fighting each other for control. She closed the distance between us slowly, swaying her h**s seductively. She stopped a few inches away from me, she was so close that I could feel her hot breath on the skin of my exposed neck.

“What are you waiting for?” She teased.

Bran leaned forward and pressed our lips against hers. She let out a soft m**n as our hands traced her beautiful curves. I could feel her nails digging into my back as she tried desperately to pull me closer to her body.

“Take me,” she m****d into my mouth.

Her words drove Bran wild, he gripped her tightly and pulled her down to the floor with him. He laid her down then quickly unzipped our jeans. He didn’t even take the time to pull our jeans down before he climbed on top of her and penetrated her roughly. He kissed her neck as he thrust inside of her.

“Is this what you wanted?” He asked between k****s.

“Harder,” she growled.

As he pushed into her harder her m***s got louder. I could feel us getting closer to our release. Molly was moaning and bucking her h**s wildly beneath us. It was almost as though she had lost all control over herself and it was the most erotic thing I had ever seen.

She screamed my name loudly as she reached her climax. I felt her muscles contract around me, pushing me to reach my own o****m.

As my pleasure receded so did my wolf, leaving me completely in control once more. I ran my fingers through her hair as I looked into her eyes. I leaned forward to give her a gentle k**s on the lips but she pressed her finger to my lips to stop me.

“I’m not finished yet,” she growled.