Rejected Mates

Chapter 7

"Thanks for dinner," Linda said at the door of the building, trying to make it clear by her body language that she had no intention of inviting him in with her.

"I would love to do it again sometime," Garret began, "but I promised I wouldn't, so the ball is in your court."

"Sounds good," Linda said with a smile, not sure what else to say, seeing as she wasn't planning to see Garret again outside of school. "Have a good night," Linda followed up, preparing to step inside.

But just as she finished speaking, Garret leaned in and gave her a quick kiss directly on her lips. It burned her, both as a shock on her lips as well as in her chest. Almost like someone had poked her quickly with something sharp, she knew immediately it was her body's reaction to the broken mate bond. She didn't know why it still had such a hold on her, it wasn't supposed to after this long. Rejected mates were supposed to be able to move on from each other, but for some reason, the pain never left.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Garret said quickly, aware that he had crossed a line.

"I need to go," was all Linda said before she quickly turned and went inside, letting the front door of the building close right in Garret's face.

Linda went directly to her apartment and let herself in, holding back the tears until she was full inside and the door closed. She knew she had made a mistake when she rejected Jared, and it devastated her to know that she would never have the chance to make it right. She wondered what it was like for Jared, and if whatever was keeping their bond active was impacting him as well. She hoped it wasn't. At least there would be some comfort for her if she knew that it was one-sided. If she could only know for sure that he was okay, and that he had been able to move on, that would at least give her some peace of mind. She would be more than happy to suffer alone for the rest of her life if she knew that meant that Jared was free of her.

Jared was not free of her though, and when Garret kissed Linda, Jared felt the same spark of pain, both in his lips and his heart, that Linda had felt. He had no idea what it was, and had no frame of reference for it, as he hadn't been interested in other women. Despite William's efforts, Jared still hadn't made any effort to bed any human women and was standing firm in his conviction that he would never cross that line with a she-wolf. So when Garret kissed Linda, Jared had no idea what it was or why he was suddenly struck with pain through the mate bond. The pain mimicked the ache he carried with him every day, so he was able to surmise that it was in fact something to do with the mate bond, but he didn't know why it had hit him suddenly as it had.

It wasn't until his twenty-first birthday that he understood what that pain through the mate bond had meant. William had taken Jared out to a club for his birthday, which involved music, dancing, alcohol, and women. At William's insistence, Jared had found himself fully inebriated, and susceptible to the advances of a beautiful redhead who was more than willing to show him a good time.

When she kissed Jared, it shocked him into lucidity. It stung both his lips and the tattered ends of the mate-bond within his heart. He knew at that moment, the shock he had felt a few weeks prior was from someone kissing Linda, and it fueled him with a jealous rage. Despite the pain, he subjected himself to bear it, as he continued the physical interaction with the red-head. The pain radiated through his entire body, but he wouldn't stop. He was angry and disappointed and hoped that Linda could feel it. He wanted her to experience the same scarring agony.

Furthermore, it was the closest thing he had felt since that first day, to feeling the mate bond. In a twisted way, the pain and intimacy with the redhead only deepened his desire for his mate. The minute pleasure of the experience was completely lost on Jared, as it was only jealousy, and closeness to his mate that compelled him to continue.

Linda was asleep in bed at the time of Jared's encounter with the redhead. She was startled awake by the pain in her lips, followed by a feeling of broken glass being dragged across her skin. Her heart swelled with a burning sensation, and she instinctively knew exactly what it meant. She writhed in pain, shifting right there in her room, as her wolf was better able to absorb the ache than was her human body. When it finally ended, she spent the rest of the night in the bathtub, letting the cold water wash over her stinging limbs.

Linda wept bitter tears as she dealt with the meaning behind the pain. Her mate, her ex-mate, the one she had rejected was with someone else. She hoped that it meant he had moved on, and was free of her. She convinced herself that if there was pain on his side of the mate bond, anything like what she was experiencing, that he wouldn't have been able to continue. Thus, she reasoned that he must be free of her and happy. She told herself that it was a good thing and that she would be happy for him and that the pain was her punishment to bear, as a result of having rejected the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for her.

After that experience, Linda considered trying to date someone. She thought that if Jared were free of her, and happily moved on to someone else, she might try to find someone as well. But she always ended up quickly dismissing the idea. The pain for her was still too great, and she knew she didn't want anyone else. She wanted what she couldn't have, and it was her own fault that it was gone.

Jared woke the morning after his birthday feeling worse than he had ever felt in his life. He was nauseous and his entire body ached, inside and out. He knew he had betrayed everything he told himself he stood for. He had been so pious about not crossing the lines of the mate bond, and yet he had slept with a woman who wasn't his mate. Had he returned the rejection, and completely severed the bond with Melinda, it likely wouldn't have mattered. But as he never rejected her in return, a semblance of the bond still existed, and he had defiled it. He despised himself and knew that he must have caused significant pain to his mate. He was just as guilty of disregarding the mate bond as Melinda had been when she rejected him.

Jared found himself in a downward cycle of self-loathing as a result of that first act of indiscretion. Each time, he would tell himself it was the last, and he would do better. But it was like a sickening addition. He had felt so hollow inside for years. On the outside, he was successful and positioned with favor within The Werewolf Council, powerful and strong. But on the inside, he felt dead and would seek out the pain, just to feel alive and to cling to the torturous connection he still had with his mate.