Rejected Mates

Chapter 8

"Rough night?" William asked when Jared came stumbling into the office one morning, unshaven with bloodshot eyes.

"Ugh," Jared grunted in reply.

"Well, shake it off, I've got good news!" William said with a grin.

Jared wasn't sure he wanted to hear whatever it was that William was going to tell him. He had been growing restless in service to The Werewolf Council. He had always wanted to rise up as a protector, leading the charge in the werewolf ranks to maintain order and pursue a seamless relationship with the human world. That was what The Werewolf Council was supposed to stand for. But the longer he had been part of the system, the more he realized that it was just like anything found in the human world. Led and dictated by greed and power.

In name and public deed, The Werewolf Council continued their efforts to uphold their creed of peaceful oversight, but Jared had seen more than enough to know that was just a façade. On several occasions, the leaders around him had taken bribes and turned a blind eye if it meant lining their pockets. Even Jared's mentor William had been guilty of these behaviors, and Jared had been feeling more and more that he wasn't sure how much longer he wanted to be part of the structure that wasn't what he believed it should be.

"What's the news?" he asked, feeling somewhat apprehensive.

"The Werewolf Council wants to implement a new initiative, and they want you to spearhead the effort!" William said with excitement.

"What is this new initiative?" Jared asked.

"A collective of rejects," William replied cryptically.

"What? What does that mean?" Jared asked.

"Okay," William began, sitting down as he launched into his sales pitch to Jared. "You know about that massacre down south a couple of months back, the Silver Crescent Pack being attacked and pretty much wiped out?"

"Yes, I remember," Jared replied feeling frustrated. It had been just another instance of The Werewolf Council taking a back seat to the atrocity of some wolves and their violence toward each other.

"Well, we've had one of our Enforcers, Alpha Dante from the Black Shadow Pack, round up those responsible," William continued. "He probably should have just killed everyone, but he insists that there were some rogues that were captured that were just part of the chaos but didn't participate in the killing, and he thinks they can be rehabilitated."

"Okay," Jared asked, wondering if William was going to get to his point.

"That's where you come in!" William said excitedly.

"How so?" Jared asked.

"The Werewolf Council wants to give you your own pack. We're going to fill it with the rejects, the rogues, and the otherwise irredeemable of werewolf society."

"I'm listening," Jared replied, feeling intrigued by the idea. He had never expected to be an alpha, but with his growing distaste of The Werewolf Council and their politics, this seemed like it could be a good option for him.

"There's a plot of land about a hundred miles west of here, that belonged to the Pike Pack," William began speaking quickly, excited to pour out the details. "I know, stupid name, but it was part of a pack and Pike was the last name of the alpha family. Only old man Pike died, and doesn't have any heirs. The beta is an old man too, and there's really only about twenty or thirty pack members left."

"So we just take over this pre-existing pack, and turn it into a penal colony?" Jared asked, not sure about how good of an idea this was after all.

"Yeah, I guess, sort of," William replied. "Anyone who doesn't want to stay can transfer to a new pack. They won't be bound to remain, and we'll ensure there's a place to go if they want to leave."

"When would all this take place?" Jared asked, still thinking through the potential for this shift in his circumstances.

"Pretty much as soon as possible. They need a pack, we need a place for the rogues, and the plan is for it to expand. You know how it goes, we get wolves all the time that need to be tracked and dealt with, because they're causing disruptions in their packs, or worse, within the human world. Rather than just shut them in cells as prisoners, they get a second chance."

"What if they can't be rehabilitated?" Jared asked.

"You'll be the alpha, you decide!" William said with a malicious grin. "They're the outcasts of our society, unsafe to be left in the world. If they can be helped, you're the guy. If not, you take 'em out or imprison them, or whatever you see fit. The Council is willing to give you carte blanche to do as you see fit. They've been impressed with you, and feel like you're the man for the job!"

"Can I think about it?" Jared asked.

"What's to think about, man?" William teased. "You'll be your own man, Alpha of the Shadowlands! We can't leave it as Pike's Pack, nobody will be afraid of that."

"Should they be afraid?" Jared asked.

"Well, in the interest of structure and maintaining order, you'll probably need to instill a certain level of fear to keep everyone in line."

"I suppose that makes sense," Jared replied, considering the implications of this new opportunity. "What about my own leadership? I'd at least need a beta I could trust."

"Take your pick," William replied. "There are several guys around here that would jump at a chance to be your beta."

Jared considered the proposition that William had presented, and in due course, decided he would take the position. He was tired of politics, and this seemed like a chance for him to do what he had always wanted. He could make a difference. He would lead a pack that was a refuge for those who didn't fit in with the rest of society. Those who were dangerous would be removed from a position to bring harm to the innocent.

It took a few months to complete the transition and become established, and Jared became the alpha of his own pack, made up of misfits and rejects. The first transfer of rogues that came in caused significant disruption, and three of them were killed in the process. Nothing had gone right with that first transfer, the rogues had broken free from their shackles in the confusion and had begun to attack innocent members of the pack. It quickly turned into a kill-or-be-killed situation.

After that, Jared and his team created several layers of protocol and safeguards, to ensure that nothing like that could happen again. William encourage Jared in his efforts, telling him that it was actually a good thing that rogues had been killed in that first transfer because it would help to sell the whole idea as more like a prison than that of a rehab pack. William wanted everyone to be afraid, and Jared had a hard time convincing him otherwise.

Jared took to his role as alpha with effective dominance, and before long, his pack had established themselves within the werewolf community as what it needed to be. A place where the dangerous wolves could be sent to be kept in line, without being imprisoned or a danger to others. Many transfers benefited from the transfer and were able to make genuine changes to their behaviors, given their second chance at life. But there were always those who were unwilling to live within the rules set forth, and they ended up imprisoned after all, and on some occasions put to death.

It was a few years into his new role as alpha, and after a particularly rough night, that Jared found himself at a bar, off of pack lands. He had just killed a werewolf who had been transferred in a week prior. He was violent and had killed both humans and werewolves for pleasure. Jared always hoped that he could make a difference, and help wayward wolves change their ways. This instance was not to be one of those situations, and the werewolf in question had fought free from his restraints and severely injured one of the nurses who had been present at the transfer. Jared had no choice but to imprison the man at that time.

The man had somehow managed to break free from his cell when the jailer had brought in his lunch. The jailer was severely hurt in the process, and if Jared hadn't happened to be nearby at the time, the jailer probably would have been killed. Jared had moved swiftly and killed the attacker, but it was never action he relished. It left him feeling frustrated and angry any time excessive force was required.

It was early evening, and Jared was several drinks into his inebriated stupor when he was approached by a beautiful woman looking for company. As had been Jared's pattern, the self-loathing and disappointment, the frustration and emptiness he felt led him to do things that would cause him pain, and that he would regret the following morning.