Rejected Mates

Chapter 20

As with each time before, Jared hadn't invited a woman over, but he knew it was going to happen. It always did. After a few drinks and a little flirting, the woman's lips ended up on his. This was usually met with the pain that Jared had become accustomed to. The pain he fought his way through, out of some mixed-up mentality that his behavior somehow connected him to his mate, wherever she was. Only this time, it was different. The pain was the same, but this time the taste was like ash, choking him and causing him to recoil as he coughed and gasped for fresh air.

He pushed the woman away and stumbled out of the bar unable to catch his breath. Between the pain and the feeling like he was choking, he collapsed to his knees unable to see straight.

"You okay, pal?" someone asked, but Jared dismissed them, as he slowly began to breathe again.

"I'm fine, just choking on my drink," he excused his behavior. He climbed into his trunk, knowing he wasn't in any shape to drive, but also knowing he needed to be alone.

Jared sat there for several minutes, trying to wrap his mind around what just happened. He'd been here several times before, he'd slept with many women just to feel the pain that connected him to his mate, wishing each time that he could make himself stop returning. But this time, it was so much worse than it had ever been before. He could still feel the taste of ash in his mouth, causing him to cough again, just thinking about it. What confused him most, was that he just wanted to talk to Mel. He told himself that was completely inappropriate and foolish. There was no reason for him to speak to her right now, but she was the only thing on his mind, as she had been all day. He just wanted to feel her voice in his head.

Melinda thrashed around in her bed when the searing pain on her lips woke her from her sleep. It felt like burning coals in her mouth, and she screamed out in pain. Fortunately, it ended almost as soon as it started, and Melinda was left gasping for breath. She went to the kitchen and put a few pieces of ice in her mouth, as the burning sensation still remained.

She hoped nobody had heard her scream. She didn't know which apartments around her were occupied and which were empty, but she didn't want to have to explain herself. Especially after feeling like the alpha was already looking for reasons to dislike her, she didn't want to draw any additional negative attention. The alpha. Her mind seemed to fixate on him, and she wished she could hear his voice in her head again. She fought that desire, telling herself that would only make things worse. The last thing she needed was to develop a crush on the alpha who detested her.

Mel? She heard a faint whisper from the alpha and thought she she was imagining things.

Are you awake? Jared asked Melinda. He couldn't stop himself. He wanted to talk to her, he needed to talk to her. He was compelled to reach out to her.

Yes, Sir Melinda replied, after he spoke the second time.

I'm sorry... I just needed to talk to you, Jared couldn't prevent himself from confessing.

Is something wrong? Melinda asked, somewhat fearful of what could have been so important in the middle of the night.

You weren't at dinner tonight, he pointed out, not knowing what else to say.

No, I didn't feel well, I went to bed early. She said.

I'm sorry, I should let you get back to bed, Jared replied, already feeling better just from the few seconds of contact with Mel, through the mind-link.

What did you need to talk to me about? Melinda asked, not wanting the conversation to end, also feeling the positive effects of talking to the alpha.

I just wanted to make sure you were okay since you weren't at dinner, Jared responded sheepishly, knowing that would have been a foolish reason for any alpha to be disrupting someone in the middle of the night.

I'm fine, Sir, thank you for your concern, Melinda replied, confused by the alpha's behavior.

Jared cut off the link and the conversation was over. He fell asleep in his truck, waking up in time to get back to the pack territory just as the sun was coming up. He went straight to his suite on the top floor of the pack house and took a hot shower while he tried to understand what was happening to him.

Melinda was unable to go back to sleep after talking to the alpha. She felt upset by his reaching out to her in the middle of the night and wondered what he had really wanted to talk about. She feared maybe he had heard about her past and wanted more details about things she had done.

Morning came much too soon, and Melinda dragged herself out of bed to get ready for her morning shift. She reported to work, and began her day, cleaning toilets and showers as she had the day before. At lunchtime, she was assigned to help with clean-up once the service had ended, so she stayed in the cafeteria after her break had ended. She moved quickly back and forth, around the tables, cleaning plates and garbage that had been left behind.

Jared came into the cafeteria just as the last plates were being served, wondering what was producing the scent of fresh apples that wafted over him as soon as he had stepped through the doorway. And then he saw her, on the far side of the room, a tray of dirty dishes in her hands. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Her thick dark hair was in a long braid that was draped over one shoulder. Her cheeks were pink from the brisk pace with which she moved. Her perfect lips were pulled into a soft smile, as she appeared to be agreeing with something someone had just said to her. Her beautiful curves danced before his eyes, as she gracefully moved around the tables, but it was bitterness and rage that overwhelmed him.

"What is she doing here?" he growled under his breath, not yet making sense of what he was seeing.

"What? Who?" Colt asked, bumping into Jared who had stopped as soon as he saw Melinda. "Mel?" Colt asked, following Jared's eyes to see who he was talking about, confused at the alpha's reaction. Jared turned and walked out of the building. He stalked toward the woods, shifting before he had even fully undressed. He ran, howling and snarling as he went.

Mel... Mel was Melinda! His Melinda, the mate who had rejected him so long ago. Melinda was Mel, who had been sent to his pack because of an affair with her previous alpha. Everything was starting to make sense, and it infuriated him. It explained the jolt through the bond when he had welcomed her into the pack. It made sense why he was drawn to keep speaking to her through the mind-link, and why it calmed him when they spoke. He reasoned that her nearby presence must have been what made the kiss from the stranger the night before taste like ash.

"Why?!?" He shouted toward the sky, having shifted back into his human form. "Why, Moon Goddess? What have I done to deserve this?"