Rejected Mates

Chapter 23

Morris relished the freedom he was granted. He appreciated getting to let his wolf out and ran through the woods for a couple of hours. There were a few guards stationed throughout, and the broader territory had been closed off to the rest of the pack for the afternoon. At dinner, Mel noticed he was inclined to sneak away before he noticed her, but she missed her chance when Nancy stopped her to tell her something about the following morning's schedule.

"Hey, Sweetie," Morris called out at Mel.

A few people looked around, not sure who he was talking to, Mel included.

"Hey," he said again, getting up and walking over to where she and Nancy stood. "Remember me?" he asked.

"Yes," Melinda replied, "but I don't think we were ever properly introduced. I'm Mel."

"I'm Morris," he replied. "And you?" he asked, turning to Nancy.

"I'm Nancy," she said with a smile.

"You been out long?" Morris asked Mel.

"For a while, yeah" she replied, not really wanting to engage in a conversation. Ever since the first day, when Morris kept watching her through the bars when they were first transferred in, Melinda had been glad that Morris wasn't out with everyone else. He scared her a little.

"Have you been here long?" he asked Nancy.

"A couple of years," Nancy said with a friendly smile, but it was evident that she too, wasn't keen on continuing the conversation with Morris.

"Should we go over that schedule with the kitchen staff?" Nancy asked, making up an excuse to leave.

"Yes, I think we should review it with Carol," Melinda replied, even though both women knew Carol wasn't in the kitchen. They both nodded goodbye to Morris and then walked directly to the kitchen, where they stayed until Morris was escorted out of the dining room by the guards who had never left his side.

"I don't the alpha wants everyone to get a chance to be part of the pack," Nancy began speaking, while the women were in the kitchen. "But I feel like some guys just need to be kept away from everyone else."

"That definitely felt uncomfortable," Melinda replied. "I don't know why, he didn't do anything wrong."

"True," Nancy conceded, "but still, he's here for a reason, not that we all aren't," she said as an admission of her own guilt, "but some people maybe aren't quite ready to be out with the rest of us."

Morris was returned to his cell without incident and seemed genuinely appreciative to have been granted the opportunity to get out into the fresh air. He was convincing enough, that Jared decided to let him out again the following day, and again the day after that. It wasn't until his fourth day being allowed out into the general population that Morris wasn't able to maintain his self-control.

He had asked to be allowed into the woods again, to let his wolf run, and was granted permission. There were several people still out in the woods, and rather than call everyone back, the guards decided to just section off a portion of the grounds to be used for Morris and advised everyone to stay out of that area.

Nancy and Melinda were in the woods that day and had gone for a swim in one of the lakes. They were sunbathing, and enjoying the cool afternoon air when Morris left his assigned perimeter and approached them.

"Afternoon, ladies," he startled them.

"Morris, hi," Melinda said, inching away from him, and closer to where Nancy was.

"I don't think you're supposed to be over here," Nancy confronted him, knowing that Morris was breaking the rules.

Alpha, Morris is here, Nancy quickly tried to reach the alpha through the mind-link, but she wasn't able to get his attention. Alpha's often close off their link to others, especially if they need to focus their attention on something else. Usually, only the top-ranking wolves within a pack have unblocked access to the alpha.

"I'm not supposed to be in this prison at all," Morris said, stepping closer to the women.

He's over here, by the lake, Nancy communicated to one of the men she knew was a guard, and who would at least know who was closest and be able to send someone to them.

"We're all here for a reason," Melinda justified.

"We are," Morris nodded in agreement, "And rumor has it, you're here because you like to get some action? Isn't that right?"

"Back off," Nancy spat at him, not concerned with antagonizing him, because she knew help was on the way.

"I've been rotting in that cell for a while, and I'm just looking for a little friendly interaction is all," Morris said, now having reached the two women.

"Run!" Nancy yelled, as she took a swing at Morris' face. But Morris was prepared, and dodged the punch, shoving Nancy to the ground. Melinda had started to run as soon as Nancy had yelled, but Morris was much faster than she was. In less than a second, he grabbed her pulled her into his arms, and began to kiss her.

Jared was in his office, going through a few files for new transfers that were expected in the coming days when it felt like a bomb exploded in his head. It started with a few quick mind-links from the guards letting him know that Morris had left his assigned border. That wouldn't typically have been considered an emergency situation, that's why the guards were there in the first place. But then Jared received links from another guard saying there were others in the woods, and Morris might pose a threat. That was followed by yet another mind-link communication letting him know that Morris had approached a few of the women, and one of them had signaled for help.

Jared knew his men could handle the situation, but he took it as a personal affront that Morris would not only break the rules but threaten other members of the pack. He had come charging out of his office, ready to shift and head into the woods to handle Morris himself, and then he felt the searing pain that came when a mand touched Melinda.

The pain was so severe that it caused Jared to stumble blindly into the wall in front of him. That was followed by a feeling of terror, and the skin on his arms began to burn as if he were being dragged over hot coals. Likewise, his lips and face felt like they were being scalded by boiling water. Jared continued to blindly stumble forward, unable to progress very far before the pain finally subsided, and he could feel that Melinda was safe, and no longer under Morris' assault.

Melinda screamed when Morris grabbed her, both out of fear and pain. She continued to scream as he kissed her, holding her tightly in his arms. She struggled to free herself but wasn't able to create any distance between herself and the man who held her.

And then, out of nowhere, a wolf lunged at Morris, taking him to the ground. Melinda was knocked to the ground as well but wasn't hurt. She watched as Morris shifted into his wolf, and the two began to attack each other. The other wolf was much stronger, and it didn't take long for him to subdue Morris, who was left cowering and whimpering beneath the snapping jaws of the other wolf until the guards arrived a few seconds later.

Morris was quickly fitted with a muzzle and carted off through the woods by the guards.

Melinda was checking on Nancy when she turned back to look at the wolf who had saved them, and he had shifted. It was Ricky who was standing there. He was the one who had been close enough to save Melinda and Nancy from Morris.

"Head back to pack house, you'll all need to speak with the alpha and tell him what happened," one of the guards said before turning to assist in getting Morris back to the cells.