Rejected Mates

Chapter 24

Ricky quickly accepted from Melinda one of the towels that they had been using, and he wrapped it around himself after shifting back into his human form.

"Are you two okay?" he asked, coming quickly over to the women.

"Yes, thank you, Ricky!" Melinda replied, helping Nancy to brush the dirt off from her tumble onto the ground.

"You sure you're ok, Mel?" Nancy reiterated the concern, as Melinda had received the brunt of Morris' attention.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Melinda replied, trying to downplay and dismiss the entire ordeal. "We better get back home, she pointed out. I'm sure Colt is going to want to know what happened."

"The alpha is going to be pissed," Nancy said, gathering the rest of her things, and throwing a long shirt on over her swimsuit.

"Has anything like this ever happened before?" Ricky asked, walking alongside the two women, still wearing nothing but a towel.

"There was an incident I heard about during a transfer in, it was a rogue," Nancy started narrating. "I didn't see it, but it was apparently pretty bad. The rogue was able to attack the guards, almost killed one of them, and the alpha ended up killing the rogue."

"That sounds terrible," Melinda shivered, remembering the day she had transferred in. If she had been asked to guess, she would have thought Ricky the more potent threat, especially with how angry he had been on that first day. She was glad he hadn't attacked a guard and been killed, especially as he was the one who had been there to save her today.

"What do you think will happen to Morris?" Ricky asked Nancy.

"I don't know, he definitely crossed that line," Nancy said. "I don't know if there's a way to come back from that. Not here," Nancy replied.

Morris was taken directly back to the cells, where he was given a sedative to initiate a shift back into human form. Jared was furious, and ready to kill Morris, without hesitation. It was only the presence of Colt, taking charge of the situation that kept him from wringing Morris' neck with his bare hands.

"Is there anything you'd like to say before your punishment is decided?" Colt asked once Morris had been returned to his cell. Jared didn't speak, but paced back and forth behind Colt, listening to the exchange.

"It was worth it," Morris replied with a smile.

"You realize that integration into the pack is now off the table for you, after that stunt?" Colt asked.

"Yeah, that's not really my scene out there. Indentured servitude doesn't suit me," he mocked, sitting on the bed in his cell, casually leaning back with his feet crossed. "Too many rules, I'll be fine here. She tasted like a caramel apple, that'll last me a long time in here," he smirked.

Jared lunged at the closed cell door, causing it to rattle against the force. "What if I just kill you now?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

"You do you, bro," was Morris' flippant reply. He had known since the moment he arrived, that he wouldn't be able to live by the rules of the pack of rejects. He played nice for a little while, and took his chance to breathe fresh air one last time, knowing that it would likely be the last time. Seeing Melinda and Nancy in the woods was just a silver lining for him. One final hurrah before getting himself locked up for the foreseeable future.

"The others are almost back," Colt said to Jared, pulling him away from the cell. "Let's go."

"What was that all about?" Colt asked Jared as he walked back toward Jared's office. "I've never seen you lose it on a prisoner like that before, not one already behind bars."

"Don't worry about it," Jared grunted under his breath as he continued to stalk forward, not even looking at Colt when he spoke,

"Make sure everyone is ok," Jared began in a softer tone once he was seated at his desk. "The guards have communicated that everyone is fine, but please confirm. If she's ready, send Nancy to me first."

"Okay," replied.

"Let Ricky know I'll reach out when I'm ready to speak to him, and then Mel after that," Jared said.

"Yes, sir," Colt replied and turned to leave.

Jared took the next few minutes to compose himself, knowing that the coming interviews were going to be incredibly difficult for him. He wanted to destroy Morris for what he did to Mel. Beyond that, Morris had gone against everything that the pack stood for. He felt ill at the thought of Melinda being attacked, and he hadn't been around to protect her. Quite the opposite, as the attack on Melinda had left him practically incapacitated with the pain he felt. Pain he wondered if Melinda felt as well. Instead of being there to protect her, it was Ricky. Someone else had been the one to save his mate. Jared felt indebted to Ricky for stepping in to protect Melinda, but he was also jealous and angry that he hadn't been there for her.

It was a somber walk back to the pack house. As the three of them got close, they could see Colt waiting for them. He approached, looking very upset and concerned.

"Is everybody okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're all fine, thanks to Ricky," Nancy said.

"Nancy, the alpha would like to speak with you first, if you're feeling up to it," Colt said.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied.

"Okay, he's in his office, please go straight there, I'll let him know you're on the way," he directed her before turning back to the others. "Ricky, he'll want to speak with you next, once you've gotten dressed. He'll let you know when he's ready for you."

"Yes, sir," Ricky said with a nod, before turning to walk to the men's dorm.

"Melinda, the alpha will speak with you after he's finished with the other two, he'll let you know when he's ready for you. Do you need to see a medic or anything?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Melinda replied. "I'll just go get cleaned up until I hear from the alpha unless there's anything else for now?"

"No, that's all, you can go," Colt replied.

Melinda returned to her apartment and immediately stepped into the shower. She had told everyone that she was fine, but the truth was she couldn't stop shaking and time she let her mind dwell on the pain that had erupted through her entire body when Morris had grabbed and kissed her. The pain scared her more than being attacked.

She was also nervous about her conversation with the alpha. She hadn't heard from him in days and still felt uncomfortable with the last conversation they'd had. And, she still hadn't met him. Now, the first time she would actually meet the alpha, it was going to be to discuss Morris attacking her. Something she didn't want to think about, much less talk about. Especially to the alpha who already thought her to be a seductress. She was afraid that he would think she had brought on the attack from Morris, and blame her. Maybe even accuse her of having initiated the interaction.