Once Upon A Rejection
Part 2 Chapter 24

Grayson Ward’s POV

I didn’t like hiding things from Molly, it didn’t feel right. It didn’t matter that everyone thought Talen’s actions were for the best and it didn’t matter that it would keep her safe, it just felt wrong. I would do as Talen has asked though, Molly’s safety was much more important than my comfort.

After Molly left the table Talen gave his father some instructions before following her out of the room. I couldn’t imagine how difficult this must be for him. Saying goodbye to your mate was hard and that would only be made worse knowing what he had to do once she left.

“I’m trusting you,” Ezra said, staring at me across the table. June tried to nudge him to get his attention, even a human knew that it wasn’t his place to question his alpha.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked with a slight growl in my voice. I didn’t want to start a fight over breakfast but I wasn’t going to let him speak to me like that either. If he wasn’t my mate’s half brother I would have had no choice but to punish him severely for the way he just spoke to me.

“I’m trusting you to keep my sister safe. I am trusting that you won’t let her know about Talen’s plan because you love her and you would never risk her life like that.” Ezra clarified. It was about time for him to step up and be the protective brother, where was this side of him for the last few years when Molly really needed it? I was about to give him a piece of my mind when June slapped him on his shoulder.

“Ouch, what was that for?” Ezra asked. June looked offended then slapped him a couple more times in quick succession. Ezra didn’t make any move to stop his mate other than to give her puppy dog eyes.

“You better not lie to me like that,” She replied. She gave him a look that told him she wasn’t messing around. Ezra reacted instantly, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. He brushed her hair away from her ear.

“I wouldn’t dare because if I did I wouldn’t get any for a month.” Ezra whispered into June’s ear, causing her to shiver slightly.

“That’s not good enough,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please don’t be upset, I would do anything to make you happy,” Ezra begged. He kissed her cheek and neck softly while whispering in her ear all the ways he was going to make it up to her. None of which I had any desire to hear about.

“At least I know who wears the pants in their relationship. Maybe I should make her my beta.” I mumbled to myself. I continued to eat my breakfast while trying my best to ignore the rest of their conversation which had quickly turned very erotic.

Talen Bancroft’s POV

Goddess I was going to miss Molly. I followed her to our room to wish her good luck with her exam and give her something nice to think about while I was making the world safer for her. I got down on my knees and used my tongue to pleasure her until she was so tired that her legs could barely carry her weight. Once she had recovered I sent her back downstairs to Grayson.

I heard their car pulling away while I was washing my face. I loved having Molly’s intimate scent all over me but that I couldn’t let anyone else smell that scent and live. That just wasn’t something I was willing to share.

By the time I got downstairs my father had already taken charge of getting the wolves organised. He was shouting orders while wolves packed the cars that were now parked outside the alpha’s house. I walked past him, nodding my head by way of acknowledgment as I went in search of Grayson’s father. I followed the sound of his raised voice towards the back of the house, all the way into the utility room behind the kitchen.

“You have to let me help,” Molly’s stepfather pleaded with Grayson’s father. Grayson’s brother was standing nearby listening to their conversation with interest.

“I can’t. I am sorry but it is out of my hands,” Grayson’s father replied. He was shaking his head and trying hard to hide his annoyance. I could tell that he wasn’t annoyed with his ex-beta but there was definitely something eating at him.

“Why not. I don’t want to claim any title or glory for myself. I just want to be part of the fight so I can protect my stepdaughter and our pack. Surely the council can’t have a problem with that.” Thomas responded, the desperation clear in his voice. I think he was only a few moments away from getting on his knees and begging. Not that it would do him any good, alpha Ward didn’t look like the type to defy council orders.

“I told them that but they don’t care. They don’t want you anywhere near the fight.” Grayson’s father tensed his jaw as he spoke. He hated this just as much as everyone else did but he wouldn’t openly speak up against the council. He wasn’t the only one who felt that way either.

The council had too much power. Nobody dared to say anything bad against them and they no longer seemed to care about the good of our kind. They wielded their power for their own motives which as far as I could tell was mostly greed and more power. They were corrupt and someone needed to put an end to it.

“You can come with my forces and fight under my command,” I suggested. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in my direction.

“The council won’t like that,” Grayson’s father replied. The shock was clear on his face. Werewolves were brought up to respect the council’s authority as absolute. It was this respect that the council relied on now.

A long time ago, when the council had first formed it was populated with powerful alphas. They protected the weaker members of the werewolf community and kept the rogue population in check. If anyone questioned the way they did things they were able to challenge one of them to take their place in the council.

Now the council was populated by old men and to question their authority was a crime. It had been a problem for a long time but none of the werewolves seemed willing to do anything about it. It always amused me that the werewolf community seemed terrified of a group of old men who had trouble wiping their own arses.

I wasn’t scared of them. Even if they tried to start a fight against me, what power did they have at their disposal? As afraid of the council as most werewolves appeared to be, they still wouldn’t go to war on their behalf so what did that leave? A few old men and whatever forces they could buy. It wouldn’t exactly be much of a fight, I could probably take them all on my own.

“If they aren’t happy then they can take it up with me,” I replied. Grayson’s brother smiled at me, he had his own reasons for hating the council. Grayson’s father and Molly’s stepfather just looked shocked by my blatant disrespect. They would just have to get over it.

Before Grayson’s father had a chance to disagree with me I steered the conversation away from the council. I asked him about our plans for the upcoming fight. He informed me that he had managed to get in touch with most of the packs that Finn had visited. He had also contacted the packs that he had a strong alliance with. Along with the lycans that my father had brought along our forces would be in thousands.

We would be travelling for the next few hours separately until we reached a pack around fifty kilometres away from Finn’s pack. We would all meet there and wait for the cover of darkness before travelling the remaining distance. Hopefully they wouldn’t be expecting us and we could take out the patrols they had set up quietly, before anyone noticed.

The optimistic side of me hoped we could get the sorted without the need for much bloodshed. Even if the worst happened and they were ready for us, we were prepared. With this many fighters against a handful of lycans there was no possible way that we would lose.