Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 31

Alaia POV

I'd just finished my final dress fitting for the Luna ceremony that west set for the next night.

Katherine suggested that I wear the same dress that she, and the past four Lunas for the Blue Moon pack, wore on the night they took the title.

It was a beautiful white satin dress with lace at the sleeves and bodice. It had a generous plunging neckline, which made me wonder who exactly was designing these dresses back in the day.

It was very form-fitting, and although it would drag on the ground a bit when I walked, I wouldn't say it had a train.

Anyway, because of my short stature and curvy figure, we had to have the dress altered to fit correctly.

Once the seamstress and Katherine released me from their clutches, I made my way to Xander's office.

I hadn't seen much of him since the barbecue, and I was starting to worry.

Lately, he was always cooped up in his office with Kade and Matthew, sometimes until the early hours of the morning.

I arrived in front of the door, and as I was raising my hand to knock, I heard muffled voices talking about increased rogue sightings.

I had been feeling strange lately like I was being watched, but I could never replace anyone there when I would look around. I wondered if the rogue sightings could have anything to do with that.

Since I wasn't a fan of snooping around, I proceeded to knock on the door and waited to be told to come in.

The guys looked so tired and worn when I walked in. Like they hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Working so hard without taking a break wasn't good for them, and definitely not suitable for the pack. I had to see what I could do to help. "Guys, what's going on?"

Kade and Matt looked over at Xander to see what they should do. Should they fill me in on what had been going on, or keep quiet?

I could see Xander battling with the decision to tell me or not as well. I didn't say anything about what I had heard before I walked in; I wanted to see what he would say to me and what he would do.

"We've had an increase in rogue sightings. On the territory, not just along the border. Even with our increased security measures, they are still somehow getting past the patrols. So far, they haven't done anything but watch our movements, but we don't know what their motives are."

"Where have they been spotted?"

This must have been a tough question because all three guys shifted uncomfortably in their seats and refused to make eye contact with me. Again, Xander spoke up.

"Usually in the woods around the packhouse, and we've noticed their pattern. They are watching you, Alaia. Whenever we do spot them, they are either somewhere you are, or somewhere you've just left. This is why I haven't let you out of the house alone in the past few days."

I knew it! I knew I wasn't crazy when I kept feeling those creepy-a*s stares all the time.

"Have they left anything behind that we can track them with?"

They all looked shocked that I wasn't freaking out over the fact that rogues were stalking me in my own home. I was shocked myself, but I knew that I needed to stay calm if I was going to get the information I needed from Xander. "Uhh, nothing that's traceable. I believe there was a scrap of clothing left in a tree yesterday," Kade told me.

"Could I see it?"

More blank stares...

"Come on, guys! Let me help. I'm just sitting around here doing nothing all day, and we all know that I have powers, maybe I can help figure something out. What do we have to lose at this point?"

Xander sighed before walking to his safe and opening it up.

He reached in and pulled out a clear bag with a dingy piece of ripped jean fabric inside and handed it over to me.

As soon as the bag touched my hand, my fingers began to tingle, and the guys huddled around me.

"The rogues are using dark magic to get past the border unseen. I don't know who the witch is, or what they want but it's definitely dark magic."

"We figured as much. There was no way our patrols were constantly missing them cross over. I'm guessing the spell just allowed them to get onto our land but didn't prevent us from seeing them once they were here," Matt thought out loud. "Maybe they wanted to be seen. Maybe it's part of the plan? We see a bunch of rogues so close to the house, so we cancel the Luna ceremony or move me to a different location, maybe?"

Xander slumped back down in his chair and heaved out a sigh.

I wished I could do something to make him fill better, even if only for a little while.

Moving without even really thinking, I went over, sat in his lap, and held his head close against my chest.

As I ran my fingers through his hair, Amethyst began to purr a melody in my head that I instinctively began to hum out loud.

I could feel both Xander and I begin to relax, and by the time the melody was over, I felt a renewed energy flowing through me.

Kade and Matt looked over at us, shocked.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked them.

"What did you do, Alaia? When you started humming, your eyes turned purple."

I didn't know I was "doing" anything; I was just trying to comfort my mate.

"Umm, I'm not sure? I just followed my instincts. I just wanted to make him feel better."

I lifted Xander's head from my chest, and sure enough, the dark circles that had been living under his eyes for days were gone. His eyes were their perfect bright crystal blue, and he looked well-rested and energized. "Well, that was unexpected," he said to me with a smile.

"You're telling me?! I don't know what happened. Amethyst began to purr in my mind, and something told me to hum along with her. Crazy stuff..."

"So, can we get one of those purring 'head hug' things too?" Kade joked, pointing to Matt and himself.

Xander growled and clenched my waist tighter, pulling me closer to him.

"Mine!"

"Calm down Xander; I'm sure I can help them out too, with a lot less cuddling involved."

I wiggled from his grasp then walked behind the loveseat the boys were sitting on and placed a hand on their shoulders.

Again, Amethyst purred the melody, and I hummed it out loud.

This time it was Xander's turn to watch in awe.

When I finished, I bent over and looked at the guy's faces. Both looked like they'd just woke from a twelve-hour nap.

"Well, my work here is done, fellas. Now that you're all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I'm hoping you can figure out this rogue issue. I'm going to go lay down for a bit, that took a lot out of me."

Xander crossed the room and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you for this, Little One."

"No need to thank me, Xander, I'm just happy to see my boys looking and feeling better. I'm here anytime you need me."

As I closed the door, I heard Kade say, "Bean is f*****g awesome, man!"

Really? Not him too...

***

Walking to the room, I heard Amethyst again.

How are you feeling, Doll?

Amethyst! I feel great, I little tired but still. That was amazing; I didn't know we could do that.

There are a lot of awesome things we can do that you don't know about yet.

This is true, so we're like nap faeries now?

No, we're healers. Since they didn't have any physical injuries, we just gave them a supercharge of energy that will last about forty-eight hours.

Nice! So, what else can we do?

You'll replace out when the time is right, Sweetie

I guess that's acceptable. You're alright with me, Amethyst.

Ha! Glad to hear it, Babe.

I made it back to my room, curled up in the middle of the bed, and shut my eyes.

Before I drifted off, the realization that I could heal people hit me hard.

I was really and truly a special wolf, and I had been blessed with an incredible gift. I wasn't going to waste it. I was going to do all that I could to learn about my powers and figure out how I could best serve the people I loved.

***

I woke about an hour later to the feeling of the bed dipping beside me. I glanced over and saw a smiling Xander looking at me.

"Hello handsome, are you here for a nap too?"

"Not at all, Little One. I can't remember the last time I had this much energy. Whatever you did for us back in my office has still got us wired."

"Amethyst says we're healers. Since you guys weren't physically injured and just drained, we gave you a super energy boost. You should be back to normal in a couple of days."

Xander nodded at this before a sly smile crossed his face.

"I know what I can do with some of this extra energy. I just realized something, Little One. You were promised a punishment a few days ago, but all this nonsense with the rogues distracted me."

I was shocked. I'd just helped his a*s out, and he was thinking about punishing me? I mean, yeah, his punishments were terrific, but I wasn't going to tell him that!

"Don't look at me like that, baby. I wouldn't dream of punishing you tonight, not after what you just did. So, it'll be a reward instead."

"I'm listening."

He had my attention big time, and I couldn't wait to hear what he had in mind.

He stood up and began to slowly remove his clothes. As they dropped away, my mouth became drier and drier.

Once he was completely naked, I raked my eyes over his perfect form from head to toe.

This man was yummy, and I wanted to climb him like a tree, licking every inch of skin on my way to the top.

Xander then walked over to his side of the bed and opened his nightstand drawer.

He pulled out two pairs of handcuffs and two silk scarves.

"Strip, now!"

Yes sir! Amethyst purred in my head.

Oh, don't be a pervert!

Look who's talking. I'm not the one about to get nasty with the big sexy alpha over there.

Then I had an idea.

"Xander, would Alastair like to come out and play?" I asked while slowly undressing.

He released a deep and sexy growl before his eyes flashed to the dark pools of ebony that meant Alastair was on the surface.

"Alastair, would you like to meet Amethyst?"

"My mate! Yes, I want to meet my mate."

"Good. Give me back Xander for a moment, and I'll be right back with you. I promise."

Xander's eyes flashed back icy blue before he asked, "Alaia, do you know what you're doing?"

"Not really, no. But I do know that our wolves deserve to spend some time together. They are mates as well."

"This wasn't at all what I had in mind when I came to the room. I was supposed to be taking advantage of you and putting a pup in you if there isn't one there already. Now Alastair is getting some action?" "Gotta roll with the punches, Daddy. Now I want that sexy a*s of yours to throw on a robe and meet me down in the back yard. We'll shift and let the lovebirds have a little fun."

"Ugh, Alastair is such a c**k block..." Xander mumbled while heading into his closet for the robe.

I put on my robe as well before heading down the stairs and out the doors.

It was a beautiful night; the perfectly clear sky was filled with stars.

Well, isn't this romantic?

Thank you for this, Alaia. I've been craving Alastair, and I know he's been feeling the same for me.

You guys deserve this time just as much and Xander and I. You need to connect with him, and I'm more than happy to take a backseat and let you take the wheel tonight.

All too often, our needs aren't made a priority. You doing this for Alastair and I will strengthen the bond between all four of us.

Well then, it's a win-win situation. Have fun tonight, Amethyst; it's your time now.

Oh, I plan to; lots and lots and lots of fun. Maybe we'll even try-

Okay! I get it, no need for details.

I took off my robe and easily shifted into Amethyst's large fluffy form.

We were a stunningly beautiful wolf with the contrast of creamy brown fur and purple eyes. Alastair was going to lose it when he saw us.

He walked up from behind and rubbed his face against ours. Even in wolf form, he towered over us and had to bend down a bit to get to our level.

I sat back in my mind and watched as Amethyst and Alastair sniffed and licked one another before they closed their eyes and touched their muzzles together, happy to finally be together.

After a few moments, they opened their eyes and took off into the woods to do whatever it is that mates on their first date do.

I might just end up with that bun in the oven after all.