Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 62

Alaia

POV

I swear these little boys seemed to double in size every five minutes. It had been two weeks since the baby shower, and my fingers looked like juicy little sausages. I was sure my toes did as well, but I could no longer see my feet. But I didn't have to see them to feel them. And they were always sore; Xander and Alexi had rotating shifts massaging my feet and legs. That part was pretty nice. With only about six weeks left to go, I was trying to make a push to finish the nursery in time.

I would get drained quickly, so I could only spend small bits of time getting everything how I wanted it. Both Xander and Alexi had suggested bringing in a designer to do the work for me, but I refused. These are my little boys, and I wanted to be the one to make sure their room was perfect, not a stranger. I had just stepped up on a small step ladder to connect a fluffy little cloud to one of the mobiles when Alexi and Xander walked in.

When they saw me, they both rushed over, which scared me and made me almost lose my balance. "What's wrong?" Lately, I had begun to worry over everything, and it drove me crazy. My mom told me that she was the same way in her final weeks of pregnancy, so that made me feel a little better.

"Why are you climbing a ladder, angel? What would happen if you fell off that thing?"

I looked at the ladder, then back at Alexi, so confused. "It has three steps, Alexi. I don't see the issue here."

"Little one, your balance isn't the best right now. Please just let someone else do the reaching for you. Just until the boys get here."

Before I could answer, Alexi had taken my tiny ladder and left the room with it, probably to destroy it. I had really liked that ladder, too. Xander then stepped over and took the cloud from my hand.

"Where do you want it, princess?"

I showed him where it should hang, and he quickly put it in place. Perks of being six-and-a-half feet tall, I guess. I went and took a seat on my rocker to give myself a short break. "So, what are you and Alexi up to today?"

"Well, I have to head over to the Crescent Moon pack today to meet with Alpha Jackson. There have been more rogue sightings between our territories, and we need to work together to figure out the next steps."

After we had the ritual and killed Max, the few surviving rogues who were part of his Blood Moon pack also died. It was weird like they were all tied to him in a way and could only live if he did. Anyway, after that, a new surge of rogues had since cropped up that had the area Alphas more than a little worried.

"How come you didn't tell me you were leaving today? I could have come with you."

Xander came and kneeled before me. "I did tell you, baby. A few times. You even saved it in your phone."

I picked up my phone and took a look. Sure enough, "Xander goes to Crescent Moon" was shown in my reminders. Damn this pregnancy brain. "Oh. Right. Sorry about that. When will you be back? Is Kade going, too?"

"We should be back tomorrow morning. I'm not sure how long things will go today, so staying over for the night is in the plan. And yes, Kade will be with me, and you'll have Matt and Alexi."

"You sure you don't want me to come?"

"I'd love you to come, but you need to stay here. With the rogue situation, I don't want to put you and the boys in any unnecessary danger. I know you are safe here."

I understood completely. I wasn't as fast as I used to be, and my balance really was absolute s**t. I needed to stay put for now. "Okay. You guys be careful, okay? And let me know when you get there."

Just then, Alexi walked back into the room, dressed for work.

s**t! Today was his first day, and I had forgotten that, too. He had on a dark blue, three-piece suit that looked like it was custom made for him. It fit his muscular frame beautifully. He had neatly combed his hair back but had a small bit of scruff on his face. He looked sexy and professional. "Well, don't you look handsome. Your employees better keep their hands to themselves."

"I'll make sure to set the tone of 'untouchable' right off the bat, gorgeous."

"You know you didn't have to get that dressed up, Lex. Your office is business-casual," Xander said.

"Well, I'm a manager, so I need to look like it. I don't want to blend in and look like just any other employee. And you know what they say, 'Dress for the job you want, not the job you've got. I want that CFO position."

He was so ambitious, and I loved that about him. He wasn't one to take no for an answer. If he wanted it, he would get it.

That was probably how I ended up with two mates.

"We'll see how you do as a manager; then we'll talk about CFO," Xander laughed.

Alexi checked his watch before he leaned down to kiss me. "I've got to go, angel. I want to be a little early to get my office set up how I want it. Stay off your feet today, and no more climbing."

He gave Xander a quick salute before he left the room and the house.

"He's going to take my job one day; I can already feel it. Anyway, Kade and I need to head out as well. It takes a few hours to get to Crescent Moon, and it would be rude for me to show up late. Matt will be up in a few minutes to help with anything else you need to have done up here, okay?"

"Sounds good. Have a safe trip. I love you."

"I love you too."

He then leaned over and kissed my belly. "Xayden, you and your brother be nice to Mommy. She doesn't need any of the acrobatics today, got it?"

One of the twins kicked the hell out of my bladder in response. They always responded to their father's voice. It would be sweet if it weren't so damn painful. "Xayden? When did you come up with that?"

"It just works. My father is Xavier; I'm Xander; my firstborn son will be Xayden."

I smiled up at him. "I love it. Xayden it is."

He smiled brightly in return, then stood to his feet. "Remember to relax, okay? You've got plenty of help around here. The nursery will be ready well before the boys are born."

"I promise. Now go, we don't want you to be late."

One more kiss, then Xander was out the door.

I closed my eyes and began to softly glide in my chair while rubbing a small knot on my belly. It was either a foot or an elbow; I could never be sure. I guess I had fallen asleep because I woke up to replace myself being carried to my bed by Matt. "Hey, bean. Go back to sleep. I'll make sure no one disturbs your nap, okay?"

"You'll always be my favorite, Matty."

He chuckled, then placed me in bed before closing the curtains and stepping out.

As I drifted off, I tried to decide what I loved more: naps or Matt. I think it was a toss-up at that point.

***

Xander POV

The trip to Crescent Moon was stressful. I hated the idea of leaving Alaia behind. And with Alexi working now, that was one less person home to protect her. But this meeting was overdue. The rogues were getting out of control and needed to be dealt with. Kade and I were riding in the back seat, and I looked over at him. "Kade, did you make sure the patrols increased their rounds today? And that they worked the perimeter of the packhouse as well?"

"You know what? A few months ago, my best friend was in a coma for three whole weeks. And I had to do his job-all of it. And on top of that, I had to replace his pregnant mate who had been kidnapped by a possessed wolf. Somehow, I managed to do all that, but can't even organize simple patrol rounds now. I'm really slipping, man."

"So, is that a 'yes' to my question?"

Kade sighed before he answered. "Yes. Patrols have been tripled until we return. Henry and his team are working at the packhouse. And Matt knows that he has to know where bean is at all times. Your family is safe, Xander."

"Good. And I'm sorry. Alaia's just really vulnerable right now, and I have a feeling that the rogue issue is not a coincidence. The elders said that someone would try to use her for her powers and that they would continue to grow. Maybe someone is making a play to get Alaia.

"I get it, man. But Alaia is ours, too. We'd never leave her exposed. She's safe."

I leaned my head back for a moment and breathed. I had a family to protect and was determined to do so. No matter what.

Kade and I spent the rest of the trip looking over territory maps, circling clusters of known sightings, replaceing possible places for the rogues to camp out, and attack routes for these hypothetical campsites. We had to be ready for everything, and this was one situation where I refused to leave anything up to chance.

***

When we finally arrived, Crescent Moon's patrols cleared us across the border and escorted us up to the packhouse. It was smaller than mine, but their pack was a third of the size, so it made sense.

Alpha Jackson Beck was waiting there to greet us. "Xavier, Kade. Thanks for making the drive. I know it can be rough sitting in the car for so long," he said.

"Thanks for having us. And don't worry, we made the most of the trip, so it wasn't too bad."

He looked around me and into the back of the truck. "Did you not bring your lovely mate? I've heard so much about her. I was anxious to meet her for myself finally."

I instantly became suspicious. Who would have been telling him about Alaia, and why did he want to meet her? I had to play this cool; there was no room for mistakes. "No. It was decided that she would stay home this time. Much safer that way."

His forehead creased into a frown before he hid it behind a forced smile. "No worries. Maybe next time. Come on in. I've got lunch set up in the office, and we can get straight down to business."

What the f**k was that?

I don't know, but keep your eyes and ears open, Kade. Something is going on; I feel it.

When we stepped into Alpha Jackson's office, there was a second man already seated.

I had never seen him before, and from the way Jackson seemed nervous around him, I assumed he wasn't his Beta. "I wasn't aware that there was anyone else joining our meeting today," I said, looking Jackson in the eye.

His eyes flicked from mine to the stranger before he gave a nervous chuckle. "He was a last-minute addition. I apologize for not warning you sooner."

More red flags.

"Does he have a name?"

Before Jackson could respond, the stranger stood. "Where is your mate, Alpha Xander?" he said, completely bypassing an introduction.

This was starting to piss me off now. "I do not know you or your intentions. Why would I tell you anything about my mate?"

"Well, that's simple. The Amethyst Wolf was promised to my family centuries ago. And now I'm here to collect."

My wolf leaped to the surface, and a growl ripped from my chest. "You will not touch her. Whatever you think you were promised, you're wrong. If you come near my mate, I will kill you."

"Alpha Xander. There is no need for threats. I simply came here as a friendly gesture of goodwill. And I needed to confirm that she was, in fact, the Amethyst Wolf. Meeting her in person would have been preferable; however, I can smell her on you, so her identity is confirmed. I can also smell that she is with child-"

"Choose your next words very carefully."

He simply lifted a hand, waving off my warning. "I mean the children no harm. I only want her. After she gives birth, you can hand her over and keep your sons, or stand in my way and watch everyone you love die before I take your mate. The choice is yours." Before Alastair had the chance to shift fully, the stranger was gone, leaving behind a cloud of red smoke. I turned toward Jackson in a rage. "What the f**k was that? Did you drag me all the way out here to set me up? Who was that?" "Xander, please calm-"

"If you tell me to calm down, I'll rip your f*****g throat out. Who. Was. That?"

"That was Vincent Edwards. He's a hybrid. The illegitimate son of a high standing vampire lord and a rogue werewolf. He has my mate, Xander. I had no choice."

He had drawn me here under false pretenses and pulled me away from my mate. He knew someone was after her, but he chose to still leave her exposed. I wanted nothing more than to coat his entire office in his blood, but I had more pressing issues. "Kade, call the car. We're leaving right now."

Before I could leave the room, Jackson spoke again. "Alpha Xander. Be careful. If he gets his hands on her, he will drain her of her powers and kill her, without a doubt. With her powers, he'd be unstoppable."

***

Alaia POV

I shot up in bed, drenched in sweat, with my heart racing in my chest. Was that a dream? It felt so real. Maybe a premonition?

I needed to speak to Xander. Now. I grabbed my phone and called him up.

He picked up on the second ring. "Little one, I have to call you back. I'm dealing with a situation here."

"Is the situation named Vincent Edwards?"

"How did you...?"

So, it was real. And now we haad got a big f*****g problem on our hands.