Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 72

Xander

POV

After Matt left with Taylor, the rest of us just relaxed in our booth and enjoyed our drinks. Kade went back across the hall for more private dances, but Aaron, Alexi, and I were happy where we were. "Well, Aaron, you said tonight would be epic, and you were right. Matt's been looking for his mate for far too long. It's crazy that he replaces her here of all places."

"I'm curious about what type of girl she is. And the fact that she is human makes me a little weary. I don't want to see him get hurt," Alexi said.

"I'm sure she's great. The Moon Goddess wouldn't pair her with him if she weren't worthy. Now, let's do some shots. This is our last night as free men."

I poured three shots, and we tossed them back before I refilled our glasses to do it all over again. An hour later, we had gone through all three bottles we had at our table and called for three more. Kade staggered in with lipstick stains on his neck, smelling of way too strong perfume.

"Kade, you f*****g stink, man. What have you been doing?"

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Private dances are private for a reason." He really was going to catch something. He needed to replace his mate and fast.

Our new waitress delivered our drinks and a massive platter of hot wings that we quickly destroyed. We all sat around, downing drinks and playing drunken games in the confines of our VIP booth. A few times, dancers stopped by to see if we wanted company, but we politely sent them away. This was two soon-to-be husbands having a final night out with their best friends. We didn't need anything the dancers had to offer. Six full bottles of liquor later, the four of us were utterly wasted.

Aaron paid our tab before we staggered out of the club and realized we had driven here. There was no way we were driving, so we called an Uber and decided to just pick the car up in the morning. We got to the hotel and went to our rooms, where we all passed out within minutes.

It was after 3:00 in the morning, and we had to be back on the road in less than five hours. Alaia was going to kill us.

***

7:30 rolled around all too soon, and we were sitting in the suite's living room, getting ready to go pick up the car and head home.

Matt walked in with a huge smile on his face. I had never seen him so happy.

"Ohh!! Look who's doing the walk of shame," Kade yelled out as soon as he saw him.

"Damn it, Kade, shut up. It's too early, and I'm too hungover," I told him. I then looked back at Matt, who was the only one of the group who looked fresh-faced and ready to face the day.

"You're driving home. I doubt the four of us can even see straight at this point," I said.

"Yeah. You guys look and smell like s**t. You should probably shower before we leave. At least that way, you won't smell like a brewery when Alaia sees you."

"We have showered. This is the cleaned-up version of us. It was ten times worse last night," Alexi chimed in. He was lying on the couch with a cold, wet towel over his eyes. Since he was human, the hangover was hitting him the hardest. He looked like he wanted to die. "Wow. Okay, well, I've got the truck downstairs, so if you're ready, we can head out."

I grabbed my bag and walked over to Matt. "So, where is Taylor? You're okay with going back home and leaving her here?"

"She's at her apartment, and yeah, I'll be alright. I'll be back tomorrow to take her out again. I know I have to take this slow with her since she's human."

"So, you had a good night? It looks like you did."

"I had the best night of my life. We talked and laughed for hours, and I don't think she can be any more perfect for me."

"Good. I'm happy to hear that. I can't wait to meet her."

"Blah, blah, blah. Cut all the sweet s**t. Did you and Taylor bang last night or-"

Matt quickly cut Kade off by grabbing the front of his shirt.

"Do not talk about her that way. If it's not respectful, you keep her name out of your mouth, Kade. I mean it."

Kade smiled then pulled his shirt from Matt's fist.

"I've been waiting twenty-one years to ask you that. That was the perfect answer. I'm so proud!" He then walked out of the room, loud as hell, fake crying about how proud he was of Matt. "He's such an a*****e. I feel sorry for whoever his mate is," Alexi laughed.

"She's going to have her hands full, that's for sure. Come on, let's get on the road. Our beautiful wife-to-be is waiting for us."

When the five of us walked outside, it felt like the morning sun was piercing straight through to my brain. My head pounded, and my stomach rolled. Why did we drink so much?

Alexi walked over and leaned against the truck. "I think I'm dead. I'm pretty sure I died last night, and this is my hell."

"You're alive, man. Barely, but still alive. Just get in. Hopefully, we'll feel better by the time we make it home."

We all piled in, put on our sunglasses, and pulled our hoods over our heads.

This was the sunniest goddamn day of my life. It had to be a punishment for a past misdeed, I just knew it.

***

Alaia POV

I woke up at 8:00 this morning to replace my bedroom bustling with activity. It took me a moment to realize what was going on and why all these people were here. Lauren and Katherine were in the bathroom running a bath, while Jordyn and Cassie were in the seating area setting up a small table with my breakfast on it.

"Uhh, good morning?"

When they saw that I was awake, the ladies rushed over, full of excitement.

"Good morning, beautiful. It's your wedding day!" Jordyn was taking her maid of honor roll seriously, I could see. "Come on, let's get some food in you. Then it's a nice relaxing bath before hair and makeup."

"Has anyone heard from the guys yet? They should be on their way back by now."

"Yep, Aaron called me earlier. They left their hotel about thirty minutes ago, and from what I heard, they had a pretty good time last night."

"Okay. That gives them plenty of time to make it back. So, what's for breakfast?" She helped me out of bed and over to the table. I had a fresh croissant, some sliced fruit, and orange juice. It was perfect because Jordyn knew that I could never handle a heavy breakfast when I was nervous. I took a few bites, but I didn't have an appetite at all. Today was such a big day, and for once, food wasn't a priority. "You alright, sweetie?" Cassie asked.

"Yeah, I'm just ready to walk down the aisle and marry my soulmates."

"Cool. Well, let's get started then."

Lauren and Katherine helped me into the tub before they began washing my back and hair for me. It was weird at first, but it felt amazing, so I quickly got over myself.

Jordyn and Cassie had left to take their dresses to the dressing room and see to any last-minute details.

"Alaia, dear, we're so happy that you'll become our daughter-in-law today. We know you'll take good care of our boys and love them the way they deserve. I always knew it would be you, sweetie. From the moment I first laid eyes on your chubby little face as a baby, I knew you were made for my son. I'm so proud of you two," Lauren said while trying to hold back tears.

"Don't cry, Lauren. You'll make me start. Just know that I don't deserve them any more than they deserve me. Those two make me so happy, and I'm proud that they call me theirs."

"Good. As a mother, that's the best thing in the world for us to hear. You'll understand when those little boys in there are getting married one day. You only want the best for them, and we know you are the very best there is," Katherine stated. When the moms finished crying, they helped me into a robe and over to the dressing room.

We had about three hours until the ceremony started, and that was just enough time for hair, makeup, and getting dressed. I sat in the chair and put my headphones in. Listening to ocean sounds, or any sounds of nature, really calmed me down, so I found my nature playlist and settled in. I would occasionally open my eyes and see someone running through the room frantically like the house was on fire, but when I would look at Katherine or Jordyn, they would offer a reassuring smile, so I knew everything was okay. An hour or so later, Jordyn waved at me to grab my attention. "The guys have just arrived and are going to go for showers before getting dressed. Apparently, there was a paintball incident, and Alexi has a bruise on his face, and four out of five of them are too hungover to think straight."

"I knew they couldn't come back completely in one piece. How bad are they?"

"Pretty bad, babe. They look and smell like zombies. Only Matt looks like himself."

"Fine. After their shower, bring them over one by one. I'll just reach through the crack in the door and heal them before we get started."

The stylist went to work on twisting my hair up into an elaborate but elegant loose bun that sat right at the base of my neck. She took sprigs of baby's breath flowers and placed them throughout, giving the style a sweet natural feel.

I heard a knock on the door, which Jordyn went to answer.

It was Aaron, and just like Jordyn had said, he looked like a zombie. A well-dressed zombie, but still.

"You look like s**t, big brother. Did you guys have a good time?"

"Less talking, more humming. Please."

He looked utterly miserable, so I took pity on him and just placed both my hands on his head and hummed a quick tune. It was shorter than usual, but I had three other idiots to fix up, and I needed to save my energy for the actual wedding. "There. That's good enough. You should be okay to stand up at the altar and not puke or pass out, right?"

"I'm not 100%, but I don't feel like walking death anymore, so I'll take it. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. Send Kade in next, please."

Kade came in looking just as bad, except he had hickeys covering his entire neck, which someone had tried, and failed, to cover with makeup.

"You know we can see all of those, right?" I asked while pointing to his neck.

"I tried bean. I can't believe they are still there. It's been hours."

"Just get over here."

He kneeled in front of my chair, and after he was fixed up, I checked his neck, and gladly the bruises were gone.

"You look like a respectable young man again, Kade."

"Thanks, bean. You're a lifesaver."

"No problem. Now send the grooms."

I stood up and walked over to the door. When I heard the knock, I opened it just far enough for them to stick a hand through.

"You guys are in big trouble later on. Why is it that Matt was the only one who came back in one piece?"

"It's a long story, angel. We'll tell you afterward, we promise."

I reached my hand out while hiding my body behind the door.

"Put your face in my hand, wherever the bruise is." I felt his smooth skin touch my hand and gave him the same short and sweet tune the others got.

"How does it look, Xander?" I asked.

"All clear. Now it's my turn." He took my hand in his, and I felt his lips brush over my knuckles. The feeling made my knees a bit wobbly, but I held on long enough to fix him up.

"Alright. I'll see you two later. Try and stay out of trouble for the next hour if you can."

"Just get over here."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dad. I guess you and Mom did a decent job raising me, huh?"

"Better than decent. You are our masterpiece. Just don't tell Aaron."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"So, are you ready to do this?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

***

Xander POV

It was finally time to head outside and start the ceremony. I had butterflies in my stomach that would not stop. This was it. I was marrying my queen.

Alexi and I walked out to the altar and stood on the right-hand side, shoulder to shoulder.

Alaia would be across from us, with the officiant in the middle.

The music started to play, and soon Aaron and Jordyn walked out arm and arm. Then Kade and Cassie, followed by Matt and Kimmy. It seemed like it took forever for them to make it down the aisle to their places. I expected Alaia to be next, but it was little Sophie as the flower girl. She was enjoying her time in the spotlight and took her time setting each petal down. I heard chuckles from the small crowd of guests who were looking on. She was cute; she was stalling, but she was cute.

Finally, she finished, and the music changed, signaling the bride's entrance. Everyone stood to their feet as Alaia, and her dad walked out of the house and made their way toward the altar.

Everything around me disappeared as she was the only thing I saw. She was a goddess on earth, and she was about to become my wife.

When they got to the end of the aisle, Jonathan shook both mine and Alexi's hand before handing her over to us. We helped her onto the altar, and she reached up and wiped away a tear I didn't even know had fallen. When we settled into our places, the officiant began to speak, but I didn't hear a word he was saying. All I heard was the sound of her breathing and the beating of my heart in my ears. Watching her stand across from me, time stopped. I wanted to remember this moment always.

I felt her hand give mine a small squeeze, which brought me back.

"Alpha Xander, your vows please," the officiant asked.

I cleared my throat, then looked her in her incredible golden eyes. "Alaia, I take you to be my wife. I promise to choose you every day, to love you in word and deed, to do the hard work of making now into always. To laugh with you, cry with you, grow with you, and create with you. To honor the divinity in you, of you, and around you. To be your kin and your partner in all of life's adventures. Loving what I know of you and trusting what I don't yet know, I give you my hand. I give you my love. I give you myself." "Luna, your vows to the Alpha. please."

"I, Alaia, take you, Xander, to be my husband. I promise always to be your biggest fan and your partner in crime. I promise to create and support a family with you, in a household filled with laughter, patience, understanding, and love. I vow not just to grow old together, but to grow together. I will love you faithfully through the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there, each one believing that love never dies. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep." "Beautiful. Now, Alexi, your vows, please."

"Alaia Miller, I love you, unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality, knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my wife. I accept you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life." "Now, Luna. Your vows, please?"

"Alexi, I choose you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To be a joy to your heart and food for your soul. To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many adventures and grow old together." Jordyn, Aaron, and Kade then passed the rings to the officiant, who spoke a few more words before handing them over to us.

"Do you, Alpha Xander, promise to be a loving friend and partner in marriage, to talk and to listen, to trust and to appreciate, to respect and to cherish Alaia's uniqueness? Do you promise to support, comfort, and strengthen her through life's joys and sorrows? Do you promise to share hopes and dreams as you build your lives together, and to grow with Alaia in mind? Will you strive to build a home that is compassionate to all, full of respect and honor, filled with peace, happiness, and love? Do you promise to always be open and honest with Alaia, and cherish her for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

I slid the ring onto her finger and couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. We were almost there.

The officiant repeated the same vows to Alaia before she also answered, "I do," and placed the ring onto my finger.

Then it was Alexi's turn. Two more I do's and rings followed.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, and husband and wife. Gentlemen, you may kiss your beautiful bride."

She took a small step forward before she stopped, a look of shock on her face.

Alexi and I both reached for her at the same time. "Are you alright, little one?"

She looked up and me and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure my water just broke."