Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 34

Xander

POV

Alaia had just mindlinked the entire pack. That was insane. I could maybe reach six wolves before I got a massive headache and had to stop.

This woman was incredible and I was truly enjoying her grow and learn her powers.

We made our way off the stage and into the crowd below.

"Babe, you can head over to our table if you'd like or go talk to your family for a bit. I just need to have a quick work with Kade and Matt then I'll be right over." She nodded her head, "Okay, I'll see you in a few", then walked over to her dad and brother.

I strolled over to replace Kade and Matthew arguing over who could link the most pack at once.

Apparently what Alaia had done had made an impact on more than just me.

"Really? That is what's important right now? What's the situation with the rogues? Have we heard anything from the border patrols?"

As I was finishing my sentence a member of the catering staff walked by with a tray of foods and tripped into me.

He apologized profusely before standing and quickly running away.

"Xander, you alright man? Your hand is bleeding."

I looked down and saw a small trickle of blood run down the side of hand. The cut was small so it should have already began to close and heal. But it burned. "What the f**k is going on?"

The burn ran up my arm and spread to my chest. It was getting hard to breath and I was becoming dizzy.

Black veins began to emerge from my skin, radiating pain through my entire body

I felt myself collapse with Kade and Matt right beside me, yelling for help.

Soon, chaos began to break out, and I smelled them before I saw them.

The rogues. We were under attack, rogues were attacking my home and I couldn't even stand and defend us.

The pack began to shift into their wolf forms and fight the rogues back. My warriors were well trained but these rogues just would not go down.

Where one s***h to the throat would usually kill a rogue, they were still standing after four or five.

Then, out of nowhere, the smell of rot and decay was replaced with sweet caramel. My angel was here with me.

The pain that was taking over my cells was replaced by small sparks, tingles, and warmth where her skin made contact with mine.

She began to run her fingers through my hair and rub her small hand across my cheek.

A sense of calm came over me, she was okay and even if I didn't make it I would die knowing that I loved her with my whole heart.

She began to hum her melody and the burning in my chest began to subside and I could breath a little better.

My veins were still on fire and it felt that I was being electrocuted over and over, but she had given me back my breath.

I felt her place her forehead against my own as her tears spilled onto my face. I wanted nothing more than to reach up and wipe her sadness away. To kiss away the tears.

My heart broke at the thought of her hurting. I never wanted her to feel any pain, only happiness and love.

As she continued to hum, the raging inferno started to die down and my erratic heartbeat slowed.

I opened my eyes and stared at her perfect face, mere inches away from mine. Even in her frantic state, the was absolute perfection. I tried with all my might to reach out and touch her. I just wanted to feel her skin under my fingertips one more time, but my arm refused to budge. So I settled for just looking at her.

Then she was gone. A filthy rogue with wild red eyes and greasy black hair had slipped in in the mist of the fray and snatched her small body from me.

I felt cold where she had been providing warmth just seconds ago.

As soon as she was lifted off her fee, I saw her immediately collapse. She had given every drop of herself to save me, and now she couldn't even fight to save herself.

I tried to get up to get to her but every time I tried to move, nothing happened.

My body was paralyzed.

I then tried to call out to Kade, Matthew, or anyone to come save her but I had no voice.

I couldn't get their attention, they were all completely engulfed in the battle and didn't even see her being taken.

The pain caused by the poison had stopped, but the pain of seeing my mate being taken away and not being able to help, hurt far more.

Our mate is strong Xander, she will get through this.

Alastair, I need to get to her. We need to shift now.

We can't Xander, the poison in our system is keeps us from shifting. I can't even heal you.

I need to do something, I can't just lay here while she's being taken.

There is nothing we can do. Just hold on, we will get her back.

She is my everything, if anyone harms her I'll burn down the world.

***

Alaia POV

The farther away I got from my family, my pack, and my mate the weaker I felt.

I just wanted to sleep forever, I wasn't sure I could survive whatever this was.

It was then that I realized that my senses were returning to me.

I was being carried through the woods, I could hear the crunching of dried leaves and snapping of twigs as my kidnapper ran through the night.

They leapt over logs and dodged tree branches with incredible speed and agility.

Eventually he stopped and I could feel myself being placed on the back of a wolf. The sack was still over my eyes but I knew it too was a rogue. The smell of death permeated my skin and made my stomach roll.

I dug my hands into it's disgusting matted fur before the wolf took off and ran for what felt like hours. When we finally stopped, I was lifted off its back and carried into a moldy smelling structure.

After a few minutes crossing creaky floors, we entered a room and I was placed into a chair where my hands and feet were bound before my captor left me alone.

I strained my ear to listen for anything that could help me figure out where I had been taken but besides the sounds of nature outside, there was complete silence.

I tried to mindlink Xander but I got no reply, it was like he didn't exist at all.

My heart began to race and my breathing became frantic. What if I hadn't saved him? What if he had died and I wasn't there with him?

I heaved for breath but my lungs refused to take in the much needed oxygen.

I was dying, this had to be what dying felt like. My stomach began to spasm causing me to painfully dry heave over and over again.

Alaia, you have to calm down. We will not make it out of this if you don't.

Amethyst began to softly purr but I couldn't hum with her. I didn't have the strength and I could feel her weakening.

It was all becoming too much to bear.

In a brief moment of clarity I tried to mindlink Kade, then Matthew, then Aaron but got nothing in response each and every time.

They can't all be dead, I told myself. They are all so strong and capable. they would have fought the rogues off and easily survived. This thought finally began to calm me.

Maybe my mindlink was being blocked. Maybe Xander was still alive, along with the rest of my family.

My family.

We may not have been connected by blood, but we were connected by bond and Blue Moon was my family.

I had to be strong for them. I had just vowed to fight for and protect them until my final breath and I was going to do just that. Or die trying.

Amethyst, save your strength. I am going to need you if we are going to get out of here. I'll work to keep myself as calm as possible, you work to see if you can reach Alastair. Can you do that?

I can and I'll try Alaia, but I need to rest. You need to rest. We cannot fight back in this state.

She was right. I was having to fight to keep my eyes open and my head up. I needed to sleep, just for a little while so that I could figure out my next move.

So I slept, and dreamed of how once I was free I would destroy all those who dared to harm my family.

***

I woke up to the sounds of footsteps approaching me.

I don't know how long I had been asleep but I feel like it hadn't been very long.

I was still exhausted and being restricted in the chair had began to make my hands and feet go painfully numb.

Whoever had entered the room suddenly stopped behind me and pulled the sack from my face, allowing me to study my surroundings for the first time.

What was this place? I was in a bedroom but it wasn't in any house that could be considered habitable.

The red and black decor just screamed "trying too hard" and made me wonder who would have ever thought this was appealing.

"It's nice to see you're awake, Kitten. Do you like your new room? Our new room?"

My body tensed up and I froze. I knew this voice, but it had changed. It was more animalistic now but I could never forget it.

This voice used to make me weak in the knees, this voice used to be everything to me. Used to be...

"A-Alexi? What is this?"

"Do not call me by that name. I am not Alexi! That i***t no longer controls this body. I am Maximus, I am your one true mate."

His wolf? How was this possible?

He walked around into my line of sight and I was shocked at what I saw.

Alexi's body looked beaten and broken.

His skin that used to look so perfectly sun kissed now housed horrendous yellow bruises, scabs, and scars. His once sandy blonde hair was now almost brown with all of the filth caked into it. His muscular build had worn away to where he was almost skin and bones.

And his eyes. They were once the most beautiful gray, but now they were blood red.

He was a shell of his former self and I hurt to see someone I once cared so much about look this way.

"Maximus? Could I speak to Alexi? Would that be alright?"

"NO! You are mine and will deal with only me!"

I shrunk back. I had never seen him like this. Even when Xander presented himself as my mate, Alexi never behaved this way.

"O-okay Maximus. I will only deal with you."

"You didn't answer my question, Kitten. Do you like our new room? I designed is especially for you. For my Luna."

My stomach lurched. I didn't know what Maximus had planned for me but I knew I wanted nothing to do with him. I would never be his Luna.

But I had to tread carefully here.

"I haven't really seen it. Could I maybe be untied so that I can look around?"

Maximus looked me over for a few moments trying to decipher my true intentions. Almost reluctantly, he stepped forward and untied my bindings.

My wrists and ankles were raw from the rubbing of the ropes against my skin.

I tried to stand but my legs were too weak. Instead I just rotated my body in the chair, looking for anything that could tell me where I was or how I could escape. "Once I know that I can trust you, I'll allow you to move around our home freely. Until then you will remain here."

"You call this our home, but Maximus, I have a home already. And my family needs me to come back to them. Please let me go back."

"I am your family now! You will have whatever your heart desires here, I will make sure of it."

"Maximus, please..."

I reached out my hand and lightly brushed my fingers over his arm. I felt the telltale tingles that told me dark magic was at play here.

And for the briefest of moments, I saw a thin ring of grey surround the iris of Maximus's eye before he quickly jerked away from me.

Alexi was in there, I just had to bide my time to replace a way to free him ad thus free myself.

"Maximus, where is here? Where are we?"

"This is our home Kitten, welcome to the Blood Rogue pack."