Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 50

Alaia POV

There is was, out in the open-my mark residing on Alexi's neck. I couldn't deny my feelings anymore. And even if I tried, what good would it have done? I had marked him and claimed him as mine. It seemed clear to me that my body knew what it wanted. My subconscious knew what it wanted. But I was just too afraid to say it.

Xander sat beside me and stared at the mark on Alexi's neck. I'm sure he was not expecting to be hit with this. None of us were. And even though this had been his idea from the start, I was afraid that seeing that I had marked another man would make him change his mind.

I reached over, and tentatively took his hand.

To my surprise, he adjusted and interlaced our fingers, giving me a reassuring smile. "It's alright, little one. Just talk to us. Everything is going to be fine."

It's all going to be okay. I can do this. I just need to say what I feel, what I know in my heart to be true.

"Okay... Alexi, I want to apologize for marking you. It's not that I didn't want to, but it's just that the whole vivid dream deal is confusing enough, and to be physically marked in the process is unfair. It's almost like a violation, and I wish I could take that back and that you could be marked in the way you deserve."

I took a deep breath and continued.

"The reason you were the subject of my dream is because of our earlier conversation. I think that maybe it opened me up to the possibilities of us being together. And when I sleep, my mind isn't in control anymore, my body and subconscious take over. So clearly, they want you."

My eyes were downcast into my lap. Why was I so embarrassed about all of this? It was clear I couldn't control what I wanted, and trying to fight it wasn't helping at all.

It brought back memories of Xander trying to control Alastair, locking him away until he finally broke free. I'd done the same thing with my feelings for Alexi, and now this had happened. You can't hide who or what you are. Eventually, it will come out, and usually when you least expect it.

"Angel?" Alexi called, waiting for me to look up at him.

When I finally met his stormy gray eyes, that smile that used to make my stomach do crazy cartwheels graced his face. He really was beautiful. He was an i***t, sure, but he was so damn beautiful. "Angel, does this mean what I hope it means? Are you willing to be with me, too?"

This was my moment of truth.

Was I willing to be with him?

Could I get over the rejection or the insane use of dark magic that caused his wolf to lose its f*****g mind, or the three weeks said wolf held me captive? Could I forgive him for setting off a chain of events that caused Xander almost to lose his life, and for me, almost to lose my babies? Could I ever really move on from it all and fully accept him? So much had happened since the night of my birthday.

But then I thought about it; I could forgive him for the rejection. Although it hurt like hell, I could kind of understand why he felt it was the best option. And in the end, it was, because it brought me Xander and my babies and my Blue Moon pack, and I couldn't ever regret anything that led me to them. The introduction of the dark magic, I guess I could forgive, too. It wasn't meant to hurt me; it just scared the s**t out of me. And at the time, even when I was terrified, I knew that Alexi was hurting and needed my help. But not the rest. Not the poison, or the pack of rogues, or the horrible kidnapping. I could never forgive that. I could never forget that. I would never be entirely over it.

"Alexi, some of the things that have happened are too much for me to let go of. I just can't. So, no. No, I'm not willing to be with you."

The look on his face when I finally said those words destroyed me. He had genuinely hoped that we could be together, and I had just doused that hope in gasoline and set it on fire.

I leaned forward, took his hands, and looked him in the eye. "I'm not willing to be with you until Max is gone."

***

Alexi POV

When Alaia said she didn't want to be with me, it was like feeling the breaking of our mating bond all over again. She had rejected me, and now I truly knew how she had felt when I had done the same to her. But then those tiny little hands of hers took mine. I wanted to snatch my hands away and leave. Leave the room, the house, and the pack. I wanted to go off somewhere and lick my wounds, wallow in my own self-pity, but I also wanted to hold on to her one last time. "I'm not willing to be with you until Max is gone."

Then I felt it. A warmth that spread through my entire being. My angel was accepting me. She wanted me as I wanted her. No longer being a werewolf was a small price to pay if I got to live my life next to her. "Of course, angel, I'd do anything. I already wanted Max gone, but now I have no doubts at all about getting rid of him. I'll do anything to have a chance to make you happy."

Then she smiled at me. I had seen her smile before, but this one seemed so much brighter, so much more beautiful. And it was only for me.

"Well, I guess we just need to figure out how to rid a man from his wolf, then we're good to go," Xander chimed in.

"Yeah, hopefully, we don't have to stop my heart or something crazy like that."

"Don't worry, Alexi. Starting tomorrow, or later today, actually, I'll make it my mission to figure this out. I said I'd help you, and I will. Now I just have a little bit more motivation," Alaia said with another smile.

Damn if she wasn't the most incredible woman ever created. I couldn't believe I was so lucky to get a second chance with her. I was going to cherish every moment, so there was no way in hell I was screwing this up. "Sounds good to me. So, I'll go now and leave you guys to try and get back to sleep," I said before standing to my feet.

My angel stood up, too, and stepped forward to wrap her arms around my waist. She rested her head on my chest. She was so soft and warm and small and perfect.

I bent my head down and took a deep breath to inhale her scent. "Yep... warm honey, just like I said before."

Xander roared with laughter before he, too, stood to his feet. "Whatever, man. Just get to bed. You still have training at 5:00. No exceptions."

I kissed the top of her mass of curls before I stepped back and out the door. This was the best night of my life. I didn't think I'd ever be able to fall back asleep.

***

Xander POV

I could feel the relief roll off Alaia as she spoke to Alexi. And in a way, I was relieved as well. I had done what I had set out to do and made sure that she could have any and everything she wanted.

And him saying she smelled like warm honey let me know that this triangle was meant to be. The first time I had heard him say those words, I wanted nothing more than to rip his head from his body. But now it seemed that the Goddess was blessing their pairing again; if he could smell warm honey, it meant that Alaia was once again his mate.

It's funny how time changed things.

Maybe my little one was always supposed to have two mates. Who knows? What I did know was that she was happy, and I'd intended to keep it that way.

When we were finally back in bed, I pulled her close to me and ran my fingers through her hair.

She placed her hands on my chest and mindlessly drew circles with her fingertips.

"How are you feeling, little one?"

"I feel great. Better than I have in a really long time. And I am so thankful."

I felt a tear land on my bare skin at the same time I heard a small sniffle escape her. I looked down and gently held her face, lifting it to meet mine. "Hey, what's the matter, baby? Why are you crying? This is supposed to be a happy moment." "I'm so overwhelmed and grateful, Xander. I never, ever, thought anyone could love me this much. And to my surprise, I don't just get to love and be loved by you; I get to experience it with Alexi, too. I don't know what I did to deserve all this."

"You did everything, baby. If anyone deserves this, it's you. Don't ever doubt all the good you continuously do for everyone around you, okay?"

She sniffled once more, then laughed. "Okay. I'm done with the tears now. I'll just blame that on the hormones, too."

"You cry as much as you want, beautiful. No judgment here. Now go to sleep, you need your rest."

I wrapped my arms tighter around her until her head rested over my heart, and soon I felt her relax and drift off.

***

4:30 AM came all too soon, and I was really kicking myself for scheduling training so early. I carefully removed myself from the bed to not wake Alaia and went to take a quick shower to wake myself up. Fifteen minutes later, I was cleaned, brushed, and heading to the closet to get dressed. I pulled on some black sweatpants with a matching hoodie and my black Nike running shoes before I quietly opened the door and creeped out into the hall.

Alexi was leaving his room at the same time, and I noticed that we were matching, head to toe.

"One of us really needs to change," I said.

"I don't have any more clothes, my stuff from home hasn't arrived yet, so that leaves you."

"And I don't want to wake Alaia. You never want to interrupt a pregnant woman's sleep. That's suicide."

"Well, I guess we're twins today. So, let's just get this over with."

I sighed as I lead the way out of the house and to the training grounds. "So listen, Alexi. You're a strong fighter, clearly a Beta, but you're going to need to train extra hard going forward. Once your wolf is gone, you'll be more vulnerable. I need to know that even without him, you can still protect Alaia if I'm not around." "Absolutely. That's not going to be an issue at all," he confidently replied.

"Good, and one more thing. You're not part of the pack yet, and the warriors are going to be suspicious of you. I'll introduce you as a friend of Alaia's from Opal Moon, but we'll keep the whole 'King of the Rogues' thing between us, cool?" "That's perfect. I didn't really want to have to face off against an entire warrior squad. I'm good, but I'm not that damn good," he said with a chuckle.

Kade and Matt caught up with us as we continued the walk to the clearing.

"Whoa! Why does the newbie get to match with you? I've been your best friend for over twenty years, and we've never once played dress up!" Kade yelled.

"Will you shut the hell up? First off, why are you so damn loud, and second, no one is 'playing dress-up. These are the only workout clothes he has here right now, and I wasn't risking going back to change and waking Alaia."

"If it makes you feel better, Kade, you and I can switch hoodies. Then none of us will match," Alexi suggested.

I looked over at Kade to see he was wearing a gray sweatsuit-this was perfect. Now I wouldn't have to hear anyone's mouth.

"I don't care if it makes him feel better or not, switch. Now."

The guys did as they were told just in time for us to arrive at the training grounds.

All of my warriors were already present and warming up.

I took a moment to address them all before we got started. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Alpha."

"Just a quick announcement. As you all can see, we have a new fighter joining us. This is Alexi; he's a friend of the Luna's from her old pack. But under no circumstances are you to go easy on him just because he's close with the Luna. You will give him everything you've got, no special treatment. Regardless of who we are, we all fight like alphas. Understood?"

"Yes, Alpha!"

"Alright. Henry, you're up."

My lead warrior and trainer, Henry, stepped forward and looked Alexi up and down before looking him straight in the eye. "I remember you and the trouble you caused in your old pack. It was my men and me who had to come there to escort our Luna home. It seems you have made amends for whatever it was you did before and earned the Alpha's trust, but if you have any intentions of causing my Luna any more harm, I will kill you. Without hesitation or regrets. On my honor."

I didn't know what to expect from Alexi after hearing what Henry had to say. But he didn't back down or shy away at all. He took a step closer to Henry and said, "I would expect nothing less. It's your job to keep her safe, and I respect that. But don't worry, if any harm ever comes to our Luna by my hands, I'd kill myself before you ever got the chance to. On my honor."

I had never seen it done before, but Henry was actually impressed. Hell, so was I.

Alexi had balls, and I was becoming more and more confident that he'd protect Alaia with his life.

"Good, I'm glad to see that we understand each other." Henry then turned to the group behind him. "Ten-mile warmup. Let's go!"

This was going to be a long and painful training session.