Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 64

Alaia POV

When I woke up that next morning, I was all alone in our huge bed. Both spots had gone cold, so I knew the guys had been gone for a while. I sat up and grabbed my phone on the nightstand and saw that it was 6:15 AM. They would likely be at training getting everything situated with the patrols.

I decided to take a shower before they came back so I could be ready when it was time to go into their office. I was excited to see where they worked and to get out of the house for a bit. It seemed like all I did these days was a nap, and it was getting annoying. Twenty minutes later, I was freshly cleaned and in my closet, searching the mountains of clothes when they both came walking in together. If the look of them was any indication, they were indeed training. They were covered from head to toe in blood, sweat, and dirt. Why were they always so dirty afterward? Did they just roll around on the ground for the hell of it?

Anyway, they were sweaty and dirty. Alexi's nose was bleeding, and his lip was split. But he obviously didn't care, because he was laughing with Xander about the morning session as if they didn't just finish trading blows with a bunch of wolves. "Why is someone always bleeding? Can't there ever be a training session where one of you doesn't break your nose or crack a rib?"

"Where's the fun in that, angel? We might as well just hop on the treadmill if that's the goal." Alexi laughed.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to him.

Xander passed me on the way to the bathroom and gave me a quick good morning kiss.

I grabbed his arms and looked him over for any significant injuries.

"I'm fine, little one. Nothing a hot shower won't fix."

"Wish I could say the same for your friend." I moved over to Alexi and held his face, moving it left to right to see just how badly he was hurt. "Who did that? It seems deliberate," I asked, looking at his nose and mouth.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Brandon, but he's got a few bruises of his own."

"And he can heal them. You can't." I made quick work of getting him back to normal before I stepped back and gave him my serious look. I'd been working on it a lot lately; I had two sons on the way and needed to be ready to lay down the law with them. "What's that look for, angel?"

"You're not a wolf anymore, Alexi. Your body can't heal like it used to. You can't keep doing this and act like it's no big deal. What will happen if I'm not around to fix you up?"

"Why wouldn't you be around? Wherever you are is where I'll be, always."

"You know what I mean. Just take it easy. You're not invincible."

"That's no fun, but fine. I'll try to get fewer black eyes each day." "Good, now go shower. You stink."

He went to the second adjoining bath to clean up, and soon both were clean, polished, and dressed for the office. Seeing them both dressed up reminded me of the night they proposed. I'll never forget how perfect they both looked. And they were looking just as delicious now. Maybe just a quick taste to start the-

"Little one? If you keep that up, we'll never make it out of here. So, do you want to go in this morning or not?" Xander asked, raising an eyebrow.

Damn him.

"Fine! Let's go down and grab breakfast. Do I have time for that, at least, sir?" I said "sir" with as much sarcasm as I could. He couldn't just ruin my morning fantasy and get away with it.

He stepped over to me and tilted my head up. "Yes, you have time for that. And later on, I'll have to do something about that smart little mouth of yours. Don't test me, Ms. Miller." Jackpot!

He leaned down for a kiss before he left the room.

Alexi was standing there, smiling at me.

"What? What do you have to add now?"

"Just know that I know that you did that on purpose. I've known you your whole life, and I know your tricks. Not a very angelic thing to do, angel."

I smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now let's go, I'm starving!"

***

Xander POV

A couple of minutes after leaving the bedroom, I go downstairs to see the dining hall packed with hungry wolves. Aaron had sent fifteen in total, so it was a little crazy while everyone got used to the new routine. I had my guys continue their rounds last night to allow the Opal Moon team time to rest before they stepped in to help. But now they were all here together. All of the Opal Moon team had known Alaia and Alexi since childhood, so it was easy to make them feel comfortable in our home.

Geoff and Mrs. Dyson had come through big time with breakfast. We had every kind of pastry, bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, French toast, pancakes; the list went on. It looked like a thanksgiving feast on the table before me.

After everyone was seated, I got all of their attention. "I hope you've all settled in and are comfortable in your rooms so far. And I want to thank you all for coming over to offer your help to us. I know your Alpha commanded it, but you being here is still appreciated." The leader of the team, Brandon, cleared his throat before addressing me. "Alpha Xander? Alpha Aaron didn't have to command us to come. We all volunteered. Actually, over fifty of us did. We all grew up with Alaia and Alexi-they are our family. And you do all you can to help your family. So no thanks are needed."

Both Alaia and Alexi smiled over at the team. Knowing that they were here in their own accord made taking them from their families just a bit easier.

I nodded in acknowledgment before we all dug in and soon had a comfortable flow of laughter and conversation echoing through the room. Watching Alaia and Alexi interact with their old pack was a lot of fun. They traded embarrassing stories back and forth that had all of us in tears by the end of the meal. Unfortunately, we had to get going, so Kade, Matt, Henry, and Brandon took over and began the task of getting everyone where they needed to be.

***

The three of us quickly made it through morning traffic and arrived earlier than planned. Walking into the lobby, I gave Alaia a quick overview of the setup.

She was walking between Alexi and me, holding both our hands and the looks from some of the receptionists were less than friendly. I wouldn't have anyone looking down at my queen, especially not someone whose paychecks I signed.

Alexi seemed to have a similar thought to me. "Xander, I think maybe you have some messages to check at reception," he advised.

I smiled at him as the three of us walked over to Rose, who was currently shooting daggers at Alaia.

"Good Morning, Mr. Black, Mr. Kostov. How are you gentlemen doing today?" Rose asked without even acknowledging Alaia's presence.

"Rose, is this how you treat all guests who come into our offices? Giving them dirty looks, then ignoring them completely? Is this what I pay you for?"

Her face went pale as she looked between the three of us. "No, sir. I just wasn't aware that you had a guest with you today, that's all. Is this your sister?"

I felt Alaia's hand stiffen at being called my sister. We looked nothing alike, and Rose knew it.

"Why don't you ask her directly? She does speak."

She turned a slight shade of pink with embarrassment before she finally looked at Alaia. "Good morning, miss. May I have your name for the guest logs?"

The look on Alaia's face was priceless. She loved every minute of this. "It's Alaia Miller. Soon to be Alaia Kostov-Black. I'm his fiancé," she said, pointing to Alexi. "And his," she added when her finger turned my way.

Rose's jaw dropped as she tried to process what she had just heard. "I-I... I apologize, Ms."

"Kostov-Black. You may want to write it down in case you forget again," Alaia offered.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do that. Is there anything else I can assist with this morning?"

"You haven't really assisted with much, so I think we can take it from here. Thanks." She offered her sweetest smile before we walked away toward my private elevator.

"Are you happy now, little one? Was that savage enough for you? If not, there are plenty of women on our way up that you can taunt."

She laughed then kissed our cheeks. "That was more than enough. I think I marked my territory pretty damn well back there."

"I'd have to agree, angel. I loved watching you. It was very sexy."

I could see the look in both of their eyes; this was about to get real dirty, real quick.

"Do not do that in my elevator. Save it for one of our offices, that's why they have blinds. And soundproofing."

They both laughed.

"One day, angel and I will desecrate this elevator, Xander. Just you wait."

***

It seemed that word spread through the building pretty quickly about the bosses and their shared fiancé because when we stepped off onto Alexi's floor, a few people were trying to hide their whispers behind fake coughs and well-placed hands. Too bad, we were werewolves and could still hear everything that was said.

Nevertheless, we quickly made our way across the floor to Alexi's office. This was my first time seeing it as well. It was larger than my office at home, with a beautiful view of the city.

"Well, this is it. It works for now, but I'm trying to get it moved up a few floors so I won't get too comfortable," Alexi told us with his signature cocky smirk.

The blinds were currently open, and I felt like a fish in a fishbowl. Instead of working, the team was standing and blatantly staring in our direction, desperate to see anything.

"Mr. Manager, it appears that your team isn't in a working mood. What do you suggest we do?"

Alexi smiled at me before he strode out of the office and closed the door behind him. He then casually leaned on a wall and began addressing his team.

We couldn't hear anything that was being said thanks to the soundproofing, but the looks on the people's faces told a story all their own. When he was finished, they all quickly sat back in their chairs and began to work diligently. "Nicely done, babe. I have no idea what you said, but clearly, it did the job," Alaia stated.

"Just a bit of morale-boosting, that's all."

When we eventually moved to my floor, all the fun stopped as it was mostly empty. My office was on the executive level, so we just took a little time for Alaia to rest and have some lunch. I didn't have anything that needed my attention today, so I was able to spend uninterrupted time with the two of them. In such a short time, Alexi had become like a little brother to me, and it was good to spend some stress-free time with him and Alaia. Especially since we all knew that would be coming to an end very soon.

It seemed like I had spoken too soon because, within the next couple of seconds, I got a message from Kade. Three rogues had been caught trespassing dangerously close to the packhouse and were currently locked up in the cells.

"Guys, we've got to get home now. Rogues were caught on our land, and I've got some work to do." CEO Xander was gone for the moment, and it was time for the Alpha to get some answers.