Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 35

Alexi POV

Somehow Max had pulled off his idiotic plan and taken Alaia. He had taken her away from her home and her family, and that hurt. He had also, in a way, taken me away from mine, so I knew what it felt like to miss home. I wanted to help get her back to her pack as soon as possible.

When she touched our arm last night, somehow, she pulled me from the darkness, but only for the briefest of moments before I was forced back in. But it was enough. I was able to see her. I could see how hurt and scared and exhausted she looked. She was still dressed for her Luna ceremony, and her dress, which I'm sure was once beautiful, was now dirty, ripped, and covered with bloodstains. What I also saw were her eyes. I saw those purple eyes when I looked at her and then realized she was the key to pulling me back for good.

I just had to figure out how to speak with her and let her know what needed to be done without Max finding out. That seemed almost impossible at this point, but I had to try if I had any chance of getting us out of here.

***

Francesca POV

"You f*****g b***h! What have you done?" I screamed at my sister while throwing her across the room.

"I did what we planned to do all along. I got that b***h Alaia out of the picture. The rogues have her now. Isn't that want you wanted?"

"I f*****g wanted Xander! I wanted her away from him so that we could be together. That was the only reason I agreed to help you. What was in the vial you gave me?"

Victoria shrugged a nonchalant shoulder at me and said, "Poison, of course."

"What. Kind. Of. Poison?" I gritted through my teeth.

"I don't know the name, but it kills the wolf slowly and painfully. There is no cure. Once it makes its way through the blood, it's just a matter of time before it does its job. Your Xander is a strong wolf, so he can hang on for maybe a week or so, but not for much longer."

I collapsed onto the ground. My own sister had betrayed me, and I had trusted her without question. I had done all this for Xander, and now he was gone. "Why would you do this to me? You knew he was mine. He was always supposed to be mine."

"He had a mate, Francesca, and it wasn't you. It was never going to be you. Get that through your head." She looked me right in the eye before she continued. "Xander was just a pawn in my plan. Because of Alaia, Alexi was banished from the pack and denied his beta position. He was taken away from me, and it was all her fault. So, I took the one thing that mattered most to her. Imagine how she will feel knowing that her mate died slowly, in agonizing pain, all because she was a dirty slut who couldn't leave my man alone. Now she's broken and out of the way, and I can get Alexi back."

"He was never yours! You were some w***e that he banged to pass the time, Victoria! Alaia was his mate." As the words came out of my mouth, it all clicked for me. Victoria and I hated Alaia just because she had been paired with men we wanted for ourselves. They weren't our mates and were never going to be. Now all our lives were ruined.

But I had one last card to play here. Victoria wanted someone to be broken? I'd show her broken.

"You say that 'The Rogues' have Alaia, but do you know which rogue in particular?"

"I don't f*****g care, Francesca. None of them are my problem anymore."

"You sure about that? Because I'm pretty sure you just handed Alaia over to Alexi."

"Bullshit. You said we were giving her to their Alpha, Maximus. I'm not that stupid."

"But you are, Victoria. Maximus is Alexi's wolf. He's been in control of their body for weeks now, and all he's wanted is Alaia. And you gave her right to him. He's probably f*****g her right now, and it's all thanks to you." "You're lying! Alexi doesn't want her; he's mine!" Victoria's eyes bulged from her head as she tore through the room, throwing furniture, punching holes in the walls, and breaking everything in sight.

I just sat back and watched with a smile on my face. That b***h deserved all of this and more. She cared about no one but herself, and now it was time for payback.

"I'll kill her! I'll f*****g kill her and take back what's mine."

Bingo! Maximus wouldn't let Victoria anywhere near Alaia. Now that he had her, he would use his entire disgusting pack to keep her. And he'd kill Victoria without a second thought if he felt she meant Alaia harm.

She was planning her own funeral, and I couldn't care less. We were done, and I no longer had a sister.

I stood from my chair and dusted myself off. "Yeah, you do that." I then walked away, never to see her face again.

***

Kade POV

It had been three weeks since those f*****g rogues had come in and attacked our pack. There were no casualties on our part, but at least seventy-five rogues had died at our hand. It wasn't until it was all over that we saw they had taken Alaia. I couldn't believe it. We had failed our Luna, and ultimately, our Alpha.

The only bright spot in all this was that Xander wasn't there to see what had happened. Once Xander collapsed, Matt and I refused to leave his side. But after all the fighting had stopped, we saw the state he was in. His entire body was covered in bulging black veins that now matched his eyes. He wore a constant grimace on his face like he was in continuous pain, but he couldn't tell us what was wrong. Xander couldn't speak or mindlink-he couldn't even move. His body was shutting down, and there was nothing we could do to help him. We placed him in the pack hospital under a twenty-four-hour watch, then began the task of trying to find Alaia.

We couldn't lose our Alpha and our Luna; we wouldn't survive a blow of that magnitude.

I sat in Xander's office, going over reports from the attack and looking over our territory map for anything I could find that might help.

Matt came in a few minutes later and slumped down onto the couch. "Have you been to check on him?"

"I sat with him for a bit this morning, but I've been here ever since. I have to find something; we have to bring Alaia home. Maybe she can heal him."

"She can't, Kade. I spoke to the elders. The kind of poison they used is irreversible. I've been looking for anything that could help us figure out how to get him back, but it's not looking good. He's getting worse and worse by the hour."

I couldn't believe this was happening. Xander had been my best friend my entire life, and I wasn't ready to do this s**t without him. I couldn't.

The phone rang, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I answered and placed it on speakerphone. "Beta Kade speaking."

"Kade, it's Aaron. I did it; I linked Alaia about ten minutes ago. She's alive, man."

I jumped to my feet, completely shocked. We had been trying to reach Alaia nonstop for the past three weeks, but we were blocked every time. "What did she say? Does she know where she is? I can have our warriors ready to go in ten minutes, just tell me where." "She doesn't know, Kade. She tried, but she's weak and only getting weaker. I don't know how much longer she can survive."

I sat back down and blew out a breath. We needed to catch a break, anything so that we could get Alaia back. "Alpha Aaron, what can-"

"It's just Aaron, Kade. We're family now. Our packs are forever linked to one another. Please, we don't need the formalities." "Aaron, it is. What exactly can you tell me about what she said? Maybe something will pop out and give us a clue we need."

***

Aaron's Flashback

I couldn't believe we hadn't found her yet. It's been three long weeks, and both the Opal Moon and Blue Moon packs have been running nonstop.

I was closed off in my office, running throughout the events of the last few weeks. We were searching for anything that could help. Then I remembered the night of my Alpha ceremony when Alaia and I had our first shift. The elders said we were a powerful pair. Even though Alaia was the Amethyst Wolf, I still had powers. Being part of the amethyst pair made me a stronger-than-average wolf, and maybe I could use that to my advantage.

I shut all the blinds and sat in the dark for a few minutes. I had to try and reach her. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Alaia. My sister. My twin. I focused on the bond we've always had, even before we had shifted. I focused on my love for her, and my need to get her back. I started to feel a buzzing in the back of my mind, like someone was trying to link me but couldn't get through. But I didn't have any blocks up and had told my entire pack not to link me under any circumstances. Not until we had found Alaia. I wanted to remain available for her at all times.

This had to be her.

I concentrated harder, and the buzzing turned into a heavy pounding. It was like someone was banging on my skull with a hammer.

Something told me to push through, so I did.

The pain got so bad I was sure I was going to blackout, but then there was a bright flash of white light, then peaceful quiet.

Alaia, are you there?

Silence.

Alaia, please. Please tell me you can hear me.

I still got no response. I feared the worst; that Alaia didn't respond because she couldn't.

A-Aaron, is that you?

Alaia! Yes, where are you, sis? We've been looking for you for days.

I-I don't know where I am. He won't tell me, and I can't get out of this room; he locks me in.

Who Alaia? Who took you?

Alpha Maximus...

Alpha Maximus? There was no alpha around by that name. Had she been taken farther from our territory than we initially thought? Maybe this Alpha was after her powers.

Alaia, what can you tell me that will help us find you?

I'm so weak, Aaron. I haven't heard from Amethyst in six days. I feel us slipping away.

Alaia! No, don't do that! We need you to fight and come back to us.

But he's gone, I can't do this without him..

Of course, Alaia didn't know. She was taken in the middle of the ambush and only knew what she saw shortly before.

Alaia, Xander is still alive! Whatever you did before you were taken slowed the poison. It didn't kill him, but he's still sick. He needs you back. He can't heal without you, without his mate. I saved him?

Yes, you did. Now you've got to save yourself and get back to Xander. Tell me something, Alaia, anything. Please!

He calls himself the King of the Rogues, and he won't let Alexi out. And I think my pup is dying.

Wait; what? What does Alexi have to do with this? And what pup?

Alaia? Alaia!

She was gone. The link was gone, and I couldn't get it back.

Was this alpha holding Alexi as well? Is that why we hadn't heard from him all this time? And... Alaia was pregnant? We had to get her out of there. We had to save her and her pup.

***

Kade POV

"She's pregnant?"

"That's what she said, but she doesn't sound like herself. She's slipping away, man. We've got to save them."

"s**t. And Xander probably doesn't even know," Matt said.

"We'll get them back. That pup is our future Alpha. We will not lose them."

Just then, I heard Aaron speaking with his beta Lucas in the background.

When he came back to the line, he said, "It's Alexi! Maximus is Alexi's wolf. That is who has her. Alaia said that he wouldn't let Alexi out. Max has taken over Alexi's body!" "Does Lucas know how to find him?"

"There's this old abandoned house we used to use as a fort when we were kids. Lucas thinks they may be there."

"Send me the coordinates, Aaron, and we'll meet you there."

As we hung up, I saw Matt mindlinking someone. When he was done, he looked over and said, "Henry and the rest of the warriors are on their way. We'll be ready to go as soon as we get the location." "Let's go get Alaia and our future Alpha. Then we'll find a way to bring Xander back to them."