Once Rejected, Twice Desired (Book 1 of Blue Moon Series)
Once Rejected, Twice Desired Chapter 38

Alaia

POV

My nerves were going wild as the day went on. Tonight was the blue moon, and our last chance to get Xander back.

Matt had been sitting with me all day; I'm sure trying to distract me and keep me calm.

We were playing a game of Monopoly when Kade came into the room. "How are you feeling, Bean? You ready for tonight?" "Why? I thought you of all people would be against 'Bean,' but you're just as bad as Matt." "What can I say; it suits you. Perfectly."

I rolled my eyes and smiled inwardly. These two reminded me so much of Aaron that it made me miss home just a little bit less. "Well, to answer your question, I'm feeling a bit restless, but overall I'm alright. I am trying to keep my mind occupied, but it's a lot easier said than done. Hey! You can help with the distraction. How is Alexi doing?" I knew that Kade had taken it upon himself to look after Alexi until we had time to figure out where to go with him. It made it easier for me to focus on Xander, knowing that there was someone I trusted implicitly to keep Alexi safe.

I hadn't seen him since that day in the woods, but I knew that Kade would have made sure he was taken care of, per my instructions.

"He's alright, I guess. He's been seen by the doctor, and none of his injuries were serious. After he cleaned up and ate a few decent meals, he seemed to get a little bit better. That is actually why I'm here. He's asked if he could talk to you for a bit. I would bring him up here to you, but I don't want to upset the pack if they saw him moving through the packhouse. As it stands, they all think that he is behind Xander's condition and your kidnapping."

That was a good point, and the last thing I wanted to do was cause any more stress on my pack. "So, you think I should go down to the cells to speak to him?"

"I do. I've been talking to Alexi the past few days and, oddly, we've bonded. But he needs a friend. I really think he needs Aaron, and you, too."

"But what about Xander? I can't leave him all alone. He needs me here. And the blue moon is tonight."

"I'll stay with him, Alaia. If anything happens, I'll link you right away. And you've got a few hours until the moon is at its brightest. It'll be okay," Matt said.

I thought about it for a minute, then stood up. I had vowed to help Alexi, but so far, I had only been focused on myself and Xander. There was no way I could keep that vow if I didn't actively work with him and help find our solution. "Okay, let's get down there. I don't want to keep him waiting when I don't have to."

Kade and I left the room and walked in a comfortable silence down to the basement cells. This was my first time down here, and I was surprised at what I saw.

"Wow, it's not a dungeon down here, after all."

"Nah, we keep the dungeons in a secret location far, far away. That way, no one can hear our prisoners' screams."

My mouth dropped open in shock. I would have to do something about that. I couldn't have my pack torturing people!

Kade saw my expression and burst with laughter. "I'm just kidding, Bean. There are no secret dungeons. This is it. We rarely require t*****e, and it's only under the most extreme circumstances."

I guessed I could live with that. For now.

We stopped in front of the last door in the corridor before Kade unlocked and opened it for me. I was happy to see that it was large, clean, and had a window to the outside.

I didn't want him to feel like a prisoner, even though he technically was.

And Alexi was looking much better, too. He was no longer covered with filth, blood, and bruises. His hair looked like it had been recently cut, and his skin was regaining its natural bronze color. The haunting red of his eyes was totally gone as well-something that I would absolutely not miss. He still had some weight to gain before he was back to normal, but he was well on his way, and that made me so excited to see.

"Hi, Alexi. How are they treating you down here?" I joked.

"Far better than I deserved or would have expected. Kade has been great, too. I'm really thankful for the both of you."

"We're just treating you with the decency you deserve, nothing more. So, what's up?"

He took a long deep breath before he looked me in the eye. "I wanted to ask you a couple of things. First, I wanted to see if you could help me talk to Aaron. Since I'm no longer a member of the pack, I can't link him. I know that you have powers of communication and just thought that maybe you could like, connect me with him, or something?"

I had never thought of something like that. It would be like one of those old-time switchboard calls with me as the operator. "Uhm, I could try, but I'm still learning, so I don't know if it will work or not."

"Cool, whatever you can do will be appreciated."

I closed my eyes and linked Aaron.

Aaron, are you busy?

Alaia? No, I've just left a meeting. What's up? Is everything alright?

Yeah, everything is cool, I guess. I have a favor to ask you.

You know I'd do anything for you, little sis. What do you need?

I need you to talk to Alexi.

There was silence from Aaron's end, and after a while, I became afraid that he may have disconnected.

Aaron?

Why, Alaia? I'm done with him, and you should be, too.

Because you're lying, you're not done with him. He's your brother in every way imaginable. I know how annoying having a brother can be, but I also know that no matter how angry mine ever made me, I could never be done with him. He needs you, and you need him. Please.

I don't have time for this, Alaia. I have a date with Jordyn tonight, and she will kill me if I am late.

Bullshit, she's always late everywhere. Tonight will be no different. Please, Aaron.

I heard him sigh, and I knew that I had him.

Fine. Ten minutes, Alaia, and I'm not promising anything.

Okay, hold on. I'm going to see if I can somehow link the two of you together. Give me a minute, okay?

Fine.

I opened my eyes and smiled at Alexi. "He's willing to give you ten minutes!" I was so excited. I just wanted both of them to be happy, and they needed each other for that to happen.

Alexi was beaming at me when he asked, "So, how does this work?"

I had no idea.

Take his hand, doll. Take his hand and concentrate on him, and have him do the same. Then once you've established the link, you can do the same with Aaron.

Will I have to stay connected to them both the whole time?

No, just connect them, but don't let go of Alexi's hands, or he'll lose the link.

Got it, thanks, Amethyst.

I filled Alexi in, then placed my hands in his as we both closed our eyes and focused on one another.

After about a minute, I heard him in my head. Alaia, can you hear me?

Yep! Now let me get Aaron over.

I then switched over and focused on Aaron.

Aaron, have you ditched me yet?

I was getting close. Are you ready now?

Yes. I'll connect the two of you; then I'll fall off. Whatever you guys discuss will just be between the two of you. Okay?

Okay. And thank you, Alaia. Really.

No problem.

I concentrated on the guys, and soon I had a solid mind link flowing between the three of us.

I closed off my mind to them and opened my eyes to see Alexi's clouded over. The link between him and Aaron was active. I had done it!

I sat on the bed, holding Alexi's hands for what seemed like forever before I felt him give me a small squeeze.

Looking up, I saw that his eyes were back to their stormy gray.

"How did it go?"

"So good, Alaia. I've missed him so much, and it was great to talk to him without all the anger. It was almost like it was before all this started."

"That's awesome. I can't believe I was able to do that, but it was very cool. I'm happy I could help you two out. Maybe you guys can talk face-to-face soon?" "Maybe. But to do that, I would need your help with one more thing."

"Okay, and what's that?"

"I need you to help me kill my wolf."

After my talk with Alexi, Kade came back to escort me back to my and Xander's room.

I told him about what had happened and asked for his advice.

"Sorry, but I don't have any advice to offer here. It's clear that Max is unstable and dangerous, but I don't know if it's even possible to kill him without harming Alexi."

"He thinks it's the only way that he can ever move past all that has happened. But he'll never be able to shift again or find another mate. He'd be losing so much; too much."

"It's really up to him to decide how much is too much, Bean. If this is what he feels is the right move, you just need to support him in it. So, he won't be able to shift, but he'll live his life without worrying if Max will somehow come out and hurt someone. And, regarding the mate thing, there is no guarantee he has a second-chance mate out there, anyway. They are actually very rare, and what happened in your case was unheard of. But that doesn't mean he can't find love the human way. He still has a chance to be happy without his wolf." Everything Kade had said was right. This was Alexi's choice, and as his friend, I'd support him. We just had to figure out if it was even possible. "Kade, who knew you were the old wise one of the group?"

"I'm just full of surprises. You don't know the half of it."

Reaching the room, I found Matt sitting in the corner reading.

"Hey Matt, did the doctor come by while I was gone?"

"Yeah, still no changes. No better, no worse."

"Okay, so how exactly should we do this?"

"I'm guessing we should move his bed a bit so that it's in front of the window. That will allow the moonlight to shine down on the two of you. I don't know what happens after that; I guess your wolf would have to guide you." "Alright. Well, let's get everything set, and we'll take it from there."

The guys carefully rearranged the room a bit to get Xander in the best spot possible.

I wished we could take him outside to enjoy the night fully, but that was out of the question. The wide-open window would have to suffice.

No one but Kade, Matt, and the elders knew about our plan. I didn't want to get the pack's hopes up in case it didn't work, and I also didn't think I could handle the pressure of having all of their expectations riding on me. Attempting to save the life of the father of my unborn child was stressful enough on its own.

I was pacing the floor and furiously chewing on my lip.

"Bean, chill out. All your pacing is making me nervous!" Matt joked.

"I can't. I have to keep moving, or I'll drive myself crazy worrying about the 'what-ifs."

"Well, lucky you, the time for waiting is over. The moon is just about at its brightest."

My stomach dipped, then flipped, and I felt like fainting. I'd never been this nervous in my life; so much was riding on the next few minutes. I walked over to the bed and sat next to Xander's resting figure. He looked so peaceful, utterly different from the picture I had of him the night of my Luna ceremony.

And I was thankful for that small gift. If I did lose Xander, my last memories would be of him comfortable and safe, not lying on the ground in the middle of a battle fighting for breath.

Amethyst, are you ready for this?

I am. Don't worry, all you have to do is mark him. Let the moon and your powers take it from there.

Okay. I can do this.

I looked out of the large window and up at the moon. It didn't look any different from any other full moon, but sitting in its glow did feel more powerful.

Kade and Matt backed away a bit to not crowd me and make me any more nervous. And I was thankful for that.

I said a silent prayer to the Goddess above that she would spare my mate and send him back to his family. I steadied my breathing and rubbed my hand idly across Xander's cheek, waiting for my queue. Instinct told me that I would know the exact moment and that I would feel it. And so, I waited. I felt my body start to tingle all over, starting at my chest and radiating down to my fingers and toes.

"Bean, your eyes have gone purple. I think it's working," I heard Matt whisper from the corner.

When the tingling intensified, almost like small electric shocks, I gently turned Xander's head, revealing his neck. A bright burst of hazy, purple light exploded behind my eyes, and I sunk my canines into Xander's marking spot. I didn't know how long I was supposed to stay latched on, but something told me not to let go yet.

Then it began. Amethyst began the melody, and I joined in with her. Gusts of wind swirled into the room and circled Xander and me. He began to shake and convulse underneath me, and his heart monitor beeped like crazy, but I held on, afraid that breaking the link too soon would ruin everything. Time seemed to slow down, and what lasted only thirty seconds seemed like hours.

The wind finally died down as Amethyst, and I finished our duet. I retracted my teeth, then licked his neck to clear the blood and seal the punctures. I left my head in the crook of his neck for a few moments, inhaling his scent. This could be one of the last times I could get to do this, and I was afraid of the possibility the marking had not worked.

Finally, I leaned back and looked down into Xander's face.

Nothing.

He looked exactly the same as he had before we started.

Then I heard the worst sound of my life. His heart monitor flatlined. Xander's heart had stopped. I had lost him.