The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 80

Jack POV

He was not going to sleep inside the Beta’s suite, he just couldn’t be anywhere near Maria. Didn’t want to be mated to her at all right this minute and he knew it. Didn’t even care that it would be completely suspicious behaviour. Not even Rafe had tried to convince him to go to the Beta suite. Wasn’t likely to with all they had just heard.

What they understood of their so-call Mates.

He’d eaten his dinner in the Alpha’s Office at his desk, had outright declined Maria’s invitation to have dinner with her, in their suite, as she’d put it, something nice and intimate, her voice held a sexy seductive tone and she was implying that s*x was on the table. Not that he had any interest in that with her.

He had told her simply that he was too busy. Prepping for the allied Alpha’s arriving tomorrow; not something she knew about. She hadn’t even asked him why they were coming. He’d told her to go and eat with Melissa, seeing as she preferred to spend her time with her twin.

Had been pushing her buttons just a little to see what reaction he got, she’d ignored his comment altogether and practically pleaded with him to come up to their suite. Said she’d really missed him, told him he could do anything to her when he got there. He’d still declined her invitation, told her he wasn’t in the mood to do things to her. If she, however, wanted to come down here and do things to him, she could, that he would sit back and let her.

Had no actual intention of letting her but wanted to hear her response. She’d gotten all pouty on him and said someone might see. That it would be much better for him to come to their suite and have his way with her. Then stated she was wearing nothing at all. He’d declined that as well and felt full annoyance roll right off of her before he’d cut the link to her.

Ignored it completely. As far as he was concerned, she was nothing to him. She could be up there in that suite annoyed all she liked. After what he’d found out tonight, what she’d not only said but had done, the way he now believed they had been mated to each other; tricked into it. He cared nothing for her at all.

Retired himself to Luci’s room only to find Rafe already in there, lazing back on the lounge staring at the wall they’d written all over. The man had been off with Allen on some pack business of his own. He’d not told Jack what it was about. He had his own thoughts on what they’d heard. It was no real surprise.

Looked right at Rafe, a little surprised to see him in there. “How’d it go down?” he asked. He knew that Melissa tracked Rafe’s every move, and likely at this minute was also tracking him to see if they were together.

“Who knows?” Rafe shrugged “I don’t want to forget Jack, or have some memory shoved into my brain like Titan did.” He stated flatly as he stared at that wall, of all the things they had forgotten. Then just sighed, sounded a little sad to Jack. Much more so than he normally would have.

Jack sank down next to him and looked at the wall himself, realised that Rafe had added more to it. He read it. It was from Titan’s conversation with Addi.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Do you recall scenting them?”

“Yes.” Jack nodded “Why?”

“Think about it, how they actually looked that day. The way the two of them stood in the middle of that room together. I think they knew and were dressed up for the occasion, presented to us. We’re standing together, their father off to the side watching on.”

“Planned out.” Jack sighed.

“Yes, they didn’t take to us, like we did them, because whatever they did, only works one way, on us. Not them.”

“It has to be witchcraft of some sort then.”

“Agreed, I questioned Hannah and her sisters tonight on that very subject.”

“How’d that go?” Jack looked right at him. No one really questioned those three, they didn’t like it.

“In circles.”

“Huh?”

“I quote ‘Witches do not interfere with witches’.”

“Did you explain?”

“Of course I did. And I quote once more, ‘Fate has to play out. Sometimes from bad and evil, sprouts good.’” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“Do you think they knew all this time?”

“I do.” Rafe nodded.

“I think they also knew that Luci was not dead.” Jack commented, “that she was in the lake the whole time. Also think they knew about the twins as well.”

“So do I…Not so loyal after all.” Rafe huffed.

“Maybe it’s not that. Maybe that is exactly what she said, that good can come from bad. Perhaps Luci had to be broken to become who she truly is…so the bad thing that had to happen was us being tricked into mating those two she-wolves. Forgetting about her was part of those she-wolves doing, not ours. The good, was that Alari was born, realised or released.” He shook his head, it was still a bit confusing to him. Had she had Alari the whole time but just didn’t know it? Or did she know it but not know how to release her?

“She was heartbroken, Jack.”

“I know.” He sighed. “But perhaps it’s not over. Perhaps having this one terrible thing happen also allowed for us to now see the truth and fight back against our own mates. Perhaps having Luci here inside the pack once more. Is what Titan overheard. That old woman telling Melissa and Maria something is blocking the Beta. That’s me, perhaps having Luci right here allows for the love I have inside of both Flare and I to override whatever they did to us?”

“Why they were gone so long this time? They had to find a way around it”. Rafe sighed “It’s going to be even harder now, I don’t think they realise that.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Rafe looked right at him. “Last night at dinner Jack…I remembered something, I don’t think even you, have yet to recall.”

“Alright, tell me then.” He nodded. He was happy to hear anything about Luci, no matter how small it was. Wanted to remember all the little things.

“You’re not going to like it. I suggest you take a deep breath, Jack, and remember to contain yourself.”

He was looking right at the man now. It clearly wasn’t something small, but did as he was told.

“We finally agreed to choose Luci as our Mate and Luna. The day before we went to that pack, we had a whole plan of how we would ask her, tell Addi beforehand even.”

Jack was just staring at the man. “And you didn’t want to tell me this because?”

“I didn’t want you freaking out completely. Just rejecting Maria and then running right to Luci. I know you well Jack, it is what you want, deep down inside of you, you want to reject Maria and claim Luci.”

He couldn’t even argue with that, it was what he wanted. Sighing heavily, he didn’t have that memory goddess help him when he did, he was likely going to be overwhelmed by it, “You finally agreed?”

Rafe nodded “I loved her just like you did.” He half whispered “We lost her to those two, Jack.”

He watched as his Alpha and his friend, the closest person in the world to him, looked to the ceiling and took in a shaky breath, saw his eyes glass over and watched Rafe try to pull himself together, though a single tear did escape the man, as hard as he was trying to keep himself strong.

“We’ll get her back, Rafe.” Jack sighed heavily, and reached out to pull him into a hug “Took you long enough.” He tried to lighten the mood after a few minutes.

“You kissed me Jack, so damned happy I finally agreed, snogged the hell out of me in our office.”

Jack snorted “Hmm, well now I guess you can claim it was me who kissed you first, huh.”

Rafe shoved him away “A*s.”

“You love it.” Jack laughed for a moment and saw Rafe smile a little as he shook his head. “We have to do this right though. Luci needs all the information or she’ll not accept us back.”

“Agreed.” Rafe nodded “She’s been in this pack just three days, and look at what it’s done to us. We are so much closer now.”

“That is because she was always meant to be ours.” Jack told him. “I really do believe that.”

“Not our Mate though.” Rafe huffed. “How can the goddess not gift her to us, when she makes us closer to each other, happier and more connected to everything, makes us stronger as well?”

“Made us more devious and sneaky right from the moment we met her.”

“I don’t understand why she is not ours, gifted by the goddess.”

“I don’t know either.” Jack sighed and he didn’t, she fit perfectly into their lives, right from day one.

“She could still have a Mate out there, Jack.”

“Maybe,” he nodded, “I’ll fight for her Rafe, will you?” he asked in all seriousness.

“Yes.” Was the simple reply. He watched Rafe get up a moment later and go write it on the wall. All of it, that they’d agreed to choose Luci as their Mate and Luna, watched him right out the entire plan of how they were going to do that.

On the full moon, after they got back. Where they had gotten to have her for the very first time out in the woods. That they were going to call Addison with the news when they got back. We’re going to surprise the entire pack with the news of it.

He sighed as he read it all, no wonder no one here knew about it, or questioned them after Luci left as to why they had Mated anyone else. They were keeping it a secret, wanted other than Addison to know, Luci to be the first one to know, didn’t want to risk their plan being blown wide open by pack members excited about their new Luna to-be. Looking at her with that, I know a secret look, he supposed.

“She’d have said yes,” Jack sighed, and he knew she would have.

“Would have already told us she was pregnant as well. Do you think she knew when she left?” Rafe asked him.

“I don’t know.” Jack answered “It is possible.” He didn’t really want to think about it to be honest, but then something occurred to him “Hey, how did the twins survive Alari’s birth?” he asked suddenly, knowing she had definitely been with pup when she left.

“I don’t know, perhaps because of what she is. A Triune.”

“I guess so. I wonder if she understands that?”

“We could ask her.” Rafe nodded “Our biggest problem now, Jack, as I see it. Is going to be keeping control of ourselves around her now that we know the truth.”

Jack thought about that. “It might be harder than we realise though.”

“Agreed…”

Jack’s head whipped around as alerts started coming down the mind-link of a house suddenly ablaze within the pack, just near the packhouse. He and Rafe were on the move a second later. Banged out of Luci’s room and into the Alpha hallway, raced at full wolfen speed down the staircase and outside.

They didn’t have a fire truck here inside the pack. His eyes moved right to the cottage that was on fire, it was where Luci had been living with the twins till this evening. If she’d not moved out and into the Forest Creek House, she, Addi and the twins would likely all be in there.

His heart was hammering inside his chest.

Looked around for anyone who would have started it. There was no-one nearby, but he did spy the burn mark that led away across the grass. He was off at full wolfen speed. He could hear Rafe telling everyone not to panic through a pack wide mind-link. Doing his job as the Alpha, while he went off to investigate. It’s why they worked so well together. There was hardly ever a need to discuss it. They just knew what the other would do.

She and the boys had been safe this whole time, the pack had been all smiles and friendly, without either one of them having to ask for it. They’d all liked Luci back when she’d been here. Still did from what he could tell. The only thing different now was that Melissa and Maria were back.

He tracked that burn mark all the way to the side of the pack house, where he not only found the gasoline can, but he could also smell Melissa’s scent. The pack’s own Luna had set fire to part of the pack. Specifically, to their concubine’s house, or what she likely thought was their house. He sent up a prayer to thank the goddess she’d moved house.

Made his way back to where Rafe was standing to find Hannah and her sisters containing the blaze, stopping it from spreading, but they could not stop the fire itself. “Have to let it burn.” Was all they stated, but had from what Jack could tell put up some sort of magically barrier to contain the flames and stop if from jumping to the next house.

“It was Melissa,” Jack stated angrily.

Rafe looked right at him and then up to where he knew his suite was on the front of the building. Jacks eyes followed and both Melissa and Maria could be seen up there watching on from their respective balconies.

“Don’t go up there, Rafe. Into your suite. It’s what they want.” He told him.

Heard Rafe snarl “Hannah, you have this right?”

“Yes, Alpha.” She replied simply.

“Allen.” He roared all his fury rolling out of him “Bring my Mate to my office.”

“Yes Alpha.” He heard the pack Beta answer and watched not only Rafe stalk off but Allen go with him.

His eyes moved right to Hannah. “Leave the Triune alone?”

“Yes, leave the Triune alone, still.” She stated right back without so much as looking at him “Her time will come, Beta.”