The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 123

Jo-anne POV

She was not here for war meetings, and she knew it now, was here for her own linage to come out, as well as to help Luci and what was going on within the pack. Finally, she got to lay hands on that so-called Luna to this pack. Which allowed her to not only see that those two she-wolves had deceived the Alpha and Beta about being their Mates. There were not twins, were not even real sisters.

They had grown up in that pack of theirs up north, were simply friends. Melissa, who was the Alpha’s bastard daughter, not a legitimate heir, had been convinced to do this by him. That man had not once acknowledged her as his own kin, wouldn’t recognise her, was not his child to his Luna, but the product of an affair.

He had told her if she did this for him, he would recognise her, and she’d be a Luna to one of the wealthiest, largest packs there was out there. That when he came to the pack after she’d killed the Alpha and Beta. That he would let her retain her title as the packs Luna once she seated him as the Packs Alpha. He would make sure she got everything she desired.

Melissa didn’t believe him, not truly, he had a Luna, and who wouldn’t seat their own Luna when they were the Alpha. She didn’t trust her own father, but wanted to be recognised by him and their pack, kind of desperate for recognition.

He’d told her that while she was mated to those two men and letting them do whatever they wanted to her, he would make sure she was treated as his most precious child. That in his pack when she visited, that respect would be given to her by all here, she would be treated like the Luna she was.

Though she’d not gone willingly at first, she had to be swayed, she didn’t want to have 2 men at the same time. Her father had taken matters further in order to sway her into this, convincing her that she could take her best friend Maria with her, mate that girl off to the Beta, so she wouldn’t have to have the two of them.

Her father had bled Maria to him to make her his own child, and then had bled her to Melissa so it would appear that they were twins. They were the same age and both had blonde hair and blue eyes, could pass for being fraternal twins.

Only then had she been convinced to do this. Melissa had realised quickly once here inside the Black Forest Pack, that the life of a Luna suited her. She wanted for nothing and was recognised by all. Had found a way around her father, who she did not believe would keep her as the Luna if she instated him here as the Alpha, he had a Mate and two other children to that woman. They all hated her, knew he would just kick her out or she would go back to being what she had been growing up, a nobody inside her own pack.

So she had dragged it out over the years herself, not played it out the way her father wanted her to. She’d not poisoned Rafe and killed him within that first year of being mated to him. No, she’d turned to the very witch her own father had used to bespell Rafe and Jack into believing that they were their mates in the first place.

Asked that witch to replace another way, that she couldn’t just kill Rafe, that his pack had three witches in it, which they had not known about when the original spell had been created. Knew they would know it was her that killed him, and when the pack actually found that out, they would reject her and she would have to return to this pack herself.

So she couldn’t just kill the Alpha and Beta, as had been her father’s plan, which once her father had heard about the witches, he’d just pushed her to get herself pregnant. He had even given her and Maria a potion to induce them into heat, to help that along. But she didn’t want that, Rafe was not her actual Mate.

She did not want a bastard child to a wolf, that child would be no different to what she was growing up. She understood by then that her father was only using her, didn’t actually love her at all. So, no, she wouldn’t do that to her own child.

She and her friend Maria were now playing their own game, trying to weaken and separate the Alpha and Beta, as their witch had told them to. So that one of them would die, their witch understood that there was a much deeper connection between the two of them. Had told her, in order to secure and keep the pack for herself, separating them was the best option. Finding ways to drive a wedge between that connection was all that was needed.

So staying with those two, constantly being at them about how close they were, keeping them in separate bedrooms, not giving them an heir but always begging and pleading for one, would also hurt them, blaming them for it would cause agitation and hurt them. That it would be a long and drawn-out process, but she could give them a helping hand, magically imbued items that they could place throughout the packhouse to help with keeping the two wolves attached to them even when they no longer wanted it.

They would get angry but always come back to them, no matter what, defend the two of them and their bond to her and Maria would eventually be their undoing, that it could take a decade to do this to them.

But in that time, she could ingrain herself within the pack, do all her duties and let the pack come to not only like her but trust her, all she had to do was be the Luna, do the Luna duties and she would be loved by them, so that when Rafe and Jack did die, it would be her pack, and she wouldn’t need her father to take it over. Could rule it herself.

Jo-anne realised that witch, she was loyal to no one but herself, would plot and plan for anyone for a price, was a dark witch and Melissa and Maria had been funnelling money to that witch for years now. Though, with a new spell to be done, had been told to keep that spell in place, the funds themselves had to be given willingly to her, from the Alpha and Beta themselves. This would allow for Rafe and Jack to actually pay for themselves to be kept under the spell that was used. A little technicality, seeing as the witch didn’t have them or their b***d to use for the spell each and every time.

It was considered that seeing as they were paying for the spell to be put on them, this was what was actively keeping it attached to them and working. The witch, had liked that little part of her spell, amused her completely.

It seemed that witch was loyal only to where the money came from, then the Alpha to the pack she lived in, had bespelled him for Melissa, to stop him from realising he was also being deceived by them. Kept in the dark, all he knew was that there were witches in this pack, and they had to take the long road to get the pack. He had to be patient and request money every few months for upgrades and what not.

She let go of the she-wolf, disgusted by the nature of her. She was her father’s daughter, his deceitful and power-hungry nature resided within that she-wolf. Didn’t care who she hurt, only cared for the outcome she wanted, which was the position of power and no one to tell her what to do.

It was no wonder that this pack didn’t suspect anything was wrong. She did actually do her Luna Duties. They respected her, likely looked up to her and went to her for advice, which she gave. This was not a good thing.

She also knew now, there had never actually been a Marking and Mating at all. Well, they’d had to let Rafe and Jack actually mate them, but it had been stopped by that witch at the crucial moment before the Mate Bond was to actually take effect. Rafe and Jack had been put to sleep by a spell and then been given memories of Marking and Mating. It was all just a magical illusion, so to speak. The filagree and bite marks, all just an illusion as well.

From all she’d heard while here in this pack, neither Rafe and Jack had known about Luci being pregnant at the time, so that spell that was used; the original one. Had likely not accounted for that. That witch should have known about Jack having already Mated himself to Luci, she would have been able to detect it when attempting to make that first spell. His side of the spell would have been harder to manage and once that man knew about his sons, it was game over, no spell was going to work on him or his beast.

These two she-wolves were destined to die and likely not a good death. It was likely Luci and her two beasts were going to come out here and rip their heads off or, as Luci herself stated, explode some heads. She would likely need to, to get all that pain and anger out over what she was going to feel when she realised how those two had ruined her life.

She may have gotten Alari with the devastation of heartbreak, but Alari likely could have been brought out in some other manner. Utter heartbreak came from many things; the loss of a parent or a child, a sibling, anyone she was attached to.

Jo-anne left those two she-wolves out there. It was not her place to punish them, she’d already punished the old hag that had helped them, stripped that woman of her powers and she knew it, wondered if that old woman knew it yet and if so? was she hiding the fact of it and playing like she was still a witch.

That old hag was human now, no more could she meddle in things she should not, if she didn’t use her magic every day, it might take her a while to realise she was no longer with her craft. Her punishment was severe and deserved in Jo-anne’s book.

She’d returned to her bed and curled into West, smiled when he hugged her and murmured “Everything alright?” he asked, half asleep.

“Yes and no.” she’d sighed.

“You’ll figure it all out and heal everyone.” He’d murmured right back “Just like Heath told you once.”

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, thought about that, what Heath had told her about the first vision he’d had when she was bled to him at a day old. He had told her now what he’d seen that day, that she was a powerful healer, who would heal many things, not just animals and birds as a child, but children in the pack, adult pack members and so many others in their world. Told her she was his precious princess growing up. Now he just chuckled about that, she actually was a princess. He thought that was very funny. A happy coincidence.

Wondered as she lay there how he and her mother would take the news that she was the Queen of the Light Witch’s, if she wanted to be, sighed softly to herself, didn’t really want that title. It was simply her birth rite and those three witches here in this pack. Had given her the royal robes of their coven, bowed to her. Sighed once more, already made the decision for her, she now realised, for she had three loyal subjects at her disposal, she guessed.

Though they didn’t consider themselves light anymore, grey, which she had taken to mean neutral. They didn’t interfere unless they wanted to. Wondered if they could be brought back into the light? Or if they were too far gone? She hoped not, like the idea that they could be good, all good, unlike her biological father.

She had no idea why heartache had soured him, and then turned him to dark magic, turned him into an evil man, who cared for nothing for anyone. She’d seen how evil he was in her mother’s memories of him. He cared for no one and nothing other than gaining more power for himself.

Jo-anne wondered what it was all for, why he needed all that power? What did he want to use it for? Had needed, he believed, her b***d to get that power, but why? What had been that man’s end goal?

Sighed heavily once more, she still didn’t have those answers, might not ever get them, would have to go out and talk to Hannah and her sisters once more. She was certain they had answers but she had likely to ask the right questions to get them, was going to have to ponder on that one herself.

“West.”

“Sweetheart.”

“Distract me from my thoughts.”

Felt him press his mouth to her neck softly and heard him growl all deep right into her mark spot “Yes my Queen.”

She whacked him one, and heard a deep rumble come from him as he chuckled, then his mouth found hers.