The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 128

Rafe POV

He could tell she was mad at him, by the tone she used to draw the boys’ attention back to her. Even the boys knew she was mad, there little smiling faces at seeing them, faulted at the sound of her voice, and then there were no smiles at all, as they looked at her.

Though he heard no gravel in her voice, to indicate it was Alari on the surface or Kali for that matter, no, that was all Luci before them, and she was out to let them know she herself was mad at them. Hell right this minute she was letting everyone around her know she was ticked off.

The way she turned and stalked away from he and Jack, hadn’t so much as looked at either one of them, he let her go. She needed a minute by the look of it. They spent a few minutes with the boys to give her that time. Saw them into the classroom, and a few of the other children who’d not met the boys yet, looked to him and Jack.

They all knew their Alpha and Beta, and would understand the meaning behind them bringing these two boys into the classroom. Watched them all look from he and Jack to the boys as well.

Made the announcement to the class and the children that would now be growing up with them “Children, the future of your pack.” He smiled at them “My and Jack’s sons.” He announced proudly, smiled down at the boys and motioned for them to go and replace a seat. He saw many shocked little faces, but several smiling ones as the boys went to sit.

He could feel concern welling off of Jack, his attention was clearly elsewhere, he was worried about Luci and why she was suddenly mad and for no apparent reason, either of them could understand. They’d not done anything, as far as he knew, to warrant her sudden anger with them.

Jack had yet to remember the whole truth of his own memories, and Rafe wasn’t going to tell him, he had mated himself to Luci. The poor man was in enough pain. Telling him that, would only compound it tenfold, and there would likely be no stopping him or Flare from racing off to try and complete the bond. Marking her out of nowhere in her books. Likely wouldn’t go down so well.

Clearly, she was not ready for that at all, but Jack’s growing concern was likely to see him recall it and Rafe had a feeling it was going to be sooner than later. Trying to stop him after that was going to be his biggest issue. Jack loved her, Flare loved her and when those two both realised there was a half-realised, actual Mate Bond between them and Luci, s**t was going to hit the fan.

He was keeping track of her tether. It surprised him that she was headed for the packhouse, or at least that’s what he thought, she was going in the right direction. Latched a hand right onto Jack, the moment they stepped out of the classroom and walked him away, “Calm down.”

“She’s angry with us,” He blurted out.

“I know, try and relax. We’ll go and talk to her. Just give her a few minutes to calm down.”

“I don’t like it,” he burst out, and Rafe could feel the anxiousness as well as hear it in his voice.

Rafe sighed, kept a hand on him and walked him to their car, actually put him in it and shut the door, before going round to the driver’s side and getting in himself. He could tell Jack was tracking her, it was in the full frown on his face, the focus he was showing.

Rafe drove the car to the garage and parked it. They both got to see her stop and look at Melissa and Maria on the shaming posts. He sighed, had wanted to sit her down and tell her in person the reason why. Had been going to do it yesterday when they’d been going to talk to her about Orien helping them, but she’d left the pack and so it had been delayed.

He had all the answers, but still didn’t have all his own memories, none of how they’d tricked he and Jack into thinking they were their Goddess Gifted Mates. How that mark had been on them the whole time? Though both he and Jack had memories of scenting them and marking and mating them.

Answers he knew he wanted to be able to give her, knew she was going to ask, how could she not? He wanted to be able to tell her all the answers so she could understand and hopefully realise they had not hurt her or abandoned her of their own free will.

Watched her walk away from those she-wolves after only a minute and then headed right in the open front doors of the packhouse, wondered just where she was going. She’d not once wanted to be in there of her own accord since getting back.

He was trying to give her space, still had hold of Jack as they walked to the front door themselves. The man was actually starting to freak out. Rafe could feel it, even understand it more than Jack did himself. This was like when Luci was in their office with just Addison and Jack had hated it, didn’t want space between them when she was angry and upset.

It was his bond to her in full swing, even though he himself or his wolf didn’t know what it was. On a deeper level inside of him, he needed to comfort her, and it was going to get the better of him, if he couldn’t calm down.

The problem was it wasn’t just Jack that was agitated, it was also Flare. Solar could feel it and was getting on the agitated side himself. He didn’t like feeling Flare like this, it rarely happened. Both the man and his wolf were getting distressed over Luci’s emotional state.

He walked Jack right passed those two and before he even knew what happened, Jack ripped himself from his hand and had struck them both, one swift hit to each of them, and then Flare was snarling right at them all his aggression on the surface. He could see Melissa was unconscious as she dangled there from the post, she’d taken the first hit and not seen it coming. Maria had tried to get herself out of the way and been struck while on the move. She’d been tossed over by the force of it, and rolled around the post she was attached to. He could see that her left shoulder was now dislocated.

“Speak to her again like that” Flare snarled at her, “and I’ll rip your head off.”

Rafe put a hand on him gently, “It’s alright Flare, they can’t hurt Luci anymore.” He tried to calm him. “Release buddy.”

He could see Maria looking at him now. They’d never actually seen Luci before and now had. She was nothing compared to Luci’s looks, plain by all means. He felt Flare recede and Jack was still glaring at the woman. “Don’t you ever even dare to look at her, don’t dare to look at anyone here.” He snarled out, “Or I’ll personally gouge your eyes out.”

Rafe blinked in shock at Jack’s words. He’d never once heard Jack be so vicious or aggressive, never had he ever threatened something like that before. Turned and steered him away before he did do that. He did see the way that She-wolf’s eyes snapped right to the ground. She understood he had meant it, that whatever hold she’d once had over Jack, was gone completely.

That he was fully ticked off and she’d never seen him in a full rage until right that very minute, he was generally calm, only ever raised his voice if necessary. Jack was starting to loose it and she was the reason he was in pain. Likely realised it was only a matter of time before her head was coming off, as they had told them. When Jack did explode it was very unlikely he was going to be able to stop him.

Despite Jo-anne stating to him, ‘let Luci kill them, that it would be good for her’, he didn’t think Luci was going to get the chance. Jack and Flare were likely to do it in a fit of pure rage, which it did look like they were building to. Not something this pack had ever seen.

He stepped into the packhouse and halted Jack in the hallway. The man was still tracking Luci’s tether, as was Rafe. Jack knew exactly where she was, saw her push into the indoor pool at the other end of the packhouse. Stopped Jack.

“Jack, I’ll go, you’re losing it, you have to calm down, please.” Got glared at by his own friend, “I understand, your need to comfort her.” he sighed, pulled Jack into his arms and hugged him, “We don’t know what’s wrong, let me go and talk to her, your anger on the surface is not going to help. Breathe Jack, take a minute.” He felt Jack’s arms slide around him, “Just breathe Jack.” Rafe told him softly, slipped a hand into his hair and turned Jack’s face into his own neck, “Breathe.” He murmured, “I’m right here.” He told him, stood there uncaring of who saw them.

What he was doing with Jack, pressing him into his neck, right to his mark spot, it was a very Mate thing to do, and there were pack members watching, they understood what he was doing. He was trying to calm Jack with not just his presence but his touch and his own scent as well.

Though they were all curious about what they could see, none of them looked all that shocked by what they were seeing or hearing. He could hear Jack’s heart rate, focused on it and could hear it slowing down, feel his anger washing away from him, not even Jack wanted to be angry in front of Luci.

“I don’t like it.” Jack murmured “Her mad at us.”

“I know.” Rafe sighed. “Stay here, I’ll go and talk to her.” He pulled himself away. Now the man was calm, looked at him. “Can I trust you to stay here?”

Saw Jack nod his head slowly, Rafe nodded “Don’t be angry with her or around her. We don’t want her thinking we’re angry at her, even if she is us.”

“I know. I’ll tick Alari off.”

“That is not Alari on the surface. That is Luci who’s mad Jack, and for once Alari is letting her show it.”

Saw Jack nod again “She’s never once been mad at us ever.”

Jack was right, not once in all the time they’d known her, had she ever been mad at either one of them. “Stay here,” Rafe told him, and then headed off down the hall. She was in the indoor pool room.

Walking in there, he saw she’d actually gotten in the water, saw her look right at him, and she didn’t look all that happy to see him standing there. Did not get the response he was expecting to his question, the salt water did not agree with Alari.

That did not really surprise him, considering she had been born in a freshwater lake, he did know that nowadays there were options for freshwater pools. He would look into it for her, sort that out, and have all the pools here in the pack changed over, so Alari could swim anywhere she liked in the pack. Wouldn’t always have to go to the lake.

She had no problem admitting she was mad when he asked what happened this morning, tried to get her to explain, because he couldn’t fix it if he didn’t know the underlining reason. Saw her not only look from him to Jack, but then directly at his neck.

Knew exactly what she was looking for, she’d stopped outside the front of the packhouse, not only registered that those two out there were of rogue status but both of them were now unmarked as well. Though why she would be mad about that, he didn’t understand, watched her look back to Jack, looked at his neck as well, then just state ‘you lied to me.’ And turned and stalked away, heading for the mudroom.

Cleared that up right away, he’d not lied to her, didn’t understand her comment, hearing her explain what she meant, sighed internally, obviously she’d tried to feel for those two out there, and hadn’t been able to. Though she should have felt them sever from her as a pack member. Not that she’d said anything about it at the time.

He frowned, wondered if the pack did not feel Melissa sever from it. His frown deepened, they weren’t actually Mates, so likely not, he’d not thought of it at the time. He had other things to deal with.

His eyes moved right to Jack, who he knew was on the move once more, snagged that man. “Give it a minute.”

“NO.”

“Yes, I don’t think she felt Melissa sever from the pack. Maybe no one did.” His mind was racing now, turned and called out to the first pack member he saw, “Did you feel Melissa sever from the pack, when I rejected and banished her? Turned her rogue?”

“No, Alpha.” He was in formed.

Rafe huffed in annoyance. “She didn’t feel them get severed.”

“Thinks we didn’t punish them.” Jack snapped at him.

“But we have, she’s now seen it. Give her a minute to calm down, was pissed off about that, them not being punished. She now knows the truth, Jack.”

“Needs an explanation is what.”

“Yes, likely so. But she looked right at my neck and yours as well. She’s not dumb Jack, understands we’ve also rejected them and banished them as punishment. Would have seen their state, the bruises from our mothers, her own mother. How cold and uncomfortable they are out there, is trying to sort it out in her own mind.”

He mind-linked right to Luci, ‘I’m sorry Luci. I thought you would have felt them be severed from the pack.’

He got nothing at all from her, then the link was just cut from her end, not ready to talk to him yet.