The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 12

Jack POV

Jack was prowling around at the edge of the lake, a mind-link had come through about a wolf on wolf fight, out by the lake. He’d peeled off from the pack run and taken half a dozen men with him. This was now becoming more than an annoyance. They were on alert for Victor Sampson to come back. Were not risking leaving the pack to go and attack him, when he was notorious for a second wave.

If they left it undefended and took the battle to Victor, which is what the pack’s warriors wanted to do, that man would swing round past them and attack their pack while the Alpha and his unit were away. It was the man’s style. They knew this from coming across him in the Nightfall Pack, over the years. They were both allied to the Nightfall Pack.

Victor, it seemed, though had not yet come back for them, as they expected, was likely waiting for them to make the first move and leave their pack unprotected. He and Rafe were not that stupid. But it did seem that Victor was sending rogues out to their pack.

Rafe had declined an alliance with the man years ago. Victor had not seemed at all offended by this. Had likely been expecting them to say no, considering Luci was within their pack at the time and she was their lover. Part of Jack had wondered if Victor wanted an alliance with them solely because of Luci being in their pack.

He’d never really had an interest in their pack before, then Luci had come here and so had Victor. He didn’t think it was a mere coincidence. But the Alliance papers he’d brought with him had not once mentioned her name, the man had never even brought her up at all.

It had been a good deal on paper, but they would not align themselves with him. Not when he was a brute with no morals. Victor had simply shrugged off their, no to an alliance with him and his pack, and walked away.

Though that attack on the pack last week had come out of nowhere. They had nothing to do with Victor and the Bloodless Moon Pack. An odd name for a pack, which was so steeped in b***d. They still didn’t even know what the man wanted.

There had been no communications from him, stating he was annoyed or angry with them, or that they had overstepped somewhere. No warnings aimed at them and afterwards no communication about why or what he wanted. Not that they expected that from Victor. Not his style.

Jack and his men found two dead wolves, and though they scented of rogues. They clearly were not too healthy looking, too well fed and muscled up, though one was much thinner and wiry than the other. He sighed this was not the first time this had been seen. That attack on the pack six years ago.

Those were all rogues and that one prisoner; he’d scented like a rogue until the spray had worn off. Likely it was Victor that had orchestrated that attack too, he now realised. Which meant the man that had snuck in and around their pack was likely to have been Victor himself. Searching for something or someone.

Jack’s brain was ticking, that attack had come six months after they’d met their Mate’s, the man had searched the Alpha floor first. That bastard, he now realised, had been looking for Luci in all likelihood, he had snuck in and tried to take her. He’d not known she wasn’t there. That was interesting to Jack. Being allied to the Nightfall Pack, he thought Victor would have heard she wasn’t here anymore.

These two wolves were lying on the ground not that far apart, a few meters only. Had been killed by another wolf, there were plenty of bite marks and claw marks to denote that. Not killed each other either. There was another scent mixed in with the rogue, it was muted, and he couldn’t quite place it, but it felt familiar to him.

That wolf had fled the battle scene itself, and in a hurry, tracked the creature himself. It was running at full speed, could tell by the tracks it was leaving its paw prints very far apart. Once away from the rogues, he could detect its scent better, female, smelled soft and a little sweet at that. Breathed in deeply, realised he’d only ever smelt something that soft and sweet on one wolf before. Luci. He could also detect the pack’s scent, of pinecones on her.

He shot after that scent at full wolf speed himself, left the dead wolves. He could come back to them, after he found her. She couldn’t have gotten too far, not really. Though she was Alpha-blooded, Flare could catch her, always had been able to. He was as fast as an Alpha Wolf himself.

They were racing with all they had now, after her scent, had to get to her, had to bring her home. Came to a dead end, right at the lake. Her wolf Kali’s prints never even slowed down, she ran full tilt into the lake, it seemed. Still in wolf form.

Stood and stared out at the lake, it was the last place she had been seen. Had gone in and not come out. Now wolf prints with the pack scent on them dove right into that lake. His eyes were on the water, searching for movement, looking for someone swimming, a wolf swimming even. Used Flares wolf sight to get a better look, though the moon was up and full in the sky the night bright.

He could not see a single ripple, out in the water, the lake looked calm and peaceful. Perhaps she’d gotten out already. He turned his eyes to look along the lake’s edges, checking the shoreline for exit marks nothing close by.

“Check the shoreline for prints, wolf and human, two hundred meters in either direction.” he rapped out to his men. She couldn’t have gotten that far, there was no way he’d not been that far behind her. She had to be close by, surely.

Two of his men peeled off away from him, following his order without hesitation, while he stood and continued to look at the lake. “Where are you, Luci?” he sighed heavily. He knew why she’d left. Had been in love with him and Rafe only to have them hurt her terribly.

If that wolf, he tracked here, to the lake was Kali, she now smelled different to him, only slightly so, but out here tonight. There were no pack members off territory of late, without permission.

Certainly, none right this minute. All were within the confines of the pack, and any shifters were on the pack run, so it had to be Luci, could only be Luci in his mind.

“Nothing Beta.” his men reported after coming back from their search.

Jack sighed, gone into that lake and again, and it seemed hadn’t come out. That creature they now knew was a Siren hybrid. He was damned certain it was Luci. Rafe was not going to be able to sway him on that it wasn’t.

No wonder she’d never been seen again. Likely lived in the lake. Likely only came out and showed herself, because the pack was losing that day. Tonight was a full moon. Kali would want to be out tonight as well, would feel connected to it, would want to play under it, like most wolves.

Convincing Rafe of this was another matter, that was not going to be easy. Luci was a wolf from the Nightfall Pack. Both her parents were wolves. They were allied to that pack, had been for years, even before they’d met Luci. They had kept her hidden from most. Jack stood and stared at the lake for a long time, nothing, she couldn’t hold her breath forever, unless she didn’t need to anymore.

Turned and walked away. If she did not want to be found, it was likely she wouldn’t be. If she was that hybrid, then she had likely shifted to her Siren form the minute she hit the lake, accounted for why Kali had not even stopped running and raced right into the water as well.

Back at the two dead bodies, he found both of them wearing cameras. Picked one up and looked right into it, it was still recording, raised an eyebrow at it. Then just pulled the micro-SD card from it and dropped it on the ground, smashed it with his foot. Did the same to the other camera.

At least he would be able to see what they saw, get a good look at the wolf in question. He knew what Kali looked like, he and Rafe had been the very first ones to see her wolf Kali at that. And Kali was just as cheeky as Luci was, just as naughty. It made him smile, both Flare and Solar had loved chasing Kali all over the Pack as much as they had Luci.

“Get rid of the bodies.” he told his men and headed back to the pack, took those SD cards with him.

Jack did not care how late it was or would be, when he got back to the packhouse, he wanted to know if it was Kali who had taken down those rogues out there, and if so, what condition she was in. Though she was a female Alpha Wolf, she was alone now, and that would attract a lot of male interest.

Pulled pants on from the closet in the Alpha office, sank down at his desk and up-loaded the video footage from the SD card. Saw the man fitting it to his chest, looked to be in a van of some sort. Not a rogue either. This was all planned. Had to be Victor.

Then there were just woods as the wolf walked around, noticed that it kept its distance from his Pack’s border, came close to the lake, many times. Prowled around and then moved on.

Heard it howl and then take off, likely had scented that female wolf. Then saw it was chasing a wolf and she was fast and agile. Watched on as that wolf stopped and turned around to face the wolf.

The moonlight showed her, and his heart near skipped a beat, he hit the pause button and let his fingers touch the screen, Kali. Luci’s wolf was frozen on the screen for him to look at, all Alpha aggression showing, at the wolves chasing her, wolves she likely believed to be rogues.

Hit the play button and watched as Kali fought in wolf form, killed it and then was gone, nothing else useful on it, just him pulling the micro-SD card from its camera.

Put the other SD card in and up-loaded it. Saw Kali fighting the other wolf. While this one just seemed to stand back and watch the fight, it was interested in her, that was for sure. Sighed this wolf in particular had focused on Kali and he had a pretty good idea why. Victor had tried to claim her once before. She was not his Mate. Had stalked away from that man, refused to be his Mate, even though her father had set it up.

Victor had wanted her, a pure-blooded Alpha female, to give him a good strong heir.

He was certain now that these were all Victor’s men. It was possible now, hell it was likely that Victor was behind them being attacked so regularly, had been trying to get Luci out in the open for the past year and a half now. She’d not been seen in years, but it was unlikely Victor knew this.

Jack still recalled the way Addison and Orien had stared at Rafe when they had told them what had happened. That she had run off out of the pack, when they had come home with their Mate’s.

Orien had frowned at them both and stated, “Send her home, when she comes back,” but had not said anything else, odd for a father. Rafe had explained she’d not been severed from the pack, presumed she was still alive, just missing. That was what Rafe had decided to tell her mother and father, because he had not felt her sever from him or the pack.

Addison, Luci’s mother, had frowned deeply at them, asked not about Luci, had asked about their Mate’s in fact. How and when they had met them. Had they informed Luci, prior to coming home? They had been honest with her, she’d sighed softly, sadness could be heard in that one sound, it still haunted him a little. Then she had turned and walked away from them both. Said nothing more.

They had lost the woman’s only daughter, barely a year after she’d been given to them. Her mother had always liked them, smiled at them, liked that Luci was always happy with them. But Addison had not once smiled at them since that day.

She was disappointed in them now and their lack of concern for her daughter on the day they’d come home Mated, she had been their lover, or as her father had put it, concubine. Seeing as they were not her Mate’s.

Saw Luci herself, in the footage, looking right down at the man. Her eyes were still brilliant green, but her long hair was much lighter now, no longer a rich chocolate brown, couldn’t quite tell the colour, but it looked very light now. Still so beautiful to look at. The man was laughing as she asked him her questions. Then just killed him, saw her look at the camera and frown deeply, then look up, her head tilted slightly to the side, shift and was gone. His men were the next to be seen.

It was obvious she hadn’t liked what she saw after talking to it. Who knew what she had seen, though that man had not answered her questions, hadn’t been given the time to either. Rewound the footage and paused it on her face. Though she looked unhappy, she was still beautiful. Printed that picture out.

Not only was she alive, but she was also nearby and looked to him to be healthy and clean. Still had the pack scent on her, but she didn’t scent the same anymore, not to him. Smelled different. She could well be Marked and Mated, he supposed. Her long loose fallen hair did not allow for him to see if she bore a Mark. He sighed, it was likely though, if she smelled different, her mates’ scent would linger on her.

She had left the fight scene and bolted for the lake, likely Kali had picked up on him and his men coming to investigate and run off, gone into the lake and not come out. Huffed in annoyance. Even found Flare felt annoyed that she would run away from him.