The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 134

Rafe POV

He knew Bradley was dealing with personal issues with Piper and so left him alone and out of their meeting. Though now his father and the entire previous Alpha Unit were all in this room. Cooper was here, as were West and Terence.

Though starting a war, was not something anyone should want to do. They could not just sit around and risk Victor bringing war to them his way. That much was agreed upon by all. Victor and his band of unknown rogue numbers was not something they wanted coming here and attacking them from all sides.

They had seen that not long after Luci had gone missing and every one in this room was of the opinion it had been Victor. No visual proof had been attained because that man had been dressed from head to toe in all black, hiding who he was. But they were certain it was him.

He’d had plenty of men loyal to him that night, likely had even more now, than he’d had back then. All were in agreement of that as well.

The real question was, where did he keep them all. The council had reported back about those abandoned packs near the Bloodless Moon, how many were there even, but they were all in agreement that they were not Victors, only band of rogues.

Jack was on the phone to the council again and they were all waiting on the outcome of the call. Whatever he’d told them on his last call, had seemed to stir the wolfen council themselves. He did know Jack had mentioned to them that Victor had tried to kidnap and take one of their pack members for himself, that he had harmed a six-year-old in the process uncaringly in order to get to that pack member.

That they believed the man was going to come back and try again, even though she did not want to go with him. Even go so far as to tell his allies, she was to be his Luna. Because that was what Victor had told the she-wolf himself, then had told them that six year old was one of the heirs to their pack, his own son.

That council member, Alpha Austin, had listened patiently to Jack, told him he’d have one of their most trusted take a stroll on over to Victor’s pack and investigate her way and get back to him when he had news. Jack was now trying to get news.

He could feel Luci was still out with Hanna and her sisters, was keeping track of her, so that he and Jack could snag her for a conversation when she came back. He was hoping she was a bit calmer than this morning. Kind of needed her to be, to contain Jack himself. Now he understood that the man had bonded himself to Luci and not told him about it either. That kind of confused him. How did he not know? Surely he himself would have sensed that within Jack. He’d always been able to understand Jack’s thoughts and feelings.

Wondered if it had gotten passed him because he already knew that Jack loved her, so it just felt the same to him. He sighed a little to himself. Maybe he just forgot that as well. Who the hell knew? He didn’t even understand himself anymore.

Perhaps he should just mind-link to her and ask her to come to the office when she was finished, whatever it was she was doing out there. Thought about that and decided against it. The last time he’d interrupted her training with Hannah, she’d blown up a part of the forest. No, he had to let her train with Hannah and uninterrupted at that, if that was what she wanted.

He watched as Jack walked back into the war room and shook his head, “Alpha Austin stated, his contact hadn’t called him yet. Likely end of the day. To just try and be patient, she doesn’t live locally and will likely go in her beast form. So Victor will know who she is. He’ll call us as soon as she’s reported back to him.”

Rafe didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. Alpha Austin was fair and just. Most liked him, poor bastard was still unmated after 200 years. That was a very long wait for a Goddess Gifted mate, but the man seemed to be patient enough to wait around for her to show up.

He’d heard that the man had never taken a chosen Mate, just shrugged it off when it was brought up by other council members, stated something about their lives being very long, so maybe he just had to wait for his Mate to be born was all. He was going to wait.

Rafe called it a day, they couldn’t do anymore planning until they had that report from Alpha Austin’s contact. He felt Luci heading back to the packhouse and waited with Jack outside the back of the building until they could see her.

She was smiling at herself, had a ball of witch’s light floating in front of her, and he couldn’t help but smile himself. She looked happy right at that moment. He felt happiness roll right off of Jack at the sight, he liked seeing her happy.

That ball of witch’s light vanished with a simple wave of her hand as she reached the edge of the forest line and came into the clearing of the pack itself. Did that just like Hannah and her sisters did, to make it disappear. She had learned how to master it, it appeared, and was happy just being able to do that, and saw her smile widen a little even, as she’d done it.

It was a sight to see, she was almost like her old self in that one moment.

Rafe mind-linked right to her ‘Pardon the intrusion to your day Luci, Jack and I would like to talk to you, please.’

Her eyes met his a moment later, she could obviously feel where he was through the pack tether and had automatically searched him out. The smile on her face was gone, but she didn’t turn and walk away from him or Jack. Had stopped walking briefly to locate him and look from him to Jack and back, but that was all.

‘In your office?’ she asked simply.

‘Probably would be for the best.’ He commented.

‘I’ll get something to eat first.’ She answered and cut the mind-link to him. He watched her continue walking, was headed for the packhouse dinning hall, he and Jack left her to get something to eat and went to wait in their office. Left that door open for her.

She strolled into their office and looked around, spotted them sitting on the couch together. She was still carrying a cup of coffee, “You wanted to speak with me?” She asked. There was no anger in her voice, she seemed to have calmed down from this morning.

“Please come in and close the door, have a seat with us.” He asked her.

Watched her do so, and then look from him to Jack and back.

“There is news about Nightfall,” he stated simply.

“Haven’t you severed ties with Orien yet?” she asked right back, with a frown.

“Not yet…” saw her frown deepen, “We actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

“We were going to discuss it with you yesterday,” Jack offered.

Watched her look to Jack but say nothing, she’d been gone from the pack all day long.

“Orien can’t sever ties with Victor,” Rafe stated and raised his hand quickly to halt her words, “Victor will go and s*******r Nightfall the minute he does.”

“He was threatened by Victor on the way home. No one was there to protect the pack,” Jack added.

“It was actually complicated, Orien knew this the whole time. He also cleared out Nightfall within hours. All the women and children were sent to other packs. Milton’s Mate, informed your mother, when she severed herself from the pack.”

“Tracey, is Milton’s Mate.” She stated as though he didn’t know her name. “What was the threat?” she asked.

“Addison or the pack?” Rafe sighed.

“The life of one woman or the lives of 600 pack members.” Jack sighed himself.

“So mum and Orien?” she asked after a moment’s thought, “and why am I only replaceing this out now?”

“Because Thatcher was there, Addison and both Jack and I were worried, you’d go off to save Thatcher. He is now back at Alpha College.”

“I know that.” She nodded “I talked to Thatcher already…Mum and Orien?” she asked again.

“Have decided it was best to sever ties to each other, to show Victor it was over. Give the impression Orien is staying loyal to Victor,” he told her.

“Is that not the case?” Luci asked him directly.

“No.” Jack shook his head. “Victor has men mated into Nightfall, they are likely still loyal to Victor, report back to him. What goes on inside Nightfall.”

Luci was staring at them now, a deeper frown than before, she was thinking about it, knew how alliances worked and the dissolving of one, “How do you know Orien is not still loyal to Victor?” she finally asked after several minutes of thought.

“He has given us Victor’s numbers and a detailed map of Victor’s pack as it is now. A little different to your mother’s memories. As for Nightfall, only Orien, his unit and warriors remain there.”

“Luci, Victor has a very large tank of water under his packhouse,” Jack stated.

She just looked at him for a moment, then asked “You’re telling me this because.”

“It’s likely for you. Orien said it went in years ago.”

‘Wasted his money then.” She shrugged it off uncaringly “Back to mother and Orien. What is going on there?”

“We don’t know, they both agreed to sever ties, to save Nightfall, and their bond can be regrown. They’ve talked about it already.”

“It’s not up to me to put them back together. She was hurt by him, as was Fallon, by his choices, before she came here, before he and I had words. Thatcher and I have already agreed to stay out of it.”

“You both discussed it already?” Rafe was frowning at her, she was obviously in full contact with her brother, but he too was keeping things about Nightfall from her. Clearly, not even her own brother wanted her to go there.

“Mm, they always fight. He’s a chauvinistic pig of a man and mother is quite open. It was always a roller-coaster ride between them. I don’t know what she’ll do. That is something she must figure out on her own, this time.” He heard her sigh a little.

“What is it, Luci?” Jack asked, “You can tell us.”

Her eyes moved to Jack and then to Rafe himself and she seemed to be debating what to tell them. If she even wanted to at that, he thought.

Saw her just sigh heavily after a long minute, “Do you know why she went to Lucian’s Lake?”

“To retrieve your father’s ceremonial blade.” Jack stated “It’s your birthright.”

“Also to perhaps replace survivors,” Rafe told her.

“To get the blade is correct, so I can become her Alpha.” She stated simply.

Rafe was just staring at her now, more than shocked by her words “Is that something you want, Luci? To be the Alpha in charge?”

“Not particularly.” She shook her head, “Though I do understand that I’m stronger than even you,” she stated with a nonchalant shrug.

“Yes you are!” Rafe nodded. He wasn’t going to deny it at all, she was and always would be. Couldn’t even if he’d wanted to, Solar had bowed down to her. “Luci, about this morning. I do apologise, we didn’t realise that the pack did not feel Melissa sever from it. When she was rejected and banished by me.”

“Why is that?” she asked right back.

“We’re still working on that,” Rafe sighed, “From what we know, which we don’t yet have all the answers to, and we’d like to get them before the three of us sit down and chat about it. All of which Jack and I would like to do.”

“When your mother comes home, all of us together,” Jack stated.

“Our Mate bond was…” How did he do this, put it in a way that wouldn’t hurt her even more than she already had been, still was. “Not blessed by the goddess.” He stated.

“What?” She was frowning right at him now.

“We don’t know, and we only just found out a few days ago ourselves.” He huffed, was still more than annoyed about that.