The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 137

Jo-anne POV

Jo-anne was walking through the packhouse foyer when she came to a halt at seeing Alpha Bradley sitting on one of the sofas with a woman. She looked quite sad and Jo-anne sighed as she felt it. There was true sadness and pain rolling off of her.

Knew the woman had to be Luna Piper, it was in the way Bradley was touching her, he was trying to comfort her, something a Mate’s touch could do. Piper herself, she’d spoken to only over the phone, had never had the pleasure of actually meeting her in person. She was a very busy woman from Jo-anne’s understanding.

Not only was she the Luna of a pack, but had a human world business to run, she was all leaned into Bradley, but her eyes were off in the distance, appeared to be lost in her own thoughts. Jo-anne saw Bradley look right at her and nod his head in greeting. He didn’t smile at her and she knew why. His Luna was upset and he didn’t know what to do about it, or couldn’t actually do anything about it.

She took in a deep breath and prepared herself to walk over there and put herself right in front of Piper, and that aura of pain she could see was rolling off of the Luna, and it was pouring out of her, like a river flowing freely and unchecked down rapids.

She’d never seen so much pain and sadness come from just one before, walked over there and nearly drowned in it as she introduced herself. “Luna Piper, she gained the woman s attention.

“Im Luna Jo-anne. Alpha West’s

Mate.”

“Hello. Piper said softly as she turned soft brown eyes on her, to acknowledge her presence.

Jo-anne sank herself down on the coffee table right in front of the woman, couldn’t help herself, wanted to help her. Extended her hand to the woman. Piper glanced at it. ” I’m sorry, I’m not really in the right frame of mind, Luna.”

“I completely understand.” Jo-anne nodded, but she needed to touch the woman in order to help her. Was now just staring at her, couldn’t it seem take her eyes off of Piper.

There was more to her than she was seeing. She was shrouded in something that felt very familiar to her.

Couldn’t quite place her finger on it, knew she was being rude, by sitting there staring at her and still holding her hand out, watched as Piper became uncomfortable under her intense and direct gaze.

“I’m sorry Piper, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.

But I am a healer and you have pain,” Jo-anne told her, changing tactics. “I may be able to help ease your pain, better than any Gamma or even your own Mate can.”

She saw Brad flinch at her words, in her peripheral vision.

Ignored it, that man was of no concern to her at all. Stayed focused on Piper herself, could now feel Clova was up inside her mind and looking at the woman as well.

Closed her eyes briefly as she felt Clova shift and unite them as one, opened her eyes and looked right at Piper ” Please.” They stated together as one “Take our hand.” It was not something they did very often, usually only when they were severely ticked off and in an all Alpha fury of uncontrolled proportions.

But this woman before them, pulled at every fibre in their being, both her and Clova. They ached to touch the Luna before them, held their hand out to her and stared right at her. Saw as Piper really looked at her now, registered the difference in her she supposed.

“Don’t be afraid, we won’t hurt you. Not ever, you already suffer enough…please take our hand.” She and Clova spoke as one. She knew her eyes were glowing as were the moons down her back, and could see that Piper was more than a little reluctant.

Saw her wolf push forward and look right at her. White wolf’s eyes and shot to their feet, as pain rolled right off of the beast before her, they stumbled backwards as if they were hit with it. Gasped as though they’d been slapped right in the face by it.

Felt Clova fall away from her as she fell backwards, felt hands on her and knew it was West, catching her before she fell down completely. “I’ve got you.” he murmured and sank them both down to the floor, as tears poured out of her, a sob escaped her. she looked right up at him, as he looked down at her.

“Take a breath sweetheart.” He said gently, never took his eyes off of her, touched her face softly, “Breathe, Jo-anne.”

She sat there in his lap staring up at him, trying to cope with the pain shed felt. It wasn’t even hers, but struggled with it. Took a moment for Jo-anne to realise West was telling her to breathe because she actually wasn’t breathing, had sucked in a breath with that sob but not released it. Let it out finally.

“There you go.” He sighed softly.

“Thank you.” She murmured.

T.J. was suddenly right there next to her looking down at her. “Who hit you?” He grated out.

“No one.” She shook her head.

“No one,” West also told him.

Her eyes moved back to Piper, both she and Bradley were staring at her wide-eyed. “I’m sorry.” She sighed must really look like odd behaviour. West helped her up,

“Your

wolf..”

“Has white eyes.” Piper nodded.

“It’s not that,” Jo-anne shook her head “She has pain and not just hers. She carries others pain or…at least I think that is what I felt.”

Jo-anne took a moment for herself and then sat herself back down once more, “Please Piper let me help you.” She could see sadness in the woman now. “You can’t, it’s not something that can be fixed.”

“May I at least try.” She held out her hand once more.

Piper sighed herself and then just nodded, took Jo-anne’s hand in hers and there it was, that something so very familiar to her. Felt Clova once again pull forward and unite them as one, to try and figure out just what it was they were sensing.

It was old magic, very old they realised, and tied to the wolf herself, not the woman. What she had felt was the wolfs linage all of them in that b***d line had pain. The woman’s wolfen bloodline was shrouded in magic and not the nice kind. Dark magic, as was the pup that she was now carrying. It was a girl and already Jo-anne knew it carried the wolf’s bloodline, this was the pain that was in them right this minute,

it was something that they couldn’t

escape, something her own children couldn’t escape.

She released Pipers hand “I need a minute.” She stated.

“I don’t expect you to be able to do anything,” Piper said quietly, and leaned back into Bradley.

Jo-anne stood and prowled around, paced back and forth in the foyer, West sat and watched her, as did T.J., her eyes moved to Piper many times as she tried to sense out the actual magic around the wolf’s bloodline itself. She was replaceing it more than difficult to do so. Didn’t like not being able to understand it either.

Realised after several minutes that there was something else blocking her from sensing out the actual magic, something was in the way, actively hindering her, looked right at Piper and realised it was a charm of some sort.

Stopped walking and stared right at her, slid her eyes right over her all slowly trying to detect that charm, where it was on her. Saw nothing but normal jewellery on the woman.

She reached out with her witchcraft to try and have it sense it out and there it was she was drawn to Pipers chest, saw a fine chain around her neck.

Walked over and tilted her head as she assessed her closer,

“Piper, you are wearing a magical charm of some sort.

Take it off please.”

Brad shot right to his feet and his wolf was right there on the surface, snarling at her all aggression. Stepped itself between her and Piper. “Don’t you touch her.” She heard both the man and wolf snarl at her, a full threat, and she knew it.

Held both her hands out to stop West and T.J. they were both on their feet and she knew it,

, “It’s fine.” She told them,

but then felt those spider-like sensations crawl all over her brain and muttered “Back off, the kingdoms seers are tracking the threat you are posing to me.”

“You will not touch her,” they snarled again.

“Fine.” Jo-anne nodded “My apologies. She even took a step back away from them to show she was of no threat.

Heard T.J’s phone ring, and then he cursed out loud and walked away to answer it, knew it was their mother. Shed also likely felt those seers or seen them herself. “You might want to warn Rafe and Jack that the kingdom seers might be on the way here.” She told West.

“Great,” he muttered and she watched him look at T.J. “I’ll wait for the outcome of that call and the next.” He sighed.

“What for?” Bradley grated out now, his wolf having receded

“Because you and your beast just posed a full threat to me and my safety. I may have renounced my claim to the royal kingdom but King Christian won’t accept it, so any threat against myself is for his seers to investigate.” She sighed

Watched him frown “I only wanted you to back off. I will not have you remove her charm.”

“It’s protecting her then.” Jo-anne understood now. Looked at Piper. “May I see it then, I will not attempt to remove it.”

“I’ll need your Luna’s Oath on that.” Bradley stated flatly all

Alpha now.

Jo-anne raised an eyebrow at him. “Sure.” Held out her hand right to him “I’ll give my oath not to remove it, and you’ll give your oath not to interfere in my assessment.”

“Enough, Brad, sit down, I don’t want seers in your brain or mine for that matter.” Piper muttered, then practically yanked him back down on the sofa. Jo-anne watched her pull a pendant from beneath her shirt and showed it to her.

“I can’t take it off, just so you know, not ever.”

Jo-anne nodded as she hunkered down and really looked at it. Its magic was also old, she could tell, almost as old as the magic on her wolfs bloodline. “What exactly does it do?”

Piper shook her head.

. “I can’t discuss that out here in theopen.”

“Not ever.” Bradley stated

Jo-anne’s eyes moved to his “It’s that bad then?”

“Yes.” Both Brad and Piper stated together.

Jo-anne nodded her head and stood up, thought about it long and hard, that charm Piper was wearing was actively blocking Jo-anne from truly understanding the magic that caused her wolfs linage to be so filled with pain. That charm also felt somehow familiar to her as well. They were connected; the black magic and the white magic.

Somehow, there was a connection between them both.

“Perhaps we could all have dinner together. Privately in one of our suites. I will keep the confidence, swear an oath to do so and retain it for my very long life. Never relinquish it.”

Piper was frowning at her now. “Why would you do this?”

She asked

“I need to.” Jo-anne stated simply “My wolf and I are drawn to you. Crave to touch you, replace out what is familiar to us about you and, there is something. We also want to rid you of that pain you have. But to do so, we must know the root of the evil that bewitches your wolf’s bloodline.”

Piper was just staring at her now, seemed to be thinking about it, saw her and her wolf talk to each other, moved her eyes to Brad, that man still looked very unhappy with her.

“JoJo.” She looked to T.J. “Mother is contacting Christian to call off the seers.”

She nodded, “A good idea. I don’t see a threat, just concern for Piper’s actual safety and wellbeing.”

“You shouldn’t be the one thanking me.” T.J. stated “Alpha Bradley should be, seeing as he was the one posing a threat to you.”

“I was only defending my Luna as any Mate would.”

Bradley stated.

“You could have simply stated no,” T.J. shot at the man. “I understand how protective you are of Piper, but you threatened a royal princess, is that really wise?”

She heard Bradley sigh now and saw him look right at her “

My apologies Luna.” He stated and inclined his head slightly, “But you must understand, I need to protect Piper, even from those allied.”

Jo-anne looked at him. “It’s fine, I didn’t know it was life-threatening, will…choose my words carefully and I will give you my sworn Luna’s Oath at dinner.”