The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 15

Jack POV

Jack was back out by the lake. He had left the packhouse more than annoyed with Maria. Who’d just told him she was going home to her father’s pack for a visit. Didn’t ask about going under the current circumstances. Told him in a matter of fact tone, she was going. He had offered to go with her, and she’d just stared at him, seemed annoyed by this.

“No.” she’d stated, “I want to go on my own, but we should have s*x before I go.” Had looked at him expectantly.

“Should we?” he’d asked right back.

“Yes, we’re never going to get an heir, if you don’t bother to touch me.”

That had ticked him off royally. “I touch you all the time, daily in fact.” he’d grated out, and they did have s*x every day well most days at this moment, even though he didn’t always want to.

“Well obviously, it’s not enough Jack, you need to put more effort in.”

It wasn’t, not to get her pregnant, but he had his own theory on why she couldn’t get pregnant, several of them in fact nowadays. “Well go to town.” he’d snapped out and promptly dropped his pants and sat himself on the bed “Climb on, f**k me as much as you want, as long as you want. The way you want.” he chose his words carefully, made sure it was all going to be on her and her way.

Maria had glared right at him “Well, if you’re going to be like that, just forget it.”

Exactly what he thought she would say, Jack stood, pulled on his pants and left the suite. It had not escaped his attention that for the past several years she’d not once actively initiated s*x, told him she wanted it but never actually touched him to get it. Today was the first time he’d pushed that button to see what would happen. Nothing. Just like he thought. If she had to do it, she wouldn’t.

Jack had not bothered to see her off or k**s her goodbye, though he had made sure she had a driver, one completely loyal to him and Rafe for that matter, he would follow their orders without issue. Maria’s orders, however, he could dismiss under Rafe’s order.

Jack had told that man as much. He didn’t care what she thought about suddenly having a driver, instead of being allowed to drive herself. She would either accept having a driver or simply be refused to leave the pack altogether. He was curious as to which it would be.

He walked now with Allen and Ian along the lake’s shoreline, trying to replace out where Luci had exited the lake. She had to have done so at some point. If she lived in this lake was half Siren, half wolf. There had to be signs of her coming and going from the lake.

They were being extra careful and diligent. He knew where she had gone into the lake, that was their starting point. Wondered if he should get some scuba gear and search the actual lake himself, though it was very large and she’d likely be able to detect him long before he could her. Just move around him and stay out of sight. But it was an option.

Though he could feel Flare’s unease almost instantly, they did not mind swimming, but being fully submerged like that for hours, it was not something Flare liked the sound of.

Heard Melissa’s angry voice come down the Mind-link at him, all Luna Tone, his own Mate’s twin sister. Was completely ticked off, it seemed, at him insisting on them having a driver. And he knew it was them. One never went without the other.

“You have no bloody right, Beta, to detain us from leaving the pack.”

So, they’d refused the driver, it seemed, and the gate guards were detaining them in their car. The gates were shut and would not budge; not even for the Luna at this point. His word was as good as Rafe’s.

“I have every right. Rafe agreed. It’s necessary with all that has been going on. Deal with it or stay put.” he shot right back. He was actually able to ignore her Luna Tone, always had been, likely because he was so closely bonded to Rafe, closer than she was. If they would allow them to share, he would be considered a second Alpha to the pack. Out ranked her so to speak.

She might be the Luna, but she was no friend to him, never did like him, no respect had ever been given once here inside the pack, and nowadays he showed none in return, ticked her off even more.

“We will be leaving.” she snarled right down the mind-link at him.

“Then enjoy Titan’s company. I hear he’s quite chatty.” He cut the mind-link off and blocked her from starting another. He had other things to do. It did not surprise him that Maria wasn’t the one to mind-link to him. Not after their altercation, before he left. Always had her sister mind-link him or turn up to have words with him, used the Luna Rank to try and put him in his place.

“Don’t you make my sister cry.” were her most common words. She’d threatened to sever his bond with her sister once, about a year ago.

Jack had stared right at her, more than shocked by her words, even Rafe had been rendered speechless on that one. Then Jack, after a moment, had laughed right in her face, his temper had surfaced and he’d sneered “Go ahead Luna, I’ll banish her in an instant. Toss her a*s out into rogue territory.” hadn’t even known where those words had come from, likely years of her blaming him for them not having a pup, he supposed afterwards. Jack didn’t even know if he would actually do that. Doubted it, but it had satisfied him, the horrified look on Melissa’s face. It had come across to her that he would. She’d turned and stalked from the room away from him.

He’d never, not once intentionally made Maria cry, didn’t or hadn’t once even liked the thought of it. Usually gave Maria everything she wanted, he’d never denied her anything, not even money for her father’s pack. And that pack was a bloody money pit. At least once a month, he or Rafe were writing checks to their old pack.

Goddess only knew where the money went, or how they could spend it so bloody quickly.

Maria always stated it was for security and upgrades, it had not been a wealthy pack and they had begged Rafe for assistance, were unaffiliated with them at the time. Rafe and Jack had gone to their aid out of pity, they were a small pack of 400 and had been told they were being attacked too often by rogues to continue to defend themselves.

Neither one of them had expected to replace their Mates inside that tiny pack, but they had and twins at that. Those two girls had been standoffish at first, but being Goddess-Gifted Mates their father had persuaded them it would be a good thing. It was weird, even to this day, why their Mates had stood back and not really been interested and all drawn to them right away.

It had taken both he and Rafe a few days to even convince them to have dinner, they had been drawn instantly to the twins and only after Marking and Mating them did they seem to come around and be all ogling of them and giggly when looking at them. It was weird even now to think back on.

Shook it off, it was what it was for the moment. Guess not every Mate Bond was all loved up and happy times, all the time. Their affection towards each other dwindled over the years and only after the girls went away for a while. Gone back to their home pack actually, and then came back here after a week or so, did he feel that strong Mate Bond connection to Maria once more.

Only when she’d been gone away from him and returned, did he realise he missed her, loved her and wanted her constantly. But it only lasted a few weeks, even that now was getting less, the last time barely a week had passed before she been harping on him about a baby and blaming him.

Tried again to push it from his mind, he needed to focus on replaceing Luci. She’d not been seen in six and a half years, last night had been the first real sighting of her. He wanted to lay his own eyes on her. Apologise, he had many regrets where she was concerned.

He was often restless, put it down to how things had turned out between them, the way she’d left, that they had no confirmation if she was dead or alive, till now that was. It had bothered him greatly. Though, even now, knowing she was alive, he was still restless. Even Flare was agitated sometimes and didn’t understand why.

Now that half Siren, half wolf in the lake, and Luci, well, Kali’s tracks that led right into the lake. He was dead certain Luci was that creature that they had not only seen but had aided them and turned the tide of war for them. If not for her, they’d likely have lost two or three times that many men. Might not have won at all.

That Siren he’d seen, so beautiful just like Luci, only had a paler skin tone, it was her, had to be, too much of a coincidence in his book for it not to be and now more evidence of her, here still nearby, tracks to the lake. He was not wrong, and he would prove it.

Rafe was not totally convinced, but Jack was going to prove he was right. It was Luci. Yes, he knew she had two wolfen parents, but who knew if something had happened to Addison before they knew her, and she’d become pregnant with another. It was possible. This could also explain why Orien never wanted Luci to be the heir to his pack. Always wanted it to be Thatcher instead, had always been at odds with Addison over it too. This would really explain why she was doted on by her mother and not her father as well.

Though he did know Orien had to care somewhat for the girl, had set all manner of rules around her, to stop his packs wolves from touching her. Though Jack believed that was probably more to do with Orien’s daughter being seen as promiscuous and embarrassing him in front of other Alpha’s, he supposed.

Not that, that had worked at all. Luci had been a law unto herself, that made him smile, defied her father right from the moment she’d gotten Kali. Cheeky she was, or that’s how he and Rafe had seen her. Not Orien though. He’d told her on more than one occasion she was a disappointment to him and was too troublesome.

Jack had seen it affect her sometimes more than others. Though sometimes she’d just turn a blind eye to it, likely heard it all the time. He didn’t think she was particularly promiscuous, or at least had not been here inside this pack.

Had only wanted he and Rafe, never with anyone else in the year she’d been here with them. In her home pack he knew she couldn’t replace anyone to sate her needs like they could. She was alpha-blooded and had likely just been looking for someone who could, but Orien had not seen it that way.

Saw it as an embarrassment, a dirty mark on his pack, that shamed him, Jack thought. Though he knew if Luci had been a boy, Orien would have turned a blind eye to it and let it happen, likely been proud in fact.

They searched all along the northern edge of the lake. There was nothing, no sign of prints coming out of the lake, human or otherwise, and her scent was no more, to soft and delicate to linger for long out in the open air.

Walked all the way around the lake, saw plenty of footprints along the shoreline near the human homes and cabins that had direct access to the lake. Saw and nodded to a few of the humans walking about themselves, didn’t pay much attention to anything that led directly to a human dwelling, humans were not his concern at all today.

Nothing at all, it seemed, or the night had washed any evidence away. He sighed as he came back onto pack territory, walked himself back through the forest in no rush to the packhouse, it was lunch time already, had spent the entire morning out on the lake looking for signs of Luci.

He did not see Maria or Melissa at the table with Rafe, “Did they go?” He asked casually.

“Yes.” Rafe nodded “Why Titan?” He asked, sounding curious.

“Got good eyes, that one.” Jack shrugged.

Titan wouldn’t let Maria out of his sight. That was the plan. Told that man it was to make sure she was safe with all that had gone on around here, but it wasn’t really He was trying to see if any of his theories were true.

Jack was curious as to what Maria and Melissa, for that matter, got up to in their home pack. Neither of them ever wanted he or Rafe to go with them, told them it was better for them to stay there and look after the pack. Or that they would get bored with it being such a tiny place and all.

They always went home by themselves, stayed for a week or so, roughly every six to eight weeks, stated they just missed home and wanted to stay connected to their family. He was Maria’s family now and yet some days he felt like he was nothing to her at all.

They had even offered to bring the girls’ family here for a well-earned holiday. Their pack was huge and had way more on the entertaining side of things. Maria had shaken her head and stated her father would feel uncomfortable and like he was imposing on them. Couldn’t come here for a visit but was more than happy to accept money on a regular basis.

So, yes, he was curious as to what they got up to out there, when they went home, had been for years now, but till this minute had no legitimate reason to send a guard with her.

With the attack last week, he had a real legitimate reason to do so and had used it. They’d not been happy about it either.

Rafe was staring at him now, mind-linked him ‘are you concerned she’s unfaithful?’

‘No, I would feel that. Just want to know what goes on over there, don’t you?’

‘Never really worried about it. It’s Melissa’s home pack, she was safe there, still should be.’

Jack let it go. Didn’t want Rafe to think he didn’t trust the Luna. They might not get along, but she did do her Luna duties, without complaint and was more than capable of doing so.