The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 27

Rafe POV

He could hear everything that was going on inside that very tiny dwelling. He watched Petra walk all the way around it, then just stop and glare right at him and Jack. It was pretty obvious to him that she did not like what she was seeing.

Well, neither did he, for that matter; it was so very small, and he had no idea how Luci and both of the boys lived there, but it was clear to him that they did. She had walked right here, or her Siren had, nil hesitation at all, had taken them an hour to get here from town as well.

She had no money of her own to support her, knew that Orien had cut her off from the pack, none of her pack cards had worked within a day of leaving. And she’d wanted for nothing, inside their pack, had everything she could possibly want, had only to ask. Though had not really asked for much.

Likely that gym logo on her clothes, meant she worked here in town, in the human world, to try and support herself and the children. Their own boys also went to the local school here in the human world. No one even knew they were there. He kept all the small children inside the pack, only teens came out to go to the high school, and it was on the other side of the town. The pack bus didn’t even have to drive by the primary school.

Would like to have them all be schooled inside the pack, but they had to learn how to act properly in the human world, interact with humans. Some of them could well have human Mates. It also allowed them to learn not to talk about who they were, act human. This could be hard for some of them to do. It was the first real time they had to, as they were old enough not to speak about wolves.

The little ones you just didn’t know if they could hold their tongues, so they were best kept inside the pack. That’s why they didn’t go to school out here with humans till they reached high school.

He was just standing a few feet away, and was listening to her talk to her boys, twin boys! One to each of them. That hurt him. It was likely why Solar was sometimes annoyed and agitated about nothing known to him. They had a son out there but wasn’t truly connected to him. But they were now.

It was likely that Luci had gotten pregnant that one time she’d gone into heat and been completely insatiable. He’d suspected she might have mated herself to them during those few days, though she’d not had the compulsion to Mark either of them, so he didn’t actually think that she had in the end, because nothing about her towards them had changed. She had not said anything either.

He also doubted he would have stopped her marking him if she had tried to, but she hadn’t. He also knew that Jack would not have stopped her, would have marked her right back. It was never Jack that had held off on their claiming of Luci.

Jack had always wanted to claim her. Rafe had been the one to stop that. She wasn’t their Mate and they weren’t hers. She’d been 21 at the time, and they had known her since she was 18. Neither of them had scented her out in all the full moons she had been known to them.

It wasn’t right to try and claim something that wasn’t yours. They had no right to take that away from her. If they had Marked and Mated her, she would have lost the ability to replace her Goddess Gifted Mate. That was his belief and Goddess Gifted Mates were precious. He sighed internally, or were supposed to be.

If he and Jack had Marked and Mated her then, both of their boys would have grown up inside their pack, spoiled bloody rotten in all likelihood. Loved not just by their mother, but by both he and Jack as well. Even Addison would have been around for them. Sighed once more, she was in their pack right now.

Mind-linked to Jack ‘We need to get word to Addi on this.’

‘I’ve already sent word to Ian. She’s coming and fast, I believe.’ Was his reply.

Rafe looked at him for a moment, but let it go. The man, when he’d found out about Luci, had not told him first, had notified her mother before even telling him. Found it important to keep Addison in the loop on her daughter even before his own Alpha.

He saw Jack’s eyes move to where the pack was and he looked himself. He could see Addison running towards them at full Alpha Wolf speed. Right along the edge of the lake, completely uncaring for any humans that might see her. She’d obviously not left the border, even though he had told her to go back to the packhouse, that he would bring Luci home, to her.

‘Did you tell them to tell her about the boys?’

‘I told Ian,’ Jack commented.

So, it was highly likely that Addison knew about her grandchildren already. That would account for her speed, though a part of Rafe was surprised that she hadn’t shifted to Fallon, her wolf would move much quicker. Probably the only reason she didn’t, was that she was out in the human world in broad daylight.

He heard the conversation Luci was holding with the boys inside that dwelling. Both of the boys had their wolves, well his son had called his beast a Siren-Wolf. Astral his name was. And although little Jack was upset that he’d not shifted with his twin, he too knew the name of his beast ‘Spark,’ it was likely that the boys were a true hybrid of their species.

He smiled at Jack, ‘Astral Spark.’ He mind-linked right to him, saw that Jack also smiled about their sons’ beasts’ names, ‘Like us, can join their names together.’

Jack was also happy with this, and to hear her say he’d used his Siren call and that little Rafe had shifted and put fear into Victor, he already knew that the two boys were strong and powerful.

Though they had not looked back at him or Jack on the way here to their home, as they had walked with Luci’s Siren. A creature that it appeared had not taken to either of them. Little Jack was wanting to shift, which made Jack himself smile even more. His boy not only had a beast but knew he could shift, and wanted to let him out.

They would get to see them in their fully shifted state. Neither of them had seen little Rafe in his Siren-wolf form, but then neither had Luci or either of her beasts. Petra had though, and Sarah, likely several if not all of the teens that had backed her up, backed his son up, their future Alpha.

He would have to question her later about what he looked like, though he might not need to, if little Jack wanted to shift. If those two were as connected as closely as he and Jack himself were. Then little Rafe would want to run with him. Their two Siren-wolves would want to run freely together.

He wondered if Kali would shift and run with them as well. Rafe could already feel that Solar was wanting to go and run with his pup. Knew Flare wanted it without a doubt. Could feel that coming from him, he could feel a similar excitement from both Solar and Flare, at the prospect of being in wolf form with their pups.

They did not hold Addison up, waved her right in to see her daughter, heard the love in her voice as she spoke, when she laid eyes on her daughter, despite the two of them being separated all this time. They were still connected and strongly bonded, teased each other right away.

A full shiver ran through Rafe when he heard the twins giggle happily. Saw that and so did both Jack and Petra. It must be a natural response to the sound it made. Part of their Siren showing in that giggle he’d thought. Then, to hear Addison say they sounded like their pappy, she had to mean Lucian, her first Mate.

Watched as she stepped outside with Luci and the boys, actually saw pain in Luci’s eyes before they fell away from him and Jack. Just looking at them caused her pain, whereas once looking at them, had brought happiness and desire to her. They had done this to her, made her feel alone and sad.

He watched as both the boys registered their mother’s pain, and then just refused to come and say hello. As connected to her as they were to each other. Likely any interaction with he and Jack where the twins were concerned. Might be delayed, he now realised, due to how Luci felt about them.

He did not know or understand a Sirens’ nature, but was willing to bet that, that part of them was the strongest and likely, if their Siren was unhappy with something, the boys would go with it.

Got to hear Addison ask her daughter what her name was, called her daughter. She had to be talking to Luci’s Siren. She knew Kali. They were interacting as they were walking ‘Alari.’

Felt Jack’s voice inside his mind nearly instantly “Luci, Kali and Alari. All three linked together.’ Connected by their linage, he supposed.

Stepped onto pack territory and heard her footfall stop, he was completely tuned to her movement right this minute ‘Leave her.’ it was Jack ‘she will need a minute, it’s been a long time.’ He told Rafe. He was also, it seemed, tuned into her.

But then Jack had always known what Luci needed, it was natural for him almost. It’s one of the reasons Rafe was or had always been surprised she wasn’t their Mate. A part of him still didn’t understand that; why wasn’t she?

He turned and looked at her, she was literally only an inch from the packs border. Knew exactly where it was, both the boys were standing next to her, as was Addison. None of them said anything.

Luci herself was standing staring at the ground. She hadn’t been home in a very long time. But Jack was right, she still had the pack scent on her as did the twins, she’d never severed herself from the pack. Never even gone far away. Technically, the boys were born into their pack, it was just that they had not known about it.

They were not officially registered either, but they would be by the end of the day. Neither of the boys had ever been on pack territory before. He was certain of that, he was dead certain that he or Jack would have felt them. Solar and Flare were always agitated about something in the back of their minds. If these two had connected themselves to the pack territory, by setting foot on it, their wolves would have known for certain.

Looked right at his son, pushed a little with his mind to see if he could connect to the boy. He had his beast, so he should be able to. He saw his boys’ eyes move right to him, felt the connection, then felt anger come down the line and then it was severed from his boys end.

Saw his boy’s wolf right on the surface, and a low sound emitted from it, and all of a sudden Alari was on the surface and hissing at him, stepped right into the pack’s territory in front of her son.

“Don’t ever do that.” She snarled right at him.

Rafe looked right into those black eyes of hers. Not a single emotion could he detected in those black eyes of her Siren, but the hard look on her face and her tone implied she was very unhappy. “My apologies.” He stated, without hesitation. “I did not mean to offend…we were simply curious.”

“Back off.” She snarled at him again.

Rafe took a step back. He had not meant to upset or anger his own child, was simply curious as to whether he could connect a mind-link to him was all. The answer was, yes. But it clearly was not welcomed by his boy. Rafe already knew that Alari could make Solar bow down, she was more powerful than he was, and he did not want to hurt her or her to harm him for that matter.

“Rafe.” It was Addison. “Sirens are not at all like us, please give them all time to adjust, they’ll need that.”

Rafe nodded his head. “Of course, I will.”

‘Idiot.’ Jack snorted down through the mind-link, sounded fully amused inside Rafe’s mind.

He seemed to be on a very different page to Rafe, was likely curious, but had no intention of interacting with them at this point. He did know that Jack had been researching Sirens. Perhaps he understood them a lot better than Rafe.

“Come when you are ready,” Rafe told Alari. “I’ll leave you to be, again my apologies.” He stated and meant it. He didn’t want to offend her, any of them. He turned and walked away.

Jack fell into step with him ‘They’ll be alright, the boys will come around quickly, they are just responding to Luci’s emotions, I think. Alari…she might take a bit more time.’

‘Alari might never accept us, she was brought out by Luci’s heartbreak.’ He sighed, hated knowing that fact.

‘Give her time, she is a part of Luci now, she’s just never had anything to do with us, she did save us, remember.’

‘I know. That doesn’t mean she will come around Jack.’

‘Yes, it does. I get the distinct impression Alari has full control over all of them. She is the strongest of them. She would not have helped us if she herself didn’t want to.’

‘I hope you’re right.’

‘How’s Solar doing?’

‘Curious, though that agitation that’s always been eating at him, is gone completely now.’ Rafe admitted.

Heard Jack chuckle ‘Flare’s is gone also. Likely a part of them felt the twins, but didn’t understand what it was, not having known about them or seen them before.’

‘How’s Flare?’ Rafe asked in return.

‘Wants to rub himself all over Luci…well Kali, I guess.’

‘What?’

‘Odd, but that is how he feels, gets even weirder. Is itching to come face to face with Alari, wants to see her in her true Siren form.’

Rafe frowned now, the man was mated. His wolf shouldn’t want to rub himself on any one bar his Mate. ‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, tight-lipped on that. He also wants little Jack to shift, to see his pup.’

‘Solar wants that too. I’m also very curious myself.’

‘I don’t think it will take long, the boys are very connected and little Jack wants to shift, the minute Luci gives the go ahead, it’s likely they both will.’

Rafe was in agreement with that, though Flare’s response to Luci was very odd. Though he did know that Flare had no interest in his Mate at all. Never did after that first initial mating to each other, something had always been off between those two. Wondered now about Flares feelings for Kali? Was that the issue? Perhaps the man’s wolf had also wanted to mate to them as much as Jack had.

Finally, he felt all of them walking into the pack, through the woods, and relief flooded him. He’d not even realised that he had been worried about it. Obviously, he had been somewhere deep down. Did not know what was going to happen at this point.

Just walked on at a casual pace all the way down the forest trail that would lead to the centre of the pack, and the packhouse itself.

He did not have word yet on what was going on in the human town, how the clean up was going. How many humans had seen Astral rip out of his own son or had been injured by little Jack’s Siren call?

Though none of his wolves had been injured by it, that was a curiosity in itself. He wondered if Spark had full and complete control over his call, which he’d used for his first time only this morning.

They had gotten Victor’s Beta, and he was now wondering if that man had survived, wondered just how Victor had survived. He was going to have to question that man. Sighed heavily, not question him, tortured him in all likelihood, he knew Beta’s did not give up information on their Alpha’s intentions or pack information either. Would opt to die instead.

If he’d survived, and that was a big if, Rafe had seen the b***d coming from the man’s ears and nose, it was just like that day Victor had attacked them. His men had looked like that before dying. It was highly possible he was dead, though he had yet to hear anything.