The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 43

Luci POV

Luci opened the front door to replace Thatcher standing on the other side. He smiled right at her and then just stepped up and hugged her to him. “Thank the Goddess, Luci. That you’re okay.”

She had hugged him back, it had been a long time since she’d seen her little brother, he’d grown a lot, was tall, taller than she was even, typically of an Alpha Male she supposed. “I missed you too, little brother.”

She got to hear him chuckle, “I’m not so little anymore. But haven’t you changed now?”

She just nodded. He was a good two inches taller than she was “I have.” She stated, there wasn’t much she could say, she knew she looked different. Although her face was still the same, only her height and hair were different. Well, that and her build now. Also knew she smelled different as well.

“May I come in Luci?” He asked.

Luci stepped aside and let him in. She caught movement behind him and saw Rafe walking with Orien and his Beta and Gamma. Jack was stalking ahead of them looked royally ticked off to her. She wondered just what was going on, but closed the door before any of them saw her, and realised she was watching them. It was really none of her business.

“I heard from mum, I’m an uncle now.” Thatcher stated, looking right at her and then moved his eyes to the lounge area, where the boys were sitting.

“I guess that you are.” She motioned for him to step into the loungeroom.

She saw both her boys look right up at him and heard Thatcher state “No need to guess who’s they are, huh?”

She told the boys he was their uncle Thatcher, her brother. Both of them smiled at him but didn’t get up. He smiled back at them and said hello.

“No.” Luci answered him, there was no need they looked exactly like their fathers, even their Siren-Wolves were a blend of their fathers’ colouring. Everything about them was all their father. Nothing really of her in them bar that Siren part of her.

“Did you know? When you left?” Thatcher asked her as he looked at them.

“I did. It’s why I left.” She answered honestly. Walked to the small dining nook and sat down, he followed and sat opposite her.

“Do they have names or are you going to make me guess?” He shook his head.

“They are named after their fathers.” She shrugged.

“You’re still a bloody glutton for punishment, I see.” He half chuckled.

Luci didn’t really see it that way, neither had Kali, for that matter. Both she and Kali had wanted to name them after their fathers, even before those two had come home with Mates. After leaving, it gave the boys a connection to their fathers, even though she’d raised them away from the pack, and their fathers had not known about them, their names didn’t actually cause her or Kali any pain.

Naming them after their fathers, kind of comforted her and Kali, to have a small part of her Alpha and Beta with her always. To be able to continue to say their names. Something she longed to do but couldn’t, they weren’t hers anymore.

She nor Kali had changed their minds about it even after leaving, even after all the pain of loving them, and then leaving them. Her boys were all she had left of the two men she loved. Nothing would change that ever. She still didn’t know how she was going to handle their Mates coming home and replaceing out about her and the twins. Likely it was going to be Alari who would deal with it, if it got out of hand.

“Not really, I always knew that one day, they would come here, and want to meet them. This way there would be no mistaking who they were.”

“There would never be an issue with that, Luci. They would feel it instantly, their connection to the boys. Just like you know, I am your brother. Got that family bond between us.”

She did feel that, even though she was no longer a member of the Nightfall Pack, their brother and sister bond was still intact. “I hear you have a Mate.”

“Yes.” He smiled now, “only been a few weeks. You’d like her, Cathy. Though she’s not at all comfortable with mum and dad’s tension right now.”

Luci sighed herself, she’d seen it. “It’s my fault, I hear. Always is when they fight. I hear Orien doesn’t want me going back to Nightfall.” She knew it, didn’t need to be told. He’d tried to Mate her off more than once, and then given her away as a concubine. He had always, in her eyes, been looking for a way to rid himself of her. She wasn’t his and he didn’t want her around, not after he got Thatcher, his own flesh and b***d.

Saw Thatcher stare at her “I’m sorry Luci.” He stated “I didn’t help the situation either. I even thought mother would bring you home, and try and seat you in the Alpha chair. You are the oldest and the eldest child is usually the one who takes over.”

“I’m not at all interested, Thatcher, it’s all yours.” She told him without concern, it was the simple truth she didn’t want it. “I left years ago. I have no intentions of going back either.”

“So, then you’re going to stay here?”

“I don’t know that either.” She answered honestly.

“I don’t think Alpha Rafe or Beta Jack will want you leaving now Luci.” His eyes moved to the twins pointedly.

“It won’t be up to them.” she shrugged, and it wouldn’t, they couldn’t make her stay, Alari would bend them to her will. “Their Mates are also not going to accept the boys and could cause trouble.”

“Hmm, I still think they’ll want you and the boys here. Something will be worked out. And where would you go, Luci, to who’s pack?”

“I don’t know Thatcher.” And she didn’t though her conversation with her mother about where Lucian lived was always an option. Technically, if that was her father’s home, it would be Alari’s to inherit. She knew Alari felt the lake here was hers, but her curiosity about where their real father lived had been piqued.

“It would have to be strong, Luci, to keep you protected from Victor. I don’t exactly know what is going on right at this minute, not been involved or informed about the goings on. But mum said she was waiting to see who dad was going to side with, her or Victor? What is that about? Of course, he’ll choose mum. She’s his Mate.”

Luci sighed now, not even she knew who Orien would side with. Thatcher might think his father would side with their mother, but even she had real doubts about that after hearing what her mother had told her. “Victor, tried to take me just yesterday. Hurt little Jack too. He still thinks I am his because Orien told him he could have me.”

Thatcher was frowning right at her now. “I’ve not heard Victor once bring your name up, since you came to live here.”

“That doesn’t mean anything, Thatcher, just that he didn’t tell you what he wanted.”

“You’re certain this is…”

“Stop Thatcher. I’m not lying to you, he came to my place of work, sedated me after he told me I was his.” She was more than annoyed at her brother now, for questioning her over this.

“I didn’t say you were Luci. It’s just odd and very out of the blue. Considering how long you have been gone, is all. I’m just trying to figure it out, nothing more.” He tried to placate her.

Luci didn’t like it. If this was how he thought, it was likely what Orien thought as well. He probably still wanted to hand her over to that man in all likelihood.

It seemed he had raised Thatcher to be just like him, and as Luci sat there looking at her brother she wondered if he was a chauvinistic pig just like his father was too. Didn’t ask him that question but wondered, honestly wondered.

He looked like Orien, she realised. They only shared their mother’s genes, was curious if he had been given any of their mother’s witch genes. Or if he was solely just a wolf, though she wasn’t about to go and out her mother’s linage to him. She had no idea who knew about that and who didn’t. Her mother had not told anyone, didn’t want anyone to know she guessed, so it wasn’t her place to tell him.

Though surely if she had noticed it over the years as a child and teen, her mother’s eyes glowing ever so slightly at times, surely both Thatcher and Orien had as well. She also wasn’t affected by silver, which was interesting to Luci, more witch than wolf in some ways, she guessed.

“How do you feel, Thatcher?” She asked him “about what your father did to our mother?”

“What do you mean?” He asked right back.

“Do you not know?…” She stared at him. Surely he had to know “He bound her with silver. Have you not seen her hand?”

She heard him sigh now “I’ve seen it, Luci. She attacked her own pack members, there were deaths, she was a threat to her own pack.”

“Really, that’s your belief.”

“That’s what happened.” He nodded.

“Did Orien tell you she only did it, because he was denying her the right to come here and search for me…that it would never have happened if he’d let her come here.”

“Still Luci, injuring your own pack, killing them.”

“Only because your father ordered those pack members to detain her, at all costs, Thatcher, and for what? For his need to keep you as the Heir, his not wanting me in that pack. It was cruel and completely uncalled for. I was never coming back, you know that, I told you that long ago.”

“I wasn’t there Luci.”

“But you think it’s acceptable,” She countered.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yes, you did. Said she injured pack members, were deaths, all which could have been avoided by simply letting her come here. It’s all on him, Thatcher. He denied his own Mate the right to search for her missing child, because of his selfish need to keep you as his Heir.”

“I don’t think we should argue about it, it’s for them to sort out Luci. I wasn’t there.”

“If you were, would you have stopped him? told him to let her go or sided with him? I’m curious.”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t there.” He reiterated to her.

Luci stared right at him. “So just no comment basically, that your own father harmed his Mate.”

“Technically, Luci, she harmed herself.”

“He bound her with silver.” She snapped “Would you do that to Cathy?, your Mate over her wanting to search for her child.”

Heard him sigh now “No,” he shook his head “I would have sourced other options available to me.”

“So, it was wrong of him?”

“I wasn’t there Luci. I’m not going to choose sides, likely they were both in the wrong. You only see mother’s side because you don’t like my father.”

“I don’t like him.” She agreed, had lost all respect for him and stopped loving him a long time ago. “He tried to Mate me off against my will, more than once, and then kicked me from the pack for not doing what he wanted, which was being Mated off to Victor.”

“Like you didn’t want to be here with Rafe and Jack.” He shot right at her. “We’re not going to agree on anything where he is concerned.”

“You’re right on that.” She muttered; they had been raised very differently “I hope you’re not just like him.”

“He’s not a monster, Luci.”

“No, just a chauvinistic a-hole. Who I hear clapped you on the back when you got laid for the first time. I got reprimanded.”

Saw him frowning right at her now “I didn’t come here to argue with you Luci.”

“Of course, you didn’t, because you are probably just like him. Think that all girls should wait on their Mates, and men can just go w*****g themselves around at will and be proud of it. But it was still fine for him to try and Mate me off and not let me replace my Goddess Gifted Mate.”

“I’m done Luci.” He stood up. “I can see now why the two of you could never get along. You’re picking a fight with me over nothing.”

“Not over nothing, Thatcher. I’m trying to see if you are indeed just like him, is all. I guess you are. I hope for your sake, Cathy’s sake, you only have boys.” She muttered and watched him stalk out of the front door.

It had not escaped her attention that Thatcher had stated he’d have sourced other options, which could only mean he did agree with Orien, would have sided with his father. Would in fact do that to his own Mate, confine her against her will if there was a dispute between them. No wonder they liked Victor, they were probably more alike than they knew.