The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 44

Rafe POV

He sat in his chair behind his desk, it had been a long morning, and he was still more than annoyed with Orien. He and his unit had gone back to the man’s suite, but had told him before walking up there that he was going to want a meeting in private, and shortly. Rafe had stated “Jack wants you off pack territory and to sever our alliance. I will be taking that into full consideration.”

Orien had glared right at him. “Your Beta is being ridiculous, is all. Needs to take a moment to calm himself down, so we can talk about Luci logically. Not emotionally. It’s why Alpha’s are in charge, not Beta’s.” the man’s own Beta had bristled, but said nothing about Orien’s comment, and didn’t like it himself.

Rafe had stared hard right at that man, Orien knew they ran this pack together and that, as far as Rafe was concerned, that statement was a full insult to Jack, who was more than reasonable on most days. “Watch your words Orien, I am in agreement with Jack on this. We rarely disagree on things. So, it would be wise to hold your tongue, or I will eject you from this pack and sever ties, but be willing to house not just Luci but Addison as well. For as long as she wants to be here. I will hold off on the severing until after this meeting has been held out of pure courtesy. Due to us being allied for so very long a time. After the meeting,” he’d shrugged, “It may very well be another matter. You might want to consider apologising to Jack.” Rafe had stated, allowing his full annoyance to show to the man. Then he had turned and banged into his office.

Now here he sat an hour later in his office. Both Addison and Orien were also in here with him. He’d sat back and watched as Addison had opted to sit on the lounge. She’d arrived first, had been down with Luci, no real surprise there. Orien had called her for this meeting, and she didn’t particularly look happy about being in here. But then neither did Rafe himself.

Orien had arrived a few minutes after Addison had and had walked over to sit on the lounge next to her. Not only had Addison glared at him, but from what he and Solar could tell, Fallon had snarled right at him. The man had frowned and moved away to sit in a single chair opposite her.

Stated “Addi please, it’s been over a week.”

Addison had simply stared right at him and said nothing, she was really ticked off and likely not going to let it go. Wondered if Orien had even attempted to apologise yet, but only after a moment’s thought, from what he was seeing. He thought the answer was no.

The three of them were waiting on Jack. He’d asked him to come for the meeting, and the man had told him to ‘Just sever ties and kick him already’ and stalked off upstairs. Was currently still upstairs, unwilling, it seemed, to be in the same room as Orien.

He was going to be even more unhappy when he came down for this meeting, and Rafe was not going to start it without Jack here. He was going to make Orien wait for Jack to stroll in, even if it took all day, so be it.

With Orien trying to lay claim to Luci, this meeting was not likely going to be a good one. He had called Luci his daughter. Not something he had done since banishing her and sending her to this very pack, to be their concubine. He also hadn’t once asked after her in the year that she had been here. Not in the years that she had been missing either. Showed no concern at all for the girl.

Only now did he lay claim to her, because he knew what she was, and had himself gotten a full dose of her Alpha Aura. He’d found out the hard way she was more powerful than he was. Now he knew that she was a double shifter, with a Siren to boot. He now wanted that for himself.

Likely, this had been why it had taken an hour to call this meeting, he had to discuss it with his unit. What he was going to do, how to get what he wanted so to speak, knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Not with the hostility she’d shown towards him, his lack of concern for her all this time. What he’d done to her mother, also knew she got on better with his unit than himself, would have taken their opinions into account, on how they thought that he could get her back into his pack.

He was going to have to come in here and choose his words very carefully and he knew it, that’s why it had taken so long to call this meeting. He wanted her to go home to Nightfall. This was not going to be a good thing to discuss. Jack also at this time had no idea the man had tried to lay claim to Luci. He hadn’t been in the room. He wasn’t going to take it so well, Rafe didn’t think. Not after their last encounter. He himself didn’t like it, but had to try and remain calm and be the Alpha.

He pulled on that tether and could feel Jack was still upstairs prowling around. Addison looked right at him. He’d already informed her he wasn’t going to be attending any meeting without Jack present. But he had informed her what this meeting was about, when she had asked him.

“I think Rafe, Luci should be involved in this conversation, don’t you?”

“I agree.” He nodded “But I don’t see her wanting to go back to Nightfall with Orien, do you?” when she’d not answered after a minute, he’d stated, “So there is no need to stress her out with this meeting. She has enough going on right this minute.”

Orien looked right at him now. “Rafe, despite what you want, Luci will be coming home. I’m certain Addi also wants this, to have her close by, back within the Nightfall Pack, it is her home. It is what my Luna has always wanted.”

Yes, he thought, what your Luna has always wanted, just not what you wanted until now. His eyes moved to Addi, she looked right at him and ignored her own Mate’s words altogether. “Rafe please, ask Luci to come, for me.” Then he’d seen her eyes glaze over.

There were only a few within the pack that she could link to right now; Thatcher and Cathy. Orien, his Beta Milton, and her Gamma Chad.

It had to be Thatcher. If this was going to be a family meeting or a battle, she obviously wanted Thatcher here to see and know what his father was planning without him. As the Heir, he should be here, in this room, but Orien had seen fit not to include him.

Rafe was certain that was because those two were about to come to logger heads over it; who was going to be instated as the Heir to Nightfall. Looked from Addi to Orien and realised that it was likely Addi wanted Thatcher to see just how fickle his father was. He had never wanted Luci instated, because she wasn’t his, had instated Thatcher, moments after she left that pack.

But now that Luci was a double shifter, he wanted her back, and to re-instate her in all likelihood, to bring power to his pack. Effectively dismissing his own son, the way he had Luci once.

This was going to be a battle and likely an unpleasant one. The Luna against the Alpha. He was curious as to which way Thatcher would jump. He’d always been close to Luci, but he would also want to stay on as the Heir.

He’d seen the very cold reception Orien’s unit were getting from Addison, was just as cold as the one Orien himself was getting. Now Addison, it seemed, was willing to pit her son against his father, as well. It wasn’t just the Alpha, Luna bond that was broken he realised. It was the entire pack that was broken. Nightfall was falling apart right before his very eyes.

Rafe didn’t want to add more stress to Luci, she was currently dealing with a lot, she’d only been back here for a day and barely a day at that. But he did open a mind-link to her as was requested so nicely from her mother. It still surprised him how it felt to connect to her mind. It felt full to him, knew now that was because he was not only connected to Luci, but also Kali and Alari as well. All of them could hear him.

‘Pardon the intrusion Luci, could you please come to my office. Your family has called a meeting and Addi is asking that you be present for it.’

He got nothing back for several seconds, then just two words ‘The boys?’

‘Bring them, I’ll have Allen or Ian sit with them, if that is alright with you? Perhaps they could all go down and play with the other children in the kid’s entertainment zone?’

Again, that pause, for many seconds ‘Alright.’ Was all she said, though he heard the reluctance in her voice. Wondered about that delay to his questions. Was it because there were three of them considering the options open to them? Did they all converse with each other to make a decision? It was possible.

He then mind-linked to Jack. The man was not even concerned about making an appearance, it seemed, he was still upstairs, ‘Jack, Luci is going to get here before you do at this rate.’ He told him and waited for it, knew he’d feel him be on the move, heading this way quickly knowing Luci was going to be in this room.

Jack wanted to spend time with Luci and the boys, heard that man and his wolf huff before severing the mind-link, but he was now on his way, could feel that through the tether. He might not want to be in a room with Orien, but would want to be in a room with Luci. Both he and Flare wanted nothing more than to be in a room with her. Despite having a Mate, she was starting to become all-consuming for Jack and Flare.

He mind-linked to Allen and Ian for them to come and meet Luci at the front of the packhouse, to watch the boys while she was in a meeting with all of them, actually asked Allen to stay close by the boys. As he wondered if Orien’s Beta and Gamma would have orders to try and collect the children. They wouldn’t get past Allen, wouldn’t even try.

Everyone was on the move. Thatcher arrived first to his office, looked at his mother and then his father. The way they were sitting, he likely understood they were still at odds, and them sitting separately confirmed that. Watched him frown and then go and sit next to his father. Rafe watched as Addison looked at her son, and noted that she didn’t smile at him either. It appeared the two of them were not getting along any better than she and Orien were. Yes, that pack was falling apart.