The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 47

Addison POV

Addison sat and watched as Thatcher actually displayed his ability to lead as an Alpha. Her son had sat next to her Mate, his father. She’d honestly thought that he was going to take Orien’s side in all of this. Now she realised, he had, it seemed, been sitting back and listening to everyone and everything that was being said. Assessing the situation for what it was. He himself had a lot to absorb today.

Addison couldn’t be more proud of her boy than she was right this minute. He had stood up to not only Orien, but Rafe as well. He was only young but had read the situation right. Knew that everyone in this room had an ulterior motive for wanting Luci, even admitted he did as well.

Though hearing Orien today call Luci his daughter, even she thought that was a complete joke. Hearing him growl at Thatcher for answering all of Luci’s questions truthfully, so she could see just how right she was about his own father. Showed her that Thatcher hadn’t taken his father’s side, was she thought, only thinking of Luci.

He was right. It was not a good idea to ask Luci to go back to Nightfall. Not even she knew if Orien would call Victor and sever their ties with him. She didn’t trust her own Mate anymore. Not where Luci was concerned and it seemed neither did Thatcher, for that matter, and it showed.

Her son, it seemed, wasn’t like his father in all respects, had even stated his father was wrong about the way he had treated herself. Now she feared he’d be punished over this display of defiance against his own father, when those two got back to the pack. There was nothing she could do about it. It was solely between them, and they would have to deal with it. If Orien couldn’t see that his own son was being a good Alpha, that was poor judgement on Orien’s part.

Where Thatcher had learned to be so selfless and think of another only, she didn’t know, certainly wasn’t Orien, had to be what he was learning in Alpha college. She’d never gotten to go to that place, had every right to, but had gone rogue herself to get away from a forced Mating. Not that she thought for a single second she’d have ever been allowed to go.

Hearing Luci voice concerns about the Luna and Beta’s Mate’s did not really surprise her all that much, but those two women would be stupid to try anything. They would replace themselves in a faceoff with Alari or the boys themselves. Though Thatcher was also right, it was Rafe and Jacks’ duty to protect Luci and the boys from their own Mates. She also knew, as did Rafe, that Luci and the boys were more than capable of defending themselves, though they should not have to.

As for what her daughter was actually worried about, where they were concerned was undiscernible, she’d gone back to being quiet when she’d answered that question. Likely just didn’t want to talk about them.

As for what Luci really wanted, she had never left this pack, never taken the boys too far away. Likely she wanted to be here deep down, in some capacity, but it also likely hurt her every minute she was here as well. Addison needed to talk to her about being a Siren and the way Mates were gifted to them. It wasn’t exactly traditional.

Addison was also very certain that Luci was never going to go very far from either her Alpha or Beta. It was likely that she considered herself theirs, why she’d never actually left. Couldn’t be far away from them. But also couldn’t be inside the pack itself. To see them with their Mates. She was likely caught between a rock and a hard place.

Then there were the twins. She didn’t think that Luci had it in her to take them completely away from their fathers. Though she had not only tried but had succeeded in keeping them hidden all this time. Right in plain sight at that, just across the lake, with the boys going to the school in the human town.

It was likely because of how she had changed she’d been able to do this. Addison had driven right past that school herself. The previous day, there had been a bunch of parents out there waiting to pick up their children. Luci had likely been one of them. Not even Addison had seen her. But she was willing to bet Luci had not missed Nightfall pack cars driving by.

This made her wonder if Rafe and Jack had ever felt the boys. They were technically always pack members, born with their pack attachment still, even she could smell the unique pack scent on them, right from the first time seeing them. It was curious to her now. Surely their wolves would have felt the boys, felt something was wrong and were agitated about something unknown to them.

Though she already knew it was Luci that did not want to be inside the packhouse, both Rafe and Jack have likely also heard her state that, they may have been inside the mudroom, but their hearing would have picked up her words yesterday.

She didn’t feel like she belonged in the packhouse anymore, wanted to live on her own, away from them and their Mates. Likely, even that cottage she was in for the moment, was going to be too close to the packhouse for comfort, when their Mates got back.

Addison knew why Luci had left, had been heartbroken, couldn’t be around to see them all happy and loved up. Still wasn’t going to want to see that now, any more than she had back then. Though those two happy and loved up, not even Addison had ever seen that. Not really anyway, something had always been off between them and their Mates. Their weight loss told her something was more than off now too.

Her eyes moved right to Rafe and Jack as Luci stated she was worried about their Mates. She was curious as to exactly what Luci was worried about. Addison knew nothing would get past Luci now. Alari would defend instantly, and she was certain, after seeing both boys come to her side yesterday, knew they too were likely to defend themselves and would be as aggressive as Alari herself in their manner of defence.

Perhaps her daughter was worried about what would happen to one of Rafe or Jack’s Mates, if they attacked her, and Alari or the boys retaliated in kind, and killed one or both of them. How would the pack feel towards her? How would Rafe and Jack feel about it? What would they do about it if Alari or one of the boys killed the Luna or the Beta’s Mate? Or both of them?

No Alpha would like the loss of his Mate, even if their Mate had started the fight. If he couldn’t intervene, Addison knew with full certainty Alari would do what all Sirens did, kill without hesitation or remorse, any and all threats to her children.

Sirens were not like other creatures, they did not just go around having baby’s willy nilly, there had to be a real genuine connection for a Siren to have a child. This usually didn’t happen unless the Siren was mated off and happily so. It’s why they lived in small groups, not large ones like all otherworldly creatures.

Though Luci had not had Alari at the time of conception, she had Siren genes, and Siren tendencies. Something else she needed to discuss with Luci, though doing so they would need to have somewhere private, no prying eyes or ears for that matter.

This office would do nicely for that conversation, actually. It was completely soundproof, as were all Alpha’s offices, kept their meetings and discussions for those only in the room and only for who needed to know.

If Rafe would let her use it, of course, though she didn’t really see a problem with it, they were getting along. He and Jack were more than accommodating towards her and Fallon. Had not once told her no, he wanted her here with Luci. She also knew that Jack had let her know about Luci the moment he had known himself. Had wanted to tell her about seeing Luci, knew she worried about her daughter.

She didn’t think that it had just been excitement at seeing her for the first time in years either. No, he’d been worried himself about her out there all alone taking on rogue wolves by herself. It likely didn’t sit well with him. She also knew that he felt responsible for Luci’s disappearance.

He had thought the worst and why wouldn’t he when she’d gone into that lake distressed and upset and had never come out, never been seen again. Likely everyone here had thought that Luci had killed herself that day. They were responsible for that. It was possible the pack blamed them for the death of a pack member. It was on their hands, even they admitted it.

She cleared her throat and gained everyone’s attention. “I’d like to talk to Luci privately.” Looked at Rafe and then Jack “May I use this office to do that please?”

“Yes.” Rafe nodded “Now or later, Addi?”

Her eyes moved to Luci. “Now I think is a good time.” She stated, “I’ll be staying a while here.” Looked at Orien. “You and Thatcher can go home, back to Nightfall. There is no need for either of you to be here anymore.”

“Addison, I think.”

“What you think, Orien, is not my greatest concern. What you think should happen, that you even have a say after you sent her away, after trying to force her to go with Victor previously, on two occasions. Means you have no say anymore. Your opinion is null and void as far as I can see. Nightfall is still allied to Victor and until you sever that, I will not be returning.”

“Addison.” He stated, somewhat shocked to hear her tell him she was going to be staying here. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is. If Victor did this to Thatcher, hurt him or tried to kidnap him, you would sever ties with him instantly, would you not? He’d be considered an enemy to the pack.”

She saw him frown, knew she was right, everyone in this room knew she was right. “Well, Orien, Victor attacked your Luna’s daughter, your Luna’s grandchildren. As far as I am concerned, he is my enemy. Until you also reach this conclusion, I will remain here in the Black Forest Pack. If you insist on keeping your alliance with Victor…you’ll replace yourself without a Luna to your pack.”

He was just staring at her now, shocked it appeared by her words, but he had heard her thoughts, everyone here had. She would also follow through. It was not a threat, their bond had been broken for weeks now. They both knew it. She did not want to reject her Mate and suffer the loss, to feel the pain. But she would do it if he couldn’t show her that he was loyal to her. That he wanted to protect his Mate, and her children, even if one was not biologically his. That should be important to him. But it was becoming clearer with every day that passed, he wanted Victor as an ally, regardless that Victor had attacked his Mates daughter, his stepdaughter and step-grandchildren as well.

She did not like this side of him at all, didn’t even know where it came from really. Yes, they fought over the years, and it always seemed over Luci. This was no different, she realised. He was still against Luci, likely always was going to be, because she’d never bled Luci to him. Their bond was not family, it should be though. He had raised her, been there the day she was born and even held her, claimed that day to have a beautiful daughter.

There were many photos, fun-loving family moments of him and Luci, with all three of them, even now, as she looked at him, her mate gifted to her by the Goddess Selena herself. She had real doubts about him. For the first time she wondered, had it all been an act? All those years together, his relationship with Luci? Did he fake it, the entire time? She had only been willing to accept him as her Mate if he had accepted her child.

Up until now she’d believed he had truly loved her as his Goddess Gifted Mate, but the last few weeks were more than difficult, were hard to understand and she felt more than disappointed in him. She felt betrayed by him and his actions towards her.

His actions and words right here in this office, his claim to Luci, only because he knew what she was, already stated he’d replace her someone to be Mated off to. He didn’t want her, just wanted what she was, to get him a good strong alliance with a bigger, stronger pack. Thatcher was right, they couldn’t trust Orien not to just mate her off to any old Alpha.

He had no idea about Sirens and their Mates, didn’t even care about letting Luci replace her Goddess Gifted Mate, just wanted to mate her off, like he always had, get that good deal for himself.

She stared hard at him as she really thought about that, he’d never really cared about that, letting her replace her true happiness. Had tried to Mate her off at nineteen and then again at twenty. Two years was not a long enough time to replace one’s Mate. Some didn’t replace them for ten years or twenty or more. Yet he’d been desperate to get her out of Nightfall and off of his hands, it seemed.

He was older than Luci when he had met her himself. She’d met him at 18, right before turning 19, and he’d been 26, so he knew one didn’t always replace your Goddess Gifted Mate quickly or within a year or two, it took him eight years to meet her. He’d just not cared at all for Luci’s feelings or her happiness. Still didn’t now it seemed, this disappointed her to no end, and not just her, but Fallon as well.