The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 64

Rafe POV

He watched as Addison walked the boys into the private dining room, knew that Luci was not with her, even before she walked into the room. He could feel Luci’s tether moving away from the centre of the pack, out into the western woods.

He’d sighed internally to himself at the knowledge that she had declined to have dinner with them. Even though she had sent the boys, it only made him feel worse about their current situation. She didn’t want to be around them, she was letting them know that. Also letting them know she would be giving them access to their children, but just not her.

He could not only feel Jack’s disappointment, but sadness as well at the knowledge she was declining their invitation. This dinner had been Jack’s idea, the man wanted to spend time with her. There was nothing either one of them could do about it at this point. They might never be able to. Certainly couldn’t while they were marked and mated.

He smiled at both the boys and greeted them warmly, they smiled right up at him and he ruffled both boys’ hair and saw them giggle, shivered at the sound of it, “Daddy does that too.” They both told him as they sat down, looking at Jack.

Rafe blinked, they both just called Jack daddy, as if they looked at Jack as though he was both their daddies. Heard Addison chuckle, “More attuned than you know.” She said simply and sank herself down into a chair. “Alpha, Beta, Luci sends her apologies, but she has declined your invitation. Needs more time, you both understand.”

“We understand, Addi.” Rafe nodded. He did, didn’t like that he couldn’t do anything about it, but he did understand, at least, she had only been brought back to the pack yesterday.

“She, however, will not interfere in the two of you bonding with your sons, or spending time with them.” Addison smiled at him.

He could only nod, “We truly do appreciate that. Please pass that onto her when you go home later.”

“Home?”

“Yes, Addi. This is your home now, I fear. So, Jack and I, willingly and happily extend an official offer for you to reside here as long as you like.”

He watched her nod a little sadly but say nothing. He knew she would take up the offer. She already had plans of her own while she was here, plans that he and Jack had discussed and neither of them were doing so well with. But for now, were leaving it alone. It could take a while for her plans to come to light.

Nadia had planned this whole meal around the boys and Luci’s dietary requirements. They were even eating baked fish, freshly caught from the lake itself. With oven roasted vegetables. And she’d produced a dessert that was a strawberry tart, with a small drizzle of chocolate over it.

Watching her place it before the two boys and tell them what it was, made Rafe smile. She had great grandchildren their age, and in fact would be going to school with them next week. And she was all smiles and telling them just what they were having, mentioned that it was real melted chocolate.

He and Jack got to see the boys’ eyes light up as they stared up at her, then they had looked at Addi almost as if for permission. She’d chuckled “I think your mum would be okay with this tiny amount of chocolate.” They’d grinned all happily and dug right in.

He knew that she had made those tarts from freshly picked strawberries, had used an apple pure to sweeten it naturally as well, had told him “Those boys will be challenging my culinary skill.” She’d then smiled and rubbed her hands together, before walking away “I need a new challenge.” She called out to him over her shoulder.

He got to sit and listen to the boys all through dinner, just talk happily about playing down at the playground with the other children, and that they’d gone for a walk around the pack with their mother and grammy.

He and Jack had wanted to take the boys around the pack, to show them their new home. But he understood that Luci didn’t particularly want to spend time with them just yet. That was still going to take a while.

He looked at Addison when she brought up that the boys had loved climbing all over the equipment in the playground, and thought the boys might like to see the agility course they had here in action.

Both he and Jack smiled at that. “We can do that.” He nodded. “Let these two boys see the warriors race through it and see how it’s really done even.”

“What is it?” both the boys asked together.

“A really big playground for the adults.” Jack smiled at them, “You’ll love it, when you’re older.”

“How big?” Little Rafe asked.

“Ten times bigger than the playground.” Rafe answered him and got to watch both their eyes go really wide, and saw them filled with excitement a moment later. “Now boys, it’s just for those with wolves, you understand.”

“We have wolves daddy.” Little Jack burst out at him, all excitedly.

‘Got you on that.” Addison laughed.

“Hm, poor choice of words, I see.” Rafe nodded “Now boys, I will rephrase that, not until your old enough. Most don’t use the agility course until they are 16, and you’re what?”

“Six.” They both told him and then he saw them both just frown up at him.

“So not old enough. I’m sorry boys.”

“We have wolves.” Little Rafe told him once more.

“Yes,” he acknowledged, “But the course is designed for adults.”

“But we have wolves.” Little Rafe stated again, more firmly this time, seemed to understand why he’d changed his words.

He heard Jack laugh “He’s stubborn like you Rafe.” Then he turned to the boys. “How about, you come and look at it. It’s very tall and some of the things you’re still too small to reach up and use, you’ll replace.”

Both the boys pouted at Jack nearly instantly and little Jack sighed “Okay daddy.”

“If your mamma will let you. We’ll go and look at it tomorrow.” Jack chuckled.

“She will.” Both of them smiled instantly at Jack.

Rafe smiled right at them, he couldn’t help it, how they spoke together at the same time, he really did think it was cute, and how happy they were all the time, they only ever seemed to get down if Luci was down herself.

Sat and thought about that as he watched them talk to Jack about the obstacles they would see on the agility course. He would be able to know what Luci was feeling, what her mood was from just watching the boys, he realised. Or at least know when she was upset or ticked off, he supposed.

That could come in handy for both him and Jack until she was settled and, if he and Jack could manage it, back inside the pack house where she truly belonged.

His eyes moved right to Jack with that thought, as it dawned on him, that was just what Jack had been thinking about when he’d shut him out completely. Finding Luci a place to live, he was willing to bet that man already had it in his mind where. He openly admitted to loving Luci.

They were going to get her back. He’d cut Rafe off earlier and now Rafe knew exactly why as well. He’d not wanted Rafe to know exactly what he’d been thinking about. Luci and living with him, up on the Alpha floor. That man was rearranging somewhere on the top floor of the packhouse, inside his mind, to accommodate all of them in the one suite.

Smiled at him, Jack was never going to give up on Luci, now that she was back, not when he stated he loved her, that Flare was itching to be all over Kali and Alari at that. That in itself was an intriguing thought. His Beta’s wolf was attached to Luci and her shifters. This could well be the reason that Flare had never mated Delilah in wolfen form. His wolf was already attached to Luci and Kali.

If that was the case? Had Jack and Flare unwittingly mated themselves to Luci without telling him? If so? When had it happened? And clearly, their bond was not complete. Thinking about that, the fact that they had agreed to claim Luci, Jack had brought it up after her going into heat with them. It wasn’t usual for a she-wolf to go into heat unless she was mated.

Jack had really been on it. Before they left to go to the Wolf Valley Pack, he’d actually agreed to claim Luci. When they got home, he recalled Jack near jumping on him with joy. They’d sat and talked, agreed to do it when they got home from the Wolf Valley Pack.

He stopped his thoughts right there, stared right at Jack as he realised he’d not recalled that at all, until right this very minute. His brain was suddenly screaming at him, racing a million miles an hour now. There was no way he would have forgotten that on his own.

Sweet Goddess, he even recalled how excited not just Jack had been, that he too had been, recalled kissing the man right on the mouth. It had shocked the pair of them, but then they’d just laughed it off. Had talked about it on the way to the Wolf Valley Pack, they’d made the decision to surprise Luci with it.

He now realised, had made that decision the very day before they had left to go to the Wolf Valley Pack to assist. They had even decided they would do it, tell her and claim her on the full moon that was approaching.

Take her out to the very place in the woods that they had mated her for the first time when she’d been here at 18. Ask her there. They had been planning it. Hadn’t told anyone, they’d wanted to surprise the entire pack. Had been going to call Addison the very day they got home and inform her that they wanted to claim Luci, and make her their Luna.

His eyes moved right to Addison as he felt sadness touch him. His actual heart ached right this minute. They had lost everything, going to that pack. Not just their sons, but the woman they really loved, had lost their one true Luna, in going there. A woman who accepted both of them without question right from the day she’d met them. Denied them nothing ever, loved being with them both.

He saw Addison look right at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked him.

He pulled himself together very quickly before Jack realised something was very wrong, shook his head at her “It’s nothing.” He nodded, but he couldn’t smile, “I’m alright.” He told her reassuringly, but deep down he didn’t think that he was.

Mind-linked right to Luci, he needed to talk to her, apologise right this instant “Luci, I’m so sorry.” He told her sadly, the moment the connection was established, he didn’t want her to cut him off before he got the words out. Needed her to know, to feel that he was so very sorry, had allowed his actual sadness to flow down the mind-link to her.

Then, all of a sudden, he had people connecting to him all over the place, many pack members sounding frantic and concerned. Luci’s link was gone in that moment from him as well. What he was getting was a bunch of mind-links about a massive ball of light shooting up out of the western forest into the air.

He mustn’t have been the only one getting mind-linked to. Jack shot to his feet, as did Addison for that matter, though she couldn’t be mind-linked, but it was the twins that had his attention. They both started laughing, he stood himself, but was watching the twins “Mamma.” They both smiled right up at him.

Addison stared right at him “I’ll go.” She stated, but Jack was already on the move, leaving the dining room. “Luci’s in the western woods.” He stated as he fled the dining room. He saw Addison bite her lower l*p.

Rafe sighed “Addi?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She shook her head. “But maybe witch’s light.”

How could she have known this, but he nodded “Sounds like it.” he mind-linked right to Hannah and her sisters “What is going on?”

“Nothing Alpha, a little accident, no need to worry. Everyone is fine.”

“What was it?” he asked.

“A rather large ball of energy, should have just been witch’s light.”

“Luci?” he asked, pulling on her pack tether.

“Perfectly fine.” Hannah told him and cut the link.

He sighed and looked at Addison. “Luci is fine.”

“Mamma’s happy.” Both boys smiled up at him.

Rafe stared at them. “Boy’s, was that your mamma?” he asked them. They seemed to know an awful lot.

He saw Addison turn and look at them as well. “Yes.” They both said in unison and were climbing down from the table “We can go?”

“Yes.” Rafe nodded and saw them both run off out of the dining room, heading for the front of the packhouse. He followed them, as did Addison, all the way back to their cottage. They knew where to go.