The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 67

Luci POV

It was a nice long casual walk down a winding road through the forest to the eastern side of the pack. This road had not been there the last time she’d been inside the pack. It was cool and shady under the tree canopy, as they walked to the house they were being shown. Both the twins were running along ahead of them as she and her mother walked along behind her Alpha and Beta.

They were telling her about the homes that she could see were all dotted along this very road. There were 10 of them, which they had built for their pack members who wanted a private place to celebrate with their families for various occasions.

Luci knew that their word choice was carefully chosen. They had deliberately not stated for their wolves to celebrate their Mate Bond Anniversary. Which, she knew, is what these actual homes were for. Wolves like to spoil their mates and celebrate their bonds with each other, or most of them anyway.

With a trip away or a night out, a big fancy dinner, which she had, of course, seen and heard many times, having grown up inside a pack, knew there was also lots of s*x during these occasions as well, it would generally go all night long. Didn’t know why they bothered with watching their words, she knew what these homes were for, they would also know she would understand it. so there was no real need to choose their words so carefully.

She noticed that these homes were all separated by several hundred meters of thick dense forest, and they were all down a winding or straight driveway off the actual road itself. She was also willing to bet they all had top notch sound proofing.

Those homes from what she’d glimpsed, of a few of them, weren’t all that old. They had been built when she’d not been here, so somewhere between one and six years old. It seems that her Alpha and Beta had made many changes to the pack. She wondered absently if it was their mate’s influence or doing perhaps.

“Why build them? What made you do this?” she asked curiously.

Watched as both of them turned and looked at her, “It’s good for the pack.” Rafe told her with a smile.

“How did you decide to and whose idea was it?” she questioned further.

“Mine and Jacks.” Rafe answered her. “Some of the pack members have family in our affiliated packs and those packs have what are called retreat homes. Our pack members get to use them when visiting. Homes that those packs allow for parties and celebrations to be held in, by their own wolves as well.” He told her.

“We took a page out of the Eclipsed Moon Pack’s book in this one. Oh, West and Terence will be coming tomorrow along with Bradley and Cooper. Do you recall those Alpha’s and their Beta’s? West has been in charge for just over three years now.”

“Mm, I met West and Terence. West was a grumpy man.”

“Not anymore.” Jack laughed.

“Why are they coming?” she asked, understanding that ‘not anymore’ the man had likely found his Mate. It was supposed to change one for the better, make one happy. Also, knew the answer to her question. It was going to be because of Victor.

“Victor is going to come back, Luci, at some point. We need to be prepared.”

“I’m sure he is.” She nodded “I don’t wish to discuss it, in front of the boys.” She stated flatly, in case they thought now was the time to do so, seeing as she’d started this conversation with them.

“Fair enough.” Both her Alpha and Beta stated at the same time and she nearly stopped walking.

She saw the boys right there in them, and had kind of forgotten that both Rafe and Jack sometimes also spoke together, not as often as the twins did, but they did do it. They could even finish each others sentences. Their flow in a conversation was once, she’d thought, amazing.

“Defences, you’re pulling in your Allied?” her mother asked.

“Our strongest,” Rafe nodded “We feel it is going to be needed. Victor will not give up so easily, he will come and likely with all he has just to get his hands on Luci. That’s his way.”

“Royal b***d.” Luci told her mother “Terence the Beta is a royal blooded prince of the Wolfen kingdom, if I recall correctly.” She’d been here for a solid year and had met many of their allies, they all knew who she was, had met her. Understood she was their concubine, though Rafe and Jack never used that word, when introducing her they’d always smiled, stated this is Luci, our girl.

She watched her mother’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“Actually, he’s an Alpha now. West promoted him, they are a dual reigning pack now. Both Mated, Luna Jo-Anne and Luna Ella.” She heard the smile in Rafe’s voice. It didn’t really surprise her considering he and Jack reigned together. They had something more in common now than before, she guessed.

Sighed to herself and found both their eyes on her.

“What’s wrong, Luci?” Jack asked.

“Nothing.” She stated, and turned her attention back to the forest around them. She knew they had Mate’s, but Jack still held the title of Beta. He should be an Alpha-ranked wolf himself now. If they’d had one Mate it would have been natural for that man to rank up. She was wondering why Rafe had not promoted him? She had always thought that it would happen, she’d known how close they were, it just kind of felt right to her.

She had seen them wake up more than once all curled into each other when she’d snuck out of their bed to just sit and watch them. Being all naked and in a bed together never bothered either of them, it never concerned them either to replace one draped over the other or hugged into one another. She’d always thought it was cute, especially when one was all pressed into the other’s neck. She’d seen them get all turned on only to look at each other and realise it wasn’t her in between them turning them on.

Though that mostly happened because she herself had been curious about what would happen, if they would mate each other at some point. She had on more than a few occasions, slipped from the bed quietly and waited for them to move into each other, they rolled into each other like Mates did she’d noticed. She’d used to wait for it and then lean over them and actively touch both their mark spots.

A light feather touch to them both, in order to get them riled up in their sleeping state, then she would just step back and watch and wait, curious if they would mate each other. Though it had usually ended in her giggling from the other side of the room, when they were fully awake and realised what was going on. That she was not in bed with them, but standing watching them.

That their hands had been on each other and not on her. That they had been all hot and bothered, grinding against each other as well. her giggling at both their somewhat shocked or stunned looks and their muttered words of What? where’s Luci? had drawn their attention right to her watching them, and they’d known she’d actively incited them into humping each other.

She had found it more than amusing, usually fled the room most of the time, to escape the annoyed growl coming from Rafe, though she’d fled laughing each and every time, and had run from both of them, fleeing the packhouse sometimes with a very naked Alpha and Beta chasing her to punish her. Those two were supposed to be together, but still weren’t. It was not what she had thought would happen.

Though she could see they both only held one Mark as well, they had not been claimed by each other’s Mates. ‘Would have to bite both.’ Kali huffed, seemed annoyed to her that Jack was not ranked up as well.

‘I’d have let them both Mark us, Marked them both right back.’ Luci sighed, it was how it was supposed to be.

‘Double Mark.’ Kali murmured ‘They’d likely have Marked and Mated each other too.’

‘Jack would automatically have been ranked up by Rafe’s Mark.’

‘By ours, Luci, Kali. We are Alpha and much stronger.’ Alari stated ‘Always were.’

Luci had not really thought about that, but now realised that even if Rafe had never Marked Jack, her Marking of him would have ranked him up. Shook those thoughts off, had to try not to think about it. They were not hers. Belonged to others now, felt pain touch her and took a long breath in to try and let it go, get passed it.

She found both boys right there with her, looking up at her. They had felt her pain in that way they always did, so very connected to them. She didn’t exactly know if the boys truly understood it, but they felt it and always came to try and comfort her. It was a Siren thing Alari had told them once, unavoidable. The boys could choose to ignore it if they wanted to, and would likely do so when they were older.

She smiled down at them “Do you like the forest?’ she asked them, distracting them and herself at the same time.

“We love it.” they both smiled up at her.

“You know this is the very first forest Kali ran in.”

“Us too.” They were grinning up at her now, excited that they had run in the same forest as Kali for the first time.

“Yes.” She smiled and waved them off. The moment had passed, even Kali felt happy about that little moment. Knowing that both the boys ran in the same forest that she had for the very first time. Made her feel just that little bit more connected to them. It was a nice thought.