The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 73

Rafe POV

He felt the moment Melissa crossed back into the pack, it was 5pm. He could also feel that Luci and the twins were in the cottage not that far from the packhouse. They were packing up their belongings to move out to the Forest Creek House. He was happy that she was going to be comfortable out there, that he could provide her, Kali and Alari with somewhere they all liked and were okay with.

He’d gotten the feeling that it might be more difficult than he’d thought. The fact that it was on a creek that led to the lake was the clincher. Felt that if Alari wasn’t happy with it, the answer would have been a flat out no.

Although he’d been hoping that she and the twins would be moved out of the cottage before Melissa and Maria came home. That they were out of sight, no such luck, it seemed. He could feel Jack’s eyes on him just moments after he felt their Mates cross back onto pack territory.

“It’ll be fine Jack, they’ll come right to us, they won’t know who she is. They’ve never seen Luci before.”

“We have to tell Luci,” Jack stated, sounding a little on the anxious side, which was unlike him. Rafe knew he was concerned about Luci and the boys.

They both knew that Luci and the boys alike were more than capable of handling either of their Mate’s, but Thatcher was right; they should not have to. It was up to he and Jack to protect them.

“Agreed, I’ll do it.” he nodded. He would rather Luci be mad or annoyed, or however she felt about hearing the news, be directed at him and not Jack. He wasn’t exactly sure how Jack would handle Luci being mad or upset with him. Distant was what she was right this minute, and though that seemed to be okay with Jack, that was likely only because she was currently inside the pack. But he worried anything else might set he or Flare off.

Rafe mind-linked right to Luci ‘Pardon the intrusion, Luci. I just wanted to let you know, our Mate’s have just arrived back on pack territory.”

He got nothing for several seconds, then just a clipped dismissive tone “Yes, Rafe.” He heard the slight gravel in her voice and that tone he knew it was Alari, and he felt her sever the link quite violently.

He sighed heavily, her Siren didn’t really like him, and he knew it, “Alari is on the surface.” He told Jack.

“That is probably for the best. It could get messy.”

“I don’t think she likes me.” He muttered.

“Has no real connection to either of us. Don’t take it too personally. Try to remember she is also an Alpha, and knows she is more powerful than you. Than likely any Alpha out there, will speak like she is the Alpha in charge.”

“I know, it’s just hard, I guess…We also need to take one thing at a time.” Rafe nodded. They still had time. It was a good 30 minute drive from the gate to the packhouse, Luci would also know this.

“Addison is upstairs. You might want to tell her as well.”

Rafe nodded again, Addison had completely surprised the pair of them walking into the office just half an hour ago and asked to be initiated into the pack. Rafe had looked right at her. “Your pack will feel you sever from them Addison.” He’d told her, knowing full well that they all would. If Orien had not prepared them for it, it was going to distress a lot of them.

“I understand.” She’d sighed a little on the heavy side.

“Nothing from Orien then?” Jack had frowned at her.

“No…I can only presume he’s going to stay allied with Victor. He has had plenty of time to call him. He could have dropped into the Bloodless Moon, on the way back to Nightfall even. Questioned and severed ties right there. It’s been a day, it’s clear he is not going to. So I’ll start the process on this end.”

“Let him feel your decision, to be elsewhere you mean.” Rafe stated “You’ll still be Mated to him, Addi.”

“I am aware of that.” She nodded “One of us will have to go to the other and issue a formal rejection. But he should know it is coming.” looked and sounded sad to him.

This would be the second time she lost a Mate Bond in her short life. “Are you certain?” Rafe asked her once more, to make sure she was absolutely certain. He didn’t want her doing anything rash.

“I am. I will call Thatcher later, explain my actions. Luci has agreed for you to sever ties to Nightfall as well. We discussed it this afternoon. It is what we both believe is best for now. Though that could change later when Thatcher takes over, perhaps a reconsideration later in life.”

“He is welcome here, Addi, to visit. Showed some real loyalty to Luci,” Jack told her.

“I doubt he’ll leave Nightfall, be an Alpha without a pack, if he did.”

Rafe sighed, no Alpha wanted that, to lose their pack. Picked up his ceremonial blade and walked over to her, cut his palm. “Do you Luna Addison of the Nightfall Pack, reject your loyalty to Nightfall, and pledge your loyalty and allegiance to the Black Forest Pack, accept myself, Alpha Rafe as your new Alpha?”

Watched as she looked at the cut, saw her take a deep shaky breath in, and state “I Luna Addison reject my pack, Nightfall…” he saw the pain cross her face as she felt herself severing from her own pack, “I pledge my loyalty to you Alpha Rafe, for as long as you provide a safe, welcoming environment for my daughter. I pledge my allegiance to this packs Alpha, but not to the current Luna.”

Rafe raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing, placed his palm to hers and felt the pack connection. “Welcome, Luna Addison, your title and rank will remain with you always here inside the pack. A Luna twice over you are.” He let go of her hand.

“You may call me Alpha Addison, I am or will not be seen as a Luna anymore. I am a pure-blooded Alpha on all sides, so I will take that as my Rank, if you don’t mind.” She looked right at him, he’d watched her stand up tall as she spoke, had pulled herself together from the pain of severing from her pack and was standing before him now, with squared shoulders and the firm resolve of an Alpha female.

“Welcome to the pack, Alpha Addison.” Both he and Jack stated together.

She bowed her head slightly “I’ll collect my belongings from my suite on the first floor and move in with my daughter and grand babies.” She stated before leaving their office.

Jack had looked right at him. “Did you feel that power?”

“Yes I did.” Rafe nodded, pure-bloods always felt powerful when initiated. “Luci felt much the same.” He voiced as he recalled initiating her in this very room, when they’d brought her home.

It had been late at night and for only the second time had he and Jack seen the sad side of her. Being kicked out of your home-pack wasn’t likely to be a good feeling. They’d tried to talk to her on the long drive back from Nightfall, she’d been quiet for the whole trip, just stared silently out the window for the most part.

They’d watched her mother help her pack a single large suitcase and nothing more. She’d not really said anything at all during that either. Had just banged things into the suitcase, slammed it shut and then looked right at her mother, Addison.

Who’d looked so very upset herself about the situation, she’d touched Luci’s lovely face and said softly “It will be so much better for you, in the Black Forest Pack. I know this, Rafe and Jack will look after you.”

Luci had just nodded solemnly, then had said “Thank you.” squared her shoulders, he and Jack had been standing in her bedroom doorway, watching. Neither one of them were going to allow Orien near her at that moment, and they had no idea if the man was going to go up there and try to apologise and retract his statement.

Then she had marched herself down the stairs, Jack had taken her suitcase for her. Orien had still been in the foyer and Luci had walked with her head held high as though leaving Nightfall didn’t concern her in the slightest. Acted like she didn’t care at all. So very stubborn, had refused to show her stepfather, or at the time, father they’d all thought, just how much it had actually been hurting her to have him practically banish her.

And they all knew that’s what it was. He may not have stated the word banished but had been doing just that.

Rafe also knew that Orien was likely happy about it, for with Luci gone from Nightfall, Thatcher would be officially instated as the Heir. He was getting what he wanted, his own flesh and b***d to take over, not Luci.

Initiating Luci when they’d gotten home, he’d felt her pure-b***d genes, the actual power she’d held within. Something that Orien had never likely felt, she’d been born into Nightfall and not bled to him. He didn’t understand just how powerful she was, even then without Alari.

It had actually really surprised him and Jack too. At the time, they’d not understood it, what he’d felt that day, but now he did understand it, he’d registered her Siren’s power even though he’d nor she’d known about it. Likely also felt that witch in her as well.

She’d slept between them that night in the room they’d allocated her, across the hall from his room. She’d gone off and had a really long shower and come out of her ensuite red-rimmed. Had been a little surprised to see the both of them still sitting on her bed waiting for her to come out of the bathroom.

Jack had been the first to move, just got up and walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her and hugged her into him for a long moment and she’d stood and leaned into him, he’d murmured “We’ll stay with you.” softly, gently to her.

They had, she’d slept between them that night, not shed a single tear or sobbed. Though they both knew she had cried in the privacy of her ensuite, not that they had heard it, but those brilliant green eyes of hers, all red-rimmed, were evidence of her tears. He supposed they had been silent tears, still trying to be so strong, so stubborn against even her ownself.

That night, they’d brought her home, initiated her and then provided comfort. By holding her all night long, she’d slept before they had, her body curled up against Jacks and his curled up against hers.

Should have bloody marked her then and there he now realised, it wasn’t like they hadn’t already discussed it a few times before she’d come to live with them. But no, he was so stubborn himself that she wasn’t their Mate, that it wasn’t right to take that away from her either.

Sighed to himself a little, she’d never displayed all of her power that they’d felt that night, not to he or Jack, to anyone inside the pack. She didn’t need to, he supposed, she’d loved them, had no reason to go up against them at all.

He mind-linked to Addi ‘Alpha, our Mates just crossed into pack territory.’

‘Luci?’ her first and only concern.

‘I have informed her, before I did you. Right away, Addison.’ He told her, he would not be making that mistake twice in his lifetime. Would not be allowing Luci to suffer that again, or for he and Jack to lose her once more over it.

‘So you should, thank you for the heads up.’ He felt her close out the link, and shook his head, so much like Luci on that front. Usually pack members would wait on their Alpha to shut down a mind-link, not those two women.

“I think both Addi and Luci are going to be a bit of a handful for us.” He commented to Jack.

“Why?” Jack asked in return, seemed a little confused.

“Do you recall just how alike they are?” Rafe reminded him.

“Hmm…I do.” Jack nodded “It’ll be fine and Luci needs her mother’s emotional support right now. I would expect Addi to be all Alpha female. With that protective streak we’ve always seen around Luci, only now, instead of aimed at Orien, it will be directed at us and our Mate’s.”

“Agreed.” Rafe nodded “On that note, I am not going out the front to greet our Mate’s.”

“It’s likely best that we do not.” Jack agreed with him. “Best for them to come in here.”

Rafe could only agree on this as well. “Though, how are we going to avoid them all the time? Sleep where, without causing suspicion?” he’d not even managed to come up with a plan for that and he had been trying to. Though he now doubted they were actually Goddess Gifted Mate’s, they were still technically Mated to each other.

“We could stay in Luci’s room, pitch a fit over them leaving like they always do, and we were attacked while they were away. Say we’ve had enough and until they come around to them both sharing themselves with us, we’ll be sleeping elsewhere, together at that.”

Rafe snorted with amusement himself, “That will have them pitching a fit.”

“Honestly Rafe, I don’t really care…Do you right this very minute?”

He thought about that for a moment…the answer was ‘no’ and he knew it. Shaking his head “Not really no.” he stated “It might be better for us to sleep in Luci’s room until this mess is sorted out. Who knows what those two will do to us in our sleep?” He sighed. It could well be anything at all.