The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Prologue

Luci knew they were back. She felt them arrive the moment that they crossed into pack territory, she was so very excited. Her Alpha and Beta were back, they had been away assisting another Pack for two whole weeks. Goddess, she had missed them so much.

Right this minute there was so much excitement growing inside of her, she knew they would come and replace her. The two of them, to r****h her body for hours, the way they always did when they’d been gone for days to another pack.

She was getting all hot and angsty just thinking about them. Itching for their touch, craved it like no other. She had been their sole lover for just over a year now, shared herself with both of them, without hesitation. They were the only two men, wolves, who had ever been able to satisfy her s****l needs, right from the very first day she had shifted here in this very pack.

A smile touched her lips. Her first shift, a shock to all, she’d been considered wolf-less, though she always knew differently. Luci had shifted here in this pack on a visit with her mother and father and little brother, she had shifted right in front of the two of them and Kali her wolf had run off freely into the woods.

Luci left her room, her hand on her still flat stomach, she had wonderful news to share with them. She was pregnant with twins. Kali had already told her they were both boys and there was one to each of them. Luci couldn’t wait to tell them; she was so very excited. Knew just how excited they both would be as well.

Was standing on the landing upstairs, waiting almost impatiently for them, though she did replace it a little odd that they had not mind-linked to her yet, to tell her they were back and coming for her. It was something they always did, bedded her for hours, when they returned home, one after the other and then together. Goddess, she ached for them both.

Luci was standing with a smile on her face waiting for them.

Her Alpha, Rafe, she saw first as he walked into the packhouse and her heart broke instantly. He was not alone, a woman on his arm, tears pricked at her eyes as she, even from up on the fifth floor, saw the filigree that adorned both their necks. Kali whined in pain inside of her. He was lost to them. Had found his Mate.

Then Beta Jack walked in. He was smiling and laughing, and her heart shattered inside of her chest. He, too, had a woman on his arm, was Marked by her, as was she by him. Tears spilled down her cheeks and Kali now howled in pain inside her mind, her hand fell from her stomach and hung limply at her side. As she watched the two of them walk into the Alpha’s office and close the door. Hadn’t so much as spared her a glance.

She sank down on to her knees, unable to stand as silent tears flooded from her eyes, she had lost them both. Never again would they touch her, never again would they desire her, or even be likely to look in her direction. It was too much to bare and not just for her but her wolf Kali, as well.

Deep down inside of her, of them, this was what they had always feared, known would happen, had just never accepted it. They were hers, she loved them with everything she had. So did her wolf. Now they were no longer hers, never would be.

‘Get up.’ a melodic voice came to her, inside her mind.

It was not Kali.

‘It’s time, Lucian. Get up.’ the voice was soft and sweet, almost singing inside her mind.

Luci stood, ‘The lake, come to me my child.’

Her eyes fell on the closed door to the Alpha’s office, pain tore at her heart, she was carrying their children inside her, just a few weeks along. An Alpha pup and a Beta pup. Sons to the men she loved, that were now no longer hers, would never be hers ever again.

She could hear a soft melodic song, it was being sung inside of her mind, and felt herself be draw by it. Felt some of her heartache even ease, though only enough to make her get up off the floor and move. The song was soft and sad, there were no words she could understand, a language unknown to her, but every part of that song beckoned every part of her to the lake. A desire so very strong, a feeling creating inside of her that everything would be okay if she got to the lake.

Luci went, without another thought, allowed that sad melodic song to enchant her broken soul, wrap it up and draw her away from this place, from her pain. No-one really went to the lake, it backed onto the eastern side of the pack’s border, and the humans loved it. Were always there on the weekends and school breaks. Only a small part of the lake was inside the pack territory.

Luci walked towards the lake, passed many pack members, tears were still spilling down her face, they all knew that she was the Alpha and Beta’s concubine, and they all now knew both had returned home. Marked and Mated would have seen it, as they’d gotten out of their car the news would have travelled fast.

Most stepped out of her way, looked at her apologetically, she knew everyone here, had fitted in well. Loved being here in this pack. Now they were all looking away from her, and didn’t seem to know what to say as she walked past them. Her sadness and heartbreak out in the open, for all to see, she did not care who knew she was breaking apart inside.

She had a good life here, got along with everyone, the Alpha and Beta were not shy in when or where they Mated her and she herself had not cared either, had often run from them out into the woods, so they would hunt her and catch her. They loved the hunt and she had loved being their prey. That was now no more.

Her feet stopped at the edge of the lake. It was dark now, night had fallen on her long, lonely walk out to the lake. Neither the Alpha nor the Beta had yet to even reach out to her, to tell her what had happened. They were to wrapped up in their love bubble of a Mate Bond, to even give her a second thought, it seemed.

That sad song still beckoned to her, ‘Swim to me my girl.’ that sweet enticing voice came to Luci inside her mind. Kali and she were not fantastic swimmers, and hesitated at the water’s edge.

“Luci?” she turned at the sound of a man’s voice. A border patrolman stood watching her, and she saw pity in his eyes. “Are you alright?”

‘Come into the lake, my child. I will save you.’ that soft voice practically purred with seduction, inside her mine, and Luci’s eyes moved from the man back to the lake, the water, it was calling to her, so very strongly. She wanted its comfort, whatever it was in there, it felt as though it wanted to help her, save her, and she wanted that desperately.

“I’m just going for a swim.” Luci told the patrolman “Everything is okay.” her eyes moved back to his, they were glazed over, Mind-linking someone or received something, then she too felt it, the connection to her Alpha and his deep sexy voice inside her mind, his words broke every part of her, as he announced to his Pack that he had found his Luna, as had his Beta, that on the next full moon, just a few weeks away there would be a massive celebration, the Luna Ceremony to be held.

Tears fell from her eyes, and she saw the border patrolman sigh as he looked at her, “It’s okay.” She told him, even managed a small smile, didn’t even know how she did it, or where it came from.

He was looking at her worriedly now.

“I’m not going to do anything silly; I promise.”

“No one swims here, Luci; they won’t like it.” They, being his Alpha and Beta.

They won’t like it, she thought absently, they didn’t care anymore, hadn’t even had the decency to call her and tell her, to let her know when they knew. Hadn’t come and found her when they got back to the pack to tell her before they told everyone else, no she was informed just like all the rest. She loved them, thought they had cared, at least enough to tell her in private, but no. She was just their concubine and nothing more at all.

‘Come in my child, tis time to meet me finally.’ that seductive voice inside her mind called to her ‘We belong together now.’

Luci stripped off her clothes and stepped into the lake, ignored the border patrolman’s calls to come back, felt the minute she was out past the territory border and into the human world, was chest deep in water when it happened, didn’t stop and kept going till she was barely touching the bottom ‘Dive deep my child. All the way to the bottom, that’s where I am.’

In she went, sank beneath the water, swimming down into the lake, following that voice, nothing else mattered, not even the bitterly cold water on her skin. It was completely dark down here under the water, that song resonated louder with her, pulling at her every fibre, seducing her deeper into the darkness of the lake. She needed to breathe, tried to come back up, but then something had her in its clutches and was dragging her back down even further ‘Don’t fight me. I am yours and you are mine now.’ that woman’s voice came to her.

Felt water rushing all around her, felt as though she was tumbling and spinning under the water, caught by something, that was desperately trying to claim her for itself. Wanted to fight it, but then it was singing a sweet sad song inside her mind and here under the water it was loud and so clear. A sad love tale of loneliness and betrayal, it was exactly how Luci felt, ‘Surrender to me child, and I will save us all. You, me, Kali and the pups inside of us. Surrender to me.’

Luci could feel her lungs burning, she needed desperately to breathe, and opened her mouth instinctively ‘yes’. That voice suddenly roared with excitement inside her mind as she breathed in, dragging water into her lungs. It burned and her whole body convulsed, water was not air. She was drowning and she knew it. Had been seduced into the water to kill herself.

‘Not dying silly child, being born to what we are.’ that voice in her mind, strong and in charge. Her whole body was struggling and fighting to breath, then there was light, so very bright it was blinding, and she was spinning furiously below the surface, deep down in the depth of the lake and moving fast through the water, breathing somehow, exhilaration flooding her entire body.

Until she was settled on the bottom of the lake, no longer in control of her body, but somehow able to breath, lay there ‘Who are you?’ Luci asked softly.

‘Alari and we are finally one now. Sleep my girl, I will take care of us.’

Then she heard that sad song resonate from her own body. Kali was awake inside her mind, happy, almost giggly in her mind, and then her wolf howled inside her mind. ‘Complete.’ she whispered to Luci a moment later, and then lay down to sleep.

She felt hot tears as her hand moved to her stomach, her children yet unborn, unknown to anyone but her, Kali her wolf and Alari ‘Siren we are a Siren.’ she heard that voice in her head ‘We are a double shifter, very special. Sleep now.’

Her hot tears drifted off into the cold darkness of the bottom of the lake, they did no longer burn down her face in rivulets but washed away to be unfelt anymore. Allowed Alari’s song to settle her to sleep, comforted by its sadness that matched her own, if they were one, it did not surprise her that Alari’s song was a sad lonely love ballad. It was her expression of all their feelings over losing her Alpha and Beta.