The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 42

Jack POV

He and Flare were absolutely ropable at Orien and his stupid resistance to the idea that it had been Victor who had hurt both Luci and their boy. How could the man be so bloody blind to the obvious? Victor had always wanted Luci for himself. It seemed nothing had changed.

Luci had not only rejected the offer long before she came here to live with them, had avoided that man at every cost from what he could see. Whenever he was in her home pack, she had used he and Rafe to keep that man away from her, did not ever want anything to do with him, as far as Jack could recall.

Hell, she’d gone out of her way to humiliate him that last time he’d showed up, had come for her. At Orien’s order, her own stepfather and Alpha had told Victor he could have her, just to come and get her. To take her as his chosen Mate. Sent for Victor himself without telling anyone. Victor had turned up, to do just that, been happy about it from what Jack had seen.

She had flat out refused to go with him. When she had been called by her stepfather and seen Victor, she had called him not so nice words, names and had angered Victor himself. When he’d tried to grab on to her, she’d run right over to he and Rafe, who’d been watching on curiously the situation unfolding. They’d both been expecting it to get out of control. Not even Addi had been happy that day. She’d been yelling herself at Orien.

But Luci had run right to them, rubbed herself all over Rafe, which only angered Orien and Victor both even more, and the moment Rafe’s hands had landed on Luci’s h**s to pull her right up against him, to show them he was going to help her. Victor had stepped right towards them to take her from him.

Luci, though, had taken it one step further and reached out for Jack himself, pulled him right up behind her, had sandwiched herself between the two of them, allowed the two of them to slide their hands over her body, right in front of everyone and they both had. Jack had actually pressed himself hard up against her and murmured “Goddess, I want you right now.” Her brilliant green eyes had looked right up at him and he’d seen desire right there in them, she wasn’t actually pleading with them for help. Had been showing clear defiance towards what her stepfather wanted of her.

He’d leaned down and kissed her, right there in front of everyone, hadn’t been able to help himself, she’d been so strong willed, even then. It was a turn on, she’d not stopped him either, kissed the hell out of him in front of all. He even recalled Rafe growling a little at the scent of her arousal.

Victor had near lost it, raged at Orien for the blatant disrespect she was showing, had told that man, he ought to be ashamed of his daughter and, when she came to her bloody senses, to call him, and he would come and collect her. Then had stalked out of the packhouse and left the Nightfall Pack in a fury of screeching tires.

Now it seemed, Victor didn’t care how long it took to get her, as long as he got her in the end, that was all that mattered. It also seemed that Orien was still likely to try and give her to that man. He didn’t appear to be at all concerned that Victor had harmed his own Luna’s grandchild or sedated his stepdaughter and tried to take her by force. It was clear that Orien was not the man or Alpha he should be.

He prayed that Thatcher would be a better Alpha and judge of character, where Victor was concerned. He’d been around the entire time Luci had grown up, both times his own father had tried to Mate Luci off, to that savage. Seen that Orien had never really seemed concerned about wanting her to wait on her Goddess Gifted Mate either. Although he was ticked off that she hadn’t stayed ‘pure, for her Goddess Gifted Mate’ was always on her about that. But he had been happy to Mate her off himself, before she even had a real chance to meet her Mate.

That made Jack wonder if Victor and Orien had some sort of deal where Luci was concerned. It was clear Orien had always known she wasn’t his, perhaps he’d made some sort of deal with Victor over her when she was little, just never told anyone about it. He never tried to mate her off to anyone else either, as far as Jack knew. Only heard from Luci it had been Victor both times.

Flare was out stalking around in the forest, why Jack was buried in his thoughts. They saw many critters out there to hunt, but neither were in the mood to destroy anything. They just really needed to be alone, or Orien’s head was coming off his body. His large white wolf was stalking about, and their roaming patrols stopped and looked at him. He knew Flares ears were back flat against his head and his tail was dropped low.

Saw them all bow to him and step back or away to the side to let Flare pass by. They all knew a pissed off wolf when they saw one. Weren’t about to get in his way, not that he was looking to harm any of them, they just needed to stalk about till he calmed down.

They found themselves right in the woods overlooking Luci’s cottage. Both the boys were outside in the morning sunshine playing in the backyard. They stayed well back inside the forest but sat and watched as the twins laughed and played, chased each other around the yard. They looked so very happy, sounded happy, and he wondered if they were always this happy?

He and Flare looked at Luci herself, she was sitting on the back steps to the cottage, Addi was with her, they were both just sitting watching the boys play as he had been. Heard Flare huff, for as nice as it was to sit and watch, he wanted to be down there, he couldn’t just shift and stroll down there.

He’d be completely naked and once upon a time, before everything had turned inside out, and gone to s**t, it would have been fine. But not anymore, not now. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to do that. Didn’t think she would be comfortable with it either.

Turned and walked off back through the woods towards the packhouse, shifted back just outside the mudroom and showered under the hottest water he could stand. Let it just wash over him for the longest time, before pulling on shorts and a tee-shirt to hit the dining room. He was hungry.

Jack found Nadia standing with the omega’s chatting about the change of menu for the next month. She always changed things up so there were different foods to eat, and no one got bored with the same old thing every day.

Nadia smiled right at him, and he nodded to her, saw her send them all away and then walk on over to him “Hi Jack, I just thought you might like to know that it’s not that the boys have allergies or that Luci denies them any sweets. They just eat so very healthily all the time, that they have an adverse reaction to sugar and high fat foods.”

He frowned right at her, “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No, I talked to Luci myself. We’re going to introduce foods slowly to the boys, get them used to it, or they’ll get sick. She will likely have to be reintroduced as well.”

“Sick?” that word got his undivided attention. “Wolves don’t get sick.” He commented, or not very often.

“It’s not serious, like when you boys binge eat, and get roaring drunk, causes stomach pains and frequent runs to the bathroom.”

“Oh,” he smiled a little, “I’ve not done that in a while.”

“Thankfully,” Nadia chuckled, “I’ve stocked her fridge and pantry with things the boys can eat. It’s mostly fruit and vegetables. Though they can eat most meats, they just didn’t have the capacity to store it was what I heard. So, lived mostly on fish, from my understanding.”

“Why she so thin?” He nodded. “I don’t think she eats enough to sustain herself. The boys aren’t thin like she is either.”

“I’ll fatten her up soon enough Jack, she’s not unhealthy. Just lean muscle is all.”

“I think she fed the children before herself, ate what was left over, likely didn’t eat enough to sustain what she is now.”

“And what is that, Jack? She looks very different.”

“I know, changed a lot. Is a double shifter now.” He told her he wasn’t going to hide that. Nadia needed to know to help with the, as she called it ‘fattening her up.’

“Oh.” She seemed to think about it for a long minute. “I’ll increase the protein where I can, she eats plenty of carbs, but likely misses out on essential fats and sugars. I’ll work on that too. It might take a few weeks to get her sorted out and eating properly.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate it, Nadia.”

“No problem, Jack, and those boys,” she smiled at him. “So cute. Just like you and Rafe at that age.”

“Yes, they are.” He smiled to himself.

“Have you called your parents yet to tell them they are grandparents?”

“No, kind of dreading that to be honest. They were all unhappy with how Rafe and I handled or didn’t handle things with Luci, this will not…” he sighed heavily, “go down so well.”

“You might be surprised, they might just come rushing home all excited to meet their grandbabies.”

“One can only hope, I don’t relish being on that shaming post out there, over it.”

Nadia chuckled “Since when have either of your parents ever put you on that? Luna Addison is very happy, she has the most to be mad about, being Luci’s mother, and from what I can tell, is not at all mad at you or Rafe.”

“Is just happy to have Luci back.” He nodded, was really glad that she hadn’t turned on them, had every right to. He didn’t know if they were just waiting for her to explode and yell and tear strips off of them. Or if her need to deal with Orien was outweighing her anger towards them. They might just be on the back burner for her. Could well be itching to deal with them, but needed to sort her and Orien out first.

Though there was always the possibility, that because she was so very unhappy with Orien, and he understood why. That maybe she was keeping them onside in case she and Orien couldn’t fix their Mate Bond. It was not nice to see wolves fall out after so many years together. It didn’t happen often either and he truly didn’t want that for Addison and Orien, or their wolves, Fallon and Rali. But it seems that Orien had pushed too hard and hurt his own Mate, not just the human but the wolf as well.

She’d scarred herself for life getting that silver cuff off. Which showed just how pissed off she had to have been to have removed it. He could only imagine Orien’s horror at seeing the bloodied mess her hand would have been in afterwards. He was not likely to ever forget it and that scar it left.

If they could come back together, every time he looked at it or held her hand and felt it. It was going to remind him, that he had caused that injury to happen. By denying her access to her own child or the replaceing of her child.

It was forever going to be between them, even if she could forgive him, if he was able to apologise for the error of his way. It was highly likely that man and his wolf were going to have to get down on their knees and beg Addi and Fallon for forgiveness. Pray to the Goddess Selena herself, that his Mate would forgive him.

He was going to have to spend the rest of his life making it up to her, giving her whatever she wanted when she wanted it. Deny her nothing ever again and even then it was possible the strain and memory of it was always going to be with her, brought into every argument they had in the future.

Jack sat at the table and ate by himself. It was between meals and though the buffet was rarely ever not set up, right this very minute he was actually the only one there in the dining room. It was quiet and peaceful, he liked the quiet, and he was feeling calm right now, he realised.

Sat and thought about that, realised it was hearing Nadia talk about Luci and the boys that had him feeling calmer, knowing they did eat properly, just purely healthy, made him feel the tiniest bit better about them being thin. That and he’d seen how happy they looked this morning. That helped him feel better too.