The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 55

Jack POV

He sighed as he watched Rafe shake his head, not even he believed that Melissa would have felt anything. They’d just been mucking around, nothing they hadn’t done in the past 6 and half years of being mated to them. Melissa had never felt anything before now.

He’d also seen those two women practically smooch each other on more than one occasion on a dancefloor, they slow danced with each other and their hands wandered over each other. He nor Rafe had ever felt any pains of betrayal come from them.

Their touching was way more intimate than what he and Rafe had just been doing. Were literally just rough housing, as the man had said. Maria had also never once complained about it, feeling like he had betrayed her and he and Rafe had slept in the same bed when they were away and off Pack territory. Had slept in the same bed just last night. In fact, woken up curled around Rafe had even hugged him and sighed contentedly when he’d woken.

Now, that, she would have felt, but didn’t call him about it. Another curiosity to him. He wondered what would happen if he kissed someone else? Would she feel it, looked right at his Alpha and shook it off. Had never done that before, but was right this minute tempted to test it.

Looked at that man as he sat talking to a mated couple about giving Luci and the boys the Forest Creek House to live in for a little while if she liked it or until something that she liked could be sorted out or built for her.

He waited until that couple left the office. He was now itching to test it out, would Maria feel it if he did k**s another? She should, it would be considered a betrayal of their Mate Bond. Thought about it, Flare didn’t even object to him thinking about testing it out. Got up and walked over there to his Alpha.

Smiled to himself, who better to test it on, could test both his and Rafe’s bond at the same time. Slide his hand up Rafe’s arm, soft and slow, smiled right at him when those blue eyes shot to his “Jack?” he knew his touch was seductive in manner, had meant for it to be.

“Trust me, I want to try something.”

Saw his own Alpha stare up at him as he slid his hand up the man’s neck, slowly along his jaw to brush a thumb over his mouth, as he leaned over the back of the chair “Just stay still.” He smirked right at him. As his other hand slid down over Rafe’s shoulder and down his chest, he slipped his phone from his top pocket and put it on the desk in front of them.

“Oh.”

“Mm, go with it.” Jack smiled right at him and then dropped both his arms around Rafe and just hugged him, really hugged the man. “Can I hump you, Alpha?” he teased in a seductive tone. Allowed his lips to brush the man’s ear as he spoke.

Actually, got growled at a little and chuckled, turned his eyes right to the man. Their faces were just a mere inch apart, allowed his eyes to move to Rafe’s lips as his hands caressed the man’s chest.

Found his own Alpha’s mouth right on his, kissing him all hard and demanding, let him, kissed him back even. Heard the clearing of a voice and his head whipped up, and there in the office doorway was Petra, standing just watching them “Interesting!” she commented “Sorry to interrupt.”

Heard Rafe clear his voice, Jack just smiled and guessed the humping thing could well happen at some point. It had been his Alpha who’d kissed him, slid his thumb along his own mouth and walked away back to his desk, still smiling.

“Yes Petra?” he heard Rafe state all Alpha.

“Just thought you should know, your parents are on their way back. I finally managed to track them down. In Spain, living it up from what I heard. You’ll have a few days.” She looked from Rafe to Jack and back to Rafe. Pointed from one to the other “To sort that out before they get here.”

“Nothing to sort out.” Rafe informed her.

“Hmm, I’m gay you know.” She raised an eyebrow at him, “You two are bi, I’m guessing.” Then she just strolled out of their office and closed the door behind her.

Jack smiled as he watched her leave, “Just bloody great Jack. Look what you did.”

“Yes look what I did.” He chuckled, and leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head and reclined himself. He knew exactly what he’d done.

“She’ll tell them, you know.”

“So what? Do you really think it will shock either of our parents to hear that you kissed me?” His eyes moved right to Rafe, fully amused with himself and what had happened.

“I did not. You kissed me.”

Jack laughed now. “Deny it all you like, I was thinking about it, but you acted on it.”

“I knew what you wanted.”

“I know, but still. It was you who kissed me.” He grinned to himself “That was all your doing, Alpha.”

“Shut it. You started it.”

Jack knew he had, also knew that Rafe’s phone was not ringing and neither was his for that matter. Pulled his phone out and waved it right at Rafe “I’m not getting a call, come on she called you just twenty minutes ago and we were just mucking around, wrestling was all. That k**s should have gotten her undivided attention, don’t you think? Maria’s as well. I’m not ringing.”

He saw Rafe look at his phone and frown “Yes, I kissed the hell out of you.”

“Nothing though, isn’t that odd?”

“It is.” Rafe frowned.

“So, why did she call? What was the purpose of it?”

“I don’t know.”

He dialled Maria’s number, thought it was going to ring out, but then she answered “Yes, Jack.”

“How are you?” he asked.

“Busy about to go for a massage, what do you want?”

“Nothing in particular.”

“Then why call?”

He rolled his eyes, “Sorry I bothered you.” he stated flatly and hung up. “She didn’t feel a thing.” He stated “Something is off Rafe, like really off.”

“What do you think is going on, Jack?”

“I don’t know, but whatever it is. My bond to her is practically non existent. I don’t currently feel like I have a Mate.”

“Jack.”

“No, I’ve really thought about it, I’m not attached to Maria right this minute. Flare has no interest in Delilah, never has. Yet Luci, if I’m honest, truly honest” he thought about it, “I want her, Flare wants Kali and Alari.”

“You’re Mated.” Rafe frowned at him.

“Doesn’t feel like it…” thought about that some more, how he actually felt within himself, with Maria not here and Luci back inside the pack. Looked at Rafe, really looked at him “I feel more connected to you today, then I have in the past few years, as well. Something is different.”

“We are closer, even I feel like our bond is stronger.” Rafe nodded “I feel less hollow myself.”

“It is definitely stronger,” Jack nodded.

They were both quiet for a long time, both thinking about it all. “We haven’t spent the night together here inside the pack in years, it could be that.” Rafe offered up.

“I guess,” Jack nodded, but deep down he didn’t think that was it. Those Mate’s of theirs had done something to them. He didn’t know what but was willing to bet whatever it was, was starting to wear off. Those two women knew it, he always felt more connected to Maria when she came back from her home pack.

They had met them there, in their home pack and seemed to have forgotten about everyone and anything when they’d met them. Nothing else had seemed to come to his mind. He didn’t even remember about Luci. Thought about that in itself, hadn’t even remembered Luci when they had gotten home. Hadn’t thought to call her, to tell her, so she wasn’t just blindsided. He wouldn’t do that to her.

That wasn’t like him at all, to just forget about Luci, he’d loved Luci, he would have called and told her, he wouldn’t just blindside the girl. Had wanted her for his Mate, had before she’d even been their concubine. He still loved her and he knew it. Felt Flare lift his head and he himself stood up, as he realised he Loved Luci, Flare loved Luci.

They both loved Luci.

“Jack?”

“They did something to us.” He stated “I don’t know what.” He shook his head.

“They didn’t Jack. We scented them out remember, at the same time, on a full moon.”

“I know that.” Jack nodded, from his own recollection that is what happened. He picked his phone up and looked at it, took all of a minute to think through and decide on a course of action. Texted Titan “K**s my Mate, good and proper. Then text me ‘yes’ after you have done it. Don’t think about it, just do it.” the man likely couldn’t report what he was seeing, but should be able to do as asked and respond with a simple yes reply.

Sat himself back down to wait for anything to come to him. It took nearly an hour for his phone to chime “yes”.

“Are you safe?” he texted right back.

“Maybe.”

“Be safe, protect yourself at all costs.”

Something was going on alright, he’d felt nothing at all. That man had just kissed his Mate and Jack himself had not felt a single thing, he should have felt pains of betrayal but hadn’t.

He sat and stared right at his phone, understood right now that Maria and her family had done something to him and to Rafe as well. He wasn’t certain of what exactly it was, but he knew it now.

He was still holding his phone, staring at it, when Rafe’s hand fell on his shoulder. “Jack?” he looked up to Rafe.

Held his phone up so Rafe could read the text messages, he’d been in this room the whole time with him, knew that he’d not felt a damn thing at all.

“Perhaps we should bring him home!” Rafe frowned after reading them, registered Titan’s, maybe, to the safe question. “You didn’t feel anything.”

“Nothing. I don’t love her either.” He stated simply and he knew he didn’t, likely whatever they had done to he and Rafe, had to be redone all the time. That was why those two always went home. Likely why Flare never attached to her wolf, she was not actually his Goddess-Gifted Mate.

Something else was going on, had been for a very long time. His brain was ticking now, like crazy in fact. The way she blamed him for not getting pregnant, the way she never wanted to touch him, but let him touch her. the way she didn’t like Rafe, the way their suite was decorated.

He was not her Mate, he was willing to bet, he’d bet his share of the pack on it right this minute. She was playing at being his Mate, but why? They had done something to him, to them to make them believe they were their Mates.

This was why it had taken those two so long to warm up to he and Rafe, why they wouldn’t let them share them. Those two women were not their Goddess-Gifted Mates. He didn’t understand it at all. How could that happen? And if it had to be redone, why didn’t they have to be there for it? It had to be something they took with them, brought back with them. Likely kept in their suite.

Stood up and headed for his suite, whatever it was? It was in there, it had to be he was going to replace it. something that was always there, never moved, but now was not going to be in the suite. That question now was, had he paid enough attention to Maria’s things over the years to recognise what was missing.

He’d stopped paying attention long ago to all the pink crap she put in that suite of theirs, hated all of it, literally made him sick to his stomach, sometimes going in there to that stupid pink and floral suite.