The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 74

Jack POV

He mind-linked right to Rafe and connected them to Titan, asked him to come directly to the Alpha’s office, got a ‘Yes Beta.’ And then Jack asked him if he was well?

‘Define well, Beta.’ Titan muttered right back.

Jack frowned instantly, he didn’t sound good. Also, that statement didn’t sound good at all to him. ‘Are you injured?’

‘No.’ Titan replied.

‘Can you talk about what happened out there?’

‘To a certain extent.’

Heard Rafe interrupt ‘Were you Luna Ordered not to tell either of us what happened out there?’

‘I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Alpha.’ Came the reply.

‘We understand, Titan.’ Jack answered and cut the link, then looked over at Rafe “He was Luna Ordered then.”

“Agreed…I don’t want to hurt him. He’s a good warrior, and Alpha Ordering him, to override that Luna’s Order is going to cause him severe pain.” Rafe was frowning now and Jack knew he was trying to think of a way around the Luna’s Order that would not have Titan bow down to the ground and suffer terribly.

“We’ll replace a way. Titan might already have a plan himself. He’s intelligent and a good thinker.”

“Mm,” Rafe nodded “It’s why Petra and Sara have asked him to father their children.”

Jack smiled now, “Is that why? I thought it was because both the girls had bedded him, before realising they were gay and got gifted to each other?”

“Not that I know of.” Rafe shrugged. “He’s still considering it, has a girlfriend, for nearly a year now. She has two children herself and they all live together. But I do know the four of them have discussed it. Titan will not do anything without her permission, but is open to it, from my understanding. Young Andy is taking it very seriously from what I heard.”

“Its not something to be taken lightly, that is for certain.” Jack agreed, and it wasn’t though it wasn’t the first time he’d seen it.

Over in the Eclipsed Moon Pack, the Gamma and Delta were mated to each other and they had an unmated she-wolf who had given them a son now, was the Gamma’s, he believed, but she was also going to be giving the Delta a child as well from what he’d heard. So, he knew it was something that was done.

From his understanding, she was the Beta’s little sister and had rejected her Mate on meeting him, due to him being with someone else and not caring at all that she was his Mate. So, she had no Mate but craved to be a mother. It made for a situation that helped all of them.

They sat and waited in their office for Melissa and Maria to arrive. He was mind-linked by Titan as he felt the man pull the car up out the front of the pack house. ‘Beta, is that Luci I see?…with twin boys…yours and the Alpha’s?’

‘Yes, we found her finally.’

‘She looks stunningly beautiful; I love her new hair. Congratulations…curious about something before I come in?’

‘Ask.’

‘Is she a pack member still?’

‘Yes.’

He heard the man laugh right down the mind-link before it was cut off.

“Something amuses Titan.” He told Rafe.

“Really?”

“Mm, something to do with Luci. He just saw her and the twins. They must be outside.”

“Then so did our Mate’s.” Rafe sighed.

Jack watched as Melissa and Maria walked into the office, saw them leave their luggage in the foyer and he heard Maria call out to an omega to take their bags up to their rooms. Also heard her state, the new aroma petals were to be taken to the Luna’s office for them to start sorting out and refilling the pouches.

So they were going to refill those little bags that they had throughout the packhouse. He sat back in his chair and watched as Melissa glared right at Titan and snapped “Your job is now done. Why are you still here? Get lost.” She sounded more than annoyed with him.

He watched as Titan smiled right at her “I’ve got orders from the Beta to be here in the office, my Luna.”

“I can overrule that.” She shot at him. “Go away.”

“No, you can’t.” Rafe interjected “I need a word with Titan, myself.”

Jack watched as Melissa’s eyes turned right on Rafe and her frown did not go away, only now it was directed at Rafe. Looked unhappy with his statement. Jack looked to Maria, she smiled right at him. Both Melissa and Maria had stopped only a few steps into the office itself. “Jack, I got a new perfume, come smell it. I think you’re going to love it. It’s so sweet and pretty.”

“No, thank you,” he stated calmly. “I actually have a lot to do, am really busy.”

“Jack, I’ve been gone for a long time.” She raised her arms and held them out to him. “Come and hug me, I have missed you.”

He stared at her for a moment, raised an eyebrow, he seriously doubted that. “Then you shouldn’t have left the pack should you,” he stated flatly.

“Jack, you know I need to go home.” She pouted at him “To stay connected to my family. I have always felt that way.”

“I’m aware.” He muttered, he was now well aware of her need to go home. The real reason behind it as well. “We were attacked again while you two decided to go home and live it up. Nearly lost a mother and her two sons to Victor Sampson of the Bloodless Moon, who came back.”

“Like I said he would.” Rafe shot at them. “Told you it wasn’t right for you to go, with the threat of him coming right back.”

Jack watched as both Melissa and Maria frowned and then Melissa walked further into the office, over to Rafe’s desk. “You didn’t call me about that.”

“Would you have come home anyway?” Rafe pushed his chair back away from his desk and walked around her, as Melissa tried to put a hand on him, walked all the way over to Jack’s desk and leaned on it. Jack watched her eyes widen more than a little as Rafe actively avoided her touch.

Watched her track him right to Jack and then glare at Jack himself, then the pair of them as she took in their current closeness, Jack dropped a hand right on Rafe’s thigh to show her just how close they had gotten.

“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded instantly, at seeing the two of them so close to each other in her presence, something she was more than against.

“Jack and I have gotten closer while you were away, almost back to how we were before you and Maria came along.” he heard Rafe tell her, had chosen his words carefully, Jack thought with a smile.

He watched as anger flared in Melissa and then her eyes moved right to her sister, and they were both glazed over for a moment, mind-linking to each other about what they thought was likely going on. Or perhaps what they now needed to do.

“Is that Luna Addison? I see,” Titan asked, interrupting the goings on inside the office.

“It is.” Jack nodded “She has been here a few days now. Is on the outs with her Mate, likely to be a rejection coming.”

Titans eyes moved right to Jack. “It is good to see her Beta, I’d love to say hello later on.” He was staring at Jack pointedly now. “I’ve not been to Nightfall in months.”

Oh, he got it. He needed to have someone not from this pack to question him ‘dammit.’ He muttered to Rafe down the mind-link.

‘I’ll sort that, Addi will understand, I’m sure.’

“Why is there another Luna inside my pack?” Melissa snapped “That Luna in particular.” But her eyes were on Titan and he watched as Titan shrugged, but the man was smiling as he leaned all casual in the office doorway. He could see that Melissa and Titan did not get along.

“She is now a member of this pack.” Rafe stated “She and Orien are breaking their Mate Bond.”

“So! Why is she in this pack? She can go somewhere else, I’m sure.”

“I invited her.” Jack stated “She helped our pack members after Victor tried to take them. Attended to the Luna’s duties, you should have been here to do yourself.” He shot at her. Technically, he was right, she was tending to Luci and the twins’ emotional state, and that was what a Luna did, and Luci and the twins were pack members.

He saw her shoot across the room and snap her hand out to slap him. Rafe’s hand caught her around the wrist. “I wouldn’t, Melissa. I am just as ticked off as Jack is, about your leaving when this pack needed you to be here.” He thrust her hand away. “Strike Jack and I might just let him strike you back right this minute.”

“Are you insane?” She snapped “I’m your Mate and the pack Luna. No one is ever allowed to strike me.”

“If you start a fight, I’ll allow Jack to accept the challenge, and offer you a real duel. If that is how things must be done. You will be showing Jack respect at all times, from now on. No more will you get away with the slightest of infractions regarding my Beta.”

Jack smiled right up at her, caressed Rafe’s thigh just a little and he saw her note it, winked right at her “Perhaps my Luna, you shouldn’t go away and leave us alone together for so long.” He practically drawled “You never know what might happen.”

He heard Titan snort from the doorway, seemed amused watching what was going on between them.

Maria looked furious. “Jack, perhaps we need to talk. I was overly harsh before I left. I do need to apologise to you for that.”

“It’s nothing you haven’t done before, Maria.” Jack shrugged and it wasn’t.

“Didn’t you miss me at all? I missed you.” she smiled at him.

His eyes moved from her to Titan and then back to her and he saw her glance at the man, before she stepped forward and over to him, reached out a hand “Don’t bother.” He snapped at her and shoved his chair back quite harshly “If you think a hug is going to fix it, you’d be wrong.” He snapped, taking a page right out of Addison’s book. Used her words, the very ones she’d used on Orien.

“Jack, don’t be like that.” She walked towards him.

“Go and unpack, I have work to do.” He stated and walked over to Rafe’s desk and sat himself down in the Alpha’s chair.

“Get out of that chair.” Melissa roared right at him, all anger and fury it seemed, at seeing him in the Alpha’s seat.

“I’m fine with him there.” Rafe stated calmly and walked over to lean on his own desk next to Jack, “I don’t mind if he uses my desk. Often does when you’re not here.”

“He’s not the Alpha, and never will be.” Melissa shot right at Rafe.

“If I chose to rank him up, he will be, and honestly, I have been considering it this past week. It’s been tough for us here, stressful and Jack has more than pulled his weight. Acted like an Alpha, better than I have at times.” Rafe told her calmly.

“Don’t you dare. I’ll leave you if you do!”

“Hmm…will you, I wonder?” Rafe tilted his head slightly and really looked at her, as his hand reached out and landed on Jack’s shoulder. Jack rolled the chair forward to get closer to Rafe and watched her glare right at him. He could actually see her brain ticking.

“Alpha.” It was Titan. “Did I see young Luci when I drove up?…Your and Jacks Concubine?”

Everyone in the room turned and looked at the man. Jack had already answered that question. Titan smiled “Gosh, I’m so very glad she didn’t die like we all thought.”

“What?” he heard both Melissa and Maria gasp now.

“I knew I felt something.” Melissa suddenly yelled “You cheated on me.”

“I did not. Luci wants nothing to do with Jack or I.” he sighed heavily “It’s been difficult for her to come back to the pack, to be here.”

“She can leave.” Melissa snarled.

“That is not going to happen, considering it was her and her children that Victor of the Bloodless Moon tried to take and hurt.” Rafe told her.

“I don’t care about that. He can have her.” Melissa stated flatly.

The snarl that ripped out of him and Flare said it all, and he saw both Melissa and Maria back up and away from him as he stood up, all their anger, both his and his beast on the surface for all to see and feel “How dare you.” they snarled at her “As the Luna to this pack you should conduct oneself properly. You are supposed to protect pack members, not want to send them off to be brutalised by a complete savage of a man.” They both yelled together at the woman, who was backing away towards the office door still, a hand on her sister now “You know he is a savage, destroyed that Gypsy pack to get his hands on one underage she-wolf. Now you think it’s okay to just give that man one of our own, plus her small children.” Took a breath in and let her have it all, roared all his and Flares anger at them. “What the hell kind of Luna are you!”

Watched as Maria clutched at her sister’s arm tightly, they’d never actually seen him or Flare unleash their anger before, let alone have it directed right at one of them. It seemed that neither of them liked it.

“Get out of our office.” Rafe grated out, all Alpha Wolf now himself “Before you get more than rounded on.”

Jack watched as the two of them looked from him to Rafe and then to each other. He saw Maria nod her head and then they just turned and headed out the door. He watched as Maria pulled out her phone to call someone, likely her old pack. She could mind-link to anyone here.

They needed back up or to report what was now happening, though he didn’t hear her make a call, was using his wolfs hearing to track them as they hurried away, could hear her texting someone, was tapping away furiously on her phone’s screen, it seemed. Those two had not come home to what they were expecting, like every other time.

Didn’t like it or understand it, needed help or information about what to do about it, he thought. Likely it was because Rafe and Jack wouldn’t allow themselves to actually be touched, not even a hug. Which he believed would allow the two of them to be affected by whatever it was those two used to control them, so they were not getting the usual response to them coming home.

It had not escaped his attention that both their Mates had been trying to lay hands on them, Maria more so than Melissa. She’d never really apologised to him like that before either. Though he did note that she still expected him to go to her, she had voiced she’d missed him, wanted a hug, even put her arms out for one, but had not been inclined at all to go to him to give him a hug. Wanted him to go to her as always.

He wondered if that was a part of it, that he had to want to go to her, for it to work, did he have to be willingly surrounded by whatever it was. She’d only walked across the room, because he had not gone to her. She’d had no other choice, he thought. Likely wouldn’t have apologised either if he’d not shown he was annoyed with them.