The Alpha & Beta's Regret
The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 81

Addison POV

She was prowling around outside, staring at her phone. Her own judgement of Orien this time might well have been wrong. She’d seen him many times, not back Luci, she’d nearly left him when Luci was 18 over his treatment of her daughter.

The man had bowed down to her, begged her to punish him, and she had lashed that man with everything she’d had, all her Alpha strength, all the Siren venom in her to punish him for hurting Luci that day. He’d been very careful of his word usage after that. But he’d also gotten to see the side of Luci after that, that showed her leadership qualities.

Addison herself had put many things in Luci’s hands to deal with, while that man was not allowed to reign, and she herself had become the Alpha to the pack for those 10 days. She’d used those 10 days to show him that Luci was not just a spoiled little girl but a young lady that knew and understood how to actually do her Alpha duties.

Which she had, even Milton had been proud of Luci, stepping up and doing what she was asked. Though he had told Addison that the girl never responded to Orien the way she did to Addison herself. Addison knew that was because deep down she was Luci’s Alpha, Luna. Orien was not bled to the girl. She’d not done that, didn’t want to risk Luci losing her Siren if she was ever allowed to have it. This, too, was why Orien and Luci butted heads, they were not bonded to each other, and the more defiant and siren like she became, the more Orien had not liked what he saw.

She’d never told him of Luci’s genes solely because she already knew that Orien would be looking to use that side of her. He liked power, and he would have tried to Mate her off even harder than he already had. She sighed, part of them not getting along, was in fact her fault and she knew it.

But her priority had been keeping her daughter safe; they were the last words Lucian had told her, ‘I love you Addi, protect our daughter.’ She sighed, knew what he said but could no longer hear his actual voice inside her mind. Missed Lucian a lot some days. He knew how to make her smile, how to make her laugh.

The life of Sirens, in the world she had known, had been peaceful, they just liked to swim and be together. That was it. There were no wars with other Siren packs. She knew they were only small, two dozen adults there in that lake, but they were her family or had been for a very short period of time, a few months. But she’d liked every one of them, they’d been happy for their Alpha choosing a Mate, and having her choose him back. They’d all sang that moment she’d said yes. They didn’t even care she was a half breed, no more than Lucian had.

Sirens being allowed to choose who they love and gift themselves to, meant it didn’t matter who or what their Mate’s were. They simply loved someone for themselves, not where they came from, what genes they had; Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Delta, warrior or omega didn’t concern them. What mattered to a Siren was the way someone made their own heart flutter.

She turned her head to look at the house Rafe and Jack had presented to Luci, and sighed, wondering whose actual choice it was. This house was amazing. Yes, Luci had borne their children, Heirs to the pack but that didn’t mean you were given something like this. No, those men still had feelings for her daughter.

Jack, she knew, was at some point going to give up everything for Luci. The question was when. After what she had learned today, she didn’t know all the facts but had gleaned enough to know those two she-wolves had ruined her daughter’s life. It was likely from what she’d heard. They were not their actual Mates.

When Luci found out? What her daughter would do with the information was another thing entirely. She had mated herself to the two of them, had chosen them, shook her own head. That daughter of hers had chosen those two long before they had come home Marked and Mated.

Likely months, perhaps years before, but she was brought up in the wolfen world where you waited for your Goddess Gifted to come along and claim you. She knew she was not their Goddess Gifted. But that Goddess of theirs also knew the girl had chosen them, likely the moment she had chosen them.

It was entirely possible that they both also belonged to her, in their Goddess’s eyes, but that they both needed to actively make that decision and then voice it out loud to Luci herself, the moment they did. Things would change and they would be granted to each other. She really did want to tell both Rafe and Jack that, but she didn’t want Jack just ditching one for the other.

Kind of got the feeling that he would in a heartbeat, this here, inside the pack, needed to play out, whatever it was. Her eyes moved to the woods, and she found Hannah watching her, sighed “Evening Hannah.” She nodded.

“Alpha, don’t be so worried about Lucian. She is much stronger than you think, a lot like her mother and father.”

“She’s in pain. I don’t like it.”

“You are not so different. Have pain.”

“Yes, but I can express mine. Luci can’t.” she sighed.

“Once she is realised, things will be different.”

“Realised?”

“Yes, be patient…go home. I will watch over her.”

“I can’t go home right this minute.” She sighed, would likely never make it past Victor’s pack.

“Not that home, your lake. Would you like to know where it is?”

Addison stared at her now. “Yes.”

“Kintla Lake, is your home, Addison. It is not that far from here either.”

“How far?”

“A blip.”

Addison frowned right at her now, and then shook her head. “Not all of us can just imagine and go like you can, Hannah.”

She saw Hannah actually chuckling now. Blinked had never seen her do that before, must be in a really good mood today. “I do believe you could meet someone tomorrow that could fly you out there. Likely would if you ask nicely. Loves to fly that boy.” She snorted and then was just gone, blipped herself away.

Stared at the empty space in the woods that was where Hannah had stood and shook her head “Witches.” She muttered to herself, and heard Fallon chortle ‘Yes, that is part of us too.’

It was true, she was half witch, but never really used that side of her, kept it hidden from all, her home pack had not liked her being a half breed, they’d known what she was from a young age, because her eyes had glowed when she was angry as a child. Not just a wolfen child. ‘A despicable half breed. With a monster for a father.’

Addison sighed, she knew how she was created, what her mother went through, had been taken and brutalised for days on end, by goddess only knew how many in that pack, and not just wolves either. How her own mother could love her she didn’t know. Why she kept her was another matter. She had been too far along to get rid of her by the time her Mate got her back, she supposed.

Either that or her mother simply did love her. She’d been the only one in that pack to speak kindly to her, treat her nicely, actually hug her and talk to her, sit and spend time with her. Not even her own siblings. Well, half siblings would do that. They were all of the opinion she was a monster just like her father.

She’d asked her mother once and only once if she knew who he was, had seen the woman’s face close over completely, go completely emotionless she’d stated one name and then walked away from her. ‘Hendrick.’ Was all she’d stated. Hadn’t seen her mother for near on a week after that day.

She now knew who that man was, hadn’t at the time been too young. But did now, had never seen him, either he didn’t know or he didn’t care to know he had a half breed of a daughter out here in the world. Probably didn’t get what he wanted from her. She’d heard he was a cruel bastard, no longer in the king’s service, had aided the old king.

The new king had banished him for his wrong doings, not into the human world either, but somewhere off inside the kingdom, that man was, she’d heard, forbidden to come anywhere near the new king’s sister and her family. Was considered a traitor, she didn’t know if the tales she heard were true or not.

Likely so, considering how she had been created. Sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, pushed the thoughts of her very old life aside. There was nothing there for her, she had been glad to leave that pack.

Took a breath in and called Orien, knew it was getting late, but had a feeling he would take her call. He did, picked up on just the third ring “Addi, are you okay?” he voiced right away.

“I am fine. You?” she asked right back.

“I miss you,” he sighed.

“The pack? How are they doing?”

“All is well,” he stated.

“You lied to me, Orien. Don’t do that, I know you have sent half the pack away. Are prepping for war even. What is going on?”

There was silence at the other end of the line, then he sighed. “I need time, Addison, things with Victor are complicated. Yes, I have spoken to him, he did not deny trying to take Luci for himself…” he sighed very heavily now, it was long and drawn out, even heard him take in a long slow breath, and knew right then that the next words to come from him were not going to be good. “he still has the papers we drew up for their Mating Alliance.”

Addison closed her eyes. “I did not sign that and neither did you or Luci.”

“Neither you nor Luci did, but Addison…I did, in one of my fits of rage over the girls’ behaviour, he has it.”

She was quiet for a long time. “Why do you tell me this now?”

“Because Victor is going to use it, I believe. Hung onto it all this time, likely to split you and I apart. Pull you into his pack, give you somewhere to go, likes half breeds, which you are. I now know, I don’t care either about that.”

“Why me?”

“To get what he has always wanted…Lucian. He broached me on a mating alliance with Lucian when she was like 3 or 4. Told me he just knew she would be perfect as his Luna. I thought it was ridiculous and stated no at the time.”

“Glad to see you did love her once.”

“I did love her, Addi, she was a handful that I could not…’ his words trailed off.

“Control.” Addison finished it for him. She knew he was a very controlling man, and heard him sigh “Don’t sever ties with Victor. Reject me and save the pack.”

“Addison!” he exclaimed, sounding more than horrified.

“The pack must come first, I know this, you know this, and Victor has men inside your pack. They will report it to him. This will solve the war between the two packs.”

“For now, Addison…I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want that either.” She sighed, he was gifted to her and could be a right royal pain in her a*s, but he was hers. “I think a rejection needs to be had, we can discuss rebuilding our bond when Victor is no longer a part of any of our lives.”

There was silence for a long moment. She knew he was thinking about what she was proposing. “Addi, a rejection just to prove to Victor, I’ve chosen him over you?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll come back to me, then?”

“If you are the man, I am hoping you to be.” she nodded “A bond can be regrown, you know this. We are turbulent at the best of times.”

“You would forgive me once more?”

“You will be begging on your knees for forgiveness. I want to hear the words; I’m sorry Lucian, come from your mouth. Then we can discuss our regrowing of our bond.”

“I will give you whatever you want. But a plan needs to be formulated.”

“I am working on that from my end. I will call you tomorrow and…we’ll reject each other over a video call. It should work.”

“Could kill us, Addi.”

“It won’t because deep down we know we’ll be fine…We do love you.” she told him and clicked the line closed before he could say anymore.

‘It will hurt.’ Fallon huffed.

‘Yes, but we’ve suffered worse. To save our daughter, we would suffer much more.’ She knew that both her and Fallon, alike, would willingly die for their daughter.