The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 46

Thatcher POV

He sat next to his father, because it was where he was supposed to sit, his place as the future Heir to their pack. Just sat there and watched and listened to them all. Looked at his sister who he had argued with himself not so long ago. Who had been missing for six and a half years.

Had run away because she had become pregnant to her Alpha and Beta, men he knew she had loved. She’d been so happy here, he’d never seen her that happy, ever, certainly not in their home pack. But then they had abandoned her without warning.

She looked so very different to him, taller and fairer, she seemed so different to him in that cottage. Was not even here inside the packhouse where she actually belonged, was where all alpha-blooded wolves lived, and wondered why that was? as he sat watching his family fall apart, and he knew it was doing just that.

Did her Alpha and Beta not want her in the packhouse? Surely, they would, especially their children, heirs to the pack now. Thatcher had not seen either one of their Mates, he didn’t actually think that they were here in the pack. Which was odd in itself. Those two when they did come back from wherever they were. Were going to be an issue.

They were going to come home and find out about the twins. He wondered now if those two, Rafe and Jack, had not put her in the packhouse on purpose? Or had Luci herself opted not to be anywhere near them?

He sat and watched her fire up, nearly smiled to himself. She was still true to form, there she was antagonising his father. Not hers, he sighed internally. He’d not even known she wasn’t his true sibling till today. A half-sister, not that it mattered to him. She’d always gotten along with him, they’d played a lot at not liking each other, but he loved his sister and she loved him.

He looked at everyone in the room, stating what they all thought was best for her. He had never once thought that his father would want her back inside the pack. He had stopped caring about her the minute she’d left to live with Rafe and Jack.

His father had thought that not only was she a disappointment to him, but a disgrace to his pack. He’d heard his father call her a w***e once, not in earshot of his mother, he’d only been young, but he’d known what the word meant. He had stared at his father and actually cried. She’d not long left and he’d missed her.

His father had tried to tell him he’d miss heard him, that, that was not what he’d said, had asked him not to say anything to his mother. He hadn’t, had fallen in line and done as he was told, but mostly because his parents had been fighting at the time, and he’d just lost his sister, and didn’t want to lose his mother as well. Knew he would.

It’s not what she was. Once here she was only ever with Rafe and Jack, loved them, didn’t stray, didn’t look for anyone else to sate her Alpha needs. Didn’t need to, the two of them could do that for her. Her needs were, he realised, higher than most, had always been, and it ticked his father off.

Went completely wide-eyed at her statement about having a siren and a wolf. He’d not known that either, no one had bothered to tell him his sister was a double shifter. Realised instantly why she’d been angry and getting into it with his father. What she was, was the only reason his father wanted her back in the pack.

Also understood very clearly that she was offering to kill Orien, and seat him, Thatcher, right in the Alpha chair of Nightfall. He wasn’t happy about her direct threat to his father, her stepfather, but he kind of understood why she was fired up. The man didn’t love her at all. Wanted her, as Luci stated, just to Mate her off for a good alliance for himself, nothing more. Likely she was very right.

He stood up himself as he watched Alpha Rafe try to calm her down. “Enough, everyone just stop it.” he practically yelled into the room. He’d heard enough, walked over to her. “Rafe move, I want to talk to my sister.” He shot at him, uncaring of the fact that he was ordering another Alpha about in his own pack.

Saw Solar look right at him. He didn’t like being ordered about inside his own pack. Thatcher didn’t really care right this minute, he hadn’t liked what either of them had done, been so damned lax in their duty of care of his sister. They could still be for all he knew.

“Move, I don’t think anyone in this room really cares what Luci wants.” Shoved that man right out of the way. “She is my sister, I want to talk to her.”

He sat himself down in the exact position Rafe had been and looked right at her for a moment and then just sighed. He’d not had all the facts when last talking to her “Luci, until today I didn’t even know you weren’t my full-blooded sister. Till mother practically spat it at me this morning.” Shook his head and glared at his own mother. She could have been nice about it.

Looked back to Luci “To answer some of your questions that were ignored by my father. I was just 17 when I lost my virginity, to my high school girlfriend. Not my Goddess Gifted Mate.”

“Thatcher.” He heard his father’s warning tone.

Ignored it. “He congratulated me, told me he was proud I’d become a man. My girlfriend, he did not admonish, or punish her. So, yes, I can see he’s a hypocrite. Treated you very differently from me, as you well know. Now I know why, you’re not his actual daughter.” Sighed once more, that man had raised her from a baby he’d seen photos’ right from the day she was born. “I don’t think Luci, anyone here but mother has your best interest at heart. They all have ulterior motives. Father, who told me with full certainty, before we came here, he did not want you back inside the pack. I was his heir, not you. Now, look at him, he has done a full one eighty and wants you in the pack.” Shook his head, his father was not to be trusted at all where she was concerned, and he knew it.

“You’re part Siren? Wow, I did not know that either, till you stated it.” smiled right at her “No wonder you’re so head strong, I’d like to meet her one day, if she want’s that of course. Father is all about power, you yourself would know this. I also think, and you heard him state, he will Mate you off, to some Alpha who has a large pack, lots of money and make a deal for himself for Nightfall. He won’t care about you in that deal.”

He heard his father growl right at him, was clearly angry that Thatcher had decided to be honest with her. “Oh shut it father, she’s not wrong about you. You treated her completely different to all other she-wolves, you don’t care if they go about f*****g anyone or anything ever. You are a hypocrite.” He muttered, he didn’t like to think about his father like that, but it was plainly clear. “I will not be like that when I reign.” Looked right at Luci. “I unfortunately don’t think that Rafe and Jack have your best interest in mind either. They also have an ulterior motive. The twins are theirs, the heirs to their pack. So, of course, they want you here, for their children Luci. Did they care about you really? Any more than father did? I doubt it, Luci, they came home Marked and Mated without so much as calling you, to let you know.” He glared from Rafe to Jack, knew that neither of them could even deny it. Hell, if they tried, Luci could refute it herself. She knew what had happened, was the one to suffer the pain of losing them, bearing them children, and raising them alone out there somewhere. He still didn’t know where that had been.

“In all this yelling and arguing, I have yet to hear what it is you want; no one has asked you what you want. Not father, not Rafe and not Jack. I honestly think mother is the only one on your side. Me, I’m just bloody confused to be honest, thought I was getting my sister back, only to find out she’s a mother of two. I’m an uncle, and learned today from you and this meeting, that I am more like my father than I care to be, right now.”

He leaned forward and took both her hands in his. “You were right, I didn’t question father’s actions towards mother. Just accepted that what he did was right because he is the Alpha, as well as the fact that I too am selfish. I didn’t want you coming home and taking my position as the Heir to the pack, away from me.” Sighed, for he too had an ulterior motive. “Mother, on the other hand, just wanted to find you. Likely just wanted to hold you in her arms and tell you she loves you. Was happy you were okay. She is the one on your side. No one else in this room is truly without motive…So Luci, what is it you want? Kali wants? Your Siren?”

“Alari.” She told him softly, and then he saw a flash of pure black in her eyes, smiled right at her.

“Alari?” he chuckled softly “You all rhyme, you know that, right?” he half teased her and actually saw her smile and nod her head.

“I like it,” she told him.

“I’m gonna tease you all about it, all the time.” He smiled right back at her, it was there thing or had been once. “Well, big sister what is it you, Kali and Alari want? That is all that should matter to anyone in this room. Ignore what everyone else wants and take your time to really think about what it is you want.”

He watched her sigh and knew she didn’t know what she wanted at this point. He nodded his head in understanding “Luci, are you concerned about your Alpha and Beta’s Mates?”

“Yes.” She said simply, the fight in her was now gone, it seemed, she’d listened to him, and he’d managed to calm her down.

Of course she was, what she-wolf wouldn’t be worried about her children. Heirs to the pack when she was not the Luna, and there was a Luna who knew nothing about those children, that would take over one day and not be hers. No Luna would like this coming at her out of the blue.

His eyes moved from his sister to Rafe and Jack. He could actually see she wasn’t the only one concerned about this. “What have you put in place to protect my sister and her sons from your own Mates?” He asked directly of them.

“They are not here.” Rafe told him, “To be honest, I think Luci is more than capable of dealing with either of our Mates.”

“That is not the point.” He frowned and stood up. “She should not have to. You, as the Alpha, should be protecting your own children, the mother to your children. They are pack members. Your responsibility. You should organise a protective detail, round the clock. I’ve met your Luna. I don’t think she will be happy about this.” He stared right at Rafe then stated “If you’re not going to do anything, then Luci and both the boys need to be moved to an allied pack. Where they will be safe and protected at all times, from any threat your Luna may pose, regardless of if Luci is capable of protecting them. It is your job to assure all of their safety, all of the time.”

Thatcher knew he was young, but he was currently attending Alpha college and he had learned a lot there, rules and regulations, read quite a few books, knew this actually happened a lot in their world, Alpha’s got around to sate their needs, and she-wolves didn’t need to be in heat to get pregnant all the time, so protecting what was theirs, from their Mate’s when it wasn’t their Mates child was a must.

Right this very minute, Thatcher was not only being her brother but trying to display his ability to think past his own needs. Think about the best thing for Luci and the twins. Staying here might not actually be the best option for her.

He knew Nightfall certainly wasn’t. Jack had not been wrong. His father had not called Victor and severed ties with him, should have, but hadn’t. And he wouldn’t put it past his own father to try once more to Mate her off the instant she was there.

“You think Nightfall is a good place for her?” Rafe frowned at him.

“No, I would not send her home with father. We’re currently still allied to Victor, I believe. But surely you have others she could go to, others you would trust to watch over her?”

Thatcher saw both of them just stare at him “I’m only thinking of Luci and the boys. Not you two, not father, not myself or even mother for that matter. Luci’s safety must come first. When are your Mates due back?”

“Yesterday, but they have still not returned,” Rafe admitted to him.

“Odd.” He commented “Why not?”

“I don’t know.” Rafe answered him “They will come back only when they please, to be honest with you.”

Thatcher frowned right at him “That is not very Luna-like behaviour. Leaving the pack after an attack like you had.” He shook his head, didn’t understand it at all. His own mother never left the pack for weeks to months after an attack. The lost pack members Mates needed counselling, monitoring, consoling. She used her Luna Calm along with the Gamma to aid the pack until things were settled and everyone was doing well. The orphaned pups were always a concern, could be placed with other families, but didn’t always attach to them, needed their Luna to be with them. She could and did bring comfort to them. He’d seen his own mother take in orphans till they were ready to be with another family.

Neither of them said anything at all. “Luci and the boys are also Alpha-blooded and should not be out in the pack, but inside the packhouse, for safety. That is a given. Why am I having to tell you this, is beyond me.” He shook his head, more than annoyed to be having to tell them this.

He turned at the feel of Luci’s hand touching his. “I don’t want to be in the packhouse.” She told him a little quietly.

“You should be, lived on the top floor while you were here. You have every right to be up there. Are likely more powerful than everyone in this very room Luci.” He turned and looked right at her, “You could overthrow them and reign, I imagine. I’ve read up on Sirens. They are not to be messed with at all.”

She just stared up at him. “I don’t belong in the packhouse Thatcher, was…just their concubine.” She murmured softly “Nothing more.”, Saw her eyes fall away from him.

She could be so very strong against his father. But where those two were concerned she doubted herself, it seemed. He knew why, she’d loved them, and they’d abandoned her without a single thought at all. Was hurting her even now, he realised. Likely still bloody loved them, even though they had wronged her and would never be anything to her again, just the father of her children.