The Alpha & Beta’s Regret – Chapter 65

Jack POV

Flare ripped right out of him the moment they were outside of the packhouse, and he was gone racing off in the direction of the western forest. Both he and Flare knew exactly where Luci was. Flare did look briefly at the sky, but there was nothing there now. Whatever it was, everyone was reporting was gone.

But the reports flooding in weren’t just from the pack members but border patrollers as well, and with everyone trying to let their Alpha and Beta know what they saw, he knew it was right where Luci herself was.

It wasn’t all that long before he was no longer alone. Allen’s wolf Cosmos was racing alongside him. Just as fast, likely one of his own mates was out there as well. That can’t be good. What if Hannah or one of her sisters had come across Alari and they were in a fight?

Goddess who would win a powerful Witch or a Siren. Jack could feel his stress levels rising.

‘Allen?’

‘Hannah is out there.’ Allen shot down the mind-link as their two wolves raced together now, towards the area. Though after just a brief minute, Cosmos came to a skidding halt, then he was gone bolting away towards the north woods. It was likely Hannah had teleported herself back to her cabin in the woods.

Flare continued on into the woods, they were latched on to Luci’s tether. She’d not moved at all from what he could tell. Found her standing naked amongst a lot of debris, tree branches and wood splinters appeared to have rained down on her and around her. Flare pulled up short and just stood watching her.

She was still a beautiful creature to behold, though all her softness was gone, the sight of her completely naked, he liked. Had to shake it off and focus on what was actually going on, he could see that she was not injured, she herself was just looking around at all the destruction.

She did not react to Flare being there not that far from her, didn’t really look at him, she was, however, half smiling at herself. Stood and watched as she looked right at her hands and then turned her face up to the forest canopy. Flare tilted his head up so they too could see what she was seeing.

There was a clear gap directly above where she stood. Flare took a couple of steps to get a better look. A near perfect circle of sky was shining down on her. His eyes moved back to her ‘Luci?’ he mind-linked right to her.

She turned and looked right at Flare, and he saw a slight glow in her eyes, just like Addison had, just like Hannah and her sisters got. Then it was fading away, and her brilliant green eyes returned to normal.

They watched her bite her l*p nervously, it was very cute, he hadn’t seen that expression in a very long time. ‘Sorry Beta.’ She murmured after a moment.

She didn’t use his name, he noted ‘What happened?’ he asked. He wanted Flare to shift him back to his human form, but his wolf would not. Flare knew she would be uncomfortable with Jack standing completely naked before her. His wolf, it seemed, was taking that into account.

‘Um, I’m not exactly certain.’ She said ‘Kind of…got overloaded by…’ she stopped talking altogether and frowned, shook her head ‘I’m fine.’

‘Did you do that to the trees?’ he asked, though his gut told him yes, he’d seen that glow.

‘Mm.’ she nodded and then turned her face up to the night sky once more. The stars were clearly visible above her. The trees around her had been sheered clear of their branches in a 16 foot radius. Flare stepped towards her.

“The boys.” She suddenly gasped and then Kali was just ripped out of her and she was racing away from them in wolfen form.

Flare shot right after her. He had wanted to run with her earlier in the day, but had been stopped by Addison. That wasn’t going to happen now. He took the opportunity to run through the woods with Kali, the wolf. Flare was interested in himself. He enjoyed keeping up with her.

Saw Kali actually look at Flare.

Flare looked right back at her as he raced alongside her. Then she just put on a boost of speed and ran ahead of them. Flare was really stretching his legs now, she was all Alpha Wolf right this minute and he was barely keeping up. Jack realised that even Solar might have trouble catching her now.

Maybe she had never really run from them with all she had, they’d never had trouble keeping up with Kali before. But right that minute she was starting to pull away from Flare, ‘You’re much faster.’ Jack laughed down the mind-link.

‘Your just slow.’ Luci shot right back and then Kali was just gone, leaving him behind for real now. Likely she had gained more strength and speed when Alari had come along.

Though to hear her taunt him like that, it was so very good, filled him and Flare with happiness. They were going to be able to work things out, he just knew it. It might just take some time, a few months, though he was hoping for weeks, but it was going to be alright.

That taunt was shades of the old Luci, this was the side of Luci that they’d always seen, the playful side, they’d always loved that side of her.

Flare gave chase all the way to the cottage she and the boys were using. He could see both the boys were in the back yard along with Addison and Rafe. He watched as Kali leaped right over the backyard fence and skidded to a stop by the back door, shifting to Luci, right before both he and Rafe. “You’re slow old man.” She shot at him over her shoulder as she walked into the cottage.

He was shifted back himself and laughed ‘Old man.’ He thought to himself, she’d just played with him. He couldn’t stop smiling as he looked at Rafe, saw the man shake his own head and then state “Jack you’re naked.”

“I know.” He nodded, had just shifted back. Of course he was naked and he didn’t have clothes here. But so had Luci been for their entire conversation in the woods and she’d just been naked in front of the two of them. Admittedly, he thought she hadn’t realised at all out in the woods.

She had been lost to what ever had happened out there. It was likely from the glow of her eyes and the pack mind-linking like crazy about a massive ball of what he could only believe was witch’s light, he could only see that it was Luci, and she’d tapped into her third bloodline.

Likely that was Hanna’s doing. He knew she’d been out there. Allen had told him so. Hannah had called her a Triune, and was now helping her with that part of her. He only knew that because of Allen’s wolf, Cosmos, racing out there and then dashing off.

Something else was going on within his pack, though he didn’t yet understand what it was. He knew that things were definitely changing around here and not just for him, for Rafe, for Addison and even likely for Hannah and her sisters. They’d never really taken much interest in Luci.

They just smiled at her and were polite most of the time, when they did come across her and that was odd in itself, he now realised, they only ever smiled for their Mate and at Ian. Didn’t actively get involved with pack members either. But those three had warded Luci’s bedroom to stop Maria and Melissa from going in there.

Now those three or so far, Hannah herself, the most standoffish of them all, had gone to Luci and actively engaged with her. That was new. They were going to have to talk to those three women and find out just what was going on within the pack.

What if anything, they had seen something? It was likely that they had, and that something was to do with Luci. They’d stated she was a Triune and to leave her alone, he was willing to bet that they knew Luci had never died, that she was out there in the lake. Just wanted the girl left alone.

They were not wrong about what she was. Luci had the power of a witch within her, and she was a double shifter now, three completely separate species, but all united within Luci’s body at the same time. Wondered if that witch’s linage made it possible for her to be just that.

He understood that now, turned and looked at his boys, they had giggled when the event had happened, they knew it was their mother, felt it, he thought. And wondered now, if they to were also triunes, he was going to have to ask Hannah.

“Jack?” Rafe interrupted his thoughts.

“Hmm.”

“Go and put some pants on,” he commented.

“Why?” Jack asked.

“Because I said so. Luci still might like seeing you naked.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged it off. But he did head off to the packhouse to find pants. He had a lot of thinking to do, and they had yet to show Luci the Forest Creek house.

He returned to the cottage to find Luci dressed and standing by the back door. She was drinking a glass of water and both the boys were shifted and playing in the back yard in their Siren Wolves. Pouncing on each other and rolling around. He smiled as he watched them, they were like two happy puppies, he realised.

His eyes moved to Luci and he realised that it wasn’t actually Luci watching them, it was Alari, ever present when they both, he and Rafe were around, and it made him wonder if Luci was uncomfortable or if Alari just wanted to watch over the boys herself.

He took a calming breath to settle himself and Flare. They both enjoyed being this close to her, wanted to make a connection with her Siren, walked himself over to her, they’d not had the best contact with Alari. She was all defensive with both he and Rafe.

“Alari,” he addressed her, trying to keep his tone light and casual, “Rafe and I found a house that may suit your needs, on a creek that goes directly to the lake. Would you like to see it?” he tried to engage with the Siren, was trying to establish any kind of connection at all with her. He’d seen it could be done, she’d latched right on to Addison.

He watched those pure black eyes of hers look right at him and wondered how it was she saw him? what did he look like to her, what did any of them look like through those pure black eyes that seemed to always be devoid of life.

Had to watch her facial expression to gauge how she actually felt, though at this moment in time, there was no real expression at all on her face. She was looking right at him though and he knew it, wondered if her vision would be better under the water, than out here on the land.

He felt Rafe move to come and stand next to him and actually felt when Alari’s eyes moved from him to Rafe, he didn’t see it happen, there was nothing to see for them, but he could actually feel the difference, less tension he thought.

“It’s on the eastern side of the pack.” Rafe told her “Closer to the lake.”

“We thought you might like that.” Jack commented, “It is up to you, Luci and Kali, of course, the twins even.”

“It is only a suggestion,” Rafe finished for him.

Felt those eyes of hers return to him, once again didn’t see it, sensed it, perhaps. “We’ll look.” She stated.

“Would you like to go now or tomorrow?” he asked, though personally he was hoping for now. He wanted to spend time with them, liked being this close to her, was happy to have any interaction they could. Especially with Alari herself, who currently wasn’t being all aggressive towards either of them, she did appear a little cold. But Jack had the feeling that this was her in neutral mode. Considering she was not attached to them in any way.

“Tomorrow will do.” She stated “You,” she pointed at both of them. “Go play with Astral and Spark, they want that.” She told them, kind of like an Alpha dishing out orders. He thought absently “Run with them you will.” She finished and then just turned and walked back inside the house.

He looked at Rafe, who shrugged, there was no way he’d missed the command they’d been given, turned and looked at the boy’s wolves. Both of them were standing watching them. He chuckled “And I just put clothes on.” But started pulling his shirt off anyway. He was happy to run with the boys.