Let
\( \frac{x^2}{f(a^2 + 2a + 7)} + \frac{y^2}{f(3a + 14)} = 1 \)
represent an ellipse. The major axis of the given ellipse is the y-axis and \( f \) is a decreasing function. If the range of \( a \) is \( R - [\alpha, \beta] \), then \( \alpha + \beta \) is: