The Alpha 9: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 11
The enemy werecats’ scent was already clear in the air, and they smelled like a rotten greenhouse which hadn’t been treated for a few months. The scent of decaying petals, dried-out soil, and pools of dirty water which had been left in the burning sun for weeks on end.
Like with the information about the alpha, it also didn’t surprise me that the werecats hadn’t taken any anosmiacs, and just like with Jayden, it was like they wanted us to notice them. They hadn’t tried to hide.
Jesse, Connor’s voice suddenly appeared again. Sorry, I had a cat trying to grab my fucking tail, but I sorted it out.
Good, I snorted.
To answer your previous question, I want to say there are about… fifty betas left? Connor guessed. They’re covering both the back and front of the property, so there might be more than that, but it’s a rough estimate.
If there are fifty, then that’s great, I replied. We have near enough fifty in the cars right now, let alone you guys and the avians, too. We’re just about to pull up now, so keep doing what you’re doing, and we’ll be there in a minute.
You got it, Jesse, he said.
The Jansen home was situated in the middle of nowhere, with rolling hills on the horizon and trees as far as the eyes could see. It was the perfect place for a pack of shifters to live, but it was also the perfect place for a fight. No one ever had any reason to come out this far, and the betas hadn’t a single car while they were staying here, so it meant we had the privacy we needed.
There was a long, sloping driveway that led up to the house and separate garage, but there was also a main road which was hidden from view when we were standing on the property.
It was the best place to leave our cars, plus, we could race through the trees as we tried to catch the werecats off guard.
And that was exactly what we did.
I already had my shoes off by the time the car came to a halt, and then everyone jumped from the vehicles as we shifted into our animal forms. The shooters were the only ones who stayed in their human forms, and Kristina had previously worked out who she wanted by her side.
Aunt Eva, Blair, and Thomas were the first to be picked. But Austin admitted that he was a pretty good shot, so he was added to the team, as well as a few other betas.
Nikita, Hailey, Arielle, Brenden, and Benji stayed with me, but Azalea took to the sky, and everyone else already knew what to do, so they ran off without me having to tell them.
But before we could run off with them, I was made aware of the unpleasant scent that floated through the air.
The scent of dying flowers and stagnant water increased once I was out in the open, and the strength and power that came with the smell helped me to identify it as the alpha’s personal scent.
I also couldn’t smell any omegas present, apart from my own, so I began to wonder if this new alpha really was a lot like Jayden. No anosmiacs in their systems, no omegas present… Hell, no brain cells, either.
I couldn’t quite tell where the alpha was currently hiding, but given that the scent was strong but not too strong, I had a feeling he was somewhere at the back of the house, or perhaps in the forest that fed off from the backyard.
It was my intention to slaughter that motherfucker before he could do any damage to my pack.
Benji and Brenden, I said as we began to run through the trees. Your job is to look after the omegas. I’m going to hunt down this alpha and end this shit show once and for all.
You know they’ll be safe with us, bro, Benji replied.
We won’t let anyone touch them, Brenden added.
Hailey let out a small whine, but there was also clear determination in her orange eyes. They were all just as desperate to end this as I was.
I brushed my head against my omegas’ and told them I loved them, and then I briefly glanced up to the sky before I took off running. Azalea was swooping overhead as she watched out for her sisters, and there were a few other avians flying around near her.
Apart from me, no one was left on their own, and if we really did only have fifty werecats left to fight, then my betas could stay in their groups as they worked together to kill off our threat.
Some of my betas still had sore muscles from the fight against Jayden’s werewolves, so it angered me that we were still recovering from one fight when another one started, but that anger helped to fuel my body as I followed the rotten scent in the air.
The bodies of the murdered werecats were littered all over the property, and I witnessed my werecoyotes, werewolves, avians, and werecats pouncing and charging as they tried to add more victims to their belts.
I spotted one of my werecoyotes limping, and he had his front left paw curled up into his stomach, but that hadn’t stopped him from fighting back.
However, I did witness two of the avians working together to blind one of the werecats, and as they did that, Frederick pounced onto the mountain lion’s back and practically skinned the bastard with nothing but his paws.
At least none of my pack had died yet, and I wanted to make sure it stayed that way.
As I ran around the side of the soft-yellow building, I used my heightened senses to focus on nothing but the scents around me. The alpha’s stench was still just as strong as it was by the cars, so he could have been anywhere around me. I couldn’t see anyone who appeared taller or stronger than the other werecats, so I had to rely on my nose and ears to take me the rest of the way.
Then all of a sudden, a shattering sound shot through the air, followed by another, and then another.
The shooters had found their weapons and settled themselves on the balconies, which meant the fight was now going to end much faster than before.
As the shots were being fired, my pack worked as a team to take down the wounded werecats.
Kassidy and Annika ripped a lynx to shreds, while Lily, Seth, and Caleb chased down a second lynx before they mauled him to pieces. Then Kahn, Leo, Roman, and Zane played Tug-of-War with a mountain lion as they tore off his ears and tail before they got to work with the limbs.
But I was incredibly impressed with Connor and the werecoyotes, and had they not been there to start with, this fight would have been ten times harder. From the amount of bodies on the ground, it looked like the werecoyotes had killed off half the pack already, and I certainly hadn’t thought that would have been the outcome when I was stuck in the car.
Jesse, on your left! Blair suddenly cried.
I turned on my paws just in time to see an enormous mountain lion sprinting toward me, but before I could brace myself or close the distance between us, another rifle was fired.
The mountain lion instantly lost his balance, and he began to trip over his own paws as he fell straight to the ground.
A large bullet hole had practically shattered the werecat’s cheek in half, and his beige fur instantly turned red from the amount of blood that oozed from the opening.
Straight through the side of the skull, Austin! Blair cheered. Nice shot!
I looked up at the bearded beast of a man, gave him a slight nod of my head as a silent thank you, and then I turned and continued to run. Austin said he was a good shot, and the werewolf hadn’t been lying.
I paused for a second to collect my bearings, and then as the alpha’s scent appeared again, I focused on the invisible guide as I picked up my pace.
I ran around the side of the pool and down the sloped lawn, and it looked like the guide was taking me into the forest, which was exactly where I imagined the alpha to be hiding.
And like always, my instincts were correct.
I was barely in the forest for a minute before I noticed the large, shadowed outline of a beast up ahead of me.
The mountain lion continued to plod forward, and if his scent hadn’t given him away, then the sheer size of the animal would have been enough to tell me who he was.
The alpha looked to be the same size as me, and as he came closer, I noticed his bulging muscles and broad shoulders. The alpha didn’t look as young and inexperienced as Jayden Carver, but it didn’t look like he was as experienced as Theo Finch, either.
The tan-colored mountain lion had white paws and black tips on his rounded ears, and his long tail swatted the air behind him as he wandered forward. He kept his head down low, but his lips curled up ever so slightly as a way of warning me with his teeth.
He had a few lasting scars near his eyes, so he’d clearly been in some brutal attacks before, but given the fact that he’d led his pride into pure danger, it made me think that he hadn’t done his research on me before he came here. Therefore, his determination to win and rule this land came before the safety and security of his pride.
And any smart, intelligent alphas would know to think about the future of their betas before they did anything.
That subtle warning also made me think the mountain lion had no idea who he was up against when he planned this attack, otherwise he would have known not to mess with me.
He was either looking for an easy way out of this world and knew I could kill him extremely easily. Or maybe he thought he was the king of the shifter world, so he thought he had the ability to kill me and collect my werecats as his own.
If that was the case, then he had another thing coming.
Because if everything went according to plan, this motherfucker was going to be dead and buried within a handful of minutes.
Unlike with Jayden, I didn’t bother asking any questions, because I knew I wasn’t going to get a response. I also didn’t shift into my hybrid form, either.
This guy had planned a sudden, unprovoked attack on me, and now I was about to enact his sudden death.
I didn’t need to conjure up any sort of anger before I attacked my threat with my additional power. I was already pissed enough, so that was all it took for me to throw my head back and allow The Howl to work itself into the air.
The pulsing vibrations of my howl were enough to force the alpha onto his knees, and he pressed his head down into the ground as a way of protecting himself from the noise.
But I knew nothing was going to work.
Theo Finch was the only alpha who could partially resist The Howl when I’d used it on him, so unless this mountain lion was as strong as Theo, then he had no chance of survival.
The Howl also assisted my pack, too, so now there was nothing the enemy pride could do to fight back, and I assumed the attack was only going to last for a few more minutes.
In order to keep the alpha firmly pinned to the ground, I sounded out The Howl once again, and then I darted over to him while I had the chance. I had a matter of seconds to work with before the alpha was no longer immobilized, and I was going to use every moment I had.
I used my mighty front paws to push the alpha on his side, and then I pounced onto his muscular body as my jaws snapped together with rage.
The alpha’s turquoise eyes bulged from the pressure of The Howl, and he had the ability to lamely lift his front limbs, but his paws remained floppy and unresponsive. Even if he’d swatted them against my legs, he probably wouldn’t have done any damage to me.
That was probably when he realized he was fucked, and there was nothing he could have done about it.
As I pierced his chest with my claws and clamped my teeth around his throat, and then I used all my strength to cause as much damage and injury as possible. Due to my new strength, it didn’t take much to rake through the muscle and bones until I reached the organs underneath.
His stagnant-tasting blood poured into my mouth as my teeth ripped through his throat, and I knew it was only going to be a matter of seconds before the asshole died.
But then, before he could take his final breath, a searing pain shot through my upper limb as the mountain lion slashed me with one of his paws. Seconds later, the same thing happened again.
I forced back the howl of pain that threatened to leave my lips, and as the alpha regained some movement, I continued to rake through his chest with my powerful claws.
The alpha yowled and choked on the blood that pooled from this throat, and he continued to slash at my limbs as best he could, but I’d simply caused far too much damage.
Toward the end of the attack, I even stepped away from the mountain lion, and a wolfy grin crossed my face as I watched the alpha struggle to roll onto his front. His head was hanging on by a thread, and I could just about see his lightly-beating heart pump against his broken ribcage.
Unless the alpha had seventy other betas waiting in the wings, or he had his own magical powers which could have healed his injuries fast enough, then I knew we’d already won the fight before the alpha had even properly died.
I also knew we didn’t have seventy other betas charging toward us. The rancid scent in the air was already clearing, and I now had avians to spot newcomers for me.
He was the second alpha I’d slaughtered in only a couple of days, and I felt fucking fantastic.
I was still confused, and today’s attack hadn’t answered any of my burning questions, but I’d just killed another alpha, and that always came with so many perks.
But I did feel slightly sorry for Arthur Mordaine.
I’d need to buy my lawyer all the tea in the fucking world if it meant it would help him get through the mountain of paperwork he now had to complete.
But that reminded me of something, and it was a question I definitely needed to find the answer to.
Who the fuck was this guy?
Where did they come from, and why was I their sole target for this evening?
I knew it was going to be hard to work out who this alpha was, because the only pack I knew in this area had been Connor’s before he joined my own, so I needed to have more information at hand before I went to Hazel Wise for help.
I did have a plan in mind, and I just hoped it was enough to get what I needed.
Is everyone okay? I asked as I headed back through the forest.
Everything is fine here! Caleb said with excitement. It was unlike any fight we’d previously been a part of, but I still enjoyed it!
I feel like I could sleep for a week, Gia yawned. That was the longest fight I’d ever taken part in.
Honestly, you guys were incredible, I said. It could have been a completely different outcome if you hadn’t arrived when you did.
As I stalked up the sloping lawn, I caught a flash of color in the distance, and then my omegas began to sprint toward me as fast as their legs could carry them. Azalea soared above them, and Blair ran with her rifle still in her hands.
I briefly looked over my omegas, but none of them looked injured, and only then did I let out a sigh of relief. I spotted some blood on Arielle’s fur, but I stopped freaking out when I realized it was blood from her opponents, and she wasn’t actually wounded anywhere.
What do you want us to do with the bodies, Jess? Connor asked.
Uh… I pulled my eyes away from my omegas as I scanned the land around me. The forest is big enough to fit their graves, so just dig a hole and dump them in there. Don’t worry too much about the blood on the grass, that’ll hopefully fade and wash away over time.
Sure, we’ll get started on that. The werecoyote bobbed his head in a nod.
Actually, I have a job for some of you, I paused as I thought over the plan in my mind. Kahn, Leo, Thomas, Jackson, Holly, Caleb, and the avians, I need you guys to run through the surrounding trees and try and find anything that might have belonged to these werecats. Anything that could help me identify who they were.
Why do you think they would have dropped anything? Thomas asked.
Because they must have come from far away, seeing as there are no reported prides in this specific area of California, and I doubt they would have sprinted here in their animal forms, I explained. They would have had to shift somewhere near here, and they probably have a selection of cars parked somewhere, too. So if you can see anything that could help me work out who that alpha was, then I need to see it.
We’ll get straight on that for you, Gavyn replied as he flapped his enormous wings and took flight. C’mon, let’s go!
As my groups split up and went off in their separate directions, I ran through my mental to-do list to see what else had to be done.
The most important thing was informing Hazel Wise, and I could just imagine how pissed the SDD agent was going to be when she heard about my evening.
Once I knew my omegas were safe with the others and were happy to clean up the mess in the yard, I ran back toward the cars in order to find my cell phone.
But it wasn’t until I reached the vehicles that I remembered the message Hazel sent earlier, and the meeting she had to attend which meant she might not have been free to talk whenever I needed to call her.
To be on the safe side, I shifted back into my human form, and then I sent her a text message to see if she was available to talk.
To my delight and utter surprise, my phone began to vibrate only minutes later.
“Jessica Henderson,” I said with a deep sigh.
“Sorry, sorry, I’ve just gotten home,” she chuckled. “How are you?”
It was a shame she was laughing, because I was about to remove any sort of smile from her face when I told her what happened.
“I mean, I’m fine,” I said honestly. “But my werecoyotes are lucky to be alive.”
“What?” she gasped.
“It happened again,” I growled. “Another fucking random attack, from a pride I’ve never heard of. I’ve had enough of this petty bullshit.”
“So have I,” she said in a dark tone. “This needs to end right now.”
“It does,” I agreed. “I don’t care what it takes, but we have to do something.”
“I’m…” she paused to take a calming breath. “Argh! I’m so fucking angry I can’t even think straight!”
“Well, I might need you to think straight,” I replied. “Because you and I have to think of a plan. A plan to end this before it gets any worse.”
Chapter 7
The following couple of hours after the attack were spent cleaning up the mess as much as we could, and then some of us took showers as the others packed away the last few items from the Jansen home.
