The Alpha 8: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 19
The signs were incredibly old, and it was a surprise they were still standing. The paint had chipped away, and there was some black writing on them, but the words were so faded that no one had any idea what it used to say.
However, five minutes after we passed the signs, the first house came into view.
The house looked like a smaller version of my cabin in Monroe, and apart from a slanted slate roof, the entire house had been made from red-stained oak. Enormous windows ran from floor to ceiling, there was an external staircase that traveled up to the second floor, and two benches sat on either side of a stone fire pit.
I wasn’t sure if that was the main house or not, but as we drove past it, I spotted eight more houses, all various shapes and sizes. Some of them were even high up in the trees, and there were rope bridges that connected the treehouses together.
“Oh, damn…” I whistled as I craned my neck.
It was sort of like the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, if the Robinsons had more money and accessible supplies.
Unless there were more houses that we couldn’t see, then I imagined seven or eight werecoyotes shared each house. And with the abundance of trees and nature that constantly surrounded them, I could imagine this was an incredible place to leave.
The houses sat in somewhat of a diamond shape, and there was a long strip in the center where the betas’ cars were parked. There looked to be enough space for several more cars, so Kristina and Brenden parked the SUVs in the open spaces.
The place reminded me of a tiny village, or a main street, so I wouldn’t have been too surprised if Connor had his own convenience store hidden in the trees somewhere.
Everyone glanced around the trees and houses as we left the cars, but it felt like we were the only ones here. I couldn’t see Connor or any of the werecoyotes, yet they knew to expect us, so I figured they were around here somewhere.
“Dude, this is giving me The Village vibes,” Benji whispered as he patted my shoulder. “I think M. Night Shyamalan came here for inspiration.”
“Do you want me to keep an eye out for creatures in red capes?” I chuckled.
“Please,” Benji snorted. “It was the first movie that properly scared me, and you don’t just forget about that shit.”
“Wasn’t that because you watched it when you were about six?” I smirked.
“Yeah…” Benji scratched the back of his head as he let out an awkward laugh.
“Wait,” Blair said as she came over. “You watched The Village when you were six? How the fuck did you get away with that?”
“Because I’m awesome.” Benji shrugged. “My mom used to know this lady, and I was friends with her son. So one day we were playing, and the kid’s older brother was watching the movie in his bedroom. We watched it, too, without our parents realizing it, and we had no idea it was a thriller movie. I also didn’t know at the time that it was nearing the end of the movie, so all we saw was Bryce Dallas Howard being chased by the freaky monster in the middle of the fucking woods.”
“And how did your mom react?” I asked.
“Oh, I never told her,” Benji snickered. “I must have known at the time that she wouldn’t have been impressed.”
“Well, now I know what to tell her when I next call,” Aunt Eva laughed as she appeared from behind me.
“Shiiiiit.” Benji’s eyes widened in fear. “Aunt Eva, please, keep this between us, yeah? And anyway, my mom probably won’t remember you told her anything. So why waste your breath?”
My half-brother laughed at his own joke, but Aunt Eva just pursed her lips in disapproval, and even though I knew Benji really worried about his mother and her condition, I was kind of relieved he could loosen up about it a little.
Even if Aunt Eva had no patience for it.
However, our fun and games were quickly interrupted when I heard the rumble of a car engine nearing the houses. Seconds later, Connor’s blue Audi A5 pulled up beside the SUVs.
“Hey,” he said as he stepped out of the car with two plastic bags in his hands. “I’m sorry for keeping you guys waiting.”
“It’s okay, we’ve only been here for a couple of minutes.” I smiled. “Where is everyone? It looks like we’re the only ones here.”
“They’re out on patrol,” Connor replied. “But myself and a few others went into town to get some food, so they’ll be here in a minute. I thought we could fire up the grills?”
Connor held up the bags, and I could smell the mild iron scent of ground beef and the sweet aroma of herbs, so I assumed he had bought some burgers to throw on the grill.
“I’m down for that.” Benji grinned as he rubbed his stomach.
“Me, too, that sounds great,” I said.
But it wasn’t just the burgers I could smell. Connor’s alpha scent had faded even more since last night, and now he smelled almost exactly like all of my other beta captains. There would probably always be a subtle undertone that set him apart, much like Johnathan Jansen, but it was clear where he ranked these days.
It was crazy how shifter anatomy worked, and the fact that his unique scene could change just by mumbling a few words and submitting himself to me.
“Don’t you need to have a few people staying at home?” Nikita asked as she looked around at the houses. “What if a threat came along while you were out?”
“We’ve got that sorted out, don’t worry.” Connor smiled. “The patrol groups cover all sides of the forest, so no one can actually reach the houses without us realizing. They spotted you arriving, which is how I knew to return. But we rarely see anyone around here, and it’s been months since shifters were last in these woods.”
“What an idyllic place to live,” Aunt Eva said. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Thank you,” the werecoyote replied. “I’ll be happy to give you all a tour, if you’d like one?”
“Absolutely.” I nodded. “I’d love to see the place.”
The shuffling of feet then caught my attention, and I peered over my shoulder to see Arielle standing right behind me. She had her head down, and she played with her hands anxiously.
“Are you okay?” I whispered. If you need to leave, just tell me. We can return tomorrow when you’ve had more time to process everything.
No, it’s okay. Arielle’s lips curled up in a small smile. I think I can do this…
Arielle then lifted her head, and she pushed back her shoulders as she looked in Connor’s direction. It was like she was trying to build up her strength and confidence, and I was so fucking proud of her.
It must have taken so much for her to do that, because battling against your own mind was a difficult hurdle to jump over.
“I…” Arielle paused as she rubbed her flat stomach. “I’m sorry for… for what happened yesterday. I know now that you didn’t mean any harm.”
Blair and Nikita rubbed Arielle’s back, and Hailey looked like she was about to cry.
“I’m the one who should apologize,” Connor said softly as he took a small step forward. “I should have known that anything related to… my cousin would have been too much for you to handle. I didn’t think, and I’m very sorry about that.”
Connor didn’t mention Gray’s name, which I was grateful for.
“It’s okay,” Arielle mumbled.
“But it’s really good to see you again.” Connor smiled.
Arielle nodded, and then she tucked herself into my side.
She’d taken the first step, and she’d made her peace with Connor, but she didn’t want to push it too far.
Fortunately, a couple more cars then turned up, which allowed everyone to turn their attention to the new arrivals instead of Arielle.
The two cars were Toyota RAV4s, one black and one red, and they were the largest cars out of the entire selection. The others parked around us were smaller city cars that probably took just a couple of the werecoyotes from A to B.
From each car, three betas stepped out, and they wandered toward us with bright smiles on their faces. There were four women and two men, and all six of them looked just as pleased to meet us.
“Jesse, this is Gia, Kiara, and Oscar, your new beta captains in this area,” Connor said as he motioned toward the three werecoyotes. “And Cayden, Riya, and Nayeli. I was in the process of promoting them to become captains, but that decision is now yours to make.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” I smiled.
“Of course, Alpha.” Kiara smiled.
“We were looking forward to meeting you, too,” Oscar said.
They all seemed pleasant enough, and I just hoped it wasn’t going to take me long to remember their names. But if anything, they had a harder task learning all of our names, especially since I had a countless number of pack members for them to be introduced to.
“Just out of curiosity, how many captains did you have?” I asked Connor.
“Only the three,” he replied. “Which was why I was looking to promote a few more.”
“Perfect,” I said with a smile.
I was already pleased to know that Connor and the gang would keep an eye on this area when I returned home. However, it was even better to know that seven of sixty-seven werecoyotes were actually captain-quality.
“Why don’t you guys set up the grills, and I’ll take everyone on a tour around the houses?” Connor suggested to the group.
“Sure.” A tan woman nodded.
I had a feeling it was Riya, but it also could have been Nayeli. Both of them were just as tan as each other, and they each had long, shiny black hair that ran past their shoulders. They might have even been twins, they looked that much alike.
“Does anybody have any dietary requirements?” Gia asked.
Gia had fiery red hair that sat around her ears in curls, but the majority of her hair was covered by a green, floral bandana. Her flowy dress also sported an abundance of flowers, and she had a pair of brown sandals on her feet.
She reminded me a little bit of Gemma, and I had a feeling the two of them would get along quite well.
“Arielle and I are pregnant,” Nikita said proudly. “So can we have well-done burgers, please?”
“Absolutely.” Gia smiled. “And congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Arielle muttered.
“But apart from that, we don’t have any other requirements,” I said.
“Perfect, I’ll let everyone know when they’re ready,” the werecoyote said with a nod, and then the betas walked away to retrieve some bags from the trunk of the car.
“Gia is the chef around here,” Connor told us. “Riya likes to take over the role, too, but if you don’t like spicy food, then you might want to stay away from Riya’s dishes.”
“How spicy are we talking?” Benji asked.
“I mean… numb tongue, chest pains, and you’ll be running off to find some milk,” Connor replied. “She isn’t afraid to get creative.”
“Yeah, I might just stick to the burgers,” Kristina chuckled.
“Nah.” Brenden swatted the air. “I’m not afraid. I’d give anything a go.”
“You say that now…” Connor chuckled. “Anyway, shall we start the tour?”
“Let’s do it.” I smiled.
The werecoyote took us down the makeshift parking lot in the direction of the first house, and he gave us a brief backstory of the area as we walked along.
“When I was forced to move to California, I had no idea where I wanted to go,” Connor explained. “My pack was half the size back then, so I knew I needed to find a plot of land that was big enough to house us all, but I also wanted to increase my pack as time went on.”
“I think you picked the right place,” I said.
“This is actually our second home,” Connor said with a grin. “At first we moved to a coastal town just minutes away from the Oregon border, and it was great, but I started to think I might be too close to Oregon, you know? I wanted to be close to home, but not that close, so we packed up and carried on looking. We came across this place by complete accident when we were running through the forest to stretch our legs. There were only two houses, so it took a bit of time to get everything set up, but now we love it.”
“I can see why,” Hailey giggled. “The wildlife around here is amazing! How many bald eagles did we see during the drive, Arielle?”
“About seven.” Arielle shrugged.
“Bald eagles?” Connor frowned, but then his expression darkened. “Fucking hell…”
“What?” I asked as I stopped walking.
I didn’t appreciate the angry look on Connor’s face.
“Where did you see these eagles?” the werecoyote asked.
“Uh… just flying over the trees.” Hailey shrugged. “I’d say about… twenty minutes from here?”
“What is it?” I asked again.
“It’s nothing,” Connor said as he dropped the angry expression. “It’s just annoying. The nearest shifter pack to us is a flock of bald eagles, and they tend to keep to themselves. But we’ve seen a lot of them over the last few days, and I have no idea why.”
Hazel Wise had told me about the avians south of Eureka, so it must have been the same flock that Connor spoke about.
“I knew it was weird to see seven bald eagles together,” Hailey mumbled.
“But Connor, you said you haven’t seen shifters around here for months?” Benji frowned.
“That’s the thing, the eagles never fly over the house.” Connor shrugged. “I spotted a few of them last night as I was driving home, but they never fly deeper into the forest. And it’s not like they’re keeping away from our territory, because our land is much bigger than just these woods.”
“Do you know what they’re doing?” I asked. “Or have you seen them do anything strange?”
“No, nothing.” The werecoyote shook his head. “It’s like they’re just flying around and stretching their wings. But I’ve had a few of the patrol groups keep watch whenever they’ve seen them. I’m sure it’s something completely innocent, because they’ve never caused any trouble. It’s just annoying to have them so close by.”
“I get it,” I muttered with a sigh.
But in reality, I wasn’t sure if it was that innocent.
Connor said the eagles had only been around for the last few days, so was it just a coincidence that the avians began to swarm as soon as I’d landed in California?
Perhaps I was just overthinking everything, and I was so used to looking over my shoulder that it had become a habit now.
“I don’t think you are, Jesse,” Blair said with a knowing look as she listened in on my thoughts. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
“You don’t?” I asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I mean, they show up as soon as you do…?”
“What’s going on?” Connor frowned.
“I was just thinking.” I shrugged. “It’s a bit strange that the eagles started to fly around as soon as I landed in California, and it hasn’t exactly been plain sailing since then. The airport, the feelings in the car… I thought it might have been you guys, but now I know it wasn’t you, so I’ve stuck to my original theory that it’s just the SDD keeping tabs on me.”
“What strange feelings?” he asked.
“Just the feeling like I was being watched,” I explained. “I experienced the same thing when I was driving home to Monroe before I came here. Then the other night, your werecoyotes turned up shortly after I felt the sensations again. Hence why I thought it might have been you.”
“It makes sense that it could be the SDD.” Connor nodded.
I hadn’t even realized that Connor knew about the secret department, but I imagined that Gray knew about the SDD, so it made sense that he probably told his cousin, even if he hated Connor.
“But…” Aunt Eva paused for a second. “Arthur Mordaine also felt it when he came to the cabin.”
“Do you think Arthur sensed his own species near him?” Nikita asked.
“Possibly,” Eva replied.
“So are you saying the eagles have caused these strange feelings this whole time?” Benji frowned.
My mind was a mess of information as I tried to piece everything together.
I didn’t want to think that the avians were here to cause an issue, and I would have much preferred for the SDD agents to be following me around. Humans seemed way more pesky and easy to brush off than enemy shifters. But there were too many coincidences to take into account, and that was when my mind began to spiral.
“If the eagles have been nearby, and even in Monroe, then that would explain why we never saw anything,” I said as I rubbed my forehead with one hand. “We wouldn’t think twice if we saw a bird in the sky, and we wouldn’t look up high enough to see an eagle perched at the top of all those dense trees. Hell, we can’t even see up to the top of our trees out there. We always focus on what’s on the forest floor itself.”
“They might have even been the guys at the airport,” Hailey suggested.
“You’re right,” I sighed. “After all, now that I think about it, would the SDD agents really go through all that trouble of buying a plane ticket, going through security, just to watch me get on a plane? One set of agents would have seen us arrive at the airport, and another set would have spotted us leaving the airport in Eureka. Job done.”
It all seemed so obvious to me, but I’d had no reason to consider the avians as a potential theory until now. I wouldn’t have given them a second thought if Connor hadn’t told us about the recent events.
“But if that was them at the airport, why didn’t they get on the same flight as us?” Arielle asked. “And how did they know we were going to California?”
“Maybe they heard you talking?” Connor shrugged. “They would have heard every conversation you had if they were secretly following you. And they probably didn’t get on the plane with you because they didn’t want to look too suspicious?”
“That’s true…” I mumbled. “But why are they following me? What are they after?”
“Are we sure the eagles are even doing anything?” Aunt Eva asked in a reasonable voice. “I know what you’re like, Jesse. You’ve got a hell of a lot of alpha blood coursing through those veins, so I don’t want you to run off with this theory unless we know for certain.”
