The Alpha 9: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 2
A few of the musicians, including myself, had only signed up for the California leg of the trip, and Jack Nolan had a few new members joining the orchestra when they headed off to their next destination. Although I had loved every second of the tour, I was glad I’d only picked to join them for a month.
Fortunately, nothing had happened since the avians had randomly attacked us, but it was still stressful to be away from the rest of my pack for so long. I’d definitely picked up the performing bug, and I wanted to do it again at some point. But with everything going on with the SDD, now wasn’t the time to travel around the country with my mother’s violin in hand.
Hazel Wise and I had been secretly working together in order to find out what exactly was going on within the Shifter Detection Department, but it was proving harder than we first thought.
When I’d first come in contact with Connor Mackenzie and the werecoyotes in California, I thought they had been following me around for days, but then I was made aware of Reuben Dillard and his flock of avians.
They attacked me outside of the performance center one night, and we realized their ability to fly and remain hidden in the treetops had given them the perfect chance to gather intel on us and eavesdrop on our conversations. I had no idea what this random flock wanted with me, but then everything fell into place an hour after I’d killed Reuben and the majority of his flock.
It usually took weeks for the SDD to gather information and look into fights before files were updated, yet mine was updated instantly. It was almost like the SDD knew I was about to kill Reuben, but how was that possible?
They also seemed to know my every location quicker than their usual protocol dictated lately, and ever since I’d killed Theo Finch, my file had been updated to state that I was now considered a threat to other shifter packs.
This had me thinking the avians had been spying on me in order to send information back to the SDD, even though I hadn’t done anything to warrant it, but that was why Hazel and I were working together to figure out what was going on.
The SDD weren’t supposed to be using shifters against one another.
And they sure as hell weren’t supposed to be stalking just one alpha like he was some major threat to the world.
We kept in close contact as much as we could, but we’d needed to make some changes so Hazel wasn’t caught, and we both stayed as safe as possible.
One of the things we had to change was the times we called each other. We no longer called during working hours, unless it was an absolute emergency. If we had anything to say to the other, we’d call in the evenings or when Hazel was safely back in her apartment. We still used her burner phone, and we still used her fake name, Jessica Henderson, but we never mentioned specific names or places, just to be on the safe side.
Hazel also made sure to only use her personal laptop whenever she was snooping around the SDD files. She left her company laptop in the office, and we did whatever we could to stop her boss or other colleagues from finding out that Hazel was up to something.
She acted like a good little girl whenever she walked into the office. But in actuality, Hazel Wise was a badass bitch, according to Blair, and it took a lot to pull the wool over her almond eyes.
“Hey, Jesse?” Kyle waved his hand in front of my face. “You okay there, bud?”
“Shit, sorry,” I chuckled as I cleared my mind with a shake of my head. “I was miles away.”
Kyle was the pianist, and we had become good friends throughout the tour. I was going to miss him and his wife, Cassie, but they lived in Oregon, too, so at least we could try and meet up at some point in the future.
“Jack’s asking everyone to meet him in the bar for a drink if you’re up for it?” Kyle asked as he motioned behind him with his thumb.
“Sure.” I nodded as I stood back up again. “I can’t stay for long, but it would be nice to have one last drink with everyone.”
“Oh, yeah, the road trip, right?” he frowned. “Damn, you’re going to be exhausted.”
I’d told the orchestra that we were going on a road trip back to Oregon, mainly so they didn’t continue to ask me why I wasn’t flying home with them.
My pack members and I needed to go back to Reuben’s island as well as the Jansen home, so we had a few days of traveling before we arrived back in Monroe.
“At least I can rest when we get home,” I chuckled as I located my backpack. “I’ll just get changed out of my suit, and then I’ll meet everyone in the bar.”
“What would you like to drink?” Kyle queried. “Red wine?”
“Uh…” I rubbed my forehead in thought. “No, I think I’ll go for a beer tonight.”
“Sure.” He smiled. “I’ll have that waiting for you.”
I had been in such a daze before Kyle came in, so I hadn’t realized the majority of people in the left wing had already left. One lady packed up the last of her things before she left, and then I was alone to change into a comfier outfit.
My omegas were still waiting for me in the auditorium, so I hurried to pack away my suit as quickly as I could, and then I ran back on stage to see them briefly before I headed for the bar.
I barely made it off the stage before my omegas came sprinting toward me.
“Jesseeee!” Hailey, Nikita, and Arielle all squealed at the same time.
“You did it, Jesse, you did it!” Blair cried.
“I still can’t get over how incredible you are,” Azalea added. “You blow my mind every time you perform.”
Even though everyone had taken anosmiacs to mask their scents, I could still smell my omegas’ unique aromas, and it was like the most expensive perfume money could buy.
“Thank you all for watching.” I smiled as Arielle tucked herself under my left arm.
“Why are you thanking us?” Benji snorted. “It wasn’t like you made us come to every performance.”
“I mean, I kinda did,” I chuckled. “Who else was going to keep an eye on the area while I was busy?”
I made sure to lower my tone so only they could hear me.
“It was an honor to watch you up there, Jesse,” Aunt Eva said as she sniffed back some more tears. “God, what I would do to have my brother and sister-in-law here to watch you right now.”
As I brought my aunt in for a hug, my omegas all huddled together, and I patted Eva’s back sweetly as she cried into my shoulder. Aunt Eva tried to act all tough and strong, and no one wanted to be in her bad books, but she dropped that wall of defense when it came to my parents.
“Now, now, Auntie,” Benji laughed. “Remember what you said earlier? You were only going to allow yourself to cry until the final symphony ended?”
“Enough from you.” Aunt Eva swatted her nephew playfully.
“Yeah, Benji, stop being so insensitive,” Blair joked.
“Unless you want me to act out that wrestling move on you after all?” Azalea smirked.
“Okay…” Benji’s hazel eyes widened. “I’ll just… I’ll just stand back here…”
“You really need to show me how to do that,” Nikita chuckled.
“Which move is this?” I asked as Aunt Eva stepped away from me.
“Sasha Banks’ Backstabber.” Azalea winked. “But then I like to incorporate the Bank Statement in at the end.”
“Aah, a little finisher, nice,” I laughed. “I can see why Benji wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that one.”
“Nope, nope, nope!” Benji called out as he began to walk away.
“I feel like I have a little bit of Sasha Banks in me,” Blair said as she flicked some black hair over her shoulder. “With a bit of Paige added in for good measure.”
“And I’m definitely Alexa Bliss.” Nikita smirked. “Or if Alexa Bliss and Ronda Rousey had a baby. That would be me.”
“I need to find out which wrestler I would be,” Arielle mumbled. “Azalea, didn’t you say I was a lot like someone called Bayley?”
“Bayley?” I frowned. “Oh, do you mean the previous Bayley? Before she cut her hair and slashed through the inflatable tube men?”
“Yes,” Azalea laughed. “Incredibly sweet, loving, yet she also has a wild side.”
“That sounds like you.” I smiled at Arielle.
“What about me?” Hailey asked.
I loved that my omegas were now getting into wrestling.
The sport was so important to Azalea, so Hailey, Nikita, Blair, and Arielle wanted to be able to share that love with her, which I appreciated.
“Maybe Naomi?” Azalea looked off to the side in thought. “But I’m also thinking you’re a lot like Asuka, too… Bright, colorful, and happy. But you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of her.”
“That pretty much sums me up,” Hailey giggled.
“Hey, here’s an idea,” Benji said as he came to a halt. “Why don’t we continue discussing this outside while Jesse heads to the bar? The more we talk about female wrestlers, the longer it’ll be before we hit the road.”
“You’re probably right,” I said before I gave each omega a kiss on their heads. “You stay with the others, and I’ll meet you by the cars, okay?”
“Okay.” Nikita leaned up to give me a sweet kiss on the lips.
She was the only one who could do that in a public place without it looking strange. The orchestra thought I only had one girlfriend, so it would have looked incredibly weird if I was caught kissing Nikita’s “sisters” on the lips.
Hailey and Blair offered to take my violin and backpack to the car, and then as the group headed off, I ran back upstairs to join the others in the bar.
The orchestra took up the entire room, and there didn’t seem to be a single free seat for me to sit at. Some of the musicians were crowded around the wooden bar with drinks in their hands, whereas others had settled themselves around circular tables. Everyone was laughing and smiling, and it instantly caused a smile of my own to appear on my lips.
“Jesse, over here!” Kyle waved me over from the back of the room.
Kyle was sitting at a table with his wife and a few other musicians. Cassie had a glass of white wine cradled in her hands, and there was an ice cold bottle of Bud Light in the center of the table.
I assumed the beer was for me, and my theory was confirmed when Kyle handed it over. Droplets of condensation had formed around the brown bottle, and my fingertips tingled from the cold as I raised the bottle to my lips.
“Thanks.” I smiled as I took a seat beside Cassie.
It hadn’t taken me long to realize that Jack Nolan loved to spend his evenings in the bar. No one ever got drunk during the tour, but the bar was always open, and Jack invited everyone for a drink after every performance. It was like he couldn’t fall asleep unless he’d had at least one glass of red wine.
“What time are you leaving for the road trip?” Cassie asked while Kyle was lost in conversation with another man.
“Straight after this,” I replied as I took another sip of beer.
“Oh, wow.” Her gray eyes widened. “You’re not spending another night in the hotel first?”
“No, everything’s packed in the cars,” I replied. “I might regret this decision in a couple of hours, but it made sense at the time.”
“I’m already exhausted, and I was just sitting in the audience,” Cassie said as she shook her head lightly. “But I’ve come to realize that I need more sleep than the average person, so maybe that’s why.”
“Luckily, the friends we’re with like to drive at night, so it’s not too bad,” I said with a casual shrug.
It was nearing ten-thirty, so it wasn’t too surprising that Cassie was tired, and it did seem like a strange time to start a road trip. However, we wanted to get home as quickly as we could, and it was going to take us at least ten hours to drive to the Jansen home, let alone adding on the detour to Reuben’s island.
Well, my island now.
Some of the betas asked me if it was worth driving all the way home when I could fly with my family, then those who drove down in the first place could collect some belongings from Reuben’s island and meet us back in Monroe. But I didn’t see the point in that. Azalea wasn’t sure what she wanted to collect from the house, so it was easier for her to pick and choose what she wanted instead of giving the betas a list of items to try and locate.
Also, my pack and I were pretty used to coping with little sleep, so it wasn’t a huge inconvenience to us.
The conversation quickly changed to highlights of the trip, and everyone around the table discussed our favorite moments from the tour. The majority of people at the table were staying on with the orchestra, but they already had some favorite moments.
“I’ll never forget the first night,” Kyle said with a blissful smile. “The opening notes and the thunderous applause at the end… It felt almost magical.”
“Yeah, that’s a top one for me, too.” I nodded. “I think I’m still feeling the adrenaline.”
“It never leaves you,” Steven replied. “I remember the first performance I had with Jack, and it feels like it only happened yesterday, not last year.”
“I hear my name,” Jack said with a happy laugh. “I hope you’re only saying good things.”
Jack Nolan appeared in front of the table with yet another red wine in hand. His brown hair was neatly combed across his forehead, and his gray-green eyes sparkled in the dim lighting above.
“I can’t even think of anything negative to say about you, Jack,” Kyle chuckled. “It really has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Well, hopefully you’ll be willing to join again if you can find the time.” Jack smiled. “What do you think, Jesse? Maybe you’ll be willing to return once you graduate?”
“Uh… sure,” I snickered. “I’d need to see what life is like then, but I’ll definitely keep the idea open.”
“You’ll be a father then, of course,” Cassie spoke up. “Maybe you’ll need the time away.”
“There’s every chance,” I laughed.
It was crazy to think that I’d have two children by the time I graduated.
This time next year, I’d hoped to have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with two children under the age of one, and hopefully more children on the way.
I also imagined that my pack could have quadrupled in size by that point, given how quickly I was gaining betas. So as much as I’d love to join Jack and the others on tour, I had a feeling I’d taken my only chance, and I’d enjoyed every minute of it.
I obviously couldn’t tell them that much, so I had to act casual while brushing off the question.
“Well, I must continue my rounds,” Jack said a moment later. “But I just want to congratulate everyone on such an incredible month, and it’s been a pleasure working with you all. Jesse, I imagine Professor Collins will have a lot of questions ready to ask you.”
“Probably,” I replied with a soft laugh. “Nikita managed to take a few sly photos, so I’ll be sure to show them to him when I return to class.”
“The poor man will probably have a field day,” Jack chuckled. “But I’m so glad he recommended you to me.”
“So am I.” I smiled. “It really has been amazing.”
Jack smiled at the rest of the people around the table, and then he gave us a small wave before he walked over to speak with the next group of musicians.
I didn’t hang around for much longer after that, and I announced my leave once I had finished my beer. Kyle said they probably weren’t going to stay for much longer, either, but the other men around the table had made themselves comfortable, so they weren’t going to leave for a while.
A few of the women stood up to give me a hug as I started to leave the bar, and it started to feel like the final days of high school. Everyone was headed off in different directions, and we were all going to head down different paths.
Even though I’d only spent a month with these people, I’d seen them nearly every day, so I’d certainly gotten used to their company. But we lived completely different lives, so it was a good thing I’d ended the trip before they found out I wasn’t exactly human.
The parking lot was almost completely deserted when I left the performance center, and the only vehicles waiting were the ones that belonged to my pack and I. Half of my small army was already at Reuben’s island, but the other half had stayed with me.
Connor and the werecoyotes were back in Harnsey keeping watch over the area, just in case anything happened, but they were going to meet us at the Jansen home.
The werecoyotes had all traveled down to southern California with us as the tour went along, but they went back home last week. Although nothing had happened since the attack against Reuben and the avians, I still didn’t want to be too far away from my new territory without someone watching it.
“We good to go, boss?” Cameron shouted from one of the Jeeps.
“I’m ready if you are,” I replied as I walked toward the five cars.
“Let’s get this night drive over and done with!” Raina cheered.
“We definitely need to stop for a coffee first, though,” Marco said.
“I’m normally pretty good at staying awake behind the wheel, but even I need some coffee,” Gemma giggled.
“Who’s taking over from you?” I asked.
“I am.” Jackson waved one hand in the air. “I told Gemma to just let me know whenever she gets too tired.”
“Perfect.” I smiled. “We’ll all be able to communicate with each other, so I don’t want anyone to get too tired, or to push themselves past a certain point. If you need to stop, you need to stop. It’s going to be at least five hours before we reach the island, and that can feel like a long time if you’re uncomfortable.”
“We’ve got this, Alpha.” Finn swatted the air with one hand.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Eliza giggled. “You and Cameron can’t drive, so you’ve got it pretty easy compared to the rest of us.”
“I was just sayin’.” Finn shrugged while a playful smile curled across his lips.
“Okay,” I laughed. “Let’s get going.”
“There’s a coffee shop and gas station not far from here,” Kiri announced. “So I think we should all stop there, and then someone can get the coffees while the others top the cars up with gas.”
