The Alpha 6: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 21
“Camping?” she giggled. “I love camping.”
“You love camping?” I raised an eyebrow as I considered her perfectly done makeup, manicured nails, and beach-waved hair.
“Well… I’d like doing anything with you.” She winked at me and then bit her bottom lip slightly. “Is there room for–”
The door behind Hannah opened suddenly, and my arm shot out like a cracked whip to slap it still before it could hit the beautiful blonde woman in the back of the head.
“Shit! Sorry!” The guy who had opened the door suddenly had his eyes wide open, but there was a line of other students waiting to get into the classroom behind him.
“Wow, Jesse,” Hannah whispered. “You are really fast.”
“You’ll need to be fast if you want to make it to your next class,” I chuckled as I nodded to the clock on the wall.
“Damn, yeah. Okay, so… let’s talk about hanging out next time we see each other?”
“Sounds good. Have a great day.”
“You, too!” Hannah called back as she broke through the forming crowd in front of us.
I wasn’t in such a rush.
I had a spare hour to catch up on work in the library, so at least I didn’t have a professor watching the clock as everyone filed into the room.
Surprisingly, I actually used that time to complete the work I had been assigned instead of searching Google to get all the information I could find on Theo Finch. I was tempted, of course, but I knew the internet wouldn’t hold any answers, and it would have just been a waste of time.
Unless the betas suddenly remembered some interesting facts, then I already knew my research wasn’t going to improve until I faced the pack in person.
Theo Finch would most likely send out another group of his betas to try and track down Hailey and the wolves who wouldn’t be returning, so unless I could make them squeal, then Finch’s secrets were going to remain exactly that.
A secret.
It annoyed me that I couldn’t learn any more about the fucker, but as long as I had enough information to stay one step ahead of him, then that was all I needed.
By the time lunch came around, I wandered into the cafeteria to find Benji and Nikita had already grabbed a table, and Benji had my lunch ready and waiting for me.
Lasagna was on the menu today, and it came with a side salad and a single piece of garlic bread that looked as if it had been cooked three days ago. The bread was hard and slightly stale, and instead of the glorious scents of garlic butter, the slice had been coated in green herbs and something that smelled more like onions than fresh, raw garlic.
I pushed the bread to the side and focused on the main meal itself.
The lasagna was actually pretty good. The red sauce was rich and a bit spicy, the meat was well seasoned, and the pasta sheets had been cooked to perfection. According to Arielle, all pasta and vegetables should be cooked al dente, or to the tooth, and it should still have a bite to it. So I had a feeling she wouldn’t have been too offended to eat this lasagna.
“Let’s see if I can get this in my mouth,” Benji mused as he held a chunk of garlic bread in his hand.
“I mean, you just need to put it to your lips…” Nikita frowned.
“Yeah, but that’s the lazy way of eating,” he scoffed.
Benji made a big show of lining the bread up with his face, and then he chucked the garlic bread into the air, followed the food with his eyes, and then opened his mouth as he prepared to catch it.
However, as the bread fell through the air, it bounced off Benji’s chin, rolled down his chest, and fell to the floor.
“Aah, fuck,” Benji groaned as he grabbed another piece. “Second time lucky!”
“You’re such a baby,” Nikita sighed as she collected some salad on her fork. “It honestly surprises me that you’re even allowed to leave the house.”
But Benji was too busy trying to catch the garlic bread to even take in what Nikita had said. Every time he threw a piece in the air, it always landed under his seat, and he even took my discarded slice when he ran out of his own bread to use.
“Seventh time lucky!” he yelled.
Luck must have been on his side that seventh time, because it landed straight into Benji’s mouth, and my half-brother had to stop himself from swallowing it whole.
“Eurgh, what is this shit?” he asked as he spat the piece of garlic bread into a paper napkin.
Nikita and I burst out laughing, and the two of us watched in delight as Benji attempted to wash out the taste with every drink he could get his hands on.
“I think prisoners get better food than that,” he grumbled.
“It’s a good thing Arielle doesn’t come here,” Nikita giggled. “The poor thing wouldn’t eat any of this.”
“Do you think she could make me some proper garlic bread?” Benji asked. “Y’know, not this stuff that’s been painted in literal shit?”
“I don’t think it’s that hard,” I chuckled. “But I’m sure she’d be happy to make it for you.”
“Good.” Benji slumped against the table as he played around with the salad on his plate. “Because now I only have this rabbit food to fill my stomach with.”
My omega and I continued to snicker as we ate up the last of our lunch, and I felt Benji’s eyes on me the entire time.
“Hey, bro, are you going to finish that?” he asked casually.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“Fuck,” he replied. “And I know better than to try to take food from a pregnant woman…”
“Benji!” Nikita spat as she glanced around at the number of students who sat near us.
“Oh, don’t worry, they didn’t hear anything.” Benji waved it off. “Their lame human hearing wouldn’t catch it. And anyway, you won’t be able to hide it from them forever.”
“Yeah, but that isn’t the point,” she sighed. “This stays between us, hence why I’m wearing flowy shirts right now.”
Nikita pulled at the black shirt that waved over her tight stomach, and even though there were no physical signs of her pregnancy just yet, my omega had been doing everything she could to stay away from tight clothing.
“But don’t you want people to know?” Benji asked. “Like, imagine how cocky you’ll feel when all these girls realize you’re pregnant with Jesse’s kid. That’s a real kick in the teeth.”
“It’s going to feel amazing, don’t get me wrong,” she replied. “But that’s our decision to make.”
“Yeah, but as the kid’s favorite uncle…” Benji shrugged.
“Can we please change the subject?” Nikita placed a tired head against my shoulder.
“Yeah, Benji, let’s find something else to talk about,” I said.
“Right, okay, back to the garlic bread,” he replied as he sat up straight in the chair.
“For god’s sake,” I chuckled. “Now I’m actually looking forward to getting back to class.”
“Me, too,” Nikita snickered.
“What?” Benji asked. “The lack of food in my stomach is a big deal. Someone needs to do something about it. Alpha… your captain is wasting away, dude, save me. Saaaaave meeeee…”
“You’re about to have something in your stomach when I shove my fist down your throat,” my omega mumbled.
“Whoa!” Benji exclaimed dramatically. “No need for such harsh language!”
To be honest, you deserve it, Kristina chuckled silently. We’ve been wondering when someone was going to threaten you. I’ve heard the words “garlic bread” so many times that it no longer sounds real anymore.
Our campus security ate their lunches outside. They could still hear us, but they could also continue doing their jobs without being too suspicious.
Fine, everyone pick on me. Benji rolled his eyes childishly. But just remember what you said when I have to save your asses from Theo Finch.
Admit it, you’d still save our asses, Gemma replied.
Maybe yours, Gemma, because I like you, Benji chuckled. But everyone else, you’ll come running to apologize for what you’ve done…
Our conversation soon ended, and we all laughed as Benji admitted he was only joking, and that he still loved all of us. But he was being serious when he said how hungry he was.
“Good, because I was about to make Christopher the baby’s favorite uncle,” Nikita chuckled. “At least I don’t have to do that anymore.”
“It’s okay, Kid,” Benji said as he glanced down at Nikita’s stomach. “Only one of us can teach you the right way to eat a Kit Kat, and which Star Wars movie to watch first. Always do it chronologically, like our lord and savior George Lucas intended them. If anyone says differently, then you don’t need such negativity in your life.”
“Thanks for that,” I chuckled. “I’m glad the baby will have someone to teach them these life lessons.”
“You can always count on me, Jesse.” Benji winked.
Everyone split off in different directions as lunch came to an end, and I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off the clock as I prayed for the day to be over. Every second seemed to tick by slower and slower, and at one point I was certain that half an hour had gone by, when in reality it was only ten minutes.
Finally my prayers were answered, and I plodded across campus as I went to meet up with everyone else in the parking lot. Nikita had the engine running, and our campus security loaded their bags into the trunk of the Mercedes as they waited for everyone to arrive.
“Jesse,” Zane said as he came up beside me. “We know you’re trying to sort out this Theo guy, so do you want us to follow you back to the cabin just yet?”
“Uh…” I looked down at the ground as I thought, and then I looked back up at Zane. “I will want some of you to come over once we have a plan in place, but until I know exactly what we’re going to do, then you can just chill and patrol around Monroe and Everleigh.”
“Sure,” he replied.
“But that reminds me,” I added. “Kristina, are you okay doing the evening patrols and then coming here in the morning? Because if you’d rather get some more sleep, then I’d be happy to change things around a bit.”
“I don’t have any issues with it.” The werecat smiled. “I only take charge of those groups over the weekend, so I have enough time to recover throughout the week.”
“Okay, only if you’re sure,” I replied.
“Of course,” she said. “I’ll let you know if I need someone else to take over for me.”
“Please do.” I smiled.
The thought of my patrol groups helped to reassure me that my land was safe, and I had more than enough security to keep everything protected and in line. But I did think about the betas I had on hand, and I knew I’d need to have another training session with the islanders before anything happened with Theo, or whoever the fuck he’d send running in our direction.
Until I knew exactly who I was going to fight with, or how many betas I’d need around us, I wanted to make sure everyone was ready to go at the drop of a hat. I couldn’t afford to be unprepared, and I couldn’t afford to sit back and wait for the party to come to me. We had to catch any enemy wolves off-guard, and I still wasn’t sure how that was going to play out.
The drive back to Monroe was quick and pleasant, and we pulled up beside the cabin only twenty-five minutes after we had left Everleigh. Blair, Hailey, and Arielle were waving through the window, and they all hopped up and down as they waited for us to walk in.
“Jesse!” they squealed in unison. “Nikita! Benji!”
I stumbled back slightly as my three omegas attacked me with their hugs, and I felt them kissing my cheeks and neck as they just about squeezed the life out of me. Their collection of intoxicating scents swarmed over me like a tidal wave, and I felt myself relax for the first time all day.
“Where are the wolves?” I asked when I noticed the lack of people in the cabin. “And Aunt Eva.”
“Brenden took them out for another run,” Blair replied. “And Eva left about five minutes ago to get some groceries from the store.”
“Fair enough.” I shrugged. “I suppose the wolves will need to keep their energy levels up for when Theo realizes his troop isn’t returning.”
“That was exactly what Brenden thought,” Blair said. “He said he’d have them home in about an hour.”
“Thanks.” I smiled as I gave my omega a sweet kiss.
“Aah, Arielle, my favorite werecoyote,” Benji said with his most charming smile. “Just who I was looking forward to seeing.”
“What do you want?” Arielle smirked at my beta captain cautiously.
“Can’t I just say hello to my favorite omega?” Benji gasped.
“No, you’re always after something when you smile like that,” Blair snickered. “And you said I was your favorite omega when I helped you with your music coursework.”
“You also said I was your favorite last night when I helped you complete a level on your new game.” Hailey frowned.
“Ooh, shit, you’re in trouble now,” Nikita giggled.
“Look, you’re all my favorites, you know that,” Benji said to try and save himself. “But you all have different talents, so I need to come to all of you when I have a different issue.”
“Mhmm…” Blair narrowed her eyes. “Keep talking.”
“Our lunch today was fucking atrocious, so I simply need my favorite werecoyote to rustle up some food…” Benji explained. “And unless you suddenly became a chef, then Blair, I don’t think you’d be up for the challenge.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?” Arielle threw her hands in the air. “You know I’ll always make you food when you need it!”
“You are an absolute saint.” Benji bowed his head in solemn respect.
“And you’re right.” Blair nodded. “I eat the food, I don’t make it. Unless it’s cereal, I make the best bowl of Frosted Flakes.”
“I can vouch for that.” Hailey smiled. “I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast.”
“C’mon, Benji.” Arielle waved him over. “Let’s see if I can find just the thing…”
“Do you have any tomatoes?” Nikita asked.
“We sure do.” Arielle nodded.
“Okay, good,” the werecat sighed. “Because my baby just announced that it’s hungry.”
“And we can’t keep the potential future alpha waiting,” Hailey replied.
“And you can’t keep their favorite uncle waiting, either,” Benji groaned. “Arielle, I’m seriously dying over here. Dyyyy-innng.”
“Have you had to put up with this drama queen all day?” Blair asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “He hasn’t given us a single moment of peace.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said with a caring hand on my shoulder. “That can’t have been easy.”
“But it gives us an idea of what parenthood is going to be like,” Nikita replied. “Constantly crying out for food and wiping their ass.”
“Hey!” Benji called out as we headed for the kitchen. “At least I don’t want to suckle on your tits. That’s Jesse’s job.”
“And ours,” Arielle said sweetly.
“But you’ll all need to stay away from my tits after the birth, unless you’re hungry,” Nikita cackled.
“Fucking hell,” Benji groaned. “I’m no longer hungry after that.”
But despite that statement, Benji began to drool as soon as Arielle searched through the cupboards for some food.
Nikita made a tomato, pickle, and cheese sandwich, Hailey and Blair munched their way through a bag of chips, and I grabbed a packet of cookies that had been left on the counter. Benji took a couple of the cookies, but then Arielle brought him over a turkey salad sandwich made with pumpkin seed bread.
“Have we finished with the white bread?” Benji asked as he picked off the seeds and dropped them onto his plate.
“No,” Arielle replied. “But pumpkin bread is so good for you.”
“Yeah, but I’m not a rabbit,” he said.
“Just eat the damn sandwich,” Arielle giggled. “If you don’t like that, then you can have a piece of fruit from the bowl. Now, does anyone want some tea or coffee while I’m here?”
Nikita, Blair, and Hailey said they’d love some tea, but I was quite happy with a glass of water. Benji asked for a soda, but apparently we were all out of Coke, and Arielle had told Aunt Eva not to buy more when she was at the store.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because we’re all going to start being a bit healthier.” Arielle smiled. “After all, how are we ever going to stay fit with the amount of sugar we shove into our bodies?”
Benji narrowed his eyes. “By being fucking shifters, that’s how–”
“That’s fine with me,” I said as I chucked a cookie into my mouth. “I’ll just finish this packet…”
“I must admit,” Benji said with his mouth full of food. “This sandwich is so fucking good. Did you put mayo in it?”
“Light mayo, yes.” Arielle nodded.
“Aah, but it’s not just our fitness levels, right?” Blair smirked as she accepted her mug of tea.
“Well, no.” Arielle blushed. “According to what I researched online, the less sugar in our diets, the more likely we are to get pregnant…”
I raised my eyebrows, and Benji snickered into his sandwich. This subtle detail actually made an awful lot of sense, because Arielle hadn’t been too concerned with our diets before now.
“Which is exactly why we’re drinking this nettle tea,” Blair added. “Apparently it helps to promote fertility.”
I glanced into the mug and saw the tea bag that floated in a clear orange liquid. Hailey and Nikita weren’t drinking the same tea, but I wondered how long it would be before Hailey began to have the same ideas.
“Nettle tea?” Benji asked. “Isn’t that a bush dogs piss on along the side of the road?”
“Don’t worry, I made sure to rinse off all the piss from the leaves before I soaked them.” Arielle rolled her eyes.
“Mmm…” Blair said as she licked the tea from her lips. “You can still taste the soil!”
“You guys are disgusting,” Benji mumbled as he took another bite from his sandwich. “The things you’ll do to get pregnant with Jesse’s super-babies…”
