The Alpha 8: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 26
“Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do.” I shrugged with a sad smile. “We know the difference between wild eagles and these gnarly shifter birds, and we know that if we don’t kill them, they’ll definitely try to kill us again. I think all we can do is pray that no one witnesses this attack. But that’s also why it’s vital that we catch every single avian who tries to escape. They could seriously fuck things up for us if they manage to get away.”
“I’m not sure if this is any help, but when we were there, I didn’t see a single boat pass by,” Connor spoke up. “The bridges are pretty low, so I doubt any vessels can pass under them, so anyone who passes that area needs to give the island a wide berth. Someone randomly out at sea might hear the firing of a rifle, or a number of rifles, but they might not see who we shot at.”
“That sounds very helpful,” I replied. “But it also makes me think we need to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. We won’t have a lot of time on our hands.”
“You could maybe use Deafening Cry to get all of the birds out of the sky?” Benji suggested. “That would speed up the process.”
“Do you mean The Howl?” Nikita snickered.
“Yeah, Deafening Cry.” My half-brother nodded his head with a straight face.
“What’s The Howl?” Kiara asked.
“It’s a long story,” I replied. “But basically, I can produce a blood-curdling howl that essentially immobilizes a shifter. It allows us to take advantage and kill off our threat. But it does come with a few side effects if we’re not mentally connected. So if we’re not connected at that point, then you’ll also feel the full effects of The Howl. You’ll feel sick, your ears will be ringing, and you won’t be able to focus on anything apart from that noise.”
“That’s amazing,” Oscar whispered.
“It certainly comes in handy,” I chuckled. “I probably will use it, but I need to wait until the right time. So hopefully you’ll all be connected to me when it happens, and you won’t need this warning.”
“Trust me, it fucking sucks,” Seth laughed. “I thought my ears were bleeding when we first heard it.”
“Great…” Gia mumbled.
“Noted.” Connor nodded. “Thank you for letting us know.”
“But think of it this way,” I said. “If I use The Howl, we can kill off the last of the birds, and then hopefully the rest of our time in California will be spent relaxing and playing music.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” Blair replied.
“Yeah, mine, too,” Arielle giggled.
“And Jesse,” Aunt Eva said as she sat forward on the couch. “I’m guessing you don’t want to tell Jessica about any of this?”
Eva had used Hazel Wise’s fake name, and I appreciated the secrecy.
“No.” I shook my head. “I want her to stay out of this for her own sake. Plus, it won’t be long before the agency finds out that Reuben Dillard has been murdered, regardless of whether he’s working with the department or not. So I imagine I’d receive a call from Jessica when that happens.”
“That makes sense.” Aunt Eva nodded. “And finally, when do you want us to do this? You have a rehearsal tomorrow and two performances on Wednesday and Thursday. So we’re slightly pressed for time.”
“Not when it comes to enemy shifters.” I smirked. “I want to do this as soon as possible.”
“As in…?” Benji led.
“As in, I want us to head to the island after the rehearsal tomorrow,” I said with confidence. “I have a sold out show on Wednesday. So I’d love to stand on that stage knowing that Reuben Dillard has been ticked off my list.”
Chapter 16
I lowered my bow as the final note ran out across the empty auditorium.
Deep indentations had formed on my fingertips from constantly pressing them against the strings of my violin. There was also a slight ringing in my ears, and I desperately needed to crack my back.
I had spent seven constant hours playing the same three pieces over and over, yet the day’s events had only just started. I still had a lot to do before I could place my head on a pillow, and I couldn’t wait to leave the venue and get into the real action.
The attack against the bald eagles had been at the forefront of my mind all day, and I knew that in a few hours I’d be headed toward Reuben Dillard’s private island. My small army would be right behind me in cars filled with rifles, and it was my intention to obtain everything that avian alpha owned.
It was going to be a tough fight, there was no doubt about that, but I felt confident, and I knew my army was strong enough to complete their jobs properly.
But there was another thing I’d considered after we left the Jansen home last night. Unlike the majority of our fights, I didn’t have Dr. Stenton on hand to patch up any major injuries. Shifter bodies healed remarkably well, but I knew firsthand how sharp the eagles’ talons were, so I knew the damage they could cause.
I hoped that if my army were severely injured, I could take them to a local hospital without the doctors asking too many questions. That was the worst-case scenario, though. I hoped I didn’t have to go down that route, but it was only right that I thought about every potential option and outcome.
“Jesse?” Samantha asked.
“Huh?” I shook my head to clear my constant train of thoughts.
“Are you okay?” She smiled as she flicked her brown ponytail over her shoulder. “You seem to be in a world of your own.”
That was when I noticed that everyone else was packing away their instruments, but I was still sitting in my seat with my violin perched against my shoulder.
“Sorry,” I chuckled as I stood up. “I… I think I need to try and catch up on sleep. I’m obviously easily distracted.”
“Well, make sure you make it an early night tonight,” Samantha replied. “I can see that you’re a talented musician, but we’ve got two shows coming up, so you’ll want to rest as much as you can.”
“I don’t plan on leaving the hotel room until tomorrow evening,” I laughed. “Luckily we get room service at the hotel and decent channels on the TV.”
I didn’t want to tell her that I was about to go on a road trip to murder a flock of bald eagles. So room service and crappy TV shows sounded like the sort of evening a regular twenty-one-year-old human would enjoy.
“It’s like you can read my mind,” Samantha said.
I was also pretty good at that, too, but I kept that information to myself.
Once my mother’s violin was packed away safely in its case, Samantha and I headed toward the left wing to grab our belongings. Jack Nolan told us to leave our instruments at the venue to save us from having to carry them back and forth. At least it meant my violin was going to be safe for the night, and I didn’t have to make a detour back to the hotel before we headed for the Jansen home.
My omegas and Aunt Eva had left for the Jansen house an hour ago with Brenden and Kristina. This was mainly so Blair could practice holding and shooting a rifle, but also so everyone was ready to go when I got there.
Marco was currently waiting outside for me, too, and I wanted my army to head for the cars as soon as we pulled up in the driveway.
Some of the new werecoyotes had gone on ahead of us to make sure the coast was clear, but Connor and the rest of the new betas were going to travel with us in the cars. I needed to know if there were any boats bobbing on the water, or if the eagles were acting differently. Everything had to be planned to perfection, because one small mistake could have been disastrous.
I tried to act normal with the rest of the orchestra as we prepared to leave, and they all thought I was going to get some dinner with a friend before I retired back to the hotel for the night. I even joked that my “girlfriend’s sisters” were a handful, and I needed some time to myself.
My white lie seemed to work, seeing as everyone let out a deep breath as they commended me for lasting this long with the entire extended family around me.
If only they knew how it actually felt for me to be away from my omegas, and the pain it caused in my chest as I watched them leave the auditorium earlier on.
But of course, a bunch of innocent humans would have thought I was part of a cult if they knew the truth, or they would’ve been quick to phone the cops to get my ass arrested.
I knew I didn’t have to keep up with that lie forever, and I could drop the act as soon as I returned home to Oregon. However, a month felt like an eternity when I was hiding nearly every aspect of my life from people I saw every day.
“See you tomorrow, Jesse,” Kyle said as we walked through the parking lot.
“See you then,” I replied. “And tell Cassie I said hi.”
“I will.” He smiled. “Also, if you’re free after the performance on Thursday, do you want to join Cassie and I for a drink in the hotel bar? She’s been asking when we’re going to meet up with you again.”
“Sure, I’d love that,” I said.
“Okay, good.” Kyle wiped some fake sweat from his brow. “I mean, I love my wife, man, but fuck, if you weren’t free on Thursday, I probably would have forced you to clear your schedule. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll save you from her wrath.”
“I appreciate it.” He smirked. “Have a good one.”
“You, too!” I replied.
As Kyle continued on toward the rented buses, I threw my bag into the back of Marco’s car, and then I was about to climb into the passenger seat when I found a paper bag in my place.
There was a recognizable logo printed on the bag, but it was the delectable scent of spices which floated through the car that told me where Marco had been before he collected me.
“Did you go to Taco Bell?” I asked with a smirk.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a Crunchwrap Supreme, and my mouth began to water at just the thought of taking a bite.
“I would take the credit for the idea…” Marco cleared his throat. “However, Nikita and Blair threatened to cut off my balls if I didn’t pick up some dinner for you.”
“That sounds about right,” I chuckled. “And they take their threats pretty seriously.”
“You’re not wrong,” the werecoyote snorted.
I practically inhaled my dinner as Marco drove toward the Jansen home, and it was exactly what I’d needed. We had a brief discussion about the rehearsal and the performance tomorrow, but apart from that, the journey was pretty quiet. We both wanted to stay as focused as possible, and I also had to make sure we didn’t have any damn eagles following the car.
My patrol groups in Redding hadn’t seen any eagles before they left to get prepared, and it almost felt like the avians had simply vanished. I hoped that was the case, because I didn’t want the bald eagles to catch sight of us before we arrived at the bridges. But it also could have been that the eagles were planning an attack of their own, and Reuben had his entire flock on the island as they went through the smaller details.
As long as we got there first and managed to shoot the feathery bastards out of the sky, then I didn’t particularly care what Reuben told them. We were about to wreak havoc upon the avians anyway, so no amount of planning was going to save them.
As we neared the house, I spotted the impressive amount of cars parked on the side of the road, and the line stretched all the way up to the mansion. There must have been about twenty in total, which was just enough to take everyone back and forth.
Connor and the werecoyotes had driven their own cars down from Harnsey, plus we had our own vehicles on top of that. Every car had been topped up with gas, so we didn’t have the need to stop anywhere along the way, and Marco informed me that the cars at the back of the line were loaded and ready to go.
I noticed the door to the mansion was wide open, and my betas were seen carrying bags of spare clothing and rifles toward each open trunk. I also heard that we had bags with food and other miscellaneous items, and Kristina had portioned out the impressive amount of ammunition from the gun cellar in the basement.
I didn’t want anyone to run out of cartridges, so it was vital that we completely emptied the gun cellar just in case. Anything spare could easily be put back later.
“How are you feeling, Alpha?” Kahn asked as he placed two bulging duffels into the back of an SUV.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” I chuckled. “Is everything ready to go?”
“Yep.” The beta nodded, and his black hair bounced against his forehead. “We’ve just got a few more bags to take out, but that’s it.”
“Perfect, thanks.” I smiled.
I left the werecoyote to finish loading up the trunk as I went inside, and it almost felt like I’d walked into a scene from Home Alone. There were shifters running in all directions as they finished getting ready to go. Some ran up the stairs, others ran down, and there were more betas running around the kitchen with a mouthful of food.
“Are you okay?” I asked Annika as she threw a handful of chips into her mouth.
“Mhmm.” Annika gave me a thumbs up as she tried to quickly eat the abundance of chips.
Sorry, she said silently. Aunt Eva reminded us to eat before we left, and everyone got to the food before I did, so the chips will have to do for now. There’s food in the cars, but I wanted to eat as much as I could.
“You should have said, I could have brought something in for you,” I replied.
My Taco Bell didn’t last five minutes, and I’d devoured the entire thing before Marco had even hit the highway.
It’s okay. Annika gave me a strained smile around the food. I had a big lunch, so this is just a top-up until after the fight.
“Fair enough,” I said with a light nod. “I know what you’re like, so I know the lack of food won’t affect your fighting abilities.”
Not at all. Annika placed both hands on her hips. It takes much more than that to knock me off my paws.
“Attagirl.” I winked.
“Jesse?” Hailey suddenly asked from the backyard. “Guys, Jesse’s back!”
My omegas were at the bottom of the yard with Kristina and Benji, and they quickly started a race to see who could reach me first. Blair had a rifle in her hands, but her fingers were fortunately nowhere near the trigger, and I knew Kristina wouldn’t have let her take a damn step before making sure the safety was on.
Nikita had both hands supporting her pregnant stomach which bounced and wobbled as the omega ran toward the house. She was at the back of the group, but she found it harder to run in her human form. Luckily, her pregnancy didn’t affect her speed and agility when she shifted into her mountain lion form.
I also noticed that my omegas had all changed into leggings, gym shorts, and old t-shirts. Apart from the shifters who’d run beside the cars, none of us would have the chance to strip before we shifted tonight, so we’d all decided to wear clothes we wouldn’t miss when they were ripped to shreds.
“Hi.” Arielle smiled as she reached me first.
“Hi,” I said, and then I placed a delicate kiss on her lips.
Hailey and Blair tied for second place, Kristina was third, and then Benji and Nikita were fourth. I knew Benji had slowed down for Nikita’s sake, but he wouldn’t have openly admitted this to her.
Thanks, bro, I said silently to him alone. I appreciate the consideration.
Yeah, yeah, he sighed. For the record, I couldn’t help it… it’s the beta stuff, alright?
Uh-huh, I chuckled. Whatever you say.
“Kristina was showing me how to use the rifle.” Blair grinned. “Isn’t it pretty?”
The lynx stroked the solid black AR-10 with a loving expression on her face, and just like her motorcycles, I knew Blair had found a new obsession.
“It’s lovely,” I said with a laugh.
“Can I take it back to Monroe with us?” Blair fluttered her eyelashes.
“I mean, how can I say no to that face?” I asked. “As long as Kristina is okay with it, then I don’t see any issues.”
“Me?” Kristina frowned.
“Yes, you.” I nodded. “From now on, I want you to be in charge of the firearms. The gun cellar is yours to manage, and you’ll be in charge of distributing rifles at home, too.”
“Jesse, thank you!” Kristina suddenly threw her arms around me in a hug, but then she quickly took a step back.
She wasn’t much of a hugger.
“You know more than I do, so it’s only right that you have that job.” I shrugged.
“Does that mean I can buy more guns, too?” She smirked. “Perhaps create a gun cellar of my own?”
“Whatever you want,” I said. “I know Theo Finch had some, so you can take a look when I receive them. But if you want to buy anything, just let me know.”
“I will.” The werecat smiled. “Thank you so much, Alpha.”
“Of course,” I replied. “It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me.”
“And yes, Blair, you can take the rifle with you,” Kristina said.
“Oh, my god, thank you!” Blair squealed.
“But.” Kristina’s no-nonsense attitude appeared at full force, but there was still a hint of a smile on her lips. “Speaking of everything I’ve done for you, the cars are packed and ready, and we’re literally just waiting for you to get changed before we can go. You’re the one who wanted to leave as soon as you got here…”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a salute. “I read you loud and clear.”
“Fuck,” Benji scoffed. “Are you sure you’re not related to Raina? The pair of you can be fucking terrifying when you want to be.”
“When we want to be?” Kristina repeated with a frown. “Benji, we’re always fucking terrifying. This attitude isn’t a choice. It’s a way of life.”
“You’d be smart to remember that,” Hailey muttered as she tapped Benji’s shoulder.
“Jesse,” Kristina said with a bit of force in her tone. “I’m not going to tell you again, Alpha.”
