The Alpha 8: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 4
Especially if I had my omegas curled up beside me.
“Well, you all go upstairs and get some rest,” Aunt Eva ordered. “We have a busy few days ahead of us, so I want everyone to be as well rested as possible.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I saluted my aunt.
Eva simply rolled her eyes and smacked my arm playfully, but then as she shuffled toward the coffee machine, my omegas and I headed for the stairs.
Blair and I carried my bags upstairs, and I dreaded the thought of unpacking and then repacking again. At least I hadn’t had the need to take too much with me to Canada, and the majority of my clothes for California had been decided on and set out before I left for the brief business trip.
The five of us wandered into the master bedroom, and I just about cried out in delight as I caught sight of the circular bed. We still needed to look out for a larger bed for us all to sleep in, but that was at the bottom of my list of things to do.
Despite our excitement downstairs, it felt like everyone had turned into zombies as we prepared ourselves to sleep. I threw my clothes in the direction of the hamper, brushed my teeth, and then collapsed onto the bed and took in the comforting scent of fresh sheets.
“Which one of you knows I love fresh sheets whenever I return home?” I asked as I nuzzled my cheek into the pillow.
“Funnily enough, we all know you quite well,” Blair snorted.
“Yeah, we’ve caught on to a thing or two in the time we’ve lived here,” Nikita replied.
“Like how you hate wearing socks that are inside out,” Hailey giggled.
“And you have to have the volume on an even number,” Arielle added. “Because apparently there’s a major difference between level twelve and level thirteen.”
“There’s not a difference, it just bugs the shit out of me,” I snickered. “Everyone has a little bit of OCD in them, and that’s just something I cannot cope with.”
The room was filled with our whispered laughter, but then it didn’t take long for the laughter to be replaced with the sound of our soft snores. I hadn’t even set an alarm, so it was a risky game of nap roulette, but I didn’t particularly care about that.
Surprisingly, it hadn’t even reached midday by the time I woke up, but it felt like the deepest sleep I’d ever had. And even though my nap had only lasted for just over three hours, I still felt rested and ready to face the day.
The gentle hum of the boiler told me that someone was in the shower, and as I checked the bed, I noticed that Hailey was missing. Everyone else was still fast asleep, but I didn’t want to wake them, so I just checked my phone as I waited for Hailey to finish in the bathroom.
I checked through my emails and deleted the spam without even looking at the titles, and then I read the couple of messages that had arrived since I returned home. I had a message from Spencer to say that he and Dexter had arrived back on the islands safely, which had arrived while my omegas and I were celebrating. And then I had a second message from Marco saying that the betas had arrived in California.
The group of betas I chose to take with me to California had driven down a day before us. I wanted there to be a few cars for them to drive around in, but it also meant that they could have the house set up and ready for when the adventure began.
It was fortunate that Amber and Jonathan Jansen had a few homes based around Northern California, and now that those houses were mine, it was the perfect place for my betas to stay. So all I’d had to do was get in contact with Arthur Mordaine, collect the keys, and then send the betas on their way.
Hailey wandered back into the room as I replied to the messages, and I glanced up to see my stunning werewolf omega in nothing but a yellow towel. The cotton folded around her hourglass shape perfectly, and Hailey had her blonde and brown-streaked hair tied up in a smaller matching towel.
“How did you sleep?” she asked as she applied some moisturizer to her legs.
“Like a dream,” I replied. “Have you been awake for long?”
“Me, too.” Hailey smiled. “No, not too long. I have a few things to get done today, so I didn’t want to lounge around. Especially since we’ll be heading off to Everleigh this evening.”
“Shit, I completely forgot about that,” I responded. “Thank you for reminding me.”
Hailey, Arielle, Blair, Benji, and I had decided to join Parker and the others for a DnD night, which I was thoroughly looking forward to. I wanted to have one more before the long trip, and I felt slightly bad that I couldn’t join them every week like I did before I became an alpha.
Nikita loved DnD nights as much as we did, but we hadn’t told our human friends that she was pregnant, so we thought it was best that she stayed at home. My friends didn’t know about our secret lives, and they probably already thought it was a bit strange that I had more than one girlfriend, so including an additional pregnancy would only make things more confusing.
I didn’t want them to think I was an asshole who used these women and just carelessly got them pregnant, but I had started to find it incredibly hard to keep my enormous secret from them. I battled back and forth between informing Parker, Travis, and Jake about the world of shifters, or just keeping that information within the family. But until I knew the exact route I was going to take, I decided to use believable excuses to stop them from asking questions.
That would have to do for now.
“I’m excited for DnD,” Arielle mumbled from beside me. “I’ve really started to understand the rules of the game.”
“It’s fairly simple when you know what you’re doing,” I said as I stroked back her brown hair.
“DnD is one of my favorites.” Hailey smiled. “I always wanted to find a group who were willing to play with me, and now one of my dreams has come true.”
“It’s just a shame that Kiri is in California at the moment,” Blair yawned loudly. “Poor Benji won’t know what to do with himself.”
The four of us continued to playfully tease Benji about his overwhelming crush on the werecoyote, even though he wasn’t in the room. But every time our laughter settled, I would glance over at Nikita and see that she was still fast asleep.
Out of all of my omegas, Nikita was always the last to rise, and the mountain lion was like a content kitten as long as she could sleep until she was ready to wake up. Otherwise her true feral side was clear for all to see.
Nikita was still asleep when I left the bathroom, but she began to wake up as the other omegas and I were getting dressed.
“Okay, okay, I’m getting up!” she groaned.
“No one’s making you,” Blair chuckled as she slipped on a pair of black skinny jeans.
“No, but the time is,” Nikita replied. “We’ll be on a plane in twenty-four hours, and I haven’t even decided which bikinis to take yet.”
“I can help you with that,” Arielle offered. “What are you thinking? Black for sophistication?”
“Or red for a celebration?” Hailey asked.
Apparently my women had a code when it came to the color of their bikinis, but I still didn’t understand what it was all about. I thought swimwear was swimwear, but clearly not.
The omegas decided on which bikinis Nikita should take as we packed our suitcases, and I had underestimated just how much stuff I had to take with me on the trip. We all had two suitcases each, but for some reason I thought I could fit everything into the one case. I also had to include my mother’s violin, but I was going to take that as carry-on luggage. It was so special to me, so I didn’t want to risk losing it somewhere between here and California.
Jack Nolan had given me the option of lending me a violin so I didn’t have to worry about bringing my own. But I was so used to my instrument, and it felt like it was molded to my hands and shoulder, so I knew it wouldn’t have been the same if I used a brand-new one.
Other than this, one thing I enjoyed about watching the suitcases fill up, was the difference when it came to my omegas’ outfits.
Blair’s clothes were almost entirely black with the occasional splash of color. Hailey loved to wear denim, graphic t-shirts, and any clothing that was popular in the 90s. Arielle loved wearing floral patterns, denim, and more neutral colors. And Nikita’s wardrobe had changed while she was pregnant, so she went for flowy t-shirts and leggings.
My omegas were all so different, and that’s what I loved about them.
It took us a couple of hours to put everything together, but then we had to stop packing when our need for food became too much to bear. I’d had some food on the private plane, but it felt like days since I’d last eaten anything.
What are the chances Benji has eaten all of the cupcakes? Blair asked as we left the room.
I heard that! my half-brother replied.
You were meant to, Blair chuckled.
Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve only had one cupcake, Benji informed us. I was tempted to have a second, but I wanted to save them for everyone else. See, I’m kind like that.
I found my half-brother lounging on his favorite couch in the living area, and he had his eyes glued to the screen of his phone. Benji’s dark blond hair was an unbrushed mess, his t-shirt needed to be seriously ironed, and his gray sweatpants had a dark stain down one leg.
“Yo, brother!” Benji cried as he flew up from the couch.
“Hey,” I chuckled.
Benji smacked my back in a manly hug, and then he returned to his seat before any of the omegas could steal it.
“Are you still wearing those sweatpants?” Nikita curled her lips in disgust. “Eva said to add them to the laundry pile.”
“Yeah… but they’re comfy.” Benji shrugged. “And it’s not like they smell.”
“They don’t smell to you…” Blair muttered.
“As long as you don’t bring them to California,” Arielle giggled.
Benji ignored their gentle teasing as he continued to scroll through his phone, and then I left him to his fun and games as I went to grab some food. There were some chicken salad sandwiches in the fridge, so I took off the Saran wrap and brought the plate over to the living room.
“I don’t want to leave this couch before we have to head for Everleigh,” I announced as I took a bite from one of the sandwiches.
“I don’t see the need to, especially now that we’re all packed,” Hailey replied.
Her green eyes scanned the plate of food, and then she chose the thickest, largest sandwich before she sat back in her seat with a pleasant smile.
“I think we just need to add some toiletries,” Arielle mumbled. “I know I haven’t packed my sun cream yet, so I have to find that.”
“Oh, good idea.” Blair nodded. “Like a vampire, I burn to a crisp the second I step foot in the sunlight.”
“Is there anything else anyone needs to pack?” I asked, just in case we had to make a sudden trip to the store.
“Everything,” Benji snorted.
“What?” Hailey frowned. “You haven’t even packed yet?”
“Is that a big deal?” my beta captain asked.
“Yes it’s a big deal!” Nikita cried. “We’ll be on a plane this time tomorrow!”
“Hey, chill,” Benji said calmly. “It’ll happen.”
“Really?” I asked. “And when is that? When you realize you’ve fucked up, so you run around the house stressing that you can’t find any socks?”
“Stress?” Benji scoffed. “They don’t call me Stress-free Shaw for nothing.”
My omegas and I all looked at each other, and then we burst into laughter at Benji’s ridiculous new nickname.
“When the fuck has anyone called you Stress-free Shaw?” Blair asked as she wiped some tears from her eyes.
“And why would they call you that?” Hailey giggled.
“Alright, enough of your shit,” Benji laughed. “Let me finish this level of my game, and then I’ll go and empty my dresser.”
“Ooh, what are you playing?” Hailey gasped. “And that reminds me, I need to find some batteries for my Game Boy in case it runs out.”
As Hailey became distracted with Benji’s new game, the rest of my omegas and I found a show to watch on TV as we demolished the last of the sandwiches. Aunt Eva wanted to eat up the last of the food in the house before we had to leave, and that wasn’t exactly a challenge for a bunch of shifters.
In the span of only a few hours, we all managed to eat our way through the entire fruit bowl, some Oreos, Pringles, and half a loaf of bread. The Oreos and Pringles would have been fine to leave in the cupboards, but they were calling my name, so I couldn’t stop myself from eating them.
“Mmmm,” Arielle moaned as she pulled apart an Oreo. “This baby loooooves Oreos!”
“The baby that is still just a seed?” Benji snickered.
“It doesn’t mean my body isn’t affected.” Arielle smirked. “If this baby wants Oreos, then it wants Oreos. And hands on my tits. That’s another thing I crave.”
“You don’t need to tell us twice!” Blair cackled as she jumped over toward Arielle. “C’mon, Jesse, you know what we need to do!”
“Fucking hell, I’m going upstairs,” Benji groaned as he heaved himself off the couch. “Packing a suitcase is so much better than watching you five pleasure each other.”
“Don’t worry,” Nikita said sweetly. “You’ll be reunited with Kiri soon. And then she’ll make all your troubles disappear. Sort of.”
“I hate you sometimes, do you know that?” Benji joked.
“I do.” Nikita smiled.
We all continued to laugh as Benji plodded upstairs, but at least he was finally going to pack his suitcase, because I certainly wasn’t going to do it for him.
Before I knew it, the time had reached six o’clock, and we all gathered our things together before we left to go to Everleigh.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay here?” Blair asked as she wrapped her arms around Nikita. “I don’t mind staying with you.”
“No, no, go and have fun.” The werecat smiled. “I want to take a bath and repaint my nails, so I won’t be much fun to be around.”
“Correction, you’re always fun to be around.” I kissed Nikita’s lips sweetly. “We’ll see you later.”
Nikita stood at the front door as she waved us off, and Benji beeped the horn a few times as we drove away. He was secretly pleased that he got to drive the Range Rover, because Nikita was always the driver, so there was no way he was going to give up the opportunity to sit behind the wheel for once.
But as well as my little group in the car, we also had Thomas and Blair’s sister, Gemma, in another car behind us. They were going to keep watch around the area while we were in the middle of a DnD session, just in case anything happened.
I told them to stay in their human forms, because the small town of Everleigh wasn’t shifter-based like Monroe, so Gemma and Thomas would drive around and go for walks to help blend in.
As we reached the Anderson building, Gemma silently told me that they’d find a place to park behind the building, and then Benji, my omegas, and I headed into the complex. Our DnD nights usually took place in Parker’s apartment, so at least we didn’t have to discuss which friend would host the evenings.
I would have loved for the guys to come to the cabin, at least just to show them where we lived, but there was no way they would understand. I didn’t even think they knew Benji lived with us, so they would have had far too many questions. Just the cabin alone was a giveaway that we were keeping something from them, and I didn’t exactly know how to tell them how I landed myself with so much money.
So it was best for everyone that I continued to act like regular old Jesse Rafe, who just so happened to have four girlfriends…
Two of which were pregnant.
Yeah, there wasn’t anything crazy about that.
Parker was quick to open the door as we arrived outside his apartment, and the redhead slapped mine and Benji’s shoulders as he welcomed us in. Then he pushed his wire-framed glasses up his nose, and he turned to greet Blair, Arielle, and Hailey with a friendly smile.
“Thanks for coming, guys,” Parker said happily.
“Of course,” I replied. “We weren’t going to miss it.”
“Where’s the caramel-haired girl?” Travis asked from his spot at the game table.
“She’s got a dance class that she couldn’t miss,” I lied. “But she really wanted to join us.”
Dance class? Benji frowned.
It was the first thing that came to mind, I answered with a subtle shrug.
“Well, that’s fine,” Parker said. “I ordered enough pizza for everyone, but I guess there’s now more to go around.”
“Ooh, pizza!” Arielle grinned as she dashed toward the stack of grease-lined boxes.
Arielle opened the lid of the first box and peeled off the largest slice of pepperoni pizza. Her reddish eyes were filled with hunger, and she didn’t hesitate to take a large bite.
“Oh, I ordered you a vegetable one because I know you’re into healthy eating…” Parked frowned.
“Oh, I am!” Arielle replied as she took a second bite. “But I… I dabble here and there. Thank you, though! That’s really sweet of you to think of me.”
“Of course.” Parker shrugged. “You’re part of the group.”
Did you hear that? Arielle smiled. I’m part of the group.
“Alright, let’s get started!” Jake called out happily. “It’s going to be a long night of quests and conflict!”
“Fancy taking on some conflict, dude?” Benji smirked at me. “You could use some more conflict in your life…”
“Nah, I leave you in charge this time,” I answered.
My women smothered their laughs, but Parker, Travis, and Jake just glanced at us with confused expressions etched on their faces. They didn’t understand the inside joke, and I wasn’t about to explain it to them.
Fortunately, the humans were quick to forget about it, and we all sat around the table with drinks and pizza as we started up our first game. Jake asked Hailey if she wanted to be the Dungeon Master for the evening because he knew she liked that role, but my omega kindly declined.
