The Alpha 11, page 22
“I suppose you need to remember how small the UK is compared to us,” Hazel laughed. “Think about how long it would take us to drive from L.A. to New York, but you could drive from the very bottom of the UK to the top in fourteen hours. Plus, Charlotte might not have been swimming the entire time.”
“Fuck, that is small,” I snickered. “Okay, maybe two weeks is doable. But does Charlotte travel with a pod? Or is it always solo?”
“What does it say on the document?” Hazel smirked.
“Uh…” I mumbled as I read Charlotte’s information. “Oh, she usually travels around with at least three betas, but sometimes she’s seen with four. I guess that makes sense, given that she’s a rare omega. She’s part of a larger pod that still lives in Washington with the majority of them tending to stay there.”
“There’s your answer.” Hazel squeezed my bicep as she rested her head on my shoulder. “Are you glad you searched for her?”
“Definitely,” I snorted. “I’d obviously like Charlotte to be a bit closer, especially as I’ve been searching for her for so long, but at least I can check this file whenever I want to keep up to date on her location.”
“Exactly,” my agent replied. “Charlotte tends to travel around for a couple of months, and then she’ll come home again before she takes off to a different location, but it’s nice that you can keep track of her.”
“I suppose traveling keeps her safe, or away from selkie alphas.” I shrugged.
“That’s what I think.” Hazel nodded. “It could be that she’s trying to stay away from one selkie alpha in particular, so moving around the globe stops him from finding her. Plus, as far as I’m aware, there aren’t any selkie alphas who have access to these files, so she probably does what she can to keep herself safe.”
“If that’s why she moves around a lot, then I’ll leave her to do her own thing,” I said with a small smirk. “However, if I just happen to be nearby, then it’s only right I introduce myself…”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Alpha.” Hazel winked as she gave me a quick kiss. “Now, are you still wanting to look into Hailey’s family tree, too?”
“Yeah, I’d like to get that done before we call it a day,” I replied.
Hazel closed the documents we were currently looking at while I silently asked for Hailey to come back upstairs and meet us in the office.
Are you sure, Alpha? Hailey giggled. I thought you might want a little more time to yourselves.
Hazel and I have been… very busy. I smirked. But I assume you already know that.
Shifters have wonderful hearing, she replied. I’m happy for you, Jesse. Hazel’s always felt like part of the team, and now it’s official!
It certainly is. I smiled. But we can talk about that later. Do you want to come upstairs?
Of course, I’ll be there in a minute, she said in her sweet voice.
Hailey skipped through the door a couple of minutes later, and she gave us the sweetest smile as she took her place on my lap.
“Here you go,” she said as she handed Hazel and I chicken salad sandwiches in a plastic container. “Kinley, Rachel, Carlo, and I decided to have some lunch, and I knew you both would be hungry.”
“I’m starving,” I replied as I eagerly opened the container and took a large bite of the sandwich.
“So am I,” Hazel added. “Thank you, Hailey, that’s really sweet of you. Are Kinley, Rachel, and Carlo still in the cafeteria?”
“That’s me.” My omega grinned. “And yes, they said we could meet up with them later. Now, what are we doing up here?”
I was certain Hailey had hundreds of questions she wished to ask us, but she’d obviously decided to save them for another time.
“Well, seeing as I now have access to the entire database, I thought I could use that to my advantage,” I explained. “How would you feel if we looked into your family tree?”
“Mine?” Hailey pointed to herself.
“Yours.” I smiled. “Would you like to?”
Hailey’s green eyes widened with shock, and she twirled a piece of dyed purple hair around her finger.
“I’m scared…” she mumbled as she rubbed the strand of hair against her lips.
“Why are you scared?” I frowned.
I placed my sandwich on the desk as I wrapped my arms around my nervous omega. Hailey tucked herself into my side, and she glanced down at my lap in thought.
“My family isn’t something I really like to talk about,” she said after a moment of silence. “Hell, I don’t even use my real name, or my surname for that matter. However, I do want some answers, so I think it’s right that we look into it. Maybe then I can forget all about them.”
“Whatever you’d like to do.” I gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek as I brushed some hair away from her face. “I can always do this by myself if that would make it easier?”
“I also told Jesse earlier that it’s possible your family tree might not be on here,” Hazel spoke up. “But we won’t know anything until we look.”
“I think…” Hailey sighed. “I think we should do this. I think it’s time I found out exactly how I became a shifter in the first place.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I whispered as I gave her another kiss. “I know this is a big thing for you, so you should be really proud of yourself, too.”
Hailey had a heart of gold, and she didn’t often allow others to see that she was struggling. But she sometimes struggled as much as the next person, and she had fears, too, so it said a lot about her strength that she’d decided to face them.
“Can I ask…” Hazel paused for a second. “You changed your name to Hailey when you left your family home, is that right?”
“Yes.” Hailey nodded. “I didn’t want them to find me.”
“And… is that why you don’t use your surname, either?” the agent asked.
“Sort of, yeah,” the omega mumbled. “I don’t like my surname because it connects me to my old family. So I rarely ever say it, and only the most important people know my surname. I didn’t even say it to my previous alpha.”
I knew her surname, of course, but I didn’t like saying it in front of Hailey in case it upset her.
“Okay,” Hazel said as she brought the keyboard over to herself. “So what is your real name, Hailey?
“Sarah Moore,” Hailey mumbled through clenched teeth.
“Thank you for telling me.” Hazel smiled before she turned her attention back to the computer.
Hazel opened up the ‘OR’ file for Oregon, and then activated the search bar and typed in Hailey’s birth name. Even though Hailey’s previous pack was from a small town in Alberta, Canada, her information had been passed over to the SDD when she became my omega, which made the search so much easier.
A heavy silence filled the office as Hazel found Hailey’s file and clicked on the document. The file said that I was her alpha, and that we lived in Monroe, but it also said the name of Hailey’s previous alpha, Gabriel. But underneath Hailey’s personal details, there was a link to her family tree.
“Oh, god,” Hailey moaned. “This is it, right?”
“This is it,” I said. “But don’t worry. These people can’t hurt you anymore.”
I tried not to look too deeply at the family tree, and instead I wanted to focus on soothing Hailey’s nerves. However, I couldn’t help but notice “Sarah Moore” written at the bottom of the page, and the various lines which snaked across the document and connected everyone together.
“Hailey, can you quickly confirm that this information is correct?” Hazel asked. “Just so we know if we’re on the right track or not.”
Hailey sighed as she glanced over at the computer. The document said that her mom’s name was Sherlyn Beech, and her dad’s name was Richard Moore. There was also her older brother, Bryce, and the document included that he had died several months ago.
I had been the one to kill Bryce after that motherfucker became a damn were-hunter. He then piled together a group of goons who traveled around in search of his younger sister, Sarah. The fact that Hailey’s brother made it his mission to kill shifters said a lot about him, but it also gave me an insight into what Hailey had to deal with growing up.
She couldn’t help being different, and it broke my heart that her parents and brother had treated her so badly because of it.
“Yep, that’s them,” Hailey sighed. “Motherfuckers.”
I smiled sadly at my omega, and then I gave her a soothing hug as Hazel continued to search the family tree. Hailey looked away from the computer, and instead she found interest in a loose thread on my shirt.
“Alright…” Hazel broke the silence a short moment later. “From what it says here, your parents and brother are human, which we already knew. However, your maternal and paternal grandparents are also human, too.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means we keep looking.” Hazel shrugged.
“My mom’s parents wanted to look into this for me,” Hailey explained. “They were the only blood relatives I had who accepted who I was, and they wanted to help me. However, my parents shot them down and told them not to bother, so if we find out the truth, it might be nice to tell my grandparents what we found.”
“Of course.” I smiled. “We can do whatever you want.”
“Oooh,” Hazel said suddenly. “Here’s something. Hailey, your mom’s grandparents were human. But your dad’s grandfather was a werewolf beta.”
“What?” Hailey gasped. “And what about my great-grandmother?”
“Human.” The agent grinned. “John Moore, a werewolf beta, married Isabel Young, a human, and the two of them had one child. Your grandfather.”
“Oh, my god…” Hailey whispered.
I was completely blown away by the news, but I also wanted to know more.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve heard of a shifter/human relationship,” I muttered. “Apart from, y’know…”
“Us.” Hazel smirked. “Yes, I haven’t heard of it, either.”
“Then how does that work?” Hailey asked. “Clearly it’s not completely impossible, but it is unheard of.”
“I’m not sure.” I shrugged. “Maybe they became a couple before John realized who he was? They might have even had a child before then, too. He might have shifted later than others, like me, so there was time for him to meet Isabel and have a child before he fully developed into a shifter.”
“That makes sense.” Hazel nodded.
“Maybe the stress of having a child caused John to shift for the first time?” Hailey suggested. “I mean, I suppose we’ll never know the truth, but it’s still interesting. It’s also interesting that there weren’t any shifters born after him, until me.”
“Yeah, so because the shifter gene was weaker, it skipped a generation?” I asked.
“It skipped a couple generations,” Hazel confirmed. “Perhaps it’s something like the twin gene? Maybe the shifter gene skips a couple generations when only one side of the pairing is a shifter?”
“That sounds… plausible.” I nodded. “But if that’s the case, wouldn’t there have been a chance that Bryce was a shifter, too?”
“Not if the shifter gene was so weak to begin with,” Hazel explained. “It was already halved when John and Isabel had their child anyway, so it makes me think there was even less of a chance a new generation would have received the shifter gene.”
“Then…” Hailey frowned. “Why was I the lucky one?”
“Yeah, and why an omega?” I asked. “Omegas are already incredibly rare, and that’s when both parents are shifters. So if anything, you should have been a beta, Hailey. Not like I’m complaining.”
Hailey gave me a small smile as I took another bite of my sandwich.
“Maybe that means you’re powerful, Hailey.” Hazel smiled. “I don’t even want to attempt the math to work out the chances of you becoming a shifter, let alone an omega. So the fact that you are one… that’s unbelievable.”
“I know,” Hailey laughed. “Fuck, I never knew I was so special. I definitely need to tell my grandparents this.”
“I knew you were this special.” I smirked. “You’ve always been special to me, and you always will be, too.”
“Smooth talker.” Hazel winked, to which I blew her a kiss.
Then, as Hazel lightly scratched the bruise I’d left below her collarbone, yet another thought entered my head.
If Hailey’s great-grandfather had managed to pass down the shifter gene, even if it skipped a couple of generations, was that possible for all shifters?
If Hazel and I were lucky enough to have a child someday, then maybe they’d inherit the shifter gene, too?
We’d obviously have to wait until Hazel wanted a child before I knew the answer to that question.
But at least it made me realize one thing.
My legacy was only going to continue to grow, regardless of whether my mates were shifters or not.
Chapter 13
After the crazy discovery with Hailey’s family, the three of us relaxed in the office for an additional thirty minutes before we realized it was time for us to leave. Not only were we exhausted after last night and the busy day, but I had a couple more things I needed to do before we could settle down.
I shut down the computer and cleared the desk, and Hazel and Hailey sorted out the coffee table that was still covered in food from our meeting that morning. As we exited the office, I made sure to lock the door behind me, just like I’d been told, and then I handed the keys over to Hazel.
“These are yours now.” I smiled.
“I suppose they are, yes.” She grinned.
Hazel slipped them into her pocket before she linked her hand with mine as we headed for the elevator. The agent then took us to the cafeteria where we met back up with Rachel, Kinley, and Carlo. The three of them were thrilled to hear about Hazel’s promotion, but the women were mainly excited to know that they’d be working together, especially if Rachel was allowed to transfer from Connecticut to New York.
I didn’t see any reason why something like that couldn’t be arranged, now that Hazel and I were in charge.
After that, Hazel decided to head back to the hotel because she was exhausted, whereas Hailey, Carlo, and I went to meet with some of my newest beta captains in Central Park.
It was nice to finally meet the captains I’d only spoken to on the phone, and they were pleased to inform me that they hadn’t caught on to any suspicious activity while we were in the office. I apologized that I couldn’t stay for longer than the weekend, otherwise I probably would have made a trip to see everyone from the various packs, prides, and skulks, but the beta captains understood just how busy I was.
Carlo had managed to round together a few of the beta captains from some of the east coast states I now owned. So there were werefoxes, werecoyotes, and a couple of werecats, all intermingling in the one city. It gave them a good chance to get to know each other, too, and that was most important with a mixed pack as large and spread out as mine.
I promised the beta captains that I’d take a tour across my east coast states when I had the chance, but I made sure to thank them for everything they were doing for me.
Hailey and I only stayed in Central Park for about an hour, and then we walked back to the hotel with one of the beta captains keeping watch behind us.
Although we were tired, and we’d been through so much in the last twelve hours, there was also a calming sense of peacefulness in the air. I didn’t think peace and quiet was a thing in Manhattan, especially given how loud and chaotic the streets were, but it was nice knowing that for once I didn’t have a threatening alpha to think about, and I didn’t have to constantly look over my shoulder.
Of course, I had the SDD to think about, and I was the head of the agency, but with Hazel, Rachel, Kinley, and Carlo, I knew I’d be fine.
I also had my omegas and the rest of my family at home, and they would support me through everything.
Hailey just about collapsed onto the bed as we arrived back in our room, and I quickly changed out of my suit and found a much more comfortable outfit to wear. The two of us chilled on the bed for a minute, and then we called the omegas back in Monroe to update them on what had happened.
I didn’t tell them about Hazel, only because I wanted to see their reactions when they heard what had happened in the office.
Hailey told them about her family, and I told them everything I knew about Charlotte Lloyd, the selkie omega. Hearing their voices made me really miss my funny, cunning, and beautiful omegas, but at least it was only going to be another twenty-four hours before we saw them again.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the hotel room. Hazel came to join us, and she brought her suitcase with her when I asked if she wanted to spend the night. Then we ordered some room service, found something to watch on TV, and fell asleep.
My alarm pulled me from my sleep at eight o’clock the next morning, and despite how fucking incredible it was to share a bed with Hazel, we didn’t have the time to lounge in bed for much longer. We had just under four hours before our scheduled flight back to Oregon, and given that it took fifty minutes to drive back to JFK, we had to get moving if we wanted to take a final trip to the SDD headquarters before leaving.
Hailey took a shower while I shoved the last of my things in my suitcase, and then we swapped over. But I’d noticed a slight change in my omega when she climbed out of bed, and she was almost too quiet, regardless of the early rise.
“Are you okay?” I asked her as I left the bathroom.
I only had a towel around my waist, so I noticed the blush on Hazel’s cheeks as she checked out my bare chest, but then she blew me a kiss as she continued applying her makeup.
“I’m okay,” Hailey sighed as she nodded her head. “I didn’t think looking at my family tree would affect me like this, but I should have expected it, I guess.”
