The alpha 14 protect pro.., p.20
The Alpha 14: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 20
The guard took a long, hard look at the passport for Hamish McAllistair, then he glanced up at Benji with the same expression on his face.
Once the guard was happy, he scanned Benji’s ticket to allow the barrier to unlock, then Benji took back his documents as he walked straight through.
My throat felt thick with fear as I watched my family walk through the barrier. Cooper had to be removed from his stroller and carried through, and the guard thoroughly searched every inch of the stroller before he allowed Nikita to take it back.
Chloe played with her hands anxiously as she stood in front of the barrier, and I took a hold of Caitlin’s hand to keep her as calm as possible.
Fortunately, the guard allowed Chloe to go through without any issues, but it wasn’t as easy when it came time for Zac to go through.
“Can you come with me?” he asked his mother. “I’m scared.”
“You don’t need to be scared, sweetheart.” Caitlin smiled, even though I could hear the pain in her voice. “Just stand there, let the man check your passport, and then you walk over to your sister, okay?”
The guard ordered something in Russian, and he motioned Zac over with his hand.
“You must stand here.” Azarov crouched down to Zac’s level. “This won’t take long.”
Zac looked everywhere apart from at the man in front of him, and his young face flushed with anxiety as the seconds ticked by. He looked so small compared to the enormous security guard, and it was horrible to see Zac looking so scared. It even looked like he was about to burst into tears, and I just knew Caitlin’s heart was breaking.
Fortunately, before Zac completely lost his shit, the man scanned his ticket and allowed him through. The young boy practically sprinted toward Chloe, and she held her quivering brother in both arms as they waited for Caitlin and Laura to walk through.
I allowed everyone else to go before me, and my nerves seemed to calm down as the last of my omegas wandered through the barriers.
Azarov followed on behind them, and then it was my time.
The security guard looked down at the passport for Mason White, but then his dark eyes narrowed as he looked up at me. It could have just been how I interpreted the expression on his face, but the man looked conflicted, like he couldn’t quite work out what to believe.
“You?” he asked as he prodded the passport with a fat finger.
“Yes, that’s me.” I nodded.
The guard frowned again, and he looked back and forth between me and the picture several times.
I tried not to let my true emotions show, and I hoped my emotionless face made the guard think that nothing was amiss. But deep down I knew exactly how Zac felt standing in this spot all alone.
I had a strong feeling the guard totally knew who I was, that I wasn’t Mason White, and maybe he knew everyone around me all had fake names, too. But if this guard worked with Dernov, or knew of Dernov, then perhaps I wasn’t in any sort of danger.
But it certainly didn’t feel that promising.
“You come there.” The man pointed to an empty space behind him. “Sit.”
“Me?” I asked.
“You,” he ordered, and then he continued to talk in Russian.
“He says you must sit against wall,” Azarov translated. “A man needs to come and talk to you, but sit there now.”
“Wh-What?” Hailey asked. “Why?”
“Because a man needs to talk to… Mason,” Azarov explained as best he could. “It won’t take long. He not in danger. Just stay there.”
It certainly felt like I was in danger.
It actually felt like I was about to get arrested, and I had to stand against the wall while the guards threw a set of cuffs around my wrists.
My omegas called out to me silently as I took my spot against the wall, and the other betas in the station asked if everything was okay, but I didn’t have much of an explanation to give them. I just said the same thing Azarov told us, and I hoped that was enough to keep my betas calm.
But there was part of me that was tempted to ask whether I could use my phone. I felt like I needed to call Dernov, explain everything to him, and perhaps he’d give me a proper answer.
Why had I been told to stand against a wall by myself?
Who was this man I had to talk to?
Why did it feel like I was about to be thrown into the back of a cop car and taken off to a Russian prison?
My family stood together, but they constantly looked over at me and gave me small smiles, but they all stayed where they were, even though they desperately wanted to come and join me.
The security guard allowed more passengers through the barrier, and not once did he look back at me. It was almost like he’d completely forgotten I was there, or maybe it was because I was out of his hands that he didn’t bother to look over and check up on me.
I must have been standing there for fifteen minutes when a little boy and his mother walked through the barriers. The little boy was only about six years of age, and he held onto his mother’s hand as he skipped through the daunting contraption.
But then the boy looked over at me, and he cocked his head to one side as a frown formed on his tiny, pale face.
After a second, the little boy threw an arm out in my direction, and he bounced around on the spot as he shouted something excitedly. He pulled at his mother’s jacket and repeated something over and over in Russian, but he never took his eyes off me.
A sickening sense of fear trickled through me, but I kept my face as straight as possible.
The boy say he recognize you, Alpha, Azarov said silently. Say you are man from TV.
Fuck’s sake, I groaned. What do I do?
It didn’t make any sense that a little boy recognized me in a Russian train station, but I’d traveled right across Europe without anyone even looking at me twice.
Was my luck seriously that bad that I got caught by a six-year-old just before I made it to safety?
Don’t do anything, Azarov informed me. Just stay where you are.
Fortunately, the mother hushed her son’s excitement before anyone really caught on to what was happening, and she gave me an apologetic smile as she wandered toward me.
“I’m sorry,” she said with a soft, Russian accent. “My son is… happy. We know… about you.”
I didn’t say anything, but my frown told the woman how confused I was.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For… everything you do. Thank you.”
Before I could say anything, the woman’s green eyes flashed purple for a brief second, and then they returned to the same vibrant green color they were before.
She was a shifter, and she clearly didn’t hate me.
She must have heard everything going on in the news, otherwise her son wouldn’t have been so excited to see me, but it didn’t seem as though she’d believed the lies the Chinese government made up.
The woman gave me one last smile, and then she took her son by the hand and walked him away. The little boy continued to skip happily, but he occasionally glanced over his shoulder and waved back at me.
I gave him a very slow, short wave in return, mainly because I had no idea what the fuck had just happened.
Are we… going to talk about that? Benji asked silently.
Yeah, what the hell just happened? Azalea asked.
I’ll let you know once I’ve worked it out myself, I snorted.
Before any of us could discuss the strange, sudden interaction, a man in a black suit and a thick gray jacket wandered over to us. He had a quick conversation in Russian to the security guard, and then he followed the guard’s motion of his hand and walked over to me.
“Mason White?” the man asked in a deep voice, with an even deeper accent to accompany it.
“Yes.” I nodded.
“But that is not your real name, am I right?” He frowned, but there was the making of a smile on his thin lips.
The man stood at least a head taller than me, and he scratched the dark stubble on his jaw as he waited for an answer.
But what answer did I give him?
I had no idea who the guy was, so I didn’t want to admit to my forgery in case it got me, and my entire family, into serious trouble.
“I’m sorry.” I shook my head lightly. “Who are you?”
“My name is Sedov Yakovich.” The man placed a large hand on his chest. “I work with Dernov Vladimirovich, and it is my duty to take care of you.”
That was slightly more comforting, but I wouldn’t automatically take his word for gospel without talking to Dernov first. If Sedov knew who I was, and if he knew Dernov was the head of the Russian agency, then he could have easily put two and two together.
“Am I able to speak with Dernov first?” I asked.
“Of course.” Sedov nodded his head once.
I took a few calming breaths as I located my phone and brought up Dernov’s number. It took a couple of seconds for the Russian to answer, but as soon as he did, and as soon as I told him everything that happened in the station, Dernov was quick to reassure me.
“Sedov is my best agent,” Dernov explained. “I trust him with my life, and trust him with yours, too. I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, Jesse, but I had issue with agents in Europe I had to sort out first.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“It is now, yes,” he replied. “But don’t worry, there is no word you have been to other countries. Asian agents think you fly somewhere from Scotland and try to find you, so you’re safe for now.”
I hadn’t realized how much weight I had been carrying until Dernov told me that. My entire body seemed to slump as a freeing feeling ran from my head to my toes, and despite how long the journey was, it was totally worth it at that exact moment.
“Follow Sedov,” Dernov continued. “He has cars waiting outside to take you all to compound. I head there now, and I meet you at compound. Okay?”
“That’s excellent, Dernov, thank you.” I smiled.
The smile stayed on my face as I ended the call and looked back up at Sedov.
“Dernov said you have cars outside?” I asked.
“Yes.” The large man nodded. “Enough cars to fit all of you. Bulletproof and dark windows, so no one see in. Station has been checked also.”
My eyes widened slightly at the idea of the cars being bulletproof, but then the expression softened as I realized Sedov said the station had been checked over, and hopefully that meant no undercover agents had decided to survey every mode of transport across the globe.
Once everyone was much more comfortable with Sedov’s arrival, I informed my nearby betas about what was happening, and then we followed the enormous man out of the station.
The first thing I noticed were the layers upon layers of solid, packed snow on the ground, and the city of Moscow seemed to peek through the wintry scenery. A bitter wind blew against my face, and I instantly realized why every security guard inside the station had been wearing the same thick jackets and wool hats.
The internet wasn’t lying when it described how cold Russia was in winter.
Fortunately, shifters didn’t feel the cold as much as humans did, so we didn’t have to wrap up like everyone else. But the same couldn’t have been said for Chloe and Zac, so during my interesting conversations in the station, Caitlin had ordered her children to pull out their winter clothing.
“Come,” Sedov ordered as he marched across the icy snow. “We all meet in car park.”
The kids struggled with their suitcases in the snow, and the wheels of Cooper’s stroller refused to turn, but with a little help from my betas we made it around the side of the enormous station where the parking lot was situated.
I expected to come across several SUVs, or some sedans we’d all have to squeeze into. But it turned out that the language barrier must have caused an issue when it came to describing the vehicles.
Because the “cars” Sedov spoke about were actually trucks.
Military trucks.
“Holy shiiiit!” Benji whispered excitedly. “This is so much better than a superyacht!”
There were seven trucks in total, and all of them were a mix of either beige or dark green. The monstrous wheels looked to be bigger than Zac, the majority of the trucks were covered in solid metal, and the only tinted windows Sedov told us about were the windows around the cabins of the trucks.
According to Sedov, twelve people could fit into each truck, so we were told to climb in and make ourselves comfortable.
“There isn’t enough space for all of us in one truck,” Aunt Eva said. “So Benji can stay with you, and I’ll go into another one.”
“Sure, no problem,” I replied.
Four steps at the back of the truck took us up into the cargo area, and Benji climbed in first in order to help Chloe, Zac, Arielle, and Blair up the steps.
“This is so cool!” Zac laughed, and the solid metal rattled as he jumped around. “I feel like a soldier going to war!”
“Let’s hope there isn’t a war before we’re ready for one,” I mumbled as I steadied Nikita on the stairs.
Caitlin climbed in after her, followed by Hailey, Azalea, Lian, and Ivy.
“This is much better,” my avian omega said as she chose a seat. “I can’t handle too many outsiders in one day.”
“I bet there are weapons in these trucks, too,” Benji cackled.
“There are.” Ivy nodded. “I can almost smell the bullets from here.”
Aunt Eva took Cooper from my arms as I climbed up the steps, and then she passed my son back to me as she headed off toward Austin’s truck.
Is everyone okay? I asked silently as I looked around the parking lot.
Apart from a few police cars, the trucks were the only vehicles in the area, so it wasn’t a parking lot for passengers, which also made me more confident that no one had spotted us climbing into the outrageous trucks.
We’re all good, Alpha, Kristina replied.
Same here, Austin added.
The last of my group is just joining us now, Connor said.
Bala and Zimin are still to climb in, but then we’re good to go, sir, Carlo informed me.
Excellent. I nodded. In that case, I’ll see you all at the compound.
As soon as I made myself comfortable in the truck, I was hit with the strong, musty scent of leather and oil. The chilling wind blew through the metal sidings, and the truck creaked and groaned as everyone moved around.
The truck came with six leather seats on each side which faced each other, and there was only just enough space in the middle for us to stretch our legs out without kicking the person opposite.
All of our luggage and Cooper’s stroller had been stored in the top compartment of the truck, and Sedov and one other man sat in the cabin.
“We will drive for two hours.” Sedov turned in his seat to face us. “It will be long drive, and bumpy roads, but try to be comfortable.”
“Thanks, Sedov.” I smiled.
I took my seat beside Ivy and opposite Hailey, and I held Cooper in his sling against my chest as the trucks roared to life and slowly began to drive out of the parking lot.
Cooper woke up to the sudden noise, and his crying told me he didn’t like the roaring engine or the squeaky brakes, but I managed to hush him back to sleep without too much of an issue.
Like Sedov said, the journey was extremely bumpy and uncomfortable. It felt like we were flung around every time the wheels went over the smallest bump in the road, and we all had to hold on whenever the truck took a turn, but at least none of us had any issues with motion sickness.
I managed to check my phone a couple of times, and I had some messages from Hazel and Ewan asking how my journey was going. I also had a message from Parker stating that he was still doing a fabulous job at keeping everyone on my side, and telling them all about shifters.
I dreaded to think what he was actually telling them.
Moscow was two hours ahead of the UK, but it was ten hours ahead of Oregon, and seven hours ahead of New York. So I replied to Hazel and Parker, even though I knew it was the middle of the night for them, but at least they’d know that everything was okay.
I told Ewan about my interaction in the station with the lady and her son, but that we were currently with Sedov in fucking military trucks on our way to the compound.
The entire adventure was mind-blowing, and I still couldn’t wrap my head around everything that happened in the last two days, but at least the end of this crazy and terribly long journey was in sight.
Roughly two hours after the trucks left the station they came to one final halt, and Sedov jumped out of the cabin as the engine was switched off. I tried to peer through the front windows to see where we were, but all I saw was a vast, open plot of land that seemed to spread all the way over to the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Dernov originally said there were high walls and watchtowers, so I couldn’t imagine us staying in an underground bunker, but I had no idea what the compound was going to look like.
I just hoped it wasn’t too unwelcoming or intimidating for the kids. This whole situation was already stressful enough.
All of a sudden, the back door to the left of me swung open, and the hinges shrieked in protest as Sedov locked both doors in place.
“We walk from here,” he announced.
The rest of the trucks were parked in a straight line behind ours, and I just made out other agents walking around the sides of the trucks as they freed my betas in the back.
“Where are we?” Zac whispered.
“This is where you’re going,” Chloe teased her brother. “You’re staying here, but we’ll come and visit you.”
“What?” Zac shrieked and turned to look at Caitlin. “Am I staying here? I don’t want to stay here.”
“Chloe,” my omega sighed at her daughter. “All I ask is for you to leave your brother alone for five minutes… Just five minutes.”
“I think this is the compound, buddy,” I told Zac as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “And don’t listen to Chloe. We’ll all be staying together.”
“Yes, this is compound,” Sedov replied. “Come now, you all follow me.”
