The alpha 14 protect pro.., p.21
The Alpha 14: Protect. Procreate. Prevail., page 21
Nikita took Cooper from me as I jumped down from the truck, and then I assisted the others as they made the climb down.
“God,” Azalea sighed as she leaped down the steps without an issue. “My butt is so numb right now. I cannot wait to shift.”
“Your ass looks pretty good from here.” I smirked.
The leggings she wore were like a second skin, and they showed off every curve of my omega’s fantastic body.
“I know.” She winked. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t numb.”
“Maybe a massage will help it,” Hailey giggled and rubbed her hands.
“Christ,” Benji groaned. “At least allow me into the compound before you jump on each other.”
“Why don’t you go and find Kiri?” Blair chuckled as she carefully stepped down. “I’m sure she could do something with her hands…”
“I hate all of you,” Benji called out. “C’mon, Ivy, you and I can explore this world together.”
“Me?” Ivy frowned. “Have you heard what I can do with my hands?”
“Okay, fuck, I don’t want to know.” Benji slapped his hands over his ears and whistled a tune as he walked away.
“Aah, now this is where I want to live.” Ivy glanced around the snowy landscape with the tiniest smile on her face.
But for Ivy, that tiny smile practically lit up her entire face.
“The middle of nowhere with no cell service or outsiders?” I smirked.
“Yes.” She nodded. “And plenty of places to bury bodies. And with the snow that’s covering the burial site, it’ll keep the bodies fresh, and decomposition shouldn’t set in as quickly as it usually does. It’s quite beautiful, if you think about it.”
“I love how weird you are,” Arielle giggled.
“Thank you.” Ivy nodded.
“I also love how weird you are,” Nikita added, and her eyes widened as she took in the view behind me. “But I also love the look of that!”
Everyone seemed to turn at the exact same time, and we let out a collective gasp as we took in our home for the next little while.
What we hadn’t been able to see from the truck was the sandstone wall that seemed to be at least forty, maybe fifty feet in height, and the electric fences that ran around the walls like a barrier. I couldn’t see where the walls ended, but that just made the compound larger, which was more than okay with me.
I spotted two watchtowers in the corners, so I assumed there were more on the other side of the compound, and multiple men marched between the fence and the walls with various guns strapped to their chests.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
Either we had arrived at the compound, or Dernov had set me up to fail and had actually led me to a prison.
But there was no way in hell any shifters were going to get near this place without being spotted and getting shot on sight.
I’d never felt safer.
“Come,” Sedov brought me out of my thoughts. “Dernov wait for you inside gates. Trucks cannot fit through gates, so we must walk.”
A few men had already started to unload our luggage, and we were told they’d bring the suitcases inside once everything was organized.
“I can’t believe we’re going to stay here,” Lian whispered as she clutched my spare hand, and we started to walk toward the gates.
“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” I smiled. “And are you going to shift with the others?”
“I think I might,” she replied. “It will be nice to run around.”
“I cannot wait to see this.” I grinned.
I was excited at just the idea of my weretiger omega running around with werewolves, werecats, and werecoyotes, and with the avians flying overhead, so I couldn’t wait to see Lian in action.
“Hey, Chloe.” I looked over my shoulder to locate the teenager. “Maybe you could shift with us…?”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath, Jesse,” she snorted.
Chloe had only shifted once in her life, but I wanted her to gain the confidence to shift whenever she felt the urge to, as long as it was safe, of course. But I wasn’t going to force her into anything, either.
“Oh, my god!” Benji suddenly shouted. “We don’t have to hide anymore! We don’t have to use our fake names, and we don’t have to wear our disguises anymore!”
Everyone around me cheered as they ripped off their wigs and allowed their heads to breathe for the first time in a couple of days.
Their excitement didn’t simmer down until we arrived in front of the chain-link gates. Rolls of barbed wire ran across the top, and an intimidating-looking man stood in front of the gates with some sort of machine gun in his hands. His graying mustache twitched, and a permanent frown covered his dark eyes.
He looked like every Soviet soldier I’d ever seen on the news, and I was exceedingly glad he was on our side.
The man was dressed in a gray winter jacket that stopped at his knees, and his glove-covered hands clenched around the gun as Sedov came to a halt in front of him.
Sedov gave him a few commands in Russian, and then the guard glanced across the long line of shifters before he opened the gates and allowed us to enter.
Holy fuuuuuuck, Kristina called out silently. Did you see that guuuuun?
It would have been hard to miss it, Tiana laughed.
I need one of those in my life! Kristina chuckled. Jesse, hook me up with one of those!
I’ll do my best, I replied with a smile.
The first set of gates only allowed us past the electric fences, then just in case the opposition managed to get past that, there was a second, solid iron gate built into the wall of the compound.
The guard who manned the second gate looked just as intimidating as the first, and he had the same gun held against his chest, too. I also spotted a few men marching around the top of the watchtowers, and I had a feeling they had the same machine guns as the others.
Sedov gave the second guard the same command, and then the man shouted something loudly before an electric buzzing noise was heard, and the iron gates slowly pulled open.
Fuck. Me, Benji whispered.
I almost couldn’t believe what sat on the other side of the compound walls.
I’d imagined wooden huts, or military barracks lined with single beds and thin mattresses. I also imagined there to be a larger building at the back of the compound where small meetings would take place, and maybe another smaller building which held supplies and where we could receive first aid.
I certainly hadn’t expected to see a fucking gated community hidden behind the sandstone walls of the compound.
It was like we’d stepped out of Russia and arrived back home in the States.
Everywhere I looked there were white-and-tan brick houses, front yards which were still covered in snow, and something that even looked like a damn roundabout in the distance.
The roads and pathways had been cleared of snow, and every house had a car in the drive. I couldn’t see how long the compound went on for, but I imagined there were more houses at the back, and it wouldn’t have surprised me if there was a fucking grocery store and coffee shop somewhere.
I spotted at least fifteen houses from where I stood, and that was only the beginning.
“Is this seriously where we’re staying?” Aunt Eva sounded like she was about to cry. “Jesse, we’ve… We’ve never been so safe.”
My hometown of Monroe was heavily guarded with patrol groups, but even that didn’t feel as safe as this. We could shift and run, or simply walk from house to house without the constant need to look over our shoulders.
“I’m no longer scared about going into labor,” Arielle giggled. “Because giving birth here is probably safer than at home.”
“I think you might be right,” I said before I placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Jesse!” a boisterous, Russian voice called out, and I turned around to see a tall, rotund man with thinning brown hair and a bushy beard.
He looked to be somewhere in his late thirties, and he wore the same gray jacket as everyone else, but this one had a red belt stretched around his gut. His black pants were tucked into a pair of shiny black boots which crunched through the snow as he walked through it.
I hadn’t met that man before, but it didn’t take a genius to work out who he was.
“Dernov?” I smiled.
“Aah, Jesse!” Dernov held out his arms, and his mustache lifted as he smiled. The chuckle he let out seemed to echo around the entire compound.
Dernov held out his hand for me to shake, and then he laughed again. I didn’t catch on to what was so funny, but I just laughed anyway.
“Welcome, Jesse,” he said happily. “Welcome to compound.”
“I have to admit, Dernov, this certainly wasn’t what I expected when you told me about this place,” I snickered. “This is incredible.”
“Really, truly incredible,” Arielle agreed.
“I put great money into compound,” Dernov explained. “I wanted safe place, for shifter and humans, and like yourself, I am very rich man.”
“I can see that,” I chuckled. “Especially if you can afford this.”
Dernov laughed again, and he slapped my back with one hand.
The slap would have knocked me to the ground if I were human, but instead I just laughed at the sheer strength of the man beside me.
He must have been one of the strongest humans I’d ever come across.
“Come, Jesse and family!” he called out. “Let me give you tour of compound.”
“Can I see your selection of guns?” Kristina asked.
Dernov looked around to see where her voice came from, but then he gave my gun-obsessed werecat a smile.
“You can see guns.” He nodded. “And you can train with guns, too.”
My jaw dropped, and I just knew Kristina had the same reaction.
“Train with them?” I asked.
“Yeah!” Zac cheered.
“No,” Caitlin and I both said sternly at the same time.
“We have shooting range outside of compound,” Dernov explained. “After tour I take you, and I show you supply.”
“Do we get to practice on real targets?” Ivy asked with a smirk. “Hopefully live ones as they scream and run for their miserable lives, even though they know they won’t get away?”
“Oh, you are dark one,” Dernov chuckled.
“Dark, creepy, deeply unsettling.” Ivy shrugged. “Many descriptions describe me, and it’s all music to my ears.”
Dernov’s laugh seemed to get louder and louder, and it caused the rest of us to laugh, too.
“Okay, okay.” The Russian patted his large stomach. “Come, come. There is much to see. And once again, welcome to compound!”
Welcome to compound, indeed.
I had a feeling we were going to enjoy our stay.
I just hoped I didn’t look back and regret that statement.
Chapter 13
I took a couple of minutes to introduce Dernov to my family and the betas behind me. He already knew little bits of information about my pack from the conversations we’d shared, but it was the first time he’d heard everyone’s names and species.
It was also nice for the wild cats to be reintroduced to the head of their original agency, and Dernov wrapped his arms around the wild cats as he thanked me for looking after them.
“Of course.” I nodded. “I did what I hoped other people would have done if they were in my position.”
“But you take wild cats under wing.” Dernov tapped the top of my arm. “You care for them when they need it, and I will always be grateful for that.”
“The same could be said for all of this.” I motioned around the compound. “You invited us here where it’s safe, and for the first time in days I don’t have the fear that someone is taking pictures of my children, or slyly watching our house, and I’ll be forever grateful for that, too.”
Dernov chuckled again, and then he turned toward Zac and Chloe and patted their shoulders with his enormous hands.
“Jesse is good man,” he told them. “I hope you both know that.”
“He’s alright, I suppose.” Chloe shrugged with a smirk.
“Aah, we have joker!” Dernov laughed.
“I want to see your guns.” Zac looked up at Dernov with a hopeful look in his eyes.
“Zachary…” Caitlin pointed a finger at her son. “What have I told you?”
“That guns are dangerous…” he muttered.
“Young man.” Dernov crouched down and placed one hand on Zac’s shoulder. “Guns are not toys. Your mother is right, and for now you are young pup, and young pup should not play with dangerous weapons. But one day you will be big, strong shifter. Maybe alpha? But for now, while you still small, be young pup. Have fun. Shoot things later, okay?”
“I could be an alpha?” Zac gasped, and he looked like he’d just come across all of the presents underneath a Christmas tree. “I want to be an alpha like you, Jesse!”
“God help us if you become an alpha,” Chloe mumbled, but Zac ignored her.
“There’s every chance you could be carrying the alpha gene.” I nodded. “But there’s every chance you could be a beta, too. But when it comes to being an alpha, safety is everything, which is exactly why your mom and I don’t want you to play with guns just yet.”
“Okay…” Zac sighed. “I suppose I can wait until I become an alpha…”
“Excellent!” Dernov cheered. “Now, let’s start on tour. Where would you like to go first?”
“Uh…” There was so much to take in, and I imagined the tour was going to take the majority of the day. “How about we start with the houses first?”
“Good choice.” Dernov nodded. “We leave best ‘til last…”
It amazed me how different Dernov was in person compared to the mysterious Russian I’d imagined when I spoke to him on the phone. He actually reminded me of Ewan, and how both of them always looked on the bright side of life, but they knew when to be serious, too.
I probably could have told Dernov I’d had a cheese sandwich for lunch, and he’d still find it funny.
“There are twenty-five houses in compound,” Dernov explained as he led us toward the first house. “Each one have four bedrooms, and cars outside filled with gas. Cars always stay at house, but you must fill out form if you drive out of compound.”
“So you can keep a track of who borrowed the car, when they left, that sort of thing?” I asked.
“Er, yes.” He nodded. “Safety is big thing in compound, as you can see, so we keep track of people.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” I replied.
Dernov went on to explain that the houses were well insulated during the winter, but cool and airy during the summer months. They came equipped with everything we’d need, as well as washing machines, dryers, internet access, and TVs in each bedroom.
I didn’t want to know how much money Dernov had spent building this compound, but I knew it was an eye-watering amount, especially if there were roughly one hundred TVs and twenty-five cars in just the houses alone.
“Each house is same,” Dernov said as we walked up the cleared path. “And each house is unlocked right now, so betas can make themselves comfortable. Keys for house are on kitchen table, but compound so safe they don’t need to even lock door!”
My betas decided to take that opportunity to organize the suitcases and pick their chosen houses. Apart from Zhang and Han, who decided to stay around Lian after being apart from her on the train for so long.
“What sort of guests do you have here?” Azalea asked. “Is it other shifters like us who need a safe place to stay?”
“Yes, just like that,” the Russian replied. “I have shifters all over country who need help from other alphas. I let them stay here while we sort out issues with alpha, and then they leave when they can go home again. No one know of compound, and guests who stay here are told to keep secret. Which they do because of help I give them.”
That sounded like the perfect solution when it came to breaking up fights between rival shifters, and it showed how much the shifters meant to Dernov. However, I imagined there would be a high demand to stay in a place like this if everyone knew about it, which was exactly why Dernov kept quiet about it.
“Do we really not have to lock the front doors?” Aunt Eva gasped. “That seems… risky.”
“Not in compound.” Dernov smirked. “My men are here to work, so houses are just for guests. Compound is most safe place, no one can enter unless allowed.”
“This still blows my mind,” Blair chuckled.
Even though Dernov said we didn’t have to lock the doors, I knew we were all going to. Mainly out of habit, because it would have felt strange falling asleep with the front door unlocked. But also for precaution, because even though I trusted Dernov greatly, we were still wanted shifters in a foreign country.
He also told us that he had a team of cleaners who came into the compound once his “guests” had left, so everything was perfectly clean and restocked whenever the next group arrived.
Once that explanation was out of the way, Dernov kicked the snow off his boots, and then he wandered into the house and motioned for us to follow him.
Light oak wood flooring ran throughout the entirety of the house, and unless the upstairs was different, it looked as though the same cream-colored paint had been added to all the walls, too.
Even though the houses seemed to be a decent size from the outside, there was some sort of TARDIS effect, and they felt much bigger and more spacious inside. The front door opened onto an entryway with a set of stairs at the back, a small bathroom, and storage for jackets and shoes.
The kitchen on the right came with a table large enough to fit ten people, as well as white counters that wrapped around half of the room. There was even a fruit bowl in the center of the table which was filled with green apples and a bunch of bananas.
Then on the left of the hallway was the living room which also had a sliding door that took us out into the backyard. There was a red-and-white patterned rug in the center of the floor, and two brown couches with two matching armchairs sat neatly around the TV on the wall.
