The alpha 11, p.3
The Alpha 11, page 3
Fortunately, the options on the menu today were burgers, pizza, fries, and salad, so Benji and I took a little bit of everything, and I made sure to get the same for Nikita, too. Then once that was sorted, we carried our loaded trays to the first available table we could find.
“Fuuuuck,” Benji moaned as he squeezed his burger between his fingers. “This is what I needed.”
The plasticky, slightly melted cheese became lost within the greasy meat patty, and as the juices began to seep from the burger, Benji opened his mouth and took the largest bite possible.
“Mhmm!” He nodded with a mouth full of food.
Then he curled a few soggy fries into his mouth before he washed it all down with a large chug of soda.
“Christ,” Nikita muttered as she chose the seat beside me. “Benji, really?”
“What?” He frowned.
I just snickered, but Nikita shook her head and rolled her eyes.
I know you’re an animal, but that doesn’t mean you have to eat like one in your human form, too, she muttered privately to us.
I don’t see anything wrong with it. Benji shrugged as he took a second bite.
The burger was finished before Nikita had even removed her denim jacket.
“How are you?” I asked her with a soft smile.
“Oh, fine,” she sighed. “Tired, but fine.”
“I forgot how tiring class can be,” Benji snorted. “But, hey, this time next year we’ll have graduated. Hopefully.”
“That’s actually what my professor wanted to talk to me about,” Nikita replied. “Because this baby will be coming in a couple of months, I’ll have to take time off and probably just complete course work from home. But she said that as long as I meet my requirements, I should still be able to graduate with everyone else.”
“Amazing.” I smiled. “And if you can’t? I assume you’d just need to carry on for a bit longer?”
“Yeah, but I don’t see that happening.” Nikita shrugged. “I don’t plan on taking that much time off when the baby’s born, and maybe I’ll just do half-days to get back into the swing of things. So I suppose we’ll just have to see what happens.”
“You’ll be fine,” I said as I curled a lock of caramel-colored hair behind her ear. “And at least you have a large family to help you.”
“That’s true,” she laughed. “The largest family. But that reminds me, my mom and sister are coming over for dinner tomorrow, so that’ll be fun…”
Nikita’s teal eyes practically rolled out of their sockets, but I knew she really loved them. Her mom was persistent about having dinner with everyone before the baby was born, and we couldn’t hold Mrs. Barnes back that easily.
“Is that tomorrow?” Benji gasped. “Fuck, this week has gone so quickly.”
“Yup.” Nikita nodded her head slowly. “And we have other guests coming, too, right? Is it tonight Chloe and Zac are arriving?”
“It is,” I replied. “Caitlin said they should be arriving shortly after we get home, so I’m guessing Aunt Eva, Caitlin, Hailey, and Arielle have spent all day getting the cabin ready for their arrival.”
“I bet Azalea’s been cleaning the home gym,” Benji snickered. “Just in case, you know, a twelve-year-old is into working out.”
“Chloe’s thirteen,” I replied. “But Zac’s eleven, so you were sort of right.”
“Hey, maybe they’ll be interested in music?” Nikita suggested. “In which case, I hope Blair’s been cleaning the music room.”
“I guess we’ll find out when they arrive.” I shrugged.
None of us were overly sure how to feel about the arrival of Caitlin’s children. Hailey and Arielle were excited, of course, but I was slightly nervous. Caitlin said they’d probably rather celebrate with me instead of hate me for killing their father, but without knowing for sure, it was hard to tell.
I was once told it was probably for the best if I killed an alpha’s children, especially if those kids grew up hating me and decided to get revenge. But I simply couldn’t do that. The kids were innocent in all of this, and they hadn’t asked to be born, so as long as their mothers agreed to teach the kids the rights and wrongs, I saw no reason why they couldn’t live a happy life.
But it was the first time any of us had even met Chloe and Zac, and they were going to be staying with us for the next two weeks, so I just hoped it was going to be a peaceful couple of weeks.
Chloe and Zac were important to Caitlin, which made them important to me, too.
The kids lived with Caitlin’s sister, Laura, in New York, and she’d also be staying with us. Apparently the kids were homeschooled, so at least they wouldn’t be missing out on any classes while they were here. And it was a Friday, so perhaps we could have a fun weekend together to help break the ice.
Our conversation moved on after that, and it felt like only minutes had passed before we had to head back to class. However, the rest of the afternoon went by quickly, and it wasn’t long before Benji, Nikita, and I were heading to the parking lot. My new schedule meant that I only had classes from Tuesday to Friday, so I was very much looking forward to the long weekend.
“It’s Fridaaaaay!” Nikita sang as she climbed into the passenger seat of the Jeep. “No more alarms for two daaaaays!”
“Three days if you’re Jesse,” Benji mumbled from the back seat.
“You’re just jealous.” I smirked.
“Jealous? Of having a three-day weekend?” he asked. “Yeah, I’m fucking jealous. You get to lie in bed while I have to try and pay attention to Dr. Chase. And she’s not exactly the happiest soul in the world.”
“Snooze you lose, brother,” I chuckled.
Benji muttered something about how the wrinkles on Dr. Chase’s bird-like face probably had more fun than she did, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the rumbling engine of the Jeep. Our campus security were in two separate cars behind us, and once I knew everyone was ready, I started the thirty-minute drive back to Monroe.
I received a text from Carlo during the drive home. It was just to say that he’d landed at the airport, so he should be with us within the next couple of hours. I also received a message from Caitlin, too, and apparently Laura, Chloe, and Zac were forty minutes away.
I already knew how excited Caitlin was to be reunited with her children, and I couldn’t wait to see that glistening smile light up her beautiful face. She hadn’t seen her children for a couple of months because she had to join Myles on his SDD tour around the country, but they’d also been busy before then, and I could just imagine how painful that must have been to leave your children for that amount of time.
Nikita hadn’t even had her baby yet, and Arielle still had just over six months of her pregnancy left, but I already didn’t want to be away from my children.
Caitlin, Azalea, Blair, and Hailey greeted us at the door as we pulled into the driveway, and they all ran toward me as I stepped out of the Jeep.
“You’re home!” Hailey smiled as she threw her arms around my neck and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
Her honeysuckle and lavender scent washed over me like a waterfall, and a large smile curled across my lips as her aroma became mixed with the others around me.
“You three are home, and Chloe, Zac, and Laura are going to be here in twenty minutes!” Caitlin clapped her hands against her chest. “Aah, this is the best day!”
“The best day?” Azalea raised a red eyebrow. “I thought the day that Myles was finally slaughtered was the best day?”
“Okay…” Caitlin paused for a second. “Perhaps both days are just as exciting.”
“That’s better.” I smirked as I brought the werefox into my arms.
Caitlin’s shoulder-length blonde hair had been tied back in a loose ponytail, and the lack of glasses told me she’d decided to wear her contacts today. Her outfit was made up of a pair of gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, but she looked fucking incredible in the simple getup, and her rose and lemon scent gently covered her like an expensive perfume.
“Caitlin was telling me that Chloe and I have a similar taste in music,” Blair said as we wandered into the log cabin. “I’m hoping I can use that to my advantage.”
“Oh?” I asked. “For some reason I didn’t expect her to be into metal, or death metal for that matter.”
“She’s only just come across death metal,” Caitlin laughed. “I’d say rock is more her thing, but that’s close enough.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “And what about Zac? What’s he into?”
“The last I heard, he was obsessed with this Fortnite game.” Caitlin shrugged. “But I know you like gaming, Jesse, and you, too, Benji, so I told him that.”
“Fortnite’s pretty good fun,” Benji replied. “I haven’t played it in a while, though, to be honest.”
“Oooh, maybe we could all play it together!” Hailey grinned. “And I could teach Zac about the wonders of Crash Bandicoot, and Tomb Raider, of course.”
“Tomb Raider is fucking amazing,” Azalea sighed blissfully. “Especially in Tomb Raider II where you have to lock the butler in the freezer. I fucking looooved trying to steer that creepy bastard in there.”
“Is Tomb Raider the one with Laura Croft?” Arielle asked sweetly as she walked over from the kitchen.
“Lara Croft, but yes,” Nikita replied.
“Oh, I think I know her!” Arielle’s reddish-brown eyes lit up with excitement. “She’s married to that actor, right?”
“God, you’re so sweet,” Benji said as he pulled Arielle in for a hug. “But let me tell you the difference between Lara Croft and Angelina Jolie.”
Arielle had a very sheltered upbringing, and things didn’t change when she found herself with her previous alpha, Gray Mackenzie. The werecoyote omega knew a lot about the subjects she was interested in now, but she was still getting through her list of classic movies to watch, and classic bands to listen to.
“Have you been busy baking something?” I asked Arielle as I gave her a kiss.
“Oooh, yes, I have!” She smiled. “I thought the kids might like to have some sweet treats to enjoy, so I made a selection!”
Arielle took me by the hand and led me into the kitchen, and there I found a selection of chocolate chip cookies and perfectly iced, vanilla cupcakes. Arielle wouldn’t eat any of those treats, not unless they were vegan and gluten free, but I knew she wanted to do it for Chloe and Zac and not herself.
“These look amazing,” I said as I inspected the cupcakes.
“Kids like cookies, right?” Arielle asked. “I didn’t think I could go wrong with these two options.”
“Kids like cookies.” Blair nodded. “And werecats do, too…”
“You can’t have one until Chloe and Zac get here,” she replied as she gave Blair a playful swat on the arm. “But I also made sure the kids weren’t allergic to anything, so it’s safe for them to eat either option.”
“You really are the sweetest thing,” I laughed.
“My children are a lot like Benji and Blair,” Caitlin chuckled. “As long as it’s edible, they’ll eat it.”
“Yeah… that does sound like us…” Benji glanced over at Blair and then snorted into his fist. “I always said you could wrap a dog turd in bacon and I’d still eat it.”
“Then it’s a good thing there are no dog turds lying around,” Aunt Eva sighed as she walked downstairs. “Now, Caitlin, the spare bedroom is all set for our guests. But my house in Everleigh is also available should they decide to stay there.”
“Thank you.” Caitlin smiled. “I’ll let them decide where they’d like to stay.”
A few minutes later, a car engine was heard pulling up outside, and Caitlin let out a squeal as she ran toward the door. I’d asked one of my beta captains, Spencer, to pick Laura, Chloe, and Zac up from the airport, and he’d accepted the task without any hesitation.
My omegas, Benji, Aunt Eva, and I stayed back while Caitlin darted outside, mainly because I wanted to give her some time to greet her children before we introduced ourselves.
Now, Jesse, Aunt Eva said to us silently. I’ve been thinking, and there’s every chance the kids might give you a frosty reception. The kids have been through a lot recently, and they’re so young that it’s probably hard for them to absorb everything. Plus, it might look like their mother has a whole new family, so that also could be hard for them to accept.
Yeah, I get it. I nodded. We’ll take it a day at a time.
Caitlin wasn’t a part of our mental connection yet, so there was no way for her to hear our little conversation.
Also, girls, don’t be surprised if they’re off with you, too, Aunt Eva continued. Chloe and Zac probably witnessed Caitlin being pushed to the side when new omegas came along, so it could be that they aren’t overly fond of omegas to begin with. Particularly when they see that you’re heavily pregnant, Nikita. But I’m sure, in time, they’ll learn to love you all.
But there’s no reason for them to hate me. Benji smirked. No one hates me.
Sure, Benji. Sure, Aunt Eva snickered.
Our conversation ended when Caitlin came back inside, but this time she had her arms wrapped around two young children, and I instantly would have known they were Caitlin’s kids just from one glance.
Chloe looked like a younger version of Caitlin, and she also had a pair of black glasses covering her blue eyes, too. Her blonde hair was long and straight, and she’d dyed the tips pink, blue, and purple. She wore a pair of skinny blue jeans and a black Thirty Seconds to Mars t-shirt, and she had a little pair of black-and-white checkered Vans on her feet.
She looked like a typical teenager who was going through the start of an emo phase.
Classic.
Zac’s hair was just as blond, and he had the same blue-green eyes as his mother. He wore a pair of green khaki shorts and a blue hoodie, and he stared at nothing apart from the blue sneakers on his feet.
However, Laura wasn’t at all what I’d expected. Caitlin’s younger sister was smaller than I’d imagined her to be, and she was incredibly skinny with long brown-black hair. The two of them had similar features, but I wouldn’t have automatically assumed they were sisters if I hadn’t been told.
“Chloe, Zac, I’d like you to meet everyone,” Caitlin said gently as she brought her kids over. “This is Jesse, Azalea, Arielle, Blair, Hailey, Nikita, Aunt Eva, and Benji.”
“Hi.” I smiled.
The kids didn’t seem too interested in doing what their mother told them, especially when Caitlin had to nudge them with her hands to get them to walk, but I didn’t want to make them feel pressured into doing anything.
“Hey…” Zac whispered before he tucked his head against Caitlin’s stomach.
“Chloe…” Caitlin led.
“Hi,” the teenager mumbled.
“I’m so glad we get to finally meet you,” Aunt Eva said as she took a step forward. “Your mother has told us so much about you.”
It looked like Zac had a little smile on his face, but then he wiped that expression clean when he noticed me looking at him.
Laura then stepped forward, and she gave us all a hug and thanked us for allowing them to stay here.
I knew I had to try and do something, and I wanted to make the kids feel comfortable in the cabin, so I quickly thought of a way to break the ice.
“Arielle’s made some cookies and cupcakes if you guys would like some?” I offered. “I also heard that you’re into video games, Zac? We have a whole pile of games upstairs if you’d like to take a look at them?”
“And Blair and Azalea are into the same music as you, Chloe,” Caitlin added. “In fact, there’s an entire music room upstairs, and I’m sure Blair would be happy to show you her guitars.”
“Yeah, sure.” Blair nodded. “There’s also a drum kit if that’s more your thing.”
Zac peered around his mother to look at his older sister, and his raised eyebrows made it look like he was asking her a silent question. But when Chloe continued to pick at her black nails, Zac looked back at his shoes.
It made me think that Zac was somewhat interested in what we had to offer, but he was also a guarded little boy. It felt like I’d won him over ever so slightly, and he just had to get Chloe’s approval before he could fully enjoy everything the cabin had to offer.
Baby steps.
The kids weren’t mentally connected to anyone yet, because they were too young and they would have needed to have taken part in a fight. They probably hadn’t even shifted for the first time yet. But if they were connected to each other, then I could just imagine the sort of conversation they’d share. Chloe would probably say something along the lines of how her mother’s new alpha was trying a bit too hard.
But I’d rather look like I was trying too hard than not trying at all.
We all settled in the living area once Arielle had handed out the treats she baked, and we continued to try and get the kids to talk to us. Benji mentioned a new video game he’d played last night with Kiri, and according to Laura, Zac had heard of that game.
“We can go upstairs and play it, if you want?” Benji suggested.
“Maybe.” Zac nodded as he bit into a cookie.
“I love your t-shirt, Chloe.” Hailey smiled. “What’s your favorite Thirty Seconds to Mars song?”
Chloe didn’t reply, but Laura told us it was a song called Attack.
“Oooh, I love that song,” Hailey said. “R-Evolve is also one of my favorites. The older songs are the best, in my opinion, but that’s just what I think.”
“I don’t think I know this band,” Arielle joined in. “You’ll have to introduce me to them.”
“I think you’ll like them,” Nikita replied. “They’re pretty easy to listen to, right, Chloe?”
Once again, the teenager didn’t respond. But at least Zac was offering a few replies here and there, so that still felt like a little win.
We remained in the living area for the next hour, and even though we mainly spoke to Laura, we still included the kids where we could.
