The alpha 2, p.3
The Alpha 2, page 3
I’d been in my wolf form when I’d killed him, but could they still find my DNA at the scene? After all, I’d opened the back door of the house. I was sure they’d found my fingerprints somewhere. Forensic science wasn’t a joke anymore. How many cases could they solve with just a piece of hair in the right vicinity?
I didn’t even feel the phone slip out of my hands, but the sound as it clattered against the floor jarred me out of my trance.
“Dude, you good?” Parker called from the floor.
“S-Sorry,” I mumbled.
Benji scooped up the phone at once. “So they said this Max guy got attacked by animals?”
“What?” Parker sounded lost. “Oh, shit, my bad! No, Max is missing, aaaand there was an animal attack. You thought he got attacked? That’s wild.”
“Thank fuck,” I whispered as I collapsed back against the sofa with a huff and pinched the bridge of my nose.
Nikita put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Parker, you have got to figure out some sentence division, you idiot,” Benji teased.
“My bad,” the man said again. “No, the Max thing is kind of speculation. Apparently, he left some party in a huff, and Veronica from my chem lab said that Jordan said Bradley hadn’t been able to get him to answer his texts. But he’s one of the rich kids, so maybe he bounced off to Honolulu or some shit for a coke-filled weekend vacation before midterms.”
“So, what’s an animal attack got to do with this?” I interjected from the sofa.
“Well, they found this hiker out in the woods this morning, by the state park entrance,” Parker explained. “He’d been mauled by something big. They think there might be bears or something. I don’t think you’re the hiking type, Jesse, but I’m just kind of calling around.”
“Gotcha.” I looked at Nikita and shook my head.
My girlfriend stifled a giggle and bit her lip.
“Speaking of midterms, though, that’s why I called,” Parker segued. The man really had no sense of how to order a conversation. Sometimes talking with him felt like watching someone juggle several balls at once while simultaneously playing a game of chess. “You two are still on for tonight, yeah? I just wanted to check, since you’ve been ghosting and all that.”
“For what?” Benji asked.
“The semester cram session, of course!” Parker said. “We talked about this. Travis is letting us crash in his dorm for a few hours, and I think Jake is grabbing snacks.”
Benji and I shared an “oh, shit” expression. I’d completely forgotten, and it looked like it was the farthest thing from Benji’s mind, too.
Every semester for midterms, we all picked a Saturday night to get together and study. Usually, these sessions devolved into video games and social time after the first few hours, but it was always good fun, and I left feeling a little less stressed about my upcoming exams. We’d settled on this day quite a while ago, and it had still managed to slip my mind.
“That is tonight, huh?” Benji said.
“You forgot, didn’t you?” Parker groaned.
“The, uh, music department has been… crazy, this week,” I lied, and I threw my hands in the air as I looked at Benji.
“Well, you’re still coming, right?” our friend pressed. “It’s a tradition. You can’t skip traditions.”
“Well…” I started.
“Hey, uh, Parker?” Benji interrupted. “Jesse’s aunt is calling us. Can we give you a ring in a second?”
“Oh, sure,” Parker replied. “Take your time.”
“Alright, peace, man.” Benji hung up.
“Nice save,” Nikita noted.
“I didn’t realize I was a viable excuse option,” Aunt Eva chuckled.
“We love you, Eva,” Benji said with a smile as he put my phone back into my hands.
“We can’t go,” I said. “We’ve got to get this stuff figured out with the werecoyotes, right?”
“I mean, it’s tradition, though,” Benji countered. “I don’t think we can just bail.”
“I haven’t seen them since before the change, though,” I said. “What could I possibly do to explain that?”
“I think you should go,” Aunt Eva announced. “While shifters do tend to stay among themselves, a few human friends never hurt. It will help you blend in with society in the long-run.”
“And you don’t want them to be suspicious,” Nikita added. “Plus, we can’t do anything about the werecoyotes until the others return.”
“You’re right.” I ran my hands through my hair.
“Hey, man, I’ll be right there with you,” Benji assured me.
“I can come, too, if you want,” Nikita said.
“You know…” I scratched my head. “That could work out. I don’t want to use you, but a new girlfriend would be a strong enough excuse to explain away my absence.”
“Just a girlfriend?” my omega teased with a smirk.
“They don’t need to know anything more,” I laughed.
“This is good,” Aunt Eva said. “It’s the weekend, like you mentioned. The betas will finish cleaning up the new house, and I can go seek out a shifter lawyer to get the paperwork sorted out.”
“Okay, this could work.” I turned to Nikita. “You sure you don’t mind coming along? They’re all pretty chill, but I don’t want to put you out or anything.”
“Honestly?” She smiled. “It sounds fun. I want to be a part of your life more, and I think meeting your friends is a great way to do that. And I should probably do some studying, too. The last few days have thrown a bit of a wrench into my schedule.”
“Sorry about that,” I said.
“It was for a good cause.” She put a hand on my thigh and squeezed, and I felt my nerve endings heat up at the touch.
“If you are all going to get ready for tonight, I’ll go search out someone to help with the paperwork,” Aunt Eva announced as she stood from her chair.
We all followed her lead and stood as well. Benji stretched a little as he did, and Nikita rocked on the balls of her feet.
“You know, this does have me thinking,” I said. “That animal attack. You think it’s really just a bear? Could it be Aiden? Or maybe even these werecoyotes?”
“Hard to say,” Benji confessed. “You can tell a shifter attack from most others if you have an idea of what you’re looking for.”
“It’s true,” my aunt agreed. “But, given the events of the week so far… Perhaps you should make sure to stay vigilant.”
“Well, if it’s something like shifters, maybe we shouldn’t be dragging our feet,” I reasoned. “I don’t want the pack to get caught off-guard if this is some kind of a warning sign.”
“What do you have in mind?” Nikita asked, and she curled her lips down in curiosity.
“Well, the beta werecats said it wouldn’t take long to clean the house,” I said. “I say we go over there, get everything sorted out, and start to collect more information on these werecoyotes.”
“Ohh, like recon?” Benji asked. “That could be useful.”
“Exactly.” I nodded eagerly. “We send some out to scope the area, get the others training. Nikita, you in?”
“Yeah, for sure.” She grinned and matched my energy. “Let’s get the ball rolling.”
Benji and Nikita looked at me and offered assuring nods, and a hint of confidence bloomed in my chest.
Then I turned my attention back to Aunt Eva as she sized us up with a worried frown.
“It’s an excellent idea,” Aunt Eva finally said. “But again, it will be imperative to stay aware of your surroundings.”
“I promise we will,” I swore.
“If you don’t end up coming back to the house before your study session, will you promise to call me at least?” the woman pressed.
“Yes, Aunt Eva. I promise.”
“Okay.” Her worried expression melted just enough to let a small smile shine through. “I’ll be around if you need me.”
“I guess we ought to grab our books,” Nikita said to me. “Just in case we can’t come back here before we head to the study sesh with your friends.”
“I’ll grab mine, too,” Benji said. “Meet you all at the McMansion?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied. “We’ll catch you over there.”
We went our separate ways. Aunt Eva went to her room, Benji ducked out the front door and sauntered to his car, and Nikita and I walked up the stairs back to my room to pack our backpacks.
I was lucky that I’d taken care of pretty much all of my general education credits already. The hardest thing I needed to worry about was my jury recital for Professor Collins and the other professors on the board, but I’d been practicing like crazy from the start of the semester on my piece, and I could practically play it backward in my sleep by now.
As I finished tossing in my textbooks, I felt a pair of soft, warm hands curl up over my shoulders and slide down my pectorals, and my breath hitched as Nikita stooped over me.
“Have I told you today how much I love you, Alpha?” she cooed in my ear with honeyed breaths.
“It’s always worth hearing.” I felt the blood run out of my face and gather in my lower regions. “If only we had a little more time.”
“Mmm.” She kissed my neck and gave my upper chest a little squeeze, and I closed my eyes as my heart thundered in my chest.
My omega mate let me go far too soon, and I bit my lip to stifle the involuntary groan that rose up in my throat. I turned to face her, and Nikita grinned as she put a hand on her hip and popped it off to the side like she was posing for a yearbook photographer.
“If you keep looking so irresistible, I’m going to have to throw you on my mattress.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “And then I’m afraid I can’t be held accountable for what happens next.”
“Oh, yeah?” she challenged playfully.
“I love it when you play brat,” I teased as I stood.
Nikita giggled, and in a moment we were inches apart. Then she glanced down hungrily at my lips before she looked back at me.
“No time at all?” Nikita asked me in a soft whisper. “Not even a little?”
“Well…” I chuckled. “No. We have to go. It’s a shame about what happened to your car, though.”
“My car?” Nikita frowned.
“Yeah, your car.” I gripped her hips and lifted her up like she weighed nothing at all. “Your battery died, remember? Aunt Eva helped us jumpstart it, but it took at least thirty minutes to get it going?”
“But my car…” Nikita’s eyes sparkled as she realized what I was saying. “Ohh, right. It’s a real shame. But Benji will understand.”
“Yep.” I tossed her on my bed, and she let out a gleeful squeal as she bounced.
We used our thirty minutes to the fullest, but I still wanted more.
After our orgasms, I panted breathlessly over her half-naked body as we waited for the knotting to conclude. Nikita looked up at me with a satisfied smile, and we cuddled for several minutes before we could finally get up and get on the road.
Ten minutes later, we reached Max’s house, and as we stepped out of the vehicle, I stared up at the McMansion with a strange, new appreciation.
I could see the pool and bar setup in the backyard I remembered from last night, but in the gray light of day, I could get a better view of the house itself. The exterior was made of brick, and between the mostly red and black stones, a few white bricks had been laid as accents. The house rose up an impressive three stories, with a little turret structure built into the right that I hadn’t even noticed the night before. Two pairs of fake Greek columns supported the front porch, and windows speckled the brick in uniform rows.
Benji waved at us from the porch, and we walked over to greet him.
“I saw your text,” he said when we got close. “I was wondering what was taking so long. Is your car okay?”
“Y-Yeah.” Nikita glanced over at me and smiled. “A little jumpstart to the battery got it going.”
“Ran like a dream, really,” I insisted.
“Well, I’m glad it’s taken care of,” Benji chuckled. “The betas are inside. C’mon.”
We stepped into the massive front foyer, and I immediately gagged on the smell of bleach. I didn’t used to have such a visceral reaction, but ever since becoming a shifter, my sense of smell had shot through the roof. Aunt Eva assured me I would get used to it, but for the time being, everything smelled stronger than normal.
“You good?” Benji asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Fine.” I pinched my nose. “Did they just pour a whole bottle of bleach on the floor or something?”
“Believe it or not, they followed the bottle recommendations.” My captain shrugged. “Probably wouldn’t hurt to open a window.”
“Hey, Jesse!” I heard Thomas call from above me.
The three of us on the ground floor looked up to see the glasses-wearing werecat on the second floor, and he leaned just a little against the railing as he shouted down. I noticed that in addition to changing out of the clothes I’d seen him in last, he now wore a plastic apron and gloves as well.
“We’re finishing up now,” he explained. “We’re going to send a group down to take the remains out of the house.”
“Finish up the work and come down here instead,” I replied. “Gather all the werecats. We’re going to the woods together.”
“Gotcha!” The beta disappeared once more.
“And open some windows!” I shouted after him.
“Gotcha!” Thomas said again, although it was a lot quieter this time around.
“Thank you!” I turned to my companions and nodded toward the door. “I don’t know about you two, but I think I’m gonna wait outside. The heightened sense of smell is amplifying this bleach, and it’s gonna give me a headache.”
“No shame in that,” Benji said, and we went back out onto the porch. We found a swinging porch bench to the right and plopped down, and we chatted idly for a few minutes before Thomas poked his head out the front door.
“They’re ready for you,” he told me.
We went back inside.
This time, the smell seemed a little less potent, and I noticed the open windows around me. The werecats were gathered in the foyer and dressed in ratty apparel I assumed they reserved specifically for cleaning since I noticed some bleach stains on the shirts.
“We’ve had a slight change in plans,” I announced to the collective. “We’re still going after the werecoyotes, but we’ve heard mention of animal attacks making the news.”
“I heard about that!” Annika interjected, and then she let out a small gasp. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt, Alpha.”
“No, you’re good,” I chuckled. “Anyways, I think it would be better if we went ahead and moved forward with the training now. Thomas, you said the house is cleaned up?”
“Taking care of Max and the others is the last thing we have to worry about,” the werecat assured me.
“Then let’s take them to the woods and go from there,” I replied. “I would like to break off into two groups: One will focus on the… bodies and then work on sparring techniques or whatever you need to practice. You know your skills. The other group I would like to scout out Monroe territory and see if there’s anything we can learn about our next opponents. But be careful. We’re still not entirely sure the animal attack was just that, and I don’t want Aiden or any other shifters catching you off-guard, so be vigilant. Nikita, Benji, and I will be conducting training of our own, and we’ll plan for a break this afternoon. Sounds good?”
“Yes, Alpha!” the gathered pack replied with firm resolve.
“Then let’s go.” I gave a firm nod.
I divided up the werecats into two groups. The first group went back upstairs to grab the prepared bodies, and Benji, Nikita, and I went ahead with the other group back outside.
The forest rose up at the edge of the house’s property, and the stark trees stood in contrast against the deep green pines and Douglas firs. This early in March, the deciduous trees were just barely starting to bud in preparation of the coming spring.
I considered myself lucky that the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest had yet to lose its charm for me, even after spending pretty much my whole life here.
The team in charge of the disposal joined us. They carried several large, long forms wrapped up in duct tape and black plastic trash bags, but none of them seemed to struggle under the weight.
One of those body bags contained Max. My stomach fluttered, and I balled my fists to steady myself.
“It will get easier,” Benji assured me, and he put a hand on my shoulder with a solemn expression. “One day, you won’t feel anything at all about this.”
“Kinda dark, my man,” I replied in a low voice.
“It’s our nature, Jesse,” Benji said. “This isn’t murder. Not in the way it is in the human world. This is war. And when you unite the shifters, we won’t have to fight anymore. But until then, you have to get rid of the people who will keep you from that great success.”
I hardened my jaw and ripped my eyes off the black bags.
“Let’s move,” I told the pack.
I led my small group into the tree line, and once we reached about fifty feet in, the beta werecats all stopped and began to strip.
“Woah, hold on,” I cried out when the first female ripped off her shirt and bra. “What are you all doing?”
The werecats all froze in various states of undress, and I turned to my right and saw Nikita and Benji were halfway through stripping as well.
“We’re… changing, Jesse,” Christopher said slowly. “To get ready for training?”
I stared at him for a long beat before the realization clicked into place. “Ohhh, so that’s how you all keep your clothes.”
“Yeah,” Eliza explained with a warm grin. “We’ll ruin our outfits when we shift if we don’t take them off. It can’t always be helped, in the heat of the moment, but any other time we’ve trained we just… take everything off.”
“Smart.” I glanced at Benji and Nikita, who nodded as though to confirm what the beta werecat said. “Well, then. Carry on.”
