Chapter 24: I’m the Alpha

Traeger:

Dr. Monroe sneers at our attempts to retain control. “Very well, Traeger, if this is how it is. You leave us no choice.” He takes his cell phone out and presses a few buttons. Suddenly, all of the men begin shifting angrily. Their eyes begin to glow, and their claws grow. We back away slowly as the men in my pack take several threatening steps forward. I keep Jelena behind me until something pulls her away from me. I look back, ready to kill whoever is touching her. Dorian is holding her against him, his chest heaving. They’ve enabled the receptors. Dr. Monroe and Dr. Spencer gaze into my eyes expectantly. Almost as if they're waiting for something to happen. That’s when I realize that they expect me to fall in line. They don’t know that I had the receptors removed. I look towards my pack members.

“STAND DOWN!” I shout angrily. The doctors’ speculation turns to surprise. Dr. Spencer gazes over to Dr. Monroe. “He’s not falling in line. Why aren’t the receptors working?” I use their confusion to my advantage. I pull Jelena away from Dorian and run.

Jelena clings to me as growls erupt behind us. She stumbles a few times before I lift her in my arms and use my supernatural speed to the exit. A few shots ring out. I duck and twist. We are almost at the door when I’m slammed from behind. Jelena falls from my arms, sliding down the floor. I try to get up, but several bodies fall on me. I claw and bite at whoever is holding me down. I reach for Jelena, who is struggling to crawl towards me. Suddenly a form moves behind her and pulls her head back by the hair. Jelena cries out in pain, reaching her arms up to loosen the grip on her hair. I can feel the change running through me. My claws elongate to a sharp point, and my body begins to expand. My eyes are glowing, centered on my mate. My anger erupts through me, slamming all the bodies trying to capture me against the wall. I reach for Jelena’s captor, stabbing down his shoulder with my claws and lifting him up against the wall. I release my claws and slam his head several times until he falls unconscious. Jelena stands up, clinging to me.

A shot rings out, knocking into my shoulder and leg. Falling on one knee, I can see Jelena trying to pull me up with her. Finding strength, I follow her, ripping through the locked metal doors. The scientists thought that they could keep us in when they built the doors. However, we never let them know the full extent of our strength. I pull Jelena by in my arms and run out into the forest. I can feel my pack behind me trying to catch up, but I am faster than them. That’s why I’m the alpha.

After a few miles, we stop. Jelena clings to me, frightened. I pull her hair from her face making sure that she’s okay. There are dried tears in her eyes and a few bruises. Otherwise, she seems fine. I move back, looking around towards where we are. “We need to get out of here. It won’t take the pack long to catch up to us.” She nods her head worriedly. “What are we going to do, Traeger?” I look around again when a thought strikes me. “We need to call the Council. But first, I need to get you somewhere safe.” She shakes her head in denial. “NO! I’m going with you.” I run my hands through my hair. “Fine, you can come with me. But as soon as I get a Council member here. I will need you to go with them for protection. I need to get my pack out of there before the scientists hurt them. I can’t do that when I’m worried about you.” She gives me a sad look and nods her head.

We move stealthily through the woods. I rub some mud and dirt on us to disguise our scent, but I know it won’t work for long. Thankfully, my receptors were removed, so I can go anywhere without worry about dying. Jelena and I make it to a roadside bar. There are a few motorcycles stationed outside. We look around, worried that an Institute member might be creeping around. There are no phones. I look around the bikes to see if there is anything we can use. But there is nothing. We have to find a phone. Suddenly, a large man comes out of the bar and a few of his other friends. They’re all wearing biker jackets with skull emblems. I walk up to the man. “Excuse me, sir.” He looks at me speculatively. I’m wearing no shoes and torn cargo pants. I have to grit my teeth when his eyes gaze appreciatively over Jelena. Her dress is torn and soiled. He turns back to me. “You two in an accident?” Jelena and I look at each other and nod our heads. She moves forward and speaks. “Yes, sir. We were out for a nature walk and were almost and got lost. Can you lend us your cell phone, please?” The man takes a moment to look at mine and Jelena’s ragged appearance. Then he reaches into his pocket and withdraws his phone. He extends the phone to us, “One phone call, you hear?” We nod our heads again.

I reach for the phone and dial Mathias. Thankfully, I memorized Mathias’s number after he gave me the phone the other day. He answers on one ring. “This is Mathias.” I take a breath and talk. “Mathias, this is Traeger. My girlfriend and I had a little problem in the woods. Can you come and get us?” I’m hoping he can hear the underlying message. After a moment, he answers. “We have your location. We’ll be there in ten minutes.” I hang up the phone and hand it back to the man. “Thank you, sir. Someone is coming to get us now.” He nods his head and says, “Glad to help.” Then he moves towards his friends and leaves. I pull Jelena to a quieter area. “Mathias says he’ll be here in a few minutes.” She nods her head, wrapping her arms around my waist.

That’s how Mathias and his men find us. Another black SUV pulls up next to the bar. Mathias and two men step out. I move forward, keeping Jelena protectively behind me. Mathias raises an eyebrow at my appearance but does not comment on it. “What happened, Traeger?” I take a deep breath and explain everything that has happened since we last saw each other. I told him about Jelena’s kidnapping, Arsenal and Grey installing the data, and how the Institute is hunting us. The other me give me a grim look. Mathias points to his truck. “Let’s go somewhere where we can talk privately.” We all pack into the truck. Half an hour later, we’re sitting in a rented cabin. Jelena is in the washroom, changing into a fresh set of clothes we bought on the way to the cabin. I had taken a shower in the other bathroom earlier. Thankfully, the guards shot me with regular bullets. So I was able to remove them and healed within seconds.

We’re all currently sitting around the cabin, planning a way to dismantle the Institute. Mathias paces around the room pensively. He’s holding his hand over the crown of his nose. His head snaps back, “Well…it looks like the Institute is only out to get you two for your forbidden relationship. You said that they didn’t know about the Council involvement.” I nod my head. He continues. “Okay, so it looks like we’re going to have to move up our plans. We’re going to have to go in today.” I stand up from my chair in surprise. “We can’t, Mathias. My pack is still under the receptor’s control. I refuse to kill my pack.” Suddenly, Mathias’s phone goes off. He holds an index finger up and excuses himself from the room. A few minutes later, he appears back in the room. “That was Gadriel. He says he could get into the Institute's system using the scanner code that your men installed. He and Isaiah are using the scanner to disable all of their receptors. Now. Let’s talk about what we are going to do once we get in there.”

We’re deep into our plans when Jelena walks into the room. She looks great in black jeans and a tank top. Her hair is up in a bun, and her feet are bare. I stand up and pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist and tucks her head in my chest. After a moment, we pull apart. I pull her towards the men who are still arguing over something. Mathias gazes at us and says. “The rest of our team should be here any minute. However, we have another problem.” He moves closer, holding out his cell phone. Jelena and I look forward to seeing what he’s showing us.” Jelena lets out a gasp and covers her mouth in shock. The video shows a missing person report. Jelena looks at us. “It’s my parents. The doctors at the Institute kidnapped me from the house two days ago. They must be worried out of their minds. I need to go home.”

I look at Mathias, who shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Jelena. We can’t let you go now. The Institute probably has them under surveillance. Taking you back will only place them in danger. It’s better if you stay here and let us deal with the Institute. Once we take the Institute, you can go back to your family. It should only take a day or two.” Jelena looks miserable at the thought. But she concedes. Mathias’s phone rings again. He answers it and walks to the front door. He opens the door, and several men walk in. It’s the demon Azazel, Mikhail, Gadriel, and Isaiah. Several other people follow behind them. Azazel and Mikhail nod their heads in greeting, I nod back. Azazel turns to Mathias and says, “We have a problem, mate.” Mathias raises an eyebrow in question. However, before he can say another word, two women walk into the room. One has long brown hair and the other blond.

Mathias gives them a horrified look. “Neveah, Cassia, what the hell are you doing here?” Both women smile. The blond steps forward and wraps her hand around his forearm. “Don’t be mad. We were just worried about our men. I mean, you and Mikhail disappear a few days ago and are acting all secretive. What did you expect us to do?” Mathias takes in a patient breath. “Damn it, Cassia, this is Council business!” Mathias says heatedly. But the woman, Cassia, just pouts. The other woman moves forward. “Come on, Mathias. We won’t get in the way.” Mikhail pulls the woman into his arms. “Princess, this is not a good time. How about I introduce you to some new people.” He ushers the girl over to Jelena and me. Azazel follows behind them. “Traeger.” He says with a nod. Mikhail and the girl look at Jelena in curiosity. I nod my head and make the introduction. “Mikhail, Azazel, this is my mate Jelena.” Jelena gives them a shy smile. The girl moves forward. “Hi, Jelena. I’m Nevaeh, and that hot blond that walked in with me is Cassia.” She looks back to the hot blond in question. She and Mathias stepped to the side. They seem to be arguing. Then suddenly she’s in his arms, and they’re kissing. I look back at the group with my eyebrows arched. Neveah laughs, waving her hand in their direction. “Don’t mind them. Cassia is Mathias’s mate. Mikhail, here is my mate. So you’re a werewolf, huh?” She says curiously. I look at Mikhail, who seems amused by his mate’s chatter. Azazel, on the other hand, chuckles. “Bloody hell Nevaeh. Quit acting star struck every time you meet a supernatural.” Nevaeh slaps him in the stomach. “Come on, guys. I didn’t grow up around this stuff. It’s fun to meet all these creatures that to humans are just urban legends.” Jelena moves closer to Nevaeh. “I know what you mean. When Traeger told me that he was a Lycan, I thought he was playing with me. Imagine my shock when he breaks with glowing eyes, sharp K-9 teeth, and claws.” Nevaeh’s smile widens. “Oh yeah. When Mikhail showed me his wings, I just about fainted.” Both girls laugh in camaraderie.