Behind The Alpha Book 2 WES

(Chapter song ‘Sweet Dreams' Eurythmics, ‘Shapeshifter' by Celldweller)

THEA

“Now, this is what I'm talking about.” Luke grins as he turns the large ice blaster gun in his hands. He aims it and cackles menacingly.

Jake hands out the weapons he brought from Phoenix. “These are our best weapons against the threats we have. The ice blaster will freeze him in solid ice. He’ll be dead within minutes so use it as a last resort.”

He walks around the council room table and picks up a large grey Canon type gun. “The electric net launcher. Range of about 20 feet. It deploys a retractable net and delivers a punch of around 2000 volts. Which is pretty effective in subduing a shifter. RyCal on the other hand, thinks 2000 is a scratch he needs to itch.” He smirks.

“In the same vein, we have electric ground nets, should he run and areal stunners should he fly. We also brought our low frequency sonar weapons. These will pulse a sound that disrupts the molecular structure of your target. This temporarily confuses and blocks him from using powers.” He holds up the hand gun looking weapon.

“And these will bring him down.” River asks.

Jake nods. “Yes. Any more than that, pray, I guess.”

River nods. “Each pack will be equipped with pure iron handcuffs and blades. There’s going to be some chaos so keep eyes on your partners for obvious reasons.”

I step to the table beside Wes. “You will have our help as well. My sisters have agreed to fight. As well, after a lengthy discussion, we’ve decided to be the ones to draw him out.”

“Wait, what?” Wes turns to me and crosses his arms.

I turn to him. “It’s the only way to find him.”

“No…No way…Are you kidding? Have you forgotten the giant blade that can rip out your soul?! Forget it Thea.” He leans to me.

“This is not a question, Wes. We have to do this, this way. I’ll have all my sisters by my side and Jesse. He needs to feel we are challenging him and make him think he has the upper hand.”

“He does have the upper hand, Thea! Absolutely not!” He growls.

I place my hands on his arms. “I understand you’re worried, but you are not far away. You can help if things go wrong. We can’t find Artemis any other way.”

“She’s got a point.” Grey says.

Wes rolls his head to him. “Oh, come on. As if you’d let Mia do it.”

Grey nods. “You’re right. I wouldn’t. She’s a flyer not a fighter. Thea can fight. She can do this.”

“Thank you, Grey.” I smile.

Wes points in my face. “I don’t like this.”

“I know you don’t and I love you for it. Now, get ready to go.” I kiss his nose and turn.

He stands straight. “Wait…did I win?” He looks at me confused.

I smirk at him from over my shoulder and walk away to my sisters in the Luna room.

The Alphas all chuckle.

I stand with my sisters and Jesse. “This is it. We end this.”

“Is keeping him alive wise, Thea?” Magda asks.

“I don’t care what these men say. The moment I get my claws around his filthy throat, I’m ripping it out.” Iris growls darkly. She holds a sharp, angry hand out in front of me and pretends to rip my own throat out. Her pale skin, white hair and white furs don’t even compare to her dark demeanor.

I hold up a hand to her. “We need to keep him alive to find out where Lefu is. You’ll get your chance, sister.”

She snarls her lip, flips her fur stole over her shoulder and walks away. Clearly unhappy with the plan, but she understands that Lefu is the bigger threat.

“Maybe this is good thing.” Aurora smiles as she watches her sister walk away. “Father can sit and think about what he’s done and maybe he can change.” She looks around at her sisters with smiling eyes.

Magda looks her over. “You’re healthy outlook on life disgusts me.” She growls and walk off to join Iris.

Auroras face falls. “Oh.” She whimpers.

“She didn’t mean it, Aurora. You know how Magda is.” I say to her.

“Mean what?” Aurora smiles. I press my lips together because the expression on her face tells me she’s already forgotten what Magda said.

I arch a brow and was about to respond when Jesse jumped in. “Hey, beautiful? I think there’s wind chimes in that window that reflect the sun and makes it all shiny. Why don’t you check it out.” Jesse points a window out to her.

Aurora clasps her hands under her chin. “I love wind chimes and sunshine.” She giggles.

Jesse nods. “I know you do. Go on now.” He pushes her toward one of the windows. He turns back and points to us all. “She stays here.” He points to the floor.

“Agreed.” Dieti, Faye and I all say in unison.

****

We enter the clearing where my tree lay burned to black ash. I stare at the pile of destruction with a pain in my heart.

Wes joins my side. “I have to ask. What happened?”

“He sacrificed himself for me. He knew of the sapling and knew if he didn’t die, Artemis would have killed me. By giving a tiny orb of power, he tricked Artemis into thinking he won. The tiny portion of my power he holds, is nothing compared to what’s in my tree now.” I can’t take my eyes off the fire pit.

“Ok, so how did that power get in our tree?” Wes asks.

“The roots.” I answer.

“Roots?”

I nod. “Under this soil is a network of highways in the root system where trees and plants exchange food, water and information.”

“Information? Like the songs?” He folds his arms and glances at me.

“Precisely. The tree sent the power through the network of roots to the tree in our backyard because it may be a different tree, but it was him. It was his acorn I gave you. The first one to fall off of the season. It was very special.” I turn to him. “It’s why I gave it to you.”

“Ok. Let me get this straight. Old tree faked out dad. Died, but before it did, it shot your power through the ground all the way to the tree in our backyard, then what? The blue moon flipped a switch?” Wes scratches his temple and then places his hands on his hips.

I nod with a giggle. “Yes. The moons blue light charged the energy lost making the travel to home. It woke up the power and called to me.” I get close and wrap my arms around his waist. “Then we shared the most beautiful recharge of my life.” I grin.

He holds my chin in his fingertips. “Yes, we did.” He smiles then kisses my softly.

“Alright. We don’t be needing a peep show. Save it for the bedroom.” Jesse smirks as he waves us apart.

Wes looks to him. “Listen cowboy. If you don’t want a shoot out at the Ok corral, I suggest you stop with the protective brother crap.” He points to Jesse.

Jesse chuckles, lowers his head and shakes it. For the second time, in a flash, he shoves a gun barrel under Wes' chin. “You’d lose.” He smirks and ticks his head. Wes bites his smile. Jesse winks at him and holsters his gun. “Now. Let keep our head in the game.” He tips his hat and walks back to my sisters.

I look up at Wes. “He likes you.”

“I…I can totally…yep…there’s love there…” He nods.

I laugh and he hugs me, kissing the top of my head.

We set up my sisters and Jesse in the clearing while the Alphas lay in wait.

We waited there until after dark. Jesse made a fire and I sat on the ground and just watched it. Thinking of my tree. Jesse sat down beside me. “What ya thinking, Sweet Pea?”

I turn to him. “Why do you call me that?”

“What? Sweet Pea?” He asks.

“Yes. Why?” I study his face as he looks to the stars.

“Don’t know.” He looks down and picks a blade of grass. “You are a nature nymph. Seems fitting.” He rolls his head to me and tips his hat up. “You also remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. She was just as sweet as you are. I guess, it suits you.”

I smile. “I’m glad you came back.” I whisper.

“I am too.” He bumps my shoulder. “I would have missed you get hitched up. Look at that.” He points to my mark.

I blush and look down at the fire. “He’s pretty special.” I tuck my hair behind my ear.

Jesse leans to me. “The first of our kind to get hitched. We need to celebrate after this.”

I glance at him. “I’d like that.”

“I knew it would be you. I felt it in my guts. Wes. He’s a good man. He’ll do right by you. Men like him don’t come around often. Makes men like me look unworthy.” He lifts his chin to me and smiles.

“You are more worthy than you think, Jesse. You just have to open your heart.”

He throws the grass in the fire. “Maybe at one time and even then, I wasn’t worthy of any of it. I’m broken too much. Men like me only have one end. An iron bullet to the chest. Lights out. There’s not one thing on this damn planet I’ve earned rightfully. That includes the love of a good woman.” He sighs and kicks back. He looks into my eyes and smiles. “And that’s fine by me, Sweet Pea. I squared with my demons long ago. Artemis wanted a bastard for a son and he got one. It’ll be that monster that puts him down and my redemption will be done. Then I’ll walk off to that golden red horizon, find my maker and let him take me.”

“That’s so sad.” My face softens as I look him over.

“It is what it is. Not everyone can have the happy ending they deserve. Some of us just take moments in time and hang onto ‘em like a lifeline until we can’t hang on no more.” He gives a little smile and sits up. “But enough about my boring life. You got your power back.”

I nod. “Most of it. Artemis still has a portion.”

“We'll get it back. Don’t you worry your pretty little head…”

A deep growl came from the treeline that seemed to circle all around us.

My sisters rise from their seats and look around as the growls get darker.

“Get behind me!” Jesse orders my sisters. He pulls out his gun and holds an arm in front of us.

“Jesse!” Wes pushes through the group of women. He stops at Jesse’s shoulder. “Lycans.”

“Lycans?” He looks to Wes.

Just then yellow eyes glowed from the trees.

“Oh shit. SHIFT!” Jesse calls out.

The treeline explodes with full lycans on two legs.

Iris turns to a polar bear, Magda shifts to a raging rhino. Faye and myself take to the air as birds of prey and Jesse calls his tiger.

The Alphas shift to their wolves as 20 lycans enter the clearing with a huge wolf running among them.

Artemis.

I circle the air with my sister and we screech loud as we dive to Artemis. Jesse’s tiger jumps a lycan and grabs his throat. He sinks his claws in and tears the lycans throat out. The clearing roars with growls and snarls and pain. The trees to one side shake as wolves drive lycans into them. The dust and dirt cloud rises as the creatures all fight.

Iris slams her body into one and grabs his head in her massive polar bear jaws. The lycan grows and she has to let go. She grabs his arm and throws him, ripping his arm off at the shoulder. The Alphas finish him off.

Artemis shifts to an elephant and tries to stomp the Alphas. Faye and I tear at his back while Dieti shifts to a gull and tries to rip out his eyes. Artemis is spinning his trunk wildly. He hits Faye and she flies into the air. She rights herself, comes back around and dives through the air like an arrow.

He grabs Dieti and slams her to the ground. He lifts his foot, about to stomp on her…

“No!” I hear Wes scream. He runs and raises his hand. Artemis is thrown back like he was hit by a giant boulder. I fly up and Wes stops. He looks at his hand. I come in for a landing and shift.

“Did you?” He points to me.

I shake my head with wide eyes.

He points to his chest. “Me?”

I nod slowly.

A smirk grows on his lip. “No way.”

He looks around and sees Grey, William and Bastian fighting three lycans.

He puts a hop in his step and runs to them. He raises his hand, but nothing happens. It won’t work. He's jumped by a lycan and they roll across the grass.

“WES!” I shift to my wolf and jump on the lycan who backhands me and I fly into the clearing. He’s snarling and biting at Wes as I struggle to get to my feet.

“GET OFF ME, FUCKER!!” Wes yells and the lycan is blasted off him. He bowls four lycans over across the clearing.

I shift and run to him. “Wes!” I fall to his side.

“Holy shit! Did you see that?” He has a shocked look on his face.

“Anger. You need anger.” I say to him.

“I got plenty of that.” He growls as he rises to his feet.

I’m almost hit by a lycan after it was impaled by Magda’s rhino. She’s charging and goring anyone who sticks on her horns.

“MAGDA! ARTEMIS!” I point to him and she changes her focus. She rams his side and he stumbles. He turns and the two but heads, pushing back and forth.

I shift to my eagle and take to the air, joining Faye to continue our assault.

Wes is throwing lycans all over to the Alphas.

Just then he’s launched into the air.

I circle around to see a giant man of at least 7 feet, just appear in the center of the clearing in the ash.

He roars loud making the fight pause before grabbing two Alphas and smashes them together.

Bastian shifts. “IT’S LEFU! WEAPONS NOW!”

The Alphas shift and pull out the ice blasters out of their packs. They fire on Lefu who jumps out of the way. Four lycans are frozen solid. He lands in the center of them and starts to flash between visibility and invisibility. Being seen only long enough to punch or throw someone as they all panic.

Wes moves in and I’m right behind him. Wes raises his hand to throw his power, but Lefu appears, grabs his arm and grabs his neck. He gives Wes an evil look and throws him into the lycans.

I shift to a lioness and run to him. He’s fighting the lycans off as I get there. I grab a lycan by the neck and tear out his jugular.

“GET ARTEMIS!” Someone calls out.

Half the Alphas break off and switch to the electric nets. They surround Artemis who’s covered in gaping, bleeding holes.

They fire the electric nets and deliver the currents.

My sisters kill lycan after lycan until all that’s left is Lefu and Artemis.

The elephant rears and lets out an angry trumpet. His trunk pulls one off, but another hits him right after. He thrashes and fights as the nets retract and fire again. His elephant stumbles back and forth. Faye and I circle above him, ready to strike if he escapes.

The large animal falls to its knees. It lets out another trumpet and shifts down to Artemis.

“IRONS NOW!” They all rush him. He can barely move as they hold him down and fit iron cuffs on him.

Luke pulls his hair and lifts his head. He slaps an iron collar around his neck. “Not so tough without your elephant, are ya?!” He growls at the side of Artemis' head. My father glares at Luke and his eyes meet mine. Faye and I land. We just stare at our father defeated on the ground.

We’re interrupted by sound of the other half of the Alphas fighting Lefu.

“Go. We have him.” Dieti says.

Luke, Mica, Jayson, Gideon and myself rush to their aide.

The guys fire nets out and Lefu grabs them in his hands. He balls them, grabs the ropes and pulls hard. The shocks didn’t phase him at all. The Alphas get thrown over the mess.

River and Bastian hit him with the sonar blasting guns and Lefu screams. He holds his ears.

“HIT HIM AGAIN!” Wes and Grey call out. They both draw their guns and join in bringing him down.

Lefu stumbles back and drops his head. He raises his eyes to look at them. His ears and eyes are bleeding. He snarls loud, balls his fists, lowers his head and starts to breath heavy.

All of us look at each others and then back at him.

An extremely loud growl escapes his lips and he throws his arms out to the sides. His head snaps back and his body bursts into a giant lycan.

“FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!”

They resume firing on him. He leaps on the air and Grey hits William with blast. William falls to the ground.

“Sorry, Bill! My bad!” Grey apologizes then searches for Lefu. William scowls as he rubs his head.

Wes tries to use his power, but he has zero control. I step in and throw a telekinetic blast. Lefu is hit in the chest and thrown into the treeline.

He growls a hell based cry and runs at us. Bastian hits him with an ice blaster.

He jolts back and falls on his ass. The ice bullet breaks the second it hits him and his body begins to be engulfed by ice.

The lycan screams and tries to break the ice. Within a few seconds his entire body is encased.

River throws a finger. “Yeah! That’s for Mike, you dick!”

The ground began to shake.

We all look around the clearing then to Lefu. His eyes under the ice glow bright green and yellow.

“Think you spoke to soon, Riv!” Wes yells. “Run!!”

Lefu smashes out of the ice and roars.

“FUCK!!”

They grab the sonar guns again and fire like they’re at a shooting range.

Lefu slams, chin first, into the grass. He violently rolls to his back as all 11 Alphas fire relentlessly on him. The waves mess with his hearing and hurt him at least.

He shifts, rolls to his stomach and delivers a look of death. He looks to Artemis on the ground and his lip snarls as he rushes to his feet, breaks into a run and disappears.

“What the hell is that?” Grey pants.

“A lycan from hell.” Wes answers.

“It’s more than that. He had strength that no Lycan could possess. The teleportation, quicker than light movements? Those are Vamp skills.” River informs.

“He’s part vamp.” Jayson nods.

“No wonder he’s so hard to ice.” Luke mutters.

“We need Intel.” Bastian looks to Artemis. “Get him to the prison unit.”

William and Lucius walk to where Artemis lays in the grass and picks him up by his arms.

“This isn’t over, you little witch!” Artemis grinds at me.

“It’s over for you, father.” I narrow my eyes and my lips. Wes stands behind me and places his hands on my arms. “You will never hurt anyone else again.”

“We'll see about that, won’t we.” He growls and the boys carry him off.

My sisters all gather around us and Jesse throws an arm around Wes' shoulders. “Well, step one seems like a success.”

“Do you think he'll talk?” I ask.

“He will.” Magda says.

“How do you know?” I ask her.

“Because we have this.” She pulls the Reaper out from her back and holds it in the middle of the circle.

“Where did you get that?” Jesse says.

“In the grass.” She pulls it back. “He dropped it.”

Jesse turns to Bastian. “We need that separated from Artemis. He can’t know we have it. We need the power out of it.”

Bastian nods. “I know some people who can help keep it safe and extract the power.”

Jesse nods. He motions to Magda. “The blade.” Magda puts it in his hand. He hands it over to Bastian. “Do not lose it.” He warns.

Bastian looks into his eyes. “We won’t.”

Jesse lifts his hat and scrubs his hair. “I need a bath and a beer. Who’s with me?”

“Me.”

“Definitely, me.”

“One beer! Try 20.”

“Forget beer. A bottle of Jack.”

“Yeah, that’s the stuff.”

I chuckle as the Alphas walk off into the woods.

I turn to Wes. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“No.” He plays the tip of his nose off mine.

“I love you with all my heart.” I kiss him.

“I love you way more.” He grins and kisses me deep.