Wyvern Protection Unit - Chapter 92: Chapter 92

Three days. That was all that had passed. Only seventy-two hours on this crap assignment and Jennifer was liable to lose her freaking mind.
She was not a teacher. Certainly not a kindergarten teacher. But that was what she felt like, trying to teach this ornery bunch of hoity toity brats how to behave in society. Every time she gave them a lesson she was met with resistance at best, and at worst, she was treated to a seminar on how Drakeinan was a better planet in all ways than Earth. It was a damn shame the inhabitants destroyed it then, wasn’t it?
She bit her tongue on that unhelpful commentary and tried once again to explain why things were the way they were. She’d already explained about the importance of blending in. Even told them highly classified information about the missing Shifters. But it was impossible to motivate this group. Especially because of a few who seemed in charge of the rest.
“I do not wish to listen to you. Earth is hardly the planet that Drakeinan was. You, lesser Shifter, have nothing to teach me,” Aliza, a blue haired Drakein female, snapped. “Earth history means nothing to me. As a far superior being, I do not feel it is pertinent to my staying here as a guest⁠—”
“Aliza, how many times must I tell you, you are not a guest? This is not a vacation. You are going to live here now, and that means total and complete assimilation. We can’t let it be known there are Aliens out there, never mind supernatural ones. Society would collapse!”
“Maybe it should, Jennifer Dylluan. Earthlings are petty, hateful creatures. Maybe the supernaturals should rise and take over this giant floating dust ball! Earth has nothing of the beauty of Drakeinan!”
Jennifer bit her lip to stop from growling at the female. It wouldn’t help. And she had to try to see it from their point of view. They were in a strange land, dependent on others for survival, and for a race of powerful Shifters that sucked in ways Jennifer could not even begin to try to explain.
After decades on a ship traveling through space under the rule of what amounted to a petty tyrant, the Drakeins were untrustful. And who could blame them? According to Daeja, Heliodore’s mate, Cass Viper was a right bastard, and his treatment of the females was even worse than the males.
“Look, I know it seems pointless, but this reading will help you understand some of the reason things are the way they are. History is important. Learning the past means we don’t make the same mistakes in the future,” Jennifer tried again,
“That is absurd,” Aliza snapped. “Earth has repeated its past several times and continues to do so. Hatred, violence, the destruction of the environment. You Earthlings do not deserve a planet.”
“Well, that is not up to you to say, Aliza. All I can tell you is we are doing our best. At least, I would like to think we are. Each of us has a moral obligation to try. You and your friends here asked to stay. Do the work. Be the best you can. And you can have a good life. You can be productive, useful, and if you’re lucky, you can be happy.”
“Like you?” she scoffed. “I see your pain in your eyes, Jennifer Dylluan. Do not speak to me of happiness when you have seen none of it yourself.”
“That’s enough, Aliza,” Xabat interrupted, the enormous male’s gaze flashing at the younger female, then back to Jennifer.
Aliza was one of the five females who’d opted to remain at the Wessex compound, along with Hydra, Kizzy, Luna, and Serene. The two males, Ox and Xabat, stood behind the women. Silent and lethal, she knew without being told they were warriors. Scarred up beasts, they’d been two of the first males to turn on Cass Viper during the battle. Of course, she didn’t appreciate their smirks or the way they acted like they owned the females.
“No one asked you to interfere, Xabat.”
“You dare question my actions?” he asked.
“I do more than dare,” Jennifer replied. “Sit down and mind your business. This is between Aliza and me.”
“Very well, Jennifer Dylluan. We will continue to observe how single females on this planet fill their lives with meaningless work as they wait for a worthy male to lay claim to them.”
“What? Ohmyfuckinggods,” Jennifer growled.
Pushing her glasses on top of her head, she rubbed her face with her hands. Aliza and the other women looked at her mutinously, and Ox and Xabat stood there, silently watching. This was turning into the longest assignment of her entire life.
One thing she learned, however, was that men were the same. NO matter where they came from. Human males, Shifter males, and Alien Shifter males had the same damn thing in common.
They were all assholes. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
Ugh.
“Look, everyone. My relationship status is not in question, nor does it have any bearing on my ability to do my job. I understand on Drakeinan women were not seen as equal to men, but here, we damn well are,” she snapped.
“Ha! That is, how do you say, a good one, yes?” Ox said.
“No. It is not a joke. That is a damn fact. Now, Aliza, and this goes for the rest of you, as well, I do not care if you don’t want to listen. The pages I have assigned you to read are mandatory. As is your completion of these lessons. You must get through this course so you can finally go out on your own and make a life for yourself here.”
The small room resembled a high school class with its desks and chairs, and Jennifer felt very much like a high school teacher, and not the trained DPCA professional she was. She maintained eye contact with the Aliza until the female looked away.
Good. Look away, her Owl hissed.
Jennifer released a long exhale. People made the mistake of thinking she was timid or shy. They scented feathers on her, and thought she was a dove or a goose, maybe. But Jennifer harbored a Great Horned Owl inside her. Not a fucking songbird. Her animal was fierce and dominant.
She was the ultimate weapon. Her talons could slash through the toughest of hides and hold weights triple that of her own. She was enormous, too, with a wingspan of over ten feet, which was double that of her wild cousins. Her beak was strong and excelled at tearing skin and ripping through the thick veins of her enemies.
She was a hunter. A skilled flyer who broke speeding records. Her eyesight, while diminished in her human form, was close to x-ray vision when in her feathers. Jennifer followed the rules of her office, but her Owl was not of the same ilk. She demanded submission from those around her, and the Drakein female would do well not to test her. Especially not about this.
“Aliza,” whispered Kizzy. “Just obey the rules.
“Shut up, you lowly filth,” Aliza snapped at Kizzy, who was less dominant than the haughty Drakein.
“That’s enough,” Jennifer replied. “You need to respect each other. Especially if you want to be granted freedom to leave the compound.”
“Why should I respect this female who is beneath me?” Aliza asked, and Jennifer closed her eyes.
This was impossible. She should have thought long and hard before accepting this assignment. Yes, she handled the WPU, but they were obviously different from these Drakeins. Jennifer’s Owl whistled, and she snapped her eyes open in time to see Aliza move to strike. The woman mistook Jennifer’s posture for weakness, but her attempts to knock her down backfired.
“Ow, release me! Release me!” Aliza grunted as Jennifer shoved her face onto the tiled floor.
She’d used a standard defensive move, grabbing her attacker and pinning her arm behind her back before dropping her to the dirt. Jennifer loathed violence, but of course, she knew how to defend herself. She wasn’t an idiot.
“That was a mistake,” Jennifer growled.
Maybe it was her years with the Wessex boys, but for whatever reason, her Owl was not cowed by these ferocious Drakeins. Oh sure, any one of them could have likely burned her to a crisp if they wanted, but Jennifer had been assigned this post, and she would do her duty. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
“Are you ready to follow orders?” she asked.
Aliza struggled but stopped once Jennifer applied more pressure to her arm. If she used any more force, she would break it, and that was something she wanted to avoid. Her goal was not to hurt these women, but to get them ready to live in the real world.
“Grr. Fine, yes, release me!”
Jennifer waited a beat, her eyes pinning each one of the Drakein, including the two males who’d moved as if to intervene. Of course, they didn’t. they wouldn’t once he showed up.
Fucking Zircon. He stood at the door, his face impassive, but she knew better. The fists he clenched at his sides told her he was more than ready to strike out against anyone who interfered with what was happening.
She moved back swiftly, allowing Aliza some space. The female leaped to her feet, her breathing increased as she glared at Jennifer.
“That was unfortunate,” Jennifer said, addressing first Aliza, then the rest of the group. “But if you’re thinking about testing me again, let me assure you, I am ready. Of course, I would much rather spend my time getting you ready to move on with your lives, but it’s up to you.”
Aliza huffed a breath and spat out something in her native tongue that sounded very much like a curse word to Aliza. She smirked when she saw Zircon and managed to press against him as she walked out. His expression never changed, but the doorway made it impossible for him to move away.
That rankled Jennifer. He’d just stood there, letting the woman rub her scantily clad body against him. Shit. She had no right to be jealous, but Jennifer could no more stop those feelings than she could change the phases of the moon. His blue gaze met hers, and she looked away, refusing to give him anything.
“Apologies, Jennifer Dylluan,” Luna spoke, stepping forward. “We do not feel as Aliza does. We wish to learn so we might prove productive to this planet and make lives for ourselves.”
“Good. Then let’s continue.”
The rest of the lesson went by quickly. It was rather uneventful, and Jennifer might have even enjoyed it except for the silent statue of a man standing sentry at the back of the room. She did her best to ignore him, but that was like ignoring the existence of the stars or the moon itself.
Zircon was just so commanding of her attention. He didn’t even have to do anything. He just had to exist. She couldn’t help her reactions. She was simply drawn to him. It was like she was pulled by some unseen magnetic force.
“That’s all for today, but please read through the materials I sent to your tablets. It really is imperative you understand how to blend in with society here on Earth, in New Jersey, to be more specific.”
“Yes, Jennifer Dylluan,” they replied in unison.
She shook her head. No matter how many times she told them not to use her first and last names together, they still did. But they were working on it, and she supposed that counted.
“I have a question,” Ox said, approaching her desk after the others had left.
“What is it?” Jennifer asked.
“How does mating work on this planet?”
“Excuse me?”
“I would like to know, Jennifer Dylluan, how respectable males of age go about announcing their claim on unmated females.”
Jennifer’s mouth dropped open. Well, shit. How was she supposed to explain this?
“Um, you see, Ox, here men and women decide for themselves when they want to be in a relationship⁠—”
“And you are unspoken for, yes?” Ox asked, his gaze on her.
Jennifer stopped herself from squirming under his stare and stood at her full height, straightening her shoulders. She felt Zircon watching her from his position in the back of the room, but really, she did not need the added pressure.
“My relationship status is not your concern. On Earth, relationships do not follow the same structure as your planet, at least not from what Daeja has told me. You can’t just claim unwilling females. Here, men and women have equal rights and equal say in who they choose to be with.”
“You mean I cannot challenge for your hand?” he asked.
“Who would you challenge, Ox? I don’t belong to anyone but myself, and I am not interested in that kind of relationship with you,” she said sternly.
“You insult me,” the male growled.
“Why is it an insult if I am just not interested? Don’t you think your attentions would be better paid to someone who reciprocated your feelings?”
“You are playing hard to get then, yes? This behavior is similar to the courtship dance of Drakein females,” Ox replied, but Jennifer narrowed her gaze.
“No, Ox. I am not playing any sort of game with you. I am not interested. Understand?”
“Yes, but a female of age⁠—”
“This matter is not up for discussion. I am here to teach you, not date you. Return to your quarters until dinner, Ox, and read Chapter seven in the guidebook. There is a section that pays particular attention to male and female relationships. Remember on Earth, and everywhere really, the word no always and unequivocally means no.”
Ox looked as if he were about to say something else, but Zircon entered the room fully then. His presence was unmistakable, and the air felt heavy with his natural dominance asserting itself.
“My Prince,” Ox said, bowing in deference to Zircon’s title.
Jennifer watched for any hint he was uncomfortable, but like his brothers, Conny seemed fine with the Drakeins paying their respects. She supposed it was only right. After all, he was born to play the part.
He’s a prince. A real bonafide prince.
“She said you’re dismissed,” growled Zircon.
“Yes, my liege.” With one last glance at Jennifer, Ox left.
“I was handling that just fine without you,” Jennifer told him as she packed her bag.
“I know you can take care of yourself, Jenn.”
“You know, so what are you doing here?”
“Just because I know something to be true, that doesn’t mean I stop worrying or watching to make sure you’re safe,” he replied, and shrugged carelessly. “So, do you truly think that?” Zircon asked.
“What?” she asked, trying to play catch up with what he was telling her.
Why was it always like this? Every time she got within ten feet of the man, her mind went blank, and her hormones spiked through the roof. It was ridiculous. She should know better.
Yeah, but tell that to my ovaries.
“That you don’t belong to anyone but yourself?”
Jennifer froze. She glanced up and met his fiery blue gaze head on. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she considered her answer. He’d know it if she lied, but nothing good would ever come of her telling him the truth. She just couldn’t give him that kind of power over her. So she steeled herself against the attraction raging inside her.
“That’s right, Conny. I am my own person and I belong to no one.”
His eyes flashed, and not one second later, he had her pinned against the wall. She struggled for a moment, but her Owl refused to aid her against this, against him. It was like her beast wanted the male to dominant her, damn the creature!
“Wrong, baby,” he growled, his husky whisper sent shivers dancing down her spine, “you belong to me.”
She wished she could’ve responded with some snide remark or slapped him across the face. Unfortunately, the only thing that happened was her panties got wet and the damn beast of a man growled at the scent of her arousal wafting in the air. So much for keeping her continued desire for him a secret.