Master Alpha

Lincoln was sitting behind the steering wheel of his black Chevrolet Tahoe as he drove to Xavier’s property. The suede seats tried to lull him into relaxation for the journey, but his mind kept him alert. He was wearing a white muscle shirt that was exposed beneath a silk button up long-sleeved shirt. He had debated on buttoning the shirt for professionalism but was more concerned about being able to fight if necessary. His jeans confined his legs, but he relied more on his arms than his legs in a fight. He gripped the steering wheel as he inhaled sharply, then looked at the passenger seat.

Rhea was curled up in a ball asleep beside him. Her head rested on the middle console with her legs tucked beneath her. She weas wearing a black halter top that tied around her neck, her auburn hair spilled amongst her face. She was wearing a pair of jeans with a deep purple belt that had a large, pure silver belt buckle in the shape of a snake, her black boots swallowing the bottom part of her jeans up to her knees. Tucked under her arms against her chest was a leather sheath that protected the pure silver knife inside. The sheath was a smooth black, the handle of the blade carved out of white marble.

Lincoln’s gaze lingered on Rhea for another second before shifting back to the dirt road in front of him. She looked so innocent, so delicate when she slept that his fear for something happening to her only increased. He knew that she could protect herself, she trained with him and Nathan hundreds of times, but still he worried. He should not have meant that her life was more important than Lillian’s, but the words had escaped his lips before he could try to stop them, and the words were true. Rhea had been by his side for over a century, and she had been the only woman that did not see him as some sort of freak or wanted to bed him because he harbored two beasts and she wanted to see what sleeping with him would be like. He had indulged in other women over the years, but none of them compared to the connection that he had built with Rhea. The thought of her in danger, or blatantly losing her, terrified him, which made him slightly afraid of himself. Lincoln had taught himself years ago to extinguish fear with his rage, he no longer feared anyone or anything. Except Rhea’s safety. He could only imagine what he would do to protect her if she was actually in danger.

A light snore from the backseat shifted Lincoln’s blue eyes to the rearview mirror. Nathan’s head was resting against the window behind the passenger seat as he slept. He was wearing a red shirt with jeans, combat boots matching Lincoln’s. Nathan had agreed instantly to join Lincoln and Rhea and feared for Rhea’s safety probably more than he feared for his Master Alpha’s. Lincoln had drilled it into Nathan’s orders that he needed to protect Rhea, that one of them had to be with her all times. Nathan agreed but also told Lincoln that he would protect his Master Alpha over her if necessary. Lincoln could not argue with him; he understood that he was more valuable to his people than Rhea was, but he hated that knowledge. They were both willing to sacrifice the other to save him, but that was what made them great guards, he thought. They need to be willing to die for me, but I will be doing my damndest to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Lincoln cursed softly as he hit a rock in the road. He jumped slightly as a hand gripped his leg suddenly. He looked down and found Rhea awake. “It’s okay, just a damn rock,” he said softly.

“Sorry,” she mumbled and withdrew her hand from him. “Just bad timing with a nightmare.”

“What happened?”

“I failed you,” she said as she readjusted into a sitting position. She rubbed a hand over her face as she stretched out her legs. “You died.”

“I’m not that easy to kill, pet,” he replied soothingly. He gently placed a hand on her leg and squeezed softly. “It was just a dream.”

“Maybe,” she whispered and placed her hand on his. “But it felt so real.”

“I’m real,” he said as he squeezed her leg again. “Focus on me now.” He understood better than most how disturbingly real nightmares could feel. He readjusted his hand to lace his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. He heard her heart rate spike as she inhaled, and she squeezed his hand in return.

Nathan’s snore turned into a brief snort, which startled Rhea. Lincoln smiled and squeezed her hand again. “Just the puppy.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Don’t be, I understand.”

“Puppy?” Nathan’s husky voice full of sleep spoke. Lincoln noticed Rhea’s lips morph into a smile, which prompted a grin to form on his own lips. “Puppy is awake now,” Nathan grumbled as he yawned. Rhea went to untangle her hand from Lincoln’s, but he pulled it back into his. She looked at him curiously, but he kept his eyes fixated on the dirt road. He could not explain why, but her touch made him relax. It always did, soothing the blistering burns of his anxiety. He doubted that she was even aware that she had that affect on him. He knew his touch must have some sort of affect on her, too, but he worried that it was a negative one. Other than training, she would not touch him, not even hug him. Even during training, her touch would relax him, which always left him aching for more after their sessions ended. He wanted to relish in her touch for just a few moments longer, and her hand squeezing his in response told him that he could.

Lincoln exhaled as Xavier’s village appeared in the distance. He felt his wolf grow alert and heard Nathan straighten in the backseat. Lincoln’s parents made sure to keep him away from this pack growing up, but he needed to be here now. His parents had expressed to him before departure that he ensure safety for Rhea and Nathan, but to do whatever it takes to keep this truce solid. As proven, Xavier had access to resources that their people did not. He had debriefed Rhea and Nathan to be on guard, but to not react to any type of verbal assault. Lincoln was expecting to be degraded, but he was going to be on Xavier’s land; his people could say whatever they wanted about Lincoln and his guards. Any type of response could mis-interpreted as disrespectful, and the truce could vanish that suddenly.

Rhea squeezed Lincoln’s hand briefly and then withdrew her hand from his. She straightened up in her seat and clipped her sheath to her right hip. Lincoln slowed down the car as he entered the village. Decants stood outside of their homes, confusion scrawled into their faces. Lincoln knew that they smelled Rhea and Nathan, and it made him wonder what he smelled like to them. Was it a balanced blend of Nanta and Decant combined? Did one overpower the other? With his wolf stirring inside, he was sure that he smelled more like a Decant at the moment. His wolf was growing agitated as he felt his anxiety begin to rise again. He exhaled slowly. I cannot let them hear my unease, he thought. I need to remain calm. It’s just a milk run. Lincoln parked the car beside the large house in front of him. He shut off the engine and exited the vehicle.

Alpha Xavier stood in front of the house. Lincoln had never met the man, but he could practically choke on the thick aura of power that radiated from him. He was wearing a white t-shirt that appeared to glow against his dark black skin, his black hair pulled into a tight bun. His muscles ripped as he crossed his arms over his chest, his legs shoulder width apart. His jeans hung loosely and were tattered, indicating to Lincoln that this outfit had been chosen because it was expendable if a shift was necessary. His blue eyes were hard as he studied Lincoln.

The man standing directly beside Xavier had the same black skin as Xavier, only a little shorter than Xavier. The man’s bright green eyes were the only source of color amongst the darkness. His black hair spilled across the shoulders of a black t-shirt, a pair of tattered jeans matching Xavier. This must be his son, Lincoln thought. Lincoln heard Rhea’s footsteps behind him and Nathan’s behind hers. Rhea stepped around to stand beside Lincoln, and Nathan immediately stood on the other side of Rhea.

“Alpha Xavier,” Lincoln spoke and bowed his head. “I am Master Alpha Lincoln Devereaux Normand.”

“Really?” Xavier asked as his eyes widened.

“I am,” Lincoln nodded tersely. “And my guards, Rhea and Nathan.” Lincoln noticed the man beside Xavier lock his eyes on to Rhea, his eyes grazing up and down her body. Lincoln cursed his wolf the second that he felt him threaten a growl. Not the time or place, he thought to his wolf.

“You must excuse my son, Heir Elias,” Xavier said. Fuck, Lincoln thought. Xavier noticed my wolf. “My son has not seen a true Nanta before. Your land is so far from our own that we do not need to make the trip. Which begs the question, why did you?”

“We would like to ask for your help in obtaining a resource that we do not have readily available,” Lincoln said.

“Oh?” Xavier asked. “And what is that?”

“Virgin blood.”

“That is a tall order. What for?”

“A Nanta child is sick, very sick, with a type of blood disease. She isn’t handling regular blood at all, so we are hoping that virgin blood will work.”

“How are you planning on getting her stomach virgin blood if she is already not handling regular blood?”

“We don’t,” Rhea spoke suddenly. She took a step forward and Lincoln restrained himself from pulling her back. Elias’ eyes grew wide, Xavier’s own curiosity expanding. “We don’t expect her stomach it,” Rhea repeated. “Which is why it would need to be a transfusion.”

“You’re more than just a guard, aren’t you?” Elias asked.

“Yes,” Rhea nodded. “I attended nursing school with the humans and have applied my knowledge to my own kind.”

“Why not a transfusion of Nanta blood then?” Xavier asked.

“Our bloods are tainted by every living thing that we feed from, and, of course, sex. But virgin blood has not been tainted by such things. Even alcohol will flush itself through the bloodstream, as do drugs.”

“So you need more than just virgin blood,” Elias said. “You need a virgin who has not ingested any type of toxin within the last week, at least.”

“Yes,” Rhea nodded.

“What happens if we refuse?” Xavier asked.

Rhea sighed and ran a hand through her hair nervously. “An adult Nanta can last up to two weeks without needing blood, but that requires a massive amount of control to prevent attacking others, before they go feral. A child Nanta can only last one week before going feral. With Lillian, the child, her issue is not a matter of obtaining the blood but keeping it down. She has not been able to successfully consume blood for the last three days. We have four more days before she turns feral, but her feral nature will not stop once she ingests blood.”

“Because she will just end up rejecting it and continue attacking,” Xavier said with realization.

“Yes” Rhea said softly. “And our only option at that point would be to kill her, before she kills everyone else.”

“We are on the clock,” Lincoln spoke after a moment of silence. “It is a day’s drive back home if we really haul ass. Rhea still needs to get supplies for the transfusion, and we have the moon tomorrow night.”

“So, essentially two days to gather everything?” Elias asked.

“And we wanted to check with you about the blood before going to the hospital. If the answer is no, we will try to resource what blood we can from the hospital while we are there getting the supplies for the transfusion,” Rhea said.

“We will honor our truce,” Xavier replied. “We will not be responsible for the death of a Nanta, let alone a Nanta child. How much blood will you need?”

“Three pints,” Rhea said.

“We will have it by the morning after the shift, in time for your departure,” Xavier said.

“We will clear out three houses for you to stay in for your visit,” Elias added.

“One house,” Lincoln stated as he crossed his arms over his chest. “My guards are with me.”

“Afraid that we will hurt you, Lincoln?” Elias teased. Lincoln’s jaw clenched as he remained quiet. He needed to protect his guards to the best of his abilities, and that meant sharing a residence with them. “Not at all, Heir Elias,” Lincoln said.

“We are concerned for our Nanta,” Nathan said. “We need to hide her during the shift. My scent and Master Alpha’s scent should be strong enough to mask hers.”

“Of course,” Xavier agreed. “I will leave Elias in charge of the arrangements. I will see you gentlemen again tomorrow night.”

Lincoln bowed his head again as Xavier departed. He noticed Elias take a step toward Rhea with his bright eyes studying her again. Lincoln restrained himself from stepping between them, but his wolf was clawing in him with anticipation. Rhea looked at Elias curiously. “You’re staring, Heir,” she said softly.

“You are beautiful, not to mention fascinating by nature,” Elias replied. “The first Nanta that I meet is you. I’m very intrigued.”

“You really haven’t met one?” Lincoln asked before Rhea could. He found it odd that the Heir had not met a Nanta as of yet. Then again, I had never met Xavier until today, he thought. Elias shook his head. “I was kept hidden for my safety, much like you, Lincoln.” Elias extended his hand to Rhea, as if offering a handshake. Lincoln took a step towards Rhea, his gums twitching to release his fangs and canines. Nathan stepped forward as well and Elias smiled. He held up his hands as if surrendering and took a step back. “I know better than to get between two wolves and a woman. Well, one standard wolf, and one half wolf.”

“You’ll understand our concern,” Nathan said. “It’s not like she is completely welcomed here.”

“The same could be said for you,” Elias said as he looked at Lincoln. “Half wolf, half leech, only half approved.”

“All powerful,” Rhea said and instantly clamped her hand over her mouth.

“I like her,” Elias chuckled.

“Would you please show us where we will be staying?” Rhea asked, changing the topic. “We are exhausted from the trip.”

“Absolutely, and then you can join me for dinner.”

“What?” Rhea, Lincoln, and Nathan asked simultaneously.

“You have my father scrounging up three pints of virgin blood to have ready for transport in two days. I would like to grow acquainted with the race that we are helping,” Elias said simply.

“No,” Lincoln said.

“Deal,” Rhea answered.

Lincoln growled lowly in his throat. He knew the meeting would exclude him and he was not sure that he could trust Elias. He shoved his fear aside and realized the silver lining with the meeting. Rhea meeting with the Heir could assist in strengthening the truce between Xavier’s people and Lincoln’s. Not only that, but if we said no, he could convince his father to not help us with the blood, Lincoln thought. He hated this idea but realized how necessary it was.

Elias grinned at Rhea’s answer; either he had not heard Lincoln’s growl, or he chose to ignore it. “Grab your bags and follow me,” he said.

“Thank you, Heir,” Rhea smiled. She walked back to the car with Lincoln directly behind her. He grabbed her hand lightly and she turned to face him. His jaw was tense as he spoke through clenched teeth. “Be careful, Ray.”

“I can handle myself, Linc,” she whispered. “And, if I can’t, just make sure to save Lillian. But I will be fine, I promise.” She squeezed his hand and then pulled it away. She had better be, Lincoln thought as his wolf rattled the cage of his body. She had better be.