Alpha Ch. 11

"This isn't your fault. She's a Feeder, she wasn't going to stay human forever. I should have been more careful with her, especially this early in the change."

"She will need Tanner to help her through the change but I can't keep them locked away forever. I can't let something like this happen again."

She pushed herself up and swung her legs off the bed.

"I need to deal with this. You should rest."

"Alpha." He said, reaching for her but she stood before his fingers could touch her.

"Rest." She said, her voice cold and before he could argue she had left the room.

Two members of the Pack waited nervously outside of the room. They stared at her blood soaked clothes but said nothing.

"Bring the Vampyres to the throne room. It's time I dealt with them." She said and watched as they immediately hurried away to do her bidding.

Ealasaid drew herself up, pushing her shoulders back she calmed the shaking of her hands and made her way through the castle to the throne room. Elena, still in her wolf form, joined her as she walked and together they entered the high ceilinged room. They descended the stairs and Ealasaid took her seat in the fur covered throne. Elena sat at her Alphas side and Ealasaid placed her hand in the wolfs thick fur.

It was only minutes before the five Vampyres were brought to her and pushed onto their knees before her. None of them looked at her and she could feel their fear filling the room.

"Look at me." Ealasaid said, her voice was quiet but all five Vampyres brought their heads up immediately.

Ealasaid looked into each of their eyes. Tanner was last in line and she lingered on his defiant face. There was a sick smile dancing around his mouth and she stared him down until some of the confidence left his features.

"You are all here for one reason. You did not feed off the humans your Nest kept prisoner. That is why I did not kill you with the others, however, you did nothing to help those people. You left them scared and in pain. Do any of you remember what it was like to be human, to be weak? Then you came here, you were kept in chains, never knowing whether you would live through the day. What did that do to you?"

None of them answered. Ealasaid drummed her nails on the arm of the throne and crossed her legs. Her eyes were two black pools, her hair had darkened to a jet black and her pale skin was covered in blood. Her teeth had grown into pointed fangs and she felt a sharp pain run down the two scars on her back.

The captured Vampyres stared at her in a mixture of fear and awe. She radiated power, the air around her shimmering and the sound of crackling electricity emanated from her.

"I'm trying really hard to be a good person. I only kill the guilty and, unfortunately, being an asshole isn't a crime. So I give you a choice; you can stay here with us, become a part of our Pack and help us to make this world a good place again. Or, you can leave and know that for the rest of your life, one of us will be following you waiting for you to fuck up again." Ealasaid leant back in the high backed throne and tilted her head as she regarded the five figures. "The choice is yours."

She looked at the first Vampyre. He nodded then bowed his head in subservience to her.

"I'll stay." He said.

Ealasaid nodded in satisfaction before turning her attention to the next Vampyre. One by one the four of them pledged themselves to her. Tanner waited impatiently for her to look at him again but she didn't. Instead, she looked over their heads and beckoned to the members of her Pack that had gathered.

"Take them. Let them feed and clean them up. They'll need their rest before they start to help with our work."

The four Vampyres were taken from the room and Ealasaid finally turned her black eyes back to Tanner.

"What? Do I not get the same choice?" He spat out, his face was still arrogant and she let one side of her mouth curve into a smile.

Tanner felt a chill run down his spine. Her expression was cold, her soulless black eyes making him shiver and he knew that under her calm exterior her rage was boiling.

"Do I not get to stay here with you? Did I lose that opportunity when I killed your pretty little human girl?" He pushed on not wanting her to see how scared he was.

Ealasaid rose gracefully from the throne and came towards him. Her feet barely touched the floor, it was as though she was hovering rather than walking. The room went dark as she drew nearer, the sun seemed to disappear behind a wall of dark grey sky and a monstrous rumble of thunder shook the very walls.

"You're so very proud of yourself aren't you?" She asked. "You think this will get you what you want? Unlucky for you, you picked the wrong girl to bite. You see Oana is different, special and decidedly not dead."

Ealasaid paused and then shrugged one shoulder. "Well, no deader than you are."

"What do you mean?" Tanner demanded.

"Oana is a Feeder. That killing bite you gave her didn't quite work the way you wanted it to. Unless you just wanted it to get my attention, in which case it worked very well."

"What do you mean?" Tanner asked again even as he felt a pulling in his stomach as her words began to make sense.

"We really should be congratulating you. You're a dad now. You have a sweet little Vampyre to raise and teach. You'll help her learn about what she is, how to feed and how to control the needs she has. You'll teach her everything she needs to know because I will not let her go through this world without anyone to help her understand what she is. I won't let her go through the world like me."

Ealasaid took a breath and knelt in front of Tanner. Taking his wrist in her hands she watched as the silver chains melted from his skin before doing the same with his other wrist. Tanner's head was heavy on his shoulders and she reached out, placing her finger under his chin and tilted his head back to look at her then placed her hand on his cool cheek.

"I have to take some of the blame for what has happened. I left you scared and angry for too long but you hurt my people. This time you got lucky, Oana needs you, but if you ever try anything like that again I'll tear you apart. Slowly. I could be a good friend to you Tanner, don't make me your enemy."

Tanner looked into her face. Her eyes were no longer inky, black pools and he found himself falling into their grey depths. The intoxicating scent of her and her captivating beauty broke down all his defences and he turned his face into her hand.

"Such a beautiful boy." She said as she took in his warm brown eyes, chiselled jaw and soft blond hair.

Lifting her eyes to the Pack members behind him she directed her next words to them.

"Take him to his room and then bring Oana to him. He has some nurturing to do."

Leaning close she kissed Tanner's cheek and he groaned at the feeling of her soft kiss against his skin. He turned his head to her, chasing her lips and she smiled. She threaded her fingers into his hair and stroked his stubbled cheek with her thumb.

"Such a beautiful boy." She repeated then pushed herself to her feet.

"Wait." Tanner said, his voice cracking in need. He needed her to stay for a moment longer, he needed her close. "What's your name?" He asked.

She smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. Her canine teeth had sharpened into fangs and Tanner felt a jolt in his stomach.

"Call me Alpha."

Tanner couldn't take his eyes from her as he was lead from the room between two members of her Pack. Her eyes followed him and he felt a clawing need to return to her. With a soft kiss and gentle touch, she had cast her spell over him and now, her wild, sweet scent and soft skin was all he could think about. He barely noticed his surroundings as he was marched through the halls of the castle and pushed gently back into his room. He was alone for only a moment before the door opened again and he felt another presence behind him.

Turning, he looked at the girl now trembling in front of him. She was naked, her pale skin covered in streaks of blood and her mouth was covered in the dark red liquid. She cowered away from him, memories of his sharp teeth ripping through her skin and the pain of his venom flooding through her and she pressed against the door.

"You." She said, her voice was shaking partly from fear and partly from anger.

He didn't know what to say. He had seen the terrified look in her eyes on hundreds of others. Her entire body would be screaming at her, begging her to feed, the pain would be unbearable.

"You did this to me!" She screamed as she leapt at him, clawing at his face and pummelling his chest.

With a tired sigh he took hold of her wrists, struggling against her strength and pushed her back against the door.

"Stop." He said firmly and she was still.

Oana's heart sank. She had obeyed him like she had obeyed Daddy. She thought she had broken the subservient behaviour Daddy had enforced in her but even if she wanted to, she couldn't move to break his grip.

Tanner took a moment to look at his new child. She was beautiful, her tousled ash blonde hair gave her a wild look and the blood around her mouth made her look almost feral. He dropped her wrists and rubbed his hands down his face with a tired sigh.

He backed across the room and sank onto the bed. Beckoning her with two fingers, he watched as her face hardened and she folded her arms across her naked chest. He nodded in acceptance.

"I never wanted this." He said finally.

Oana blanched, her anger welling again and her nails curled into her arms, breaking the skin and drawing blood.

"It should have killed you." Tanner was speaking to himself, hanging his head as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Well you got half way there. I'm pretty sure if I check I won't have a pulse anymore." Oana spat out.

"You'll learn to hide what you are. You won't always feel so cold, you'll be able to see your reflection and you will be able to imitate a pulse."

Oana thought for a moment, her face paling in horror. "See my reflection?"

Tanner raised a hand and pointed at the mirror hung on the wall behind the dresser in the room. Oana instantly moved to stand in front of it and a strangled sob wrenched from her throat. She brought her hand to her mouth as blood red tears began to fall from her eyes.

She couldn't see herself. The mirror showed the room around her, Tanner sitting on the bed watching her but where she should be, there was nothing. An ice cold weight dropped into her stomach and her knees buckled beneath her.

Tanner was up in an instant and caught her before she hit the floor. Her wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his hard chest. Sinking to the floor, he held her as wretched sobs made her entire body heave.

Tanner held her tighter trying desperately to calm the storm brewing inside her. All Sires shared a deep bond with their children and this connection caused him to feel every emotion running through her. He felt angry, scared, hungry. The hunger was all consuming. It was primal, clawing at his insides and he was thrown back to his own creation.

Quickly, he lifted his wrist to his mouth and felt his teeth lengthen into sharp fangs. Biting down he felt his blood spill over his skin and Oana tensed in his arms as the scent hit her. Bringing his wrist to her mouth he felt her grab his arm in both her hands and latch on to the two small puncture wounds.

Oana was lost. She drank deeply, the pain in her stomach lessening with each swallow and her mind turned hazy. Tanner gritted his teeth, dropping his head to her shoulder and she fed. His hands clenched into fists. The feeling of his blood flowing out of him was more painful than he remembered but she was his child, he would suffer through it for her. As he knew his Sire had done for him.

Oana let go of his wrist and slumped back against his chest. His lips were against her neck and she could feel his laboured breathing. His hand dropped into her lap and they sat without speaking; the only sounds in the room were their breathing and the drops of blood hitting the floor.

Tanner's body pulsed. He was so hungry; he hadn't fed since being brought to the castle. He could smell Oana's blood, the smell mixing with the blood on her skin and a growl rumbled through his chest. Oana felt it against her back and turned her head to look over her shoulder at him.

"Does it ever go away?" She asked.

Tanner shook his head. "It's always there, you just find ways to control it."

He stood, pulling her with him and lead her through to the bathroom. Pushing her to sit on the edge of the stone tub he filled the sink with hot water and dipped a cloth in. Sinking onto his knee in front of his child he took her hand in his and gently scrubbed the drying blood from her skin.

Oana was still while Tanner washed her. His eyes were hard and his nostrils flared at the smell of blood, his body tense as he pushed back his own hunger to focus on her. There was a tugging at her heart as she felt his affection through their newly formed bond.

"What's your name?" Tanner asked, breaking the silence.

"Oana."

Tanner already knew this but he wanted to hear more of her soft, accented voice.

"Do you have a family?" Was his next question.

"Not anymore. They're gone."

"Were they good people?"

Oana was surprised by his questions. He was speaking to her like they had met as friends and were just getting to know each other.

"Yeah. They were very good people."

"That's good. Brothers, sisters?"

Oana scoffed. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because you're mine now. I want to know about you." Tanner said and he stared up her body into her red eyes. He said it with such simplicity and honesty that it shook Oana through to her core.

"I had three older brothers."

Tanner smirked. "Three? Must have been hard to date, three older brothers to scare men off."

"I was married."

Tanner's smile faded. Dropping the hand that held the cloth to his knee he stared at her in confusion. "Married?"

Oana shrugged. "It was a different time."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"For how long?"

Oana laughed sadly. "Over sixty years."

Tanner rose up and touched her blood-stained cheek softly. Oana flinched at the contact but her mistrust was replaced by a warm, safe feeling.

"But you were a human. Why didn't you age?"

Oana didn't respond. Fear at the thought of having to speak about Daddy welled in her chest and Tanner felt it hit him like a shock through their bond.

"What's your name? Your whole name." Tanner asked.

"Oana Van Helsing."

Tanner was shocked into silence. His mind raced as he searched her face for any sign that she was lying. There was none.

"I thought they were all killed. There's books written about your family. You're meant to be dead."

"That's the second time you've said that to me." She said. She meant for her tone to be teasing but there was a hitch in her voice.

"I'm sorry." Tanner took her hand and started to clean the blood from her skin again. "How did you survive?"

Oana shook her head violently, sending her ash blonde hair flying around her shoulders. Her lip twitched and she fought back the fresh tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"It's OK, you don't have to tell me." Tanner said soothingly.

He cleaned the rest of the blood from her arms and chest. Moving closer he positioned himself between her legs and gently wiped the cloth over her face. She was still as he cleaned her. Her eyes were fixed on his face, the tip of his tongue poked out as he concentrated and she found herself drawn into him.

"How old are you?" She asked.

"One hundred and thirty-seven." He said without even having to think. "And three months." He added the last part with a wink and Oana couldn't help but smile.

"How old were you when you were turned?"

"Twenty-five."

"That's young." She said thoughtfully.

"We're both young."

Tanner wiped the last of the blood from her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes were still a deep blood red and he tutted softly.

"Your eyes will be different for a while but you'll learn to control it, like everything else." He said.

"How?" She asked her voice breaking again.

"I'm going to teach you. You're mine now, I'll be your mentor as long as you need me."

"When I feed, does it have to be from a human?" She asked worriedly.

Tanner shook his head. "No. You can feed from anyone. My blood will always sustain you the best but anyone here will satiate you."

"I," she started but had to pause to swallow the lump that threatened to choke her. "I don't want to hurt anyone. I think I hurt my Vanator and I don't know if I could stop myself from doing it again. Please, you can't let me hurt anyone."

Tanner felt her despair. "I promise. You won't hurt anyone."

Outside the castle, away from the touching scene, Ealasaid was making her way through the trees. She trailed her fingers along the trunks wistfully breathing in the scents of the forest. She could hear the sounds of tiny animals scurrying along the ground and in the distance, the sound of gently moving water.

She came to a clearing and stared out over the clear surface of a huge lake. Settling herself on a rock at the edge she lifted her hand and watched as the water surged up to run over her skin. Her control of water was growing with every passing day and she played with the liquid watching it dance in the soft light of the sun.

She felt a presence behind her but didn't turn her head as Anton came towards her and sat himself beside her. He looked at the blood on her clothes and skin, a sight he had become very used to seeing.

"Sometimes I come out here and think about what our life would be like if we had run away." She said, not taking her eyes off the water and she moved it gracefully. "I'd want to live somewhere with a view like this."

Anton smiled. "You weren't made to be hidden away, you were made to be seen. What kind of selfish asshole would I be if I denied the world of you. You were born to do incredible things, not hide in the shadows with a disgraced Prince."

"Your brother said something very similar." Ealasaid said as she brought the water up to swirl through the air around the pair of them. "He told me that no one could ever make me feel normal because I was born to be extraordinary. No one has ever called me extraordinary before."

Anton studied the soft expression on her face. Her eyes had returned to the bright silver he remembered and her face had taken on some of the innocence she had had when he first met her. She looked younger, trusting and the sight brought a sense of hope to him. Her eyes were soft as she thought about Baal and Anton smirked.

"Have you told him?" He asked her.

Ealasaid's shoulders tense, a movement so small he almost didn't see it. "Told him what?"

"How you feel?"

She sighed and dropped her hand. The water fell back to the surface of the lake and she turned her head to look at his smug face. She couldn't help but smile, he looked so proud of himself.

"Wanker." She said softly. Turning her face back to the water she thought for a moment. "I don't know. I don't know if I even could. He means more to me than I can even explain, how can I put that into words?"

Anton grinned wider. Ealasaid rolled her eyes and nudged his side with her elbow.

"Have you told him, that you love him?" She asked.

Anton's smile lessened but didn't completely disappear. "No, but he knows."

"Does he? Even after everything with Ahmet?" Ealasaid pushed.

"Ahmet." Anton said thoughtfully. "After Ahmet I was angry, I was so angry and I needed someone to focus that anger towards. I should have seen what Ahmet was but you know what they say about love; it blinds you. I needed someone to be angry at and Baal was there, he was always there for me and even then he let me be angry at him."