Alpha

*Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this story so far. I am so grateful to all of you and hope you enjoy this newest chapter.

A huge thank you to Alwaysready64 for editing this chapter!*

*****

"You're all fucking crazy." Rueben said, shaking his head and leaning back in his chair. "You can't take on the Senior Agents and if you think that I'm getting involved in the Fallen?"

Drago held up his hand to stop him. He and his Council sat around the table in Lucius' kitchen. Drago held a cigarette between his fingers and watched the smoke dance upwards through the air. Finally, he met the eyes of his Council.

"And the rest of you? Do you feel the same?" Drago asked accusingly.

"I'm with you, whatever happens." Jaylon said.

"I've never been scared of the Fallen before. Why would I start now?" Corban answered jovially.

Drago already knew Anton's answer and so focussed on Lucius. His closest friend had been unusually quiet this whole time and Drago waited for him to speak.

Lucius sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

"What do you think? I'd do anything to keep you and Eala safe. If that means going to the Fallen and taking down the Senior Agents, then I'm with you."

"You're seriously going to do this?" Rueben asked incredulously. "You're going to put your Pack, your whole family in danger, for some girl? I mean she's a pretty little thing but she's making you soft Drago."

"Be careful. Don't say something you can't take back." Drago warned.

"This is fucking ridiculous!" Rueben pushed back from the table and stood. His dark eyes stared around at the rest of the gathered Council and Drago saw something there that scared him.

"Ever since she came into our lives she's been nothing but trouble. Everything we do now is for her! What happened to the old Drago who knew how to have fucking fun?!"

"The old Drago would have gotten us all killed. He was a selfish prick who only thought about making himself feel better and didn't think about the consequences. He should have died in the Order, if you're missing him then you have no place here!" Drago forced himself to remain calm as he spoke.

"You're pathetic, all of you." Rueben smirked.

"Show your work." Lucius said calmly.

"You're all self-loathing, self-pitying, embarrassing excuses for Weres. You spend all of your time trying to hide what you are, afraid that you'll hurt others when they should be afraid of us."

"You really believe that?" Drago asked.

"You don't?" Rueben threw back. "You're one of the last Pure Blood Lycans. You could run this fucking city, this country if you tried but you don't. You hide yourself away and now you're playing house with a fucking Fae?"

"You didn't seem to mind having her around up until now." Drago prodded as he fought to keep his fury at bay.

"Up until now we weren't getting involved with the Fallen and taking on the whole fucking Order. Her little experiment has gone too far. She's putting us all in danger and you're just going to let her?"

Drago's eyes flashed and he stood. His hands curled into fists on the table, clenching them tighter he fought to keep the trembling at bay. Rage boiled within him and his teeth ground together painfully.

"I think you should go." Drago forced out. "It's late and I would hate for you to say something you can't come back from."

Rueben's eyes darted between the Council before he kicked his chair away and stormed to the door. Before he left however, he turned back and spoke to the group.

"If you change your minds, you know here to find me. Just do it before it's too late."

The slam of the door left them all in a stunned silence and Drago dropped back into his seat. Dragging a bottle of whiskey across the table he filled his glass and studied his Council.

"I never thought there would be a time when I couldn't trust my Council, but now I have to ask." Drago paused and sipped his drink. The liquid burned down his throat and settled in his stomach.

"Do any of you feel the same way?" Drago asked.

"How could you ask that?" Jaylon asked incredulously.

"I'm willing to go back to the Fallen. You think I would do that for just anyone?" Anton added.

"Then how did I not realise what was happening with Rueben? Was I so wrapped up in Eala that I couldn't see a change in my own Council?" Drago sounded frustrated. His head was a mess, going over and over everything Rueben had said.

"None of us noticed." Lucius spoke up. "I don't know what's happening with Rueben but the rest of us stand by you. No matter what happens."

"You think Nix would ever forgive me if I didn't?" Corban shuddered at the thought of what his Mate would do to him.

Drago laughed quietly. Draining his glass, he contemplated his next move.

"I'm not going to force any member of either Pack to stay with us. The next move will be dangerous, the Senior Agents will not fight fair and if they find out we're coming, we won't have a chance."

"You think Rueben will say anything?" Jaylon asked.

"I hope not." Drago refilled his glass.

"Baal contacted me and he wishes to speak to Eala personally." Anton sounded nervous.

"We will all go if they permit us." Drago forced to keep his own tone calm. "I will not let her go alone."

"Then it's settled. We go tomorrow." Anton stood and the rest of the Council followed suit.

Drago turned to Corban. "Will you speak with Rueben? I'm worried he may do something unwise if left like this."

"On it boss." Corban threw a mock salute and they left.

Only Drago and Lucius were left in the kitchen and Drago turned to his friend.

"How are you?"

Lucius bristled slightly at the question, remembering the events of the night before. His stomach clenched at the memory of Oana's lithe body against his own and he reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes.

"I don't know if having her here is such a good idea." Lucius said and inhaled deeply. His green eyes darted upwards as he thought about the young girl upstairs.

"Why is that?" Drago raised an eyebrow.

"I'm having trouble keeping my head around her." Lucius dragged the bottle to him and poured a healthy amount into his empty glass. He felt embarrassed speaking to his Alpha about his feelings but trusted Drago with his life.

"I never thought a pretty face would be enough to bring you down. She must be something quite special."

"God I don't know what it is. She's so strange, she can't do things without me telling her but then last night," Lucius stopped. He wasn't sure if he should continue.

"Lucius what have you done?"

"I didn't do anything. It was her."

Drago couldn't stop the laugh that fell from his lips. He hadn't seen Lucius squirm like this before.

"Well now I have to know. Want me to get the ice cream out so we can gossip?"

Lucius stuck his middle finger up. "She kissed me."

"Oh, well shit." Drago wasn't laughing anymore.

"I know. She said she wanted to see if she could and I didn't want her to stop." Lucius sighed and drank from his glass. Rubbing his hands over his face he laughed at himself.

"Well, I can't deny you have an interesting taste in women." Drago said as he tried to stifle his laughter. He loved watching Lucius squirm.

"Coming from the man who fell for a Fae." Lucius shot back.

Drago nodded slowly. "You got me there."

"I don't know what it is but I can't focus when she's near me. I just don't think having her here is the best idea." Lucius glanced up again thinking of her pacing the floor of the room she was in.

Lucius had told her, before the Council arrived, to stay in the room and not come out. He hadn't been sure if she would listen, let alone obey but he hadn't heard a thing from her. There had still been fear in her eyes as he approached her and the realisation that she was scared of him made his gut wrench. Lucius drank deeply as he came to a decision.

"I want to help her but I don't know if I can. I want to keep trying though, if you'll let me?"

"It's not up to me Luci, it's her decision. If we're the reason this Daddy guy took her then we need to take responsibility and help her get well again. If she feels safe here and wants to stay, then that's what we'll do."

Drago stood and drained his glass. Holding out his hand he pulled Lucius to his feet and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Just be gentle with her. Her first impression of you may not be the best."

Lucius' mind was suddenly swamped with the sounds of her screaming and the scent of her blood.

"She keeps asking me if I liked hurting her."

Drago hesitated before he asked his next question. "Did you?"

Lucius shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well you need to be sure. She's human, breakable. If she's not safe here, then me and Eala will take her."

"She's safe. If I believe she isn't then I won't stop you and Eala from taking her."

Lucius felt Drago's eyes boring into him. His Alpha was searching for the truth in his words and when he found it he nodded.

"OK. Be careful Luci, I don't want to lose you again."

"Not going anywhere." Lucius watched as Drago left and seconds later heard his truck pulling away.

His stomach churned as his internal battle raged. He shrugged out of the suit jacket he was wearing and threw it to a corner of the room.

He had scared Oana last night and now he was worried he wouldn't be able to undo the damage. Slowly, he forced himself to climb the stairs and came to a halt outside her room. He raised his fist to knock but found he couldn't.

From the other side of the door he heard her move. She came closer, her feet moving across the floor and he could hear her soft breathing. He pressed his palm against the door, he didn't know why just that he wanted to be close to her.

"Fiara?" His voice was rough and he heard her sharp intake of breath.

"Yes?"

His hand dropped to the door handle. "Would you like to come out now?"

"Yes."

Lucius opened the door, forcing her to step back and he looked down into her stormy blue eyes. Oana froze under his heated gaze and her hands twisted in front of her. Her breath hitched and he savoured the sound.

For a moment they stood in silence. The tension grew and Oana felt the clenching low in her stomach growing once again. She searched for something to say but before she could form the words Lucius spoke.

"I'm sorry about last night. It wasn't right of me to take advantage of you."

Oana rolled her eyes and a soft laugh fell from her lips. "Don't. I'm a big girl and I knew what I was doing."

"Still, it wasn't right of me."

"Vanator stop. I'm no innocent. I was married, I had a child for Christ sake. You didn't force me into anything; I wanted it and for the first time in years I did something that I wanted. I wanted it, no one else."

"I just don't want you to think you have to do anything like that with me. I know Daddy used to," Oana raised onto her toes and rested a finger against his lips, cutting him off midsentence.

"Don't, I don't want to think about him right now."

Lucius nodded and held her wrist gently. His thumb stroked over her soft skin and he felt her pulse beating.

"Still I didn't handle it very well. I have problems controlling my temper at times."

Oana thought back to his angry gaze and shuddered. There could be such a change in this man and it took nothing to bring it on. Pushing the thought from her mind she brought his hand to her cheek; the warmth of his skin brought a comfort she had forgotten existed and a shiver ran through her.

Lucius watched as her eyes closed and gritted his teeth against the urges welling in him. Something about her trust in him and the innocence of her touch sent thrills through him. He had never met a woman like her. There was a strength in her that he knew was born from years of torture from the Order but there was still a gentleness in her.

"I think I'd like a drink." Oana said and Lucius laughed.

Taking her hand, he lead her downstairs and pushed her to sit on the sofa. She pulled her feet onto the cushion beneath her and watched as he collected two glasses from the kitchen and a bottle of whiskey. He sat beside her and poured them each a glass before leaning back. Handing her a glass he raised his own and they both drank.

"So you were a Protector?" Lucius asked.

"Actually I wasn't. My father was and he wanted my brothers to be but I was the baby of the family."

"Baby of the family?"

Oana nodded. "I was the only girl with three older brothers. I was kept away from anything violent."

"So Daddy taught you how to fight?"

"No." Oana shook her head.

"Your brothers?"

"Try again."

Lucius thought about it before a smile curved his lips. "You taught yourself?"

"My brothers couldn't fight off a cold. I spent most of my childhood kicking the shit out of kids way bigger than me so the Van Helsing name would carry on it's famed reputation." Oana couldn't help the smirk as she spoke. She sipped her drink and stared into the amber liquid.

"They always hated that their little sister had to come and protect them. I thought I had proven myself but my father still didn't believe I should become a Protector."

"I'm sure he was just trying to keep you safe." Lucius offered and watched her pretty face twist into a sneer.

"My father was trying to keep me safe. My mother however was of the opinion that I should stay with her in the home."

"This was the 50s though; you're making it sound like the dark ages."

Oana shrugged. "My family had an outdated way of thinking. Apparently it was passed onto my husband and he agreed that I was just where I needed to be."

"So have there been any female Protectors in the Van Helsing family?"

"Of course there has Vanator."

Lucius frowned. Her tone was almost teasing and he waited for her to elaborate.

"The story of Van Helsing and Dracula. You know it?"

"Of course I do, everyone does." Lucius responded.

"How much do you know?" Oana was enjoying herself. It had been so long since she had had a chance to tell anyone about her family.

"Only what the stories say. Van Helsing hunted Dracula for years, when he finally found where Dracula was hiding Dracula was gone. Van Helsing spent the rest of his life looking for the Vampyre nest. There is nothing written about what happened after they left Transylvania."

Oana shook her head slowly. "Van Helsing found Dracula. Their battle was the stuff of legends. Dracula had never met a human like my ancestor and Van Helsing had never met anything like the Vampyre."

"So they did meet?" Lucius felt his curiosity growing.

"They met and they fell in love."

Lucius choked on his drink. "I beg your pardon."

"The Van Helsing from the story was not a man. She was a woman. She was sent because it was believed she could seduce Dracula and stop him from hunting humans. She did not like that idea."

"What did she do?"

"She spent most of her life researching this mysterious creature that had lived for centuries without ever being caught. No human had ever seen him and lived and my ancestor was determined to take him out."

"That's amazing." Lucius couldn't help the excitement flowing through his voice. The story of Dracula and Van Helsing had been shrouded in mystery for so long and now he was sitting with a descendant of the greatest Protector in existence.

"Her name was Violeta and she found humanity in a monster. Dracula lived with her until she grew old and when she left us, so did he."

"He killed himself?"

Oana nodded. Her eyes had taken on a brightness he had never seen before and he realised how much her family story meant to her.

"Dracula could not live without Violeta. She became his whole world and she made him human again." Oana sipped her drink and shrugged one delicate shoulder. "Of course there was talk but they didn't care and their children became more powerful than any Protector ever seen before. They were lucky to find each other; a human often doesn't find their true love or their Mate."

"What about you?"

She turned to look at him. "What about me?"

"Did you find your true love?" Lucius wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer. His stomach was in knots and he couldn't work out why.

Again, Oana nodded slowly and a smile curved her plump lips. "Yes."

"I'm sorry you had to lose him, that he was taken from you. You two must have been very happy together."

Oana noticed the change in his tone and pulled her focus back to the giant man sat beside her.

"It wasn't Sorin. He was chosen for me by my mother, she thought he would be a good provider for the family. My true love was Fane."

"Your son?"

"My sweet baby. I never knew I could love so deeply, so completely, before I saw him. I know he would have grown into a great man."

"I'm sorry you never got a chance to see it."

Oana smiled sadly. "So am I."

For a moment they sat in silence. Oana was deep in thought as she watched the man next to her. He had tortured her, torn her skin to pieces and smiled as he did; but now he sat and drank with her as she spoke about her family.

"Are you scared of me?" His question surprised her.

"A little. You hurt me and I think you liked doing it. You won't let me leave but you say you're trying to help me. I don't know what to think."

Lucius nodded and drained his glass. Refilling it he thought carefully about what he was going to tell her. He didn't know how much she would believe.

"You don't feel Daddy anymore do you?"

"No, what did you do to me?" Oana asked but she feared his answer.

"Ealasaid made it so you don't exist to him anymore. It was the only way we could think of to keep you safe, he had complete control over you and he was going to make you kill yourself. A member of our Pack was kept in the Order her whole life. She knew Daddy. She told us what it's like to be with him and what it was like after he left her. We didn't know what you would do and we didn't know if you would try and hurt us."

Lucius paused and thought back to the night she had arrived at the house. He had never felt a fear like it and reliving it now made him shudder.

"No one has ever found Drago's house before. It is warded by the most powerful magic that's ever been seen until now, how did you find us?"

"It wasn't easy." Oana thought back to the years of tracking that lead her to the man she believed had taken her life from her.

"I was with Daddy for sixty years and that whole time all I could think about was you and LaBelle. He told me you had escaped the Order and sent people to kill me and my family." She smirked. "LaBelle should really invest in some home security."

"Maybe, we never thought he would need it. We should be undetectable." Lucius was confused.

"You almost were but I had a reason to find you."

"How did you do it?"

"I tried all the normal ways; magic, torture, divination but in the end good old Detective work got me there. I learned enough of you and your Pack until I could follow them without them knowing. Unfortunately, none of them were careless enough to lead me back to LaBelle but I found an anomaly in the maps and charts of that area. There was a place that didn't appear to humans. After that, torture got me in."

"You tortured someone for answers?"

"Do not sound so surprised Vanator. It is no different that what you did to me and it was not the worst thing I did during my time with Daddy."

"Do you feel guilty about the people you hurt?" Lucius asked.

"No, do you?"

Lucius shook his head. "No."

"Then we are as monstrous as each other." Oana's eyes shone and Lucius reached out to stroke her cheek.

Once again, his touch warmed her and she blindly placed her glass on the coffee table in front of her. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pushed so he leaned back and straddled his lap. He stared up into her face and his hand dropped from her cheek to her bare thigh. She was wearing one of his shirts, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and her breasts pressing against the fabric.