Master Alpha
Chapter 14

Lincoln paced the living room anxiously. Father had instantly ordered Lincoln and Mother to stay in the living room while Rhea and Father worked to restrain Lillian on the opposite side of the house. Father had decided to chain the child to the plumbing of the toilet in the master bathroom. Father would hear Lillian before she could escape, but he also confined her to a room with no windows. He was going to guard the bathroom door from the bedroom since Lillian would only have one way to get out of her cage and put her down if she managed to escape.

Lincoln’s mind flashed back to Rhea’s state and he growled instinctively. His gorgeous mate had been attacked, and he’d been asleep. Like a fucking prince, he cursed himself. Rhea had insisted on being with Lillian by herself for this reason, if the treatment did not work. Lillian would kill Lincoln the second that she fed on him, but he would have preferred to have defended his mate. She had strips of blood staining her face and a dried pool of blood on her throat. He clenched his jaw as he inhaled. My mate was hurt, and I was asleep.

“Lincoln, sit down,” Mother ordered. Her blonde hair had been pulled into a ponytail and she wore a black nightgown. She tightened her white robe against her body and re-tied it closed. Her curious blue eyes met Lincoln’s. He sighed and sat beside her. “I’m just anxious, Mother, it has been like an hour.”

“Anxious for your father, or anxious for your mate?” Mother asked as she smiled. Lincoln’s eyes widened in surprise. He had not told his parents yet. Rhea wanted to wait until after Lillian had recovered to start telling people. Lincoln had agreed completely, they had to make sure the task at hand succeeded first. “How did you know?” He asked softly.

“Honey, I am pure Decant. I smelled your scent all over that girl the second that she walked through the door. Not to mention, you are beyond livid, and you wouldn’t be this mad at Rhea for failing something that she had never done before,” Mother added. She smiled again and placed her hand on his. “I’m happy for you, son, truly.”

“I fear that I will hurt her,” Lincoln voiced. “With how protective I feel over her, it triggers both sides of me. I fear that I will lose control.”

“Male Decants are territorial by nature, and Nantas are proud protectors, but you must control your inner animal. Both of them. Your people do not need to see your jealousy or your weakness,” Mother said gently. “But behind closed doors, your emotions can be free.”

“How d you and Father cope?”

“Well, we didn’t really have to. Typically, a mated person is left alone for fear of the retaliation of the mate.”

“What about before you announced it?” Lincoln sighed. “This is not the best time to announce to our people of a Mistress Luna.”

Mother’s eyes softened. “You tell yourself that you are your title above all else. Your father and I knew for weeks, and we had to stay apart. Had it not been for you, we would have waited much longer before announcing it.”

“I have withdrawals from not holding her, my wolf aches for her, and my vampire longs to taste her blood. How the hell were either of you okay feeling like this for so long?”

“We weren’t, not at all. But we are Master and Luna before we are mates. Before you, we didn’t have a choice Our people did not mingle, you’ve met Xavier, but staying apart was better for our people. You must remember that, Lincoln. Your father and I will not always be here, you will be responsible for two races.” Mother squeezed his hand. “But you have a strong mate who understands your place among your people. She will keep you in line when I cannot.”

Lincoln smiled bitterly. “Like making sure I don’t tend to a feral Nanta.”

“For starters,” Mother nodded. “Aside from her love for you, she knew that the Master Alpha could not be in such a compromising position.”

“But she was attacked while I slept.” He growled.

“But she will live, my son. You would have not. Do not think that you are a failure as a mate at all. Please. Your father felt that towards me when I got these.” She extended her wrists out to Lincoln while she turned her head slightly. Thin scars encircled her wrists like bracelets, a scar on her throat a necklace. He had heard how the peace had been restored with Mother’s people among Father’s, she had to atone for her actions that resulted in the death of Father’s people. And Father himself had to issue the punishment. Lincoln had seen the scars that stretched across Mother’s back frequently. She never hid her scars intentionally; she wore them with pride.

Lincoln sighed and kissed Mother’s hand softly. “You’re right,” he whispered.

“Of course, I am, a mother’s always right,” she grinned. “Just comfort her. I can promise you that she is not blaming you for any of this. I did not blame your father for a second, and he was directly responsible for my scars.”

“I was pissed seeing her after the fight. I hope that she doesn’t think that I’m mad at her failure.”

“None of us are, this has never been tried before,” Mother said as she rubbed a hand over her face. “I can only imagine Lillian’s parents.” Oh, Rhea, Lincoln thought. He had been so fixated on her physical condition that he had not considered her mental condition. She had known Lillian since the day that child was born. Rhea and Diana were practically sisters, Lillian even called her “Auntie Ray.” She essentially fought and killed her own niece. His heart lurched for her and his arms craved to embrace her.

Lincoln jumped to his feet as he heard a door open and close. Mother stood up beside him. Father entered the room wearing a black muscle shirt with blue basketball shorts. Rhea followed behind him, her long hair pulled into a messy bun. Father’s expression was hard, his brows furrowed together in thought. Rhea’s face was cold and numb. The lack of real emotion on her face was heart-wrenching. Lincoln knew that she must be hurting, but her face was as cold and neutral as ice. Lincoln walked over to her, but her eyes remained vacant as he laced his fingers through hers. She simply squeezed his hand in response but kept her eyes fixated on Father.

“She’s unconscious for now. I stuffed a sock in her mouth and duct taped her mouth shut,” Father groaned.

“Is that necessary?” Mother asked.

“Unfortunately, yes, my love. If she manages to get past me, she could kill the half of our people that are Decants. Speaking of,” he continued as he wrapped Mother in his arms. “You cannot stay here. I want you to stay with Aurora, and I want Lincoln to stay with Rhea.”

“Father, you shouldn’t do this alone,” Lincoln said.

“I’ll stay with him,” Rhea said softly.

Father released Mother and approached Rhea. “No, my dear,” he said. “You have not slept in two days and have snapped that child’s neck multiple times already. You need to rest.”

“Master Jonathon, I can’t leave you.”

“Send word to your father on your way home, he will come over,” Father nodded.

“Yes, Master Alpha,” Rhea said. Lincoln squeezed her hand again, but she did not react this time. His eyes flickered between his parents. He worried for his mother, for all of the Decants. “Father, should I stay with Mother? I can help protect her,” Lincoln said. He wanted to console his mate more than anything, but he worried for his mother and for Nathan’s mother. Him and Nathan were both trained by their mothers, he knew that they could fight, but he would feel much better if he was with them.

“As much as I appreciate that, son, I cannot have both of you in the same place. If Lillian does get free and replaces you, she can kill you both.” Father inhaled sharply. “I don’t know if I could survive that.”

“It’s smarter to risk one of us than both of us,” Lincoln realized.

“Correct, unfortunately.”

“Plus, I’m sure that your mate needs you more than I do,” Mother piped up. Lincoln sighed and Rhea’s eyes instantly flashed in surprise. She pulled her hand from Lincoln’s and glared at him. Father cocked an eyebrow curiously as a small smile formed on his face.

“Lincoln, we talked about this,” Rhea spoke slowly.

“Don’t be mad at him, darling. I am pure Decant, after all. I smelled his scent all over you as soon as you came inside.”

“Oh,” Rhea whispered, and her eyes softened.

“You being Lincoln’s mate is not a bad thing,” Father said.

“It isn’t that. We wanted to wait until after Lillian was cured before we announced it. We sort of forgot that mom would snuff it out,” Lincoln smiled.

“Then we will respect your wishes for now, but it may get out sooner. We do have other purebred Decants here, but you don’t typically enter their houses. Now,” Father added. “Make your mate get some rest. We will revisit tomorrow to determine our next course of action.”

“I already have a plan,” Rhea said.

“Tomorrow, Ray, you need rest,” Lincoln whispered.

Rhea shook her head and stepped toward Mother and Father. Lincoln wanted to ask her what was wrong, he wanted to reassure her that everything was okay, but he sensed tension ripple through her body. She inhaled sharply before she spoke. “When I did my nursing among the humans, I befriended a human named Sam. He earned my trust…I told him what I am. He is the one who got me the supplies for the transfusion, no questions asked. I trust him.”

“Does he know about the Decants and Lincoln?” Father asked.

“No, I kept it just about me,” Rhea answered quickly. “I did not reveal anything about our location, either. He thinks that I am in the States on assignment for the Nantas.”

“Lincoln, did you know?” Mother inquired.

Lincoln sighed and nodded. He had intended to tell his parents about the human, but he just had not had the time yet. Plus, with everything else going on, it did not exactly take priority, he thought. Father crossed his arms over his chest. “And he helped you?”

“Without hesitation. He’s my friend,” Rhea said.

“Why now?” Mother asked. “You never had to reveal this to us.”

“I need his help again, but with the time constraint on Lillian, I need to administer the cure the second that we have it available.”

“Meaning?” Father asked.

“I need to work on the cure here, and I need him here with me. Before you say anything,” she interrupted as Father opened his mouth and she turned to face Lincoln. “When I went to the hospital, Sam and I kissed.”

Lincoln’s wolf growled automatically, and silence filled the room. I should have gone with her, he thought. He remembered his conversation with Nathan the night before she went to the hospital. Probably a good thing that I did not go, but if he touches her again, he will eat his teeth. “Absolutely not,” Father said. “A human learning about one of us is dangerous enough, but staying with two packs? With a feral child?

“I would protect him, he will stay with me and Lincoln,” Rhea said. Lincoln growled again but she ignored him. “He will pose no threat to us, but I will need his help and connection to medication for this. Humans have common, generic antibiotics; he should be able to take some without the hospital knowing.”

“Your friend would put his entire career on the line for you?” Mother asked in surprise.

“Before the kiss, he asked me to turn him. He kissed me after I said no,” Rhea answered.

Silence deafened the air as the weight of Rhea’s words settled. He kissed her after she refused, Lincoln thought. He cares for her. Maybe we can trust his help. “Father, this is bigger than one human,” Lincoln said slowly. “Lillian will not be the only one of us poisoned. If this human can help Rhea replace a cure for Lillian, she could engineer that cure for the Decants, too.”

“He’s not wrong, Jonathon,” Mother said quietly.

“I know,” Father replied. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “This human will reside in your home and remain there. He will return home once the cure shows promise in Lillian. If he threatens our kind at all, you will handle it. He is our responsibility. Am I clear?”

“Lillian was my responsibility, and I handled her just fine,” Rhea snapped. She spun on her heels and slammed the door behind her as she exited the house.

“Go, be with her,” Father told Lincoln softly. Lincoln simply nodded and followed his mate. He could sense that she was at her breaking point, and he needed to be there. He was Master Alpha before he was her mate, but he needed to be her mate right now. She needed her mate.