Chapter 2

Dimitri looked at me bewildered. "Zmey is your father?"

"Yes, I found out a little while ago"

He narrowed his eyes. "Before or after you left?" He seemed suspicious, but knowing my old man wasn't surprising.

"After the car crash that killed my parents, he reached out" Lissa replied. We had both lost the parental figures when Lissa's family died, he had posed as her father's lawyer and gifted me a moderate sum for my bank account for expenses. He didn't disclose his relationship to me until much later, now he tops up the amount regularly, giving me ample spending money.

"How do you know him?" I asked, studying his face for emotions.

"Everyone in Russia knows him, he is a powerful man." So he is Russian.

"We need to get these girls' schedules and attending class" Alberta interjected. The head guardian was the only female alpha that I knew, she was tough but very fair in public. Privately, she was like a second mother to me, she arrived to St Vladimirs shortly before I did.

She had taken on the role as head guardian and she wanted to personally deal with the cheeky four-year old who was terrorising her teachers. She would get me to come by every afternoon for tea, talking to me about my day, watching me do homework and giving me advice. She provided me with stability and made me feel loved.

When I got older, the visits dropped to Sunday afternoon, but she would make it a high tea spread. I supplemented that with disciplinary meetings which were often a few times a week.

"Berta" I said to her.

She pulled me into a fierce hug and then briefly scolded me. "You should have come to me, not run away. That was so dangerous, both of you knew better." She sniffed Rose. "There's something different about you."

"Well, it has been 2 years. I better go, catch up Sunday?" I said to diffuse the tension. Alberta nodded in response, then she escorted us to the careers advisor.

We could hear my father and Kirova leaving her office discussing accommodation options for me as they walked past. "Tell me Ellen, do you think chipped paint and a broken heating system is appropriate for the dhampir children? I'd love a tour of the moroi dorms to inspect Lissa's room, just to get an understanding of the 'equality' amongst the children and what your institution thinks my daughter deserves."

I smirked at myself, it was going to be interesting to see the change in Kirova's attitude towards me. She looked petrified by the knowledge of who my father was. I expected that he would have both Lissa and my rooms set up before we returned from classes. I expected that he would arrange for Lissa and I to have dinner with him tonight too.

I was given my class list:

1st Period Advanced Guardian Combat Techniques

2nd Period Bodyguard Theory and Personal Protection 3

3rd Period Weight Training and Conditioning

4th Period Senior Language Arts (Novices)

—Lunch—

5th Period Animal Behavior and Physiology

6th Period Pre-calculus

7th Period Moroi Culture 4

8th Period Slavic Art

Dimitri escorted me to Dhampir senior classes, both silent. I couldn't help but look at Dimitri from my periphery. As I entered the room, all eyes turned to me. I stepped closer to Dimitri, his scent felt like a blanket of comfort.

I walked in with my head held high, I had left this school a legend and in my mind, nothing had changed that. There were a few differences, some people had clearly declared alpha, they were huge. Eddie Castile and Charlie Hunt looked alpha, yet they were still nothing compared to Dimitri.

I didn't know how much Eddie had changed becoming Alpha, so I focused on my other close friend, Mason. "Hey Mason, wipe the drool off your face. If you're going to think about me naked, do it on your own time."

I heard Dimitri give off a low growl, as I sauntered across the room with an extra swing of my hips. Red-haired Mason gave me a lopsided grin and a big hug. Eddie joined in over the top of us. As we broke off I could see Charlie give Eddie a disdainful look.

"Look at you, big alpha" I ran my fingers up his arm and Eddie blushed. I smiled, he seemed like the same sweet boy I remembered.

Dimitri walked off muttering in Russian.

"This is my time Hathaway, I am leading today's class" Mason puffed out his chest proudly, reminding me of a peacock.

I could see a crowd of dhampirs trying to come up to talk to me, it was a little intimidating. I could see Chelsea roll her eyes and give me a glare saying 'Rose is back to steal all the attention again."

Eddie gave out a growl to deter them and most of them backed away.

Charlie did not. "Something is different about you Hathaway, you smell different."

He moved close to me and I started to tremble. When Dimitri did it, I liked it. When Charlie did, it felt predatory.

"Leave her alone" Eddie growled and stood in front of me, Mason flanked me on the other side.

Charlie bared his teeth at the guys.

I stepped forward "As much as I love people smelling me… I don't, so please go away."

He stalked off and I looked at the others "What's his deal?"

"He declared alpha about a year ago, he has been walking around like he is the second coming ever since" Mason responded.

"I presented 6 months ago, he thinks he is better than everyone. We mostly train together while we are getting a handle on our strength or some of the better Betas like Mason." Eddie explained. To me, their dynamic seemed off, Charlie had contempt for Eddie. In my mind, neither of them held a candle to guardian belikov.

Everyone wanted to know where we'd been; apparently Lissa and I had become legends. I couldn't tell them why we'd left, of course, so I offered up a lot of taunts and wouldn't-you-like-to-knows with a wink that served just as well.

Mason started the class with Guardian Matthews supervising. They were going through a move I wasn't familiar with, so I felt completely uncoordinated as a result.

We broke up into pairs for sparring, I had Blake Aylesworth as a partner.

"Looking good Hathaway" He said to me. I didn't use the move, but I did flip him to the ground. Blake's face was shocked, to lose to such a smaller opponent, but that was the benefit of studying Aikido and Krav Maga.

When I took on Mason, I wasn't quite so lucky. I didn't realise how much I had slipped, looking around it appeared as though Blake was the worst in the class. I ended up on my back more times than not. Occasionally I threw in the odd surprise move that bested mason, but this was nothing like before I left when I won the majority of fights.

"You were actually better than I expected, especially that throw" Mason said as I pulled myself up from the floor.

"The heaven and earth throw, my speciality. But I think I got too cocky after beating humans all the time."

"Don't take offence, but I think you will struggle to get through trials in the spring-"

"They are making me take extra classes, I'll be ready"

"Who with?"

"The tall guy, Dimitri"

Mason stopped walking and stared at me. "You're putting in extra time with Belikov?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"So the man is an alpha god."

"Exaggerate much?" I asked.

"No, I'm serious. I mean, he's all quiet and antisocial usually, but when he fights…wow. If you think you're hurting now, you're going to be dead when he's done with you."

I knew he was bating me when we fought, but I didn't know he was that good. I was apprehensive for our after school session.

My second period did not go better. Guardian Alto stood me in the front of the class and humiliated me while I was under the watchful gaze of Guardian Belikov. He went for the jugular, berating me for poorly protecting lissa and reminding me how we would have been killed if I had encountered strigoi.

During third period, I was embarrassed by the small amount of weights I could lift in comparison to my other classmates. In senior language arts I was lost, they had moved on to Russian and I didn't know a word of it.

When I reached lunch break, I was feeling inadequate and dejected. I smelt pine and leather and I turned to see Dimitri fall into step with me.

"I'm sure you saw what happened in Alto's class"

"I did"

I huffed in response and didn't look at him, so he continued. "Do you think he was unjustified?"

"I kept her safe for two years"

"How did you fare against your classmates, as someone who was previously top of the class?"

I scowled at him and didn't answer.

"If you can't fight them.."

"Then I can't fight strigoi, I know"

"Look, you aren't as far behind as predicted, but you are going to have to work on your strength and endurance first. Otherwise you'll never really be able to commit to protecting the princess."

"I will protect her."

"If you concentrate all of your focus on being the best guardian, I will try to make that happen."

I looked up at him with a huge smile on my face "Really?"

He gave me a magnificent smile and placed his hand on my shoulder. "Only if I see it in your training."

His touch had left warmth moving down my arm and that feeling travelled to my chest, It felt so wonderful to have someone like him supporting me.

That afternoon I pushed myself to my limit on every exercise that he gave me. I was so weak at the end of the session that he had to walk me to my room, supporting me under my arm. I felt very content being this close to him, he instructed me to take a magnesium salt bath to soothe my sore muscles.

My father had certainly come through when it came to my room. He secured me a dorm matron room which included a kitchenette, reading area and a private bathroom with a large bath. He had also stocked my room with brand new workout gear and other clothes, instead of the salvation army clothing that I had been wearing.

As I entered inside the building, I noticed freshly laid flooring and a maintenance crew working on the heating system and a new coat of paint. I was certain that this was my fathers doing, he seemed ready to raise hell regarding equality for dhampir's, particularly for me.

We lived in a class-based society, based purely on the family you were born in and biology. The moroi were either royalty or not and Dhampirs were separated on the basis of our biology with the Alpha's at the top and Omegas on the bottom. The Dragomirs often talked in a piteous way of the scandalous treatment of omega women who were forced into sexual slavery to royal moroi.

My father arranged for Lissa and I to meet him for dinner that evening, we met him in his guesthouse suite. His primary guardian Pavel joined us for dinner and two other guards stood outside to guard.

"How was school?" he asked.

Lissa and I looked at each other, Lissa's day flickered through me in the bond. People had shunned her, her ex-boyfriend had a new girlfriend who was talking shit about her and giving her filthy looks.

"It sucked" I answered for the both of us.

"I'm sure things will get better, you know that you needed to come back for both of your futures."

Lissa didn't believe him, but her people pleasing nature made her pacify him. "I'm sure it will."

"Any concerns, any feelings of being watched?"

"Not so far"

"That's good"

"How was training, Rose?" Pavel asked.

I shrank back. "I beat the worst in the class and the rest kicked my arse."

"It could have been worse"

"That's what everyone said"

"And your mentor" Abe/Baba asked.

"He's excellent, very dedicated and willing to train me" And hot. Baba looked at me with critical eyes, I tried to keep my face as blank as possible, but I could feel Lissa use a tiny bit of power to check my aura.

She looked at me 'You like him'

I pointedly avoided looking at her.

"Thank you for my room Baba, I've never had anything so nice" I said to him.

He smiled at me. "I wanted you to be comfortable on your return and I used my influence to improve the overall quality of the Dhampir accommodation. I was disgusted to find out from my sources that they didn't have regular heating during the winter"

"Only since I was four" I said deadpan. Lissa looked shocked, but she hadn't come to my room very often, in fact, because it was cold I would often stay with her. Needless to say, I had succeeded in distracting both of them.

We finished the meal and I walked Lissa back to her dorm. She was about to ask me something when Natalie Dashkov pounced.

"Rose! So good to see you. The school is a buzz with your return to school with Princess Vasilisa. Did you know we are roommates? Daddy made sure that we would be roommates as my last roommates had to relocate due to allergies, although I never saw her sneeze."

"Hi Natalie, I didn't know that you were roommates, that is very exciting." I slipped in, she could keep talking for hours if you let her. She was Victor Dashkov's only daughter and she was a little too talkative and a bit odd, but she was sweet.

Natalie and Lissa showed me their room, it was a royal moroi premium suite, but mine was almost the same size. I said goodnight, stating that I had an early start at the gym.

Morning training session was much the same as last time, more running and weights, going through basic stances and moves.

At lunch, I decided to learn more about Alpha's as I had missed two years of dhampir biology and only understood the most basic of concepts. I was hoping that it would help me understand Dimitri better.

I went to the school library to read up about it, there wasn't much in stock. I found a small book by Dr Elizabeta Kaya that compared and contrasted the three Dhampiric biology states. I signed the book out and found a spot to read it.

I turned the first chapter which provided a brief overview of A/B/O sex characteristics:

'Betas are taught as the first biological Dhampir sex trait as they don't have particularly distinguishing characteristics over other Dhampir physiological variations. Often the other secondary sex types are discussed in comparison with Betas, as they are the most abundant population (85%), who share traits with each groups.

Betas have basic dhampir physiology with enhanced speed and reflexes compared to humans. They lack genitalia specifications that distinguish them from humans, but they have scent glands in the neck, armpit, groin and wrist. They have an enhanced sense of smell, but they lack the smell precision of the Alphas.

Betas' primary pheromone is Androstenol, which is secreted steadily, making them less prone to mood swings. They often lack a heat cycle, unless mated with an alpha or an omega. They tend to produce more alpha-androstenol in the presence of other betas, and beta-androstenol in the presence of alphas and omegas. A beta mated to an alpha will have significantly higher beta-androstenol levels, which will trigger pseudo-heats.

Alphas have the most developed Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Endocrine, Gonadal and Musculoskeletal system. They run at higher temperatures, particularly while in heat and they have a very potent sense of smell. Alphas can identify individuals with their sense of smell. Alpha's undergo a six monthly mating cycle called a rut, where they experience increased hormonal drive resulting in increased sexual drive and aggressive behaviour.

A taller than average height in pre-puberty adolescents can be a good indicator of future Alpha development before their genitalia changes develop. Their development of specialised genitalia often confirms Alpha presentation, particularly in female alphas.'

At 6 foot 7, I'm sure Dimitri's presentation was not a surprise to anyone.

'The primary anatomical difference between male alphas and male betas is that male alphas have at the base of their penis, a Bulbus Glandis, which expands during intercourse. The Bulbus Glandis locks the Alpha's appendage inside of their partner. The bulbus Glandis is colloquially referred to as the Alpha's "knot". Male Alphas often have larger penis and testicles than beta males and produce a larger volume of ejaculate, particularly during a rut.'

Lissa's brother once had a friend over, she told Lissa and I about her experience being a partner for an alpha classmate's rut. She was very graphic, it sounded very violent to my 14 year old self, but the way she was recounting it, however, it seemed like she was a very willing participant. I hadn't been intimate with anyone before, just a few make out sessions, so I didn't really know what she was talking about.

I flipped the page to see detailed diagrams. Very graphic diagrams of the penis and the knot. I became very aroused of the thought of a certain guardians member and what his knot would look like. What is wrong with me, I can't stop lusting over this man.

'Female Alphas have a more pronounced swelling of the clitoris when aroused which can produce ejaculate, capable of fertilising omegas. They also have a bulbus uncus, which locks in a penis in their vaginal canal to maximise pleasure for both partners and increase chance of conception. Female Alpha conception is low despite these features, in contrast to the highly Virile Alpha male.'

I made a conscious decision not to look at the pages of female alpha anatomy, It sounded too disturbing and the text was descriptive enough.

'Alphas have heightened sense of smell and taste, they have very high A & B Androstenone pheromones, which creates a dominant, intimidating, aggressive aura. Research suggests that A - Androsterone is related to the Alpha's aura and B-Androsterone is related to their behavioural characteristics.

This theory has been supported by less aggressive alphas, producing more A - Androsterone, which produces a dominant aura without the aggressiveness. When in rut, alpha production of Androstenone goes into overdrive.'

Dimitri was so controlled, but kind, and he struck me as one who had a very dominant aura.

'In contrast, to the naked eye, female Beta and Omega have similar external physiology. Female omegas differ through their hormonal production and they tend to have a more diminutive stature and are subjectively more alluring, but this has yet to be scientifically proven.

Female omega produce a lot of lubrication, during estrous it is called "Slick". Omega females have a ridge in their vaginal canal that is postulated to align with the alpha knot to reinforce the locking mechanism. In addition, the ridge provides enhanced pleasure for their male partners or female alphas.'

At this description, I had to look at the diagram to understand the concept. It looked like an extra narrowing in the internal wall of the vaginal canal. Anything for a man's pleasure I guess, biology seemed unfair to me.

'The male Omega has a less defined penis and smaller testicles and their anal canal contains a gestational cavity. An anal ridge lies within their anal canal and male omega produce an anal slick during their estrous.

The hallmark of Omega presentation is their first estrous, which results in the production of pheromones that attract all members of the opposite sex, humans, dhampir and moroi alike. Estrous is an omega mating cycle, it occurs every 3 months and lasts for 3-7 days. An estrous is in lieu of a menstrual cycle experienced by Betas and the female alpha ruts.

During their Estrous, their abundant lubrication thickens to form the slick, which acts to grip their partner's penis to encourage fertilisation. They are hyper fertile during this period and can become impregnated by humans, moroi and Dhampir.

As a vast majority of Omegas become courtesans, they almost exclusively mate with moroi, hence little is known about sexual interactions between mated Alpha and Omega. The ridge is postulated to have a perfect anatomical line up with the knot, which has been shown in laboratory 'in vivo' studies.'

Omegas had a bleak outlook in the moroi world, it was mandatory for a presented omega to go to court. I'd never heard of an omega partnered with a dhampir, even though the rest of us can't procreate with each other.

Dhampir numbers were getting lower and lower, and moroi women marrying a dhampir was frowned upon. Even the label Rut-slut was meant to demean women wanting alpha dhampirs. Female Dhampirs were often mistresses or engaged in brief flings who often didn't receive help from moroi men when their union produced a child. They treated Omega Dhampirs as nothing more than sex slaves to the royal moroi, it was disgusting. It was surprising that Dhampirs hadn't died off already.

"What are you doing?" I jumped, lost in my thoughts to see Lissa standing behind me. I tried to hide the book from her sharp green eyes.

"Nothing"

She smirked at me."Why are you looking up alphas and omegas?"

She knew me too well, I often had trouble lying to her. "Everything is so different, I thought it would be best to get the lay of the land by understanding the changes in our classmates."

"And this has nothing to do with your Russian alpha mentor" she raised one eyebrow.

"A little, I don't understand him and there is something about him. I don't know, it's hard to explain. I was trying to see whether the book could help me understand."

"Why don't you tell me what you are feeling?"

"I just feel a pull towards him, I can't explain it. I don't know whether it is his alpha pheromones or something else"

"Why don't you check out the mating section?"

I flipped over to the Mating section:

'Alphas can find their true mates, their scent is naturally enticing and calming to their mate. Mates are drawn to each other, they often can feel this pull from the moment that they meet. Alphas will emit a growl on first encounter with their mate and their partner may growl or purr in response.'

Did I purr when I met him?

'Alphas are fiercely loyal and protective of their mate. They often feel drawn to each other with strong sexual desires difficult to control. It is often debated among academics whether true mates are soulmates, but once an alpha meets his true mate, he is loyal forever.'

This explained my feelings, but I didn't know if he felt the same way.

"Rose, maybe you should find out whether he has a mate?"

I stuffed the book in my bag and then fiddled with my hair. "As you are his charge, would you be able to ask that? Whether you need to accommodate them in the future?"

"I think it would be better if it came from you. Just ask him in training." Lissa patted my shoulder.

"Fine"

AN: I'm overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter, your reviews were so kind. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I'm not getting emails from FFN, i'm not sure whether others are having this problem too, but the App still delivers alerts