Dimitri was happy with my progress over the following two weeks.

I was developing a serious crush on him and he had finally started sparring with me. When he pinned me, I found it very difficult to keep myself from mounting him. He would often get up very quickly once I was pinned and he would not look at me afterwards.

He had just taken me down and was helping me up. "You are very fast, it's a good compensation for your reduced power"

My shoulders slumped a little, I couldn't tell if that was meant to be a backhanded compliment or not, but he didn't seem the type. I imagined that he was the type of person who only spoke when necessary, never saying things that weren't true.

It did make me feel a little inadequate for not being strong enough, not being a strong alpha like him.

"We can work on it." He assured me and I fixed him with a genuine smile. I felt the pull towards him getting stronger, I felt comfortable with him. It was like I had known him for years. We separated and went to the showers, I tried desperately not to think about the hot, wet, naked Russian on the other side of the wall. I turned the cold tap up, trying to gain control of myself.

I was emboldened, so when he came out of the change room, I decided to ask the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for weeks. "Do you have a mate?"

He didn't look surprised, if anything he looked uncomfortable. "No I don't."

He didn't offer anything else after that.

After the showers, we usually packed up and when he wasn't looking, I stole his dirty training shirt from his bag. I didn't know why I did it, but the smell was so enticing and at the same time relaxing.

I didn't think he noticed as I stuffed it in my bag and I blushed bright red and left the gym quickly.


Lissa and I had started hanging out with Natalie and her friends since we returned to St Vlad's. We still were getting much more attention from the male classmates than I would have liked. Lissa often asked me whether I had put on my deodorant.

"I'm sorry Liss, I train like 7 hours a day, I can't help it if I perspire."

"I know, but the boys look at you like you are a meal, maybe the deodorant will irritate their sensitive noses and leave you alone. We didnt need to worry about this with humans, but dhampir alphas look almost predatory. Did you take your vitamins today? You are training so much, you need to keep up your strength"

I nodded, maybe she had a point with my scent, Charlie Hunt, Jessie Zeklos and even Mason were always aggressively flirting with me. I checked the bond, I knew Lissa just wanted me to stay safe and get back to where I should be with my training. Which meant eating extra protein and taking my vegetables… along with donuts.

Then I dug a little deeper to find something she was concealing from me.

"What were you doing hanging out with Christian Ozera?"

"It wasn't on purpose, I ran into him and he's nice to talk to."

I fixed her with a stare. "So."

"With your schedule I barely see you. I have a lot of down time and sometimes I get lonely."

"I'll keep you company" Natalie interjected.

Lissa flashed her a big smile but through the bond she told me that she sought refuge in the church attic to get away from Natalie's incessant chatter. She liked Natalie, but the girl didn't stop talking, and Lissa was getting multiple headaches a week as a result. While she had been in the attic for respite she had run into Christian.

"Why don't you come see my new room on Saturday, I think Baba is coming for a visit too".

My interactions with Lissa were restricted to class and meal breaks. The dorm matrons had been trying to keep Lissa and I apart on Headmistress Kirova's orders. Whenever Abe was in town, suddenly that was no longer the case.

"I can't wait to see it" Lissa said.

"Really, the dhampir dorms are so depressing and cold." Natalie started.

"They've recently had a refurbishment and the heating system was replaced." Thanks to my old man. I bristled at her attitude, but she was oblivious to such social cues or insults.


I was starting to win more fights and hold my own in novice training. We had been back almost 3 weeks and I noticed that I had put on more muscle and gotten stronger. They hadn't let me fight Eddie or Charlie yet, I still looked minuscule next to them. But they were still no match for strigoi and I had to be good enough to fight them.

"Looking good Hathaway" Charlie swaggered up to me.

I politely smiled back at him and took a sip of water. "Thanks"

"You should come out on saturday night, I could show you a few moves" He said.

I wiped myself down and sprayed myself with deodorant, hoping that the neutral scent would deter the alpha.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm so tired with all my training, after dinner with my father I will probably go to bed early. I see Mason is free, I need to get back into training."

Charlie looked disappointed but not deterred. If anything, he looked more resolved and hungry.

When I got to Mason, he was eyeing Charlie curiously. "What's he doing now"

I sighed, I didn't want to make this situation worse. I knew Mason had a crush on me and my absence hadn't changed things. If anything, it was much worse. His sparring with Charlie had become more brutal. While Mason was the better fighter, Charlie was starting to use his alpha strength properly making them more evenly matched.

I wished for neither of them, all I could think about was Guardian Belikov.


I was sitting in my reading space with Guardian Belikovs T-shirt, continually sniffing it. I had also stolen his towel this afternoon and had wrapped it around myself. It felt so cosy, and smelt strongly of him. It made me feel calm and safe.

I heard a knock at my door and left the items in my study space.

I opened my door to find Alpha Belikov at my door. I was wearing a thin, old t-shirt and short shorts. I could feel my nipples harden at the sight of him.

"Hello" I said to him, his eyes took me in, pausing briefly as his eyes lingered at the height of my breasts, feeling a deep ache in the area between my thighs.

"I think we need to talk" he said in a husky voice. I could feel my pants soak in response to his voice. He sniffed the air and stepped towards me. He dropped his nose to my neck and inhaled deeply.

I stepped back, a little nervous having a full grown alpha moving close to my neck, even if it is a very sexy alpha."What- what are you doing?" I asked him and he froze.

He backed away from me slowly, he gestured for me to sit down in my bed while he stayed across the room. I threw on my silk dressing gown to cover up.

"I'm very sorry, I had trouble maintaining control over myself, you smell wonderful."

I flushed, you never knew what an alpha would think of your scent, given that their senses were so powerful. "It's ok, why are you here?"

"That was an example of why I came to talk to you. What do you know about Alphas?" He asked me

I stared at him puzzled at this unusual line of questioning. "Umm, Alphas are stronger, more aggressive and faster than betas and omega. They have a heightened sense of smell.

He stared at me, "Anything else?"

I blushed. "We didn't really get this in human classes. I know alphas and omegas have slightly different anatomy and physiology." I avoided his eyes, not wanting to talk about his sexual organs. However, I felt my pants get more sodden thinking about certain parts of his anatomy.

He sniffed and then adjusted his belt while he stood against the wall, letting out a similar growl. He closed his eyes and held his breath, clenching his fists. After a moment he relaxed, but he stayed a distance away from me.

"Alphas have heightened senses, I can pick an individual from over 100m away, even further for close family members." He fixed me with a piercing glance and continued. "What do you know about Alpha mates?"

"Alphas and betas can form a mateship with each other."

"Yes, there are two types of mates; True mates and acquired mates. True mates are rare, their scent is naturally enticing to their mate and they often can feel this pull from the moment that they meet. I think true mates are essentially soulmates, they are meant to be."

I nodded my head. Does he feel it too?

"True mates are drawn to each other, they crave them. They often sniff their mates or take items of clothing when separated to feel safe." He looked at me carefully.

I absorbed his words, and my eyes briefly flickered to my study space. I looked into his eyes, the pull was still there and it was undeniable. "You think we are true mates" I could feel my heart rate quicken, pounding in my chest.

"I know we are."

I got off the bed and took a step. "You have felt this thing between us too?"

He inhaled again and closed the distance between us, before I could blink he had his arms. "From the first moment we met."

I sighed and rested my head on his chest, I could feel his heartbeat. I felt so calm and relaxed, he nestled his head in my hair and sniffed. It felt like coming home.

His large, coarse hands stroked my cheek, I blushed and looked up at him as he leaned in for a kiss. It was a chaste kiss on my lips and I felt tingles travel down my body from my lips. "I took your shirt… And your towel…"

He stepped back gently and smiled at me. "I know, Roza. I believe you are my true mate"

"What does this mean for us?"

He brushed a piece of hair that escaped my ponytail and tucked it behind my ear. "People know that you can't control when you find your mate. In terms of rules, our mating is not recognised until you are of age. Once you turn 18, I can publicly commence our courtship and get approval through the proper channels." He smiled and then added quickly. "If that is what you want."

"What happens if an alpha rejects a true bond?" I asked, thinking whether he would want to stay with me.

He pulled away from me, looking hurt. "Do you think I would do that?"

"What if you wanted an alpha partner, not someone weaker like me" I looked down and played with my fingers.

"Roza, how could I not want someone like you? You are brave, dedicated and passionate, with the biggest heart. Your scent is intoxicating, you smell like honey and vanilla and you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. There is something extra special about you."

I snuggled back against his chest and purred in contentment.

"What is the other type of bond, the acquired bond?"

"The old fashioned kind like humans, where an attraction forms and they build a connection slowly. Alphas can claim anyone as their mate by marking them, these bonds vary in depth of feeling."

"Have you ever had one of those?" I asked.

"I dated some girls, but nothing serious for me to claim anyone"

"What if one encounters their true mate while they have an acquired mate?"

"I don't know, I don't think we will ever have to worry about that. You are my true mate, I can feel it and Alpha's are extremely loyal to their mate." I smiled and stood on my tiptoes to smell his neck.

"What do we do next?"

"I can't control how I feel with a true mate, it just happens. But you are still very young, so I want to take it slow and properly court you."

"I'd like that" I gave him a big smile.

"I'll warn you that unmated alphas can be very territorial and aggressive before they have completed the mating ritual. I can also smell your arousal and it's very hard to control myself when I am around you."

I flushed, almost every time I had been around him I would get moist between my legs. "What would you have done if we had met when I was older?"

"As long as you were agreeable, I would have claimed you many times over by now" he whispered huskily in my ears. I quivered with pleasure and he stepped back again to press himself against my door.

"You have no idea of the effect you have on me" he growled.

He didn't, my shorts were visibly soaked and my clit throbbed painfully. I opened my dressing gown to show him my tented peaks and visibly sodden shorts. "Well, this is what you do to me."

His face went blank into his guardian face and he abruptly left my room and seconds later I could see him running across the lawns to the guardian quarters.

I removed my sodden panties and shorts. I lay back on the bed, my fingers stroking my nerve bundle between my folds.

I stroked myself thinking about the incredibly sexy alpha and how he looked at my body with intense desire.

The thought had me on the edge of ecstasy. I worked on myself with a punishing pace continually nudging that edge. I lost control when I thought about what it would feel like when he formed his knot inside my cleft. I grabbed his towel and wrapped it around me, feeling content with the scent of my mate.


As soon as I arrived for training, Dimitri had me running outside. Remembering what I had from the book, I purred a little for him to soothe his nerves and was out the door before he could grab me.

I spotted Charlie Hunt lurking in the trees nearby, he was watching me hungrily. I turned and ran off in the opposite direction, back to the gym.

When I returned to the gym, he initially looked puzzled until he saw my face. He pulled me into a hug and I buried my nose in his armpit. "What's wrong"

"Charlie was in the woods, I was worried that he was waiting for me. He makes me feel uncomfortable and vulnerable" I would never admit that to anyone else except for Dimitri. I caught Charlie sniffing me at dinner yesterday. I didn't know why he was so fixated on me, but I didn't like it.

Dimitri growled and pressed me tighter. "I'll run with you"

We started to run, I saw Charlie leave the woods as we ran past. Dimtiri pushed me at a fast pace, but I was determined to keep up for my mate.

I felt much calmer and practically flew in his presence. "You shaved two minutes off your time."

I grazed the back of his hand with mine, I felt the sparks. "You make me want to be my best."

He gave me a short, satisfied growl in appreciation "Stretch and then start your weights."

While I did my stretches, I remembered last night. "What did you think about last night when you…um… relieved the pressure"

"You."

I flushed with delight and revelled in the intensity of his gaze. He kept silent for the rest of the session, but the intensity remained during our session.


On Thursday night, Dimitri was at my door and I invited him in. He handed me seven deep red lilies with deep purple specks in the centre and a small velvet box. "At the start of courting, alphas give their intended mate a gift. I know you don't like roses, I got you Lilies."

I had previously gone on a rant about how someone's name being Rose doesn't mean that they want Rose shaped gifts. I was surprised that he had not only listened to my silly comments, but remembered them.

I opened the box to find a necklace with three rings, one white gold, one yellow gold and the other rose gold. No one, aside from Lissa, had given me jewellery before.

"Comrade, it's beautiful." His face quirked at the nickname I have given him during our first week. I moved my hair and gestured for him to fasten the necklace around my neck. He puffed his chest with pride when he saw the rings nestled between my breasts.

He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my hand. "The rings signify our past, present and future. The yellow gold represents fidelity, white gold symbolises friendship and rose gold is for love. I'm declaring my intentions to love and care for you."

I stepped forward and pulled him close to me. "Thank you comrade, I love it."

He bent down to kiss me, it started out soft and gentle, but it quickly picked up in intensity. He pulled my body closer to him and I wrapped my legs around him.

I was pressing my hips against his hard member when he broke the kiss abruptly, both of us panting hard. He buried his head in the scent glands in my neck while he gathered his breath.

"Please Roza, I'm trying to take it slow and be respectful to you." Dimitri kissed my forehead and slowly lowered me down to the ground. "You are still under age and I am your mentor. I'm not going anywhere."

I knew all of this, but I hadn't experienced much of life and never met anyone like him. I was so impatient for everything to happen now, not months down the track. He was determined to take things slow, and I was determined to take things fast.

I was going to have a lot of fun trying to make him lose control.

AN: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad that there is a lot of you excited for this story. I have not finished chapter 4, but i'll be able to start writing more once I finish my exam next week. Fingers crossed that I make it over the line.

also... I have no rights to these characters, Richelle Mead does.