The Alpha's Temptation

Morava was kneeling in front of Biham, who had woken up after the commotion. He had given direct orders to wake him up if anything happened to Tania or when she awoke. He had almost run all the way from the north wing of the palace to here. When he saw that the guards were holding Morava as their prisoner, his temper flared. He ordered the healers to take Tania back inside.

"Father, I had come only to greet Lusitania. She was—" Morava snapped her mouth shut when realized that she was speaking again. How was that possible? She looked towards the closed doors of Tania's room, bewildered.

Biham growled and lunged at her. He grabbed her neck with both his hands, he was so furious that he started to squeeze when all of a sudden, he heard his wife.

"Biham!" Sirrah came rushing to his side and held his wrists. "Are you insane?" she tried to yank his wrists off Morava's neck. "Do you want to kill your child for another?"

After a long moment, once Morava actually started coughing and tears started flowing out of her eyes, had he shoved her to the floor. "If I see you here again, you will find yourself in the dungeons."

Sirrah was sure that Biham would kill her daughter. She assured him that Morava would not come back and took Morava hurriedly back with her.

Tania went back to sleep. The energy she had used to pull out her magic to use on Morava had drained her completely. She was shaking by the time she had reached her bed. The healer had given her chicken stew along with some medicine. He was trembling in fear. He shouldn't have slept. He was sure that the king would order his execution. However, the king was only interested in putting his fragile daughter back to bed.

When she woke up next, she asked the healer, "How long have I been asleep?"

"It's been over a day, princess," he replied and bowed to her.

"Princess?" She jerked her head back. "I am no princess," she muttered. And a day? Feeling extremely hot, she got up and wiggled her toes. Her wounds were all healed and only a few red marks were left. Fortunately, her body had healed pretty quickly. She took a deep breath and swept her feet onto the rug on the floor.

"Would you like to take a bath, princess?" the healer asked. He was overjoyed to see her up and about. He had to inform the king as soon as possible.

Tania felt like she was stinking for all of Araniea. "Yes, I would like to," she mumbled. She missed Eltanin so much that her heart ached for him. She sucked in a sharp breath and rubbed her chest as she walked to the window. She had to escape in order to be with him. She didn't have a plan, but she was going to form one. If only she could send a message to him. Her eyes welled up. She had irrevocably fallen in love with him. He had said that she was his mate. Did mates know when they went missing? Or did he find someone else? The thought was enough to punch all the air out of her lungs.

Also, the fact that Biham was her father, unnerved her to an extent that she didn't have words. Who was her mother and why did he leave her? She wanted to meet her mother. Tania wondered if she was born out of wedlock. That could be one of the reasons why Biham left her mother. However, it wasn't uncommon for kings to have bastard children. Was she a bastard child? So, why was Biham interested in her? A shudder passed through her body as dread poured in. Too many questions bounced around in her head.

She leaned against the window and stared into the darkness beyond. It was a dark, moonless night. The stars had lit the black velvety sky in the form of a ribbon that dazzled above the forest and land. From her peripheral vision she noticed the white tops of tents that looked like an ocean of sharp waves, which stretched for miles and miles. Small bonfires dotted the area, imparting a glow to an otherwise still night. From the palace, the view was breathtaking. "What is that?" she asked hoarsely as she sipped the honey and lemon flavored water that the healer gave her.

"That is King Eltanin and Prince Rigel's armies," he replied.

Stunned, Tania grasped the tumbler tightly in her hands. "Eltanin is here?" she said in a very low voice.

"Yes, princess," the healer said. Then, without bothering her with more details, he bowed to her. "I am sending the maids in with hot water. They will help you take a bath."

---

"Have you gone mad? How much more trouble can you cause, Morava?" Sirrah admonished her.

"I can't live with that bitch in the same place, Mother!" Morava threw another tantrum. She was entitled to the throne. She was supposed to be the wife of the Draka king. She was the only true heir of Pegasii. "You have to do something to remove her from the palace and Eltanin's life."

When her father had gone to meet king Eltanin, he had asked about the slave girl and said that she be handed over to him. He had also said that he would make sure that Morava was beheaded for doing something as dangerous and vicious as abducting someone who was off limits. With the fear that Eltanin would attack and wipe them off the face of this earth, Biham had only informed him that the slave girl was healingl. The king was eager to see her, and said that Biham should send her to meet him, but Biham had informed him that she was unconscious and that his healers were working round the clock to cure her.

Biham didn't, however, inform him that Tania was the heir of Pegasii for different reasons. He couldn't reveal that Lusitania was his daughter, he was embarrassed of himself. Also, that's not how kings talked to each other.

More hair had turned gray over the last two days than at any other time in her life . Sirrah was tense. "I have thought of a way, but it largely depends on you Morava," she said as she sat down by her side.

A crease formed on Morava's forehead. "Don't ask me to abduct Tania!"

"Abduct her? Don't even touch her! You can't reach that girl even if you wanted to, Morava!" Sirrah snapped. "Biham has put her into such heavy security that a bird can't even visit her without his permission. And he would never allow you to go near her until he has announced her as the true heir."

"Then what is the plan?" She opened the laces of her gown.

"I am thinking of arranging a meeting between you and King Eltanin," Sirrah said, picking up a salted olive from a bowl.

Morava's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "What?"

Sirrah bit her bottom lip to stop a smile. Her plan was going to make Tania leave once and for all. She would play with the king's emotions.