The Alpha's Temptation

Taiyi was extremely excited to see Tania. She held her hand and guided her inside the palace. "I saw you translating the arcana. Do you really know ancient languages?" she asked as they walked over the beach, their boots crunching the sand.

"Yes," she replied in a low voice, still absorbing her surroundings. Tania noticed that Taiyi was not wearing any footwear and she walked on the sand very comfortably. "I can read up to seven ancient languages."

Taiya's eyebrows hit her hairline. "That is remarkable!" she said. "And which one do you like the best?"

"Isgash," Tania chuckled. "It is the easiest."

Taiyi laughed at Tania's innocence and downright honesty. Had it been someone else, they would have boasted about the toughest language they knew.

Tania's cheeks pinkened a little. As they approached the palace, she noticed a dark jungle that spilled out along the edges of the palace. They entered the forest and the scent of moss and crisp air hit her nostrils. The air around them was cool. There were insects buzzing around and she almost stifled a squeal when she saw a grasshopper that was glowing a neon green. The leaves on the trees were a light green. Vines that held red, purple and yellow flowers climbed over the trees painting them in brilliant lights and illuminating their pathway.

Eltanin plucked blooms on his way, smelling them and tossing them or putting them in Tania's hair lovingly. At one point of time, he was even making a wreath out of them. When he was a child, he would climb up these vines whenever he would come out to the forest without his mother. He had fallen and bruised his knees and cried and made a big deal out of it, but he had always come back.

They turned to the right where there were lanterns all along the length of the wall, casting light on a pathway. He noticed that suddenly the orange flames of the lanterns glowed golden in front of his eyes. "Are we expecting anyone?" he asked, staring at them.

Taiyi also looked at the flames. Her brows furrowed and she sniffed the air. "Your grandfather will be here soon."

"The king of Jade Sea?" Eltanin was surprised. He had only seen his grandfather twice in his life—once when he was no more than five and then during his last visit. King Izo had been trying to convince Eltanin to come and take over the kingdom of Stourin, but Eltanin had refused. He loved Draka way too much. And he didn't want to be greedy to take care of both the kingdoms just because he was the heir. In fact, in the last meeting, he had even snapped at Izo about asking his parents to have another child. Eltanin also quipped that gods and goddesses never die and so his mother would continue to rule Stourin.

Taiyi sighed. She didn't want the same confrontation between her father and her son. Even though Izo had many sons and daughters, he fancied Eltanin more than anyone else and she knew why. Eltanin was blessed with a wolf with ancient powers and was the strongest in Araniea, on top of that, the prophecy had come true. He had married a girl with hair so pale gold that it was almost silver and she was a half fae. Taiyi knew what was coming. "Father is going to be pushy this time," she warned him.

He clenched his jaw as a rumble vibrated his chest. After a long silence, he took the wreath that he had made from the blooms and put it on top of his mother's head. Taiyi laughed, as all her tension seemed to evaporate.

They reached the doors of the palace, which opened the moment they sensed its owner. Tania heard music. She looked up at the glittering sky of Stourin. The source was definitely far away because it was just a faint stirring of notes. The music was not fast or wild; it was so soft that flowed in gentle waves. The notes would range high as if someone was singing with deep passion and then they would ebb as if someone was mourning. Tania parted her lips, as her soul felt attracted to it. The music summoned her and she felt terrible to not be able to follow it.

"Careful Tania," Taiyi warned her. "Those are sirens. They lurk on the periphery of Stourin to attract mermen. Their aim is to trap them. They take the mermen to their caves, where they feed on their emotions to keep themselves young and beautiful.

Tania gasped. Her trance was broken and she snapped her head to look at Taiyi.

"You are going to be very attracted to the music, especially since you've just heard it for the first time, but don't get drawn to it, okay?"

Tania looked at all the men and women around her. They seemed to ignore the music. What about Eltanin? Had he ever succumbed to their charms?"

They entered the palace and the smell of fresh jacaranda and sandalwood permeated the air. Eltanin pushed aside hanging vines to reveal a courtyard. A pool sat in the middle of it with various fish that were glowing. Moonlight lotus bloomed with pink, blue and white buds on the surface of water as an abundance of fireflies buzzed over them.

The spiral columns of marble, donned with gold, lined their walk. The ceiling of the palace was that of stained glass, through which the sky looked amazing. The white marble walls were lined with gold on the edges.

Eltanin could feel his gifts humming all over his skin, as if crooning with a recognition of something in the air. It was his eather that was responding to the ancient magic of Stourin, for the first time. His eather pulsated and spilled over the edges of his eyes, forming a stream that slanted upwards on the side. A red glow formed around his body. Stop it, he commanded himself. He didn't want others to know that his eather was now pulsating in his veins. He didn't want his grandfather to know about it.

They stopped at a corner and then turned into a massive hall. Immediately, they were hit by the scent of flowers and incense. Tania saw that she was now in the throne hall. A transparent tunnel led to the dais and Taiyi was leading both of them to the golden thrones. She proudly held the hands of her son and his mate as she walked down the center. All the courtiers were outside the tunnel, their shimmery tails swaying gently. They bowed to the queen and her son as they gazed at Tania curiously. Tania saw Fafnir near the dais, still in his merman form.

Tania had hoped that they would get a chance to get ready before any formal event, but she ended up smoothing her hair and straightening her dress in order to look presentable.

They reached the dais and Taiyi introduced her to her courtiers. She made her sit on the left as Eltanin sat on the right throne chair.

It was a different experience for Tania and she watched the court proceedings curiously, when suddenly all the flames in the palace flickered a bright silver. Everyone in the court bowed, including Eltanin and Taiyi. From a blinding flash of light, a man stepped out followed by a girl.