The Alpha's Temptation

The bright light in the chamber blinded her vision when Tania opened her eyes. The clam shell was open and she reached behind her to find Eltanin's side of the blanket was empty.

"I am here," his soft voice made her whip her head to the front. Eltanin was sitting on a chair in his trousers, staring at her with his raven black eyes. His hair was all mussed up in that sexy way but he had shaved.

She smiled. "How long have you been awake?" Was he staring at her all this time?

"Over an hour."

"Why did you let me sleep for so long?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"It seemed like you really needed the rest." He continued to stare at her as he bobbed his throat. The look in his eyes darkened. "Are you angry with me?"

Tania knew why he was asking her that. She had been abducted thrice and he felt responsible for it. She didn't know whose fault it was. Was it Eltanin's or hers? Maybe, it was her fault because she believed people around her, trusted them blindly and wasn't… crafty. She waited for the anger to fill her, but it hadn't come. "No. I am not. I know you will always worry about me."

"Your safety depends on me and I want to keep you as safe as you can be. But after Nerina abducted you, I was… scared. I thought I wouldn't have been able to get to you in time. I missed you terribly."

Tania rose and pulled the blanket to cover her breasts. "And yet here I am," she chuckled. "You can't get rid of me." She patted the side on the bed to ask him to come to her. "I will get my picture painted for you. So, when I am not here, you will have something to remember me by."

He was by her side in an instant. "Don't ever say that again! You will never not be by my side." He wrapped his strong arms around her and gathered her close to his chest. His breath was ragged. "I won't let you out of my sight now." He rested his chin on top of her head.

"Elty…" she caressed his back as he pressed her tightly to him. "I am not going anywhere."

"And you look a lot prettier than your painting would," he replied with a tilt of his head.

She laughed and raised her head to look at him. "Flatterer."

His lips curled up.

"You hoodwinked the king of Jade Sea," she said in a low amused voice, teasing him.

Eltanin looked at her for a moment and then his shoulders shook with his loud laughter. "He took the bait that we were married."

"When in fact, we had married for the first time here!" She blushed a deep red.

Eltanin tipped his head up and roared with a laugh. She loved to see him this relaxed and she marveled the way Taiyi had rescued her from Nerina's cavern. "What did your mother do to Nerina?" she asked as she drew a circle around his nipple and it puckered under her touch.

"I don't know, nor do I care."

She shook her head. "Well, now what?"

"I am still wary of one more person, Tania," he said, as he kissed the crown of her head.

"Who?" she asked.

"High Priest of the Cetus Monastery. He still possesses a part of your soul and I don't know how to get it back from him. We need a plan to do something about it." There was a fire in his eyes when he said that.

"We will think about it once we reach Draka," she said, tapping his nose once. "Right now, shouldn't we get dressed for the celebrations?"

He nodded once. She pushed against his chest and said skeptically, "What am I supposed to wear? I didn't exactly bring a trousseau here…"

"Mother has sent a variety of dresses for you. They all are hanging over there. I will help you with them."

Over the next hour, with the help of maids and a lot of fuss from his side, Tania finally got dressed in a teal gown. She wore white pearl earrings, a choker and a tiara. She let her hair lay open and when she finally stood in front of the mirror, all dressed up, her maids gasped. She looked so beautiful that they stared at her for a long time. Eltanin proudly jutted his chin out at his wife's appearance.

"You are the prettiest woman in the kingdom of Stourin," he said.

"No, Your Highness," a maid countered. "She is the most beautiful woman in the Jade Sea!"

Eltanin let out an excited laugh as Tania shook her head. "You all are just biased."

Eltanin wore black trousers with a teal tunic that was embroidered with gold. They both went to the main hall through the passageway surrounded by guards. After Nerina's incident, Taiyi had made sure that they were surrounded by guards at all times. She had stationed about a dozen guards around their bedchamber.

When they reached the main hall, they were surrounded by the courtiers who bowed to them and congratulated  them on their wedding. From the periphery of his vision, Eltanin saw a familiar figure at the far end of the hall. "Father!" he rasped.

Alrakis tilted his head to see his son and daughter-in-law and waved at them with a huge smile. He emerged with Taiyi hanging on his arm. Taiyi was beaming with happiness. Eltanin held Tania's hand and tugged her to his parents. He was surprised to the core. He had never expected his father to come. His mother had said that she had a surprise for them and she couldn't have given a better one. Eltanin crashed himself on his father and mother. "You both are wicked!" he rasped.

"How are you?" Alrakis asked, beaming with joy. His family was so full. He was planning on spending more time with his wife now that Eltanin had found his mate. On second thought, he wondered if he should wait to see his grandson's face.

"Never better!" Eltanin replied.

"I heard you got married," Alrakis said, raising his eyebrow.

"We did!"

"That's like my son!" Alrakis said, pride swelling in his chest. "You tackled the situation well."

"Shh!" Taiyi shushed them. "This can be discussed later." As the father and son snapped their mouths shut, she extended her hands to Tania. "Come, I want you to meet all the courtiers personally. They have expressed their desire to meet you."

Tania held her mother-in-law's hand. She looked at her new family and her throat choked with emotions. Her mate, her husband had given her so much and then some more. "Can I call you… mother?" she asked in a shy voice and then bit her lip.

"Of course!" Taiyi commanded. "What else would you call me?"

"And me, Father!"

Tania's face split into a wide grin. She nodded vehemently.

Eltanin and Alrakis busied themselves with the guests as Taiyi took her over to meet the courtiers. They went outside the hall where Tania saw a large pool in the center. There were glowing blooms all around it. Men and women jumped in it, shifting into mermaids and mermen. They were resting on the underwater benches with their tails in the water.

"Would you like to go into the pool?" Taiyi asked.

"Yes!" She wanted to touch their tails!