The Alpha's Temptation

Mizvah halted in his tracks for a moment as he glared at Morava. "Are you out of your mind?" he chastised her in a low voice. "We will not touch Pegasii. If King Biham's spies come to know that you have entered the kingdom, he is going to kill you!"

"But--"

Mizvah started walking again as more anger flared in his chest. "Stop it!"

"Mizvah, because of her I have spent the worst days of my life. I rotted in the dungeons while she not only took the throne that was rightfully mine but she also got the man who was supposed to be mine. I would have been married to Eltanin and been the queen of Draka by now!"

"But what is your current condition, Princess Morava?" he asked, gritting his teeth. "You are stripped of your title, since you committed a crime against royalty you are on the top of their criminal list, and now that you are running away from the prison, you are also on their list to be killed at sight!" He rushed to his horse that was standing in the stable, tied to a pole and drinking water from a trough. He removed its rope and made Morava sit on the saddle.

"Mizvah!" Morava hissed. "You can use your authority as the soldier of Pegasii to enter. I will stay low and hide in your shadows."

Mizvah opened the saddlebag, took out dried meat wrapped in a leaf for her and gave it to her. "Have it," he replied. In one swift motion, he swung on the horse and didn't wait for a second. He started to ride towards the main gates without speaking another word. He was very angry with the princess. Did she not understand that if they went to Pegasii, she would have herself killed?

"Mizvah!" Morava said. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Do you have no regard to your safety, Princess?" he said. "And how do you think I got those precious gems?"

Morava bit into dried meat as he pulled the hood over her head in order for her to stay hidden. "How?" she asked, chewing her meat. She was starving for good food. Even though the meat was not soft, she liked it over the horrible watery broth she received every day in the dungeons. Her mother was also in the dungeons about two corners away. If she wanted, she could have asked Mizvah to help release her mother too. But she didn't risk it. It was quite possible that the jailer wouldn't have allowed the release of two prisoners. Morava had a choice: either she came out of the dungeons or her mother. She chose herself.

"Everyone knows me in the Pegasii Palace. I used my position to enter your residential wing. Over there the guards allowed me to enter only because they knew me. However, I had to speak lies to get inside your bedchamber in order to steal these gems. Don't you think that by now they must have already been alarmed that I spoke lies to them? They must be hunting for me and once they won't find me, even I would be a criminal in the eyes of the kingdom!"

They had reached the gates of the palace. Mizvah showed them the letter from Gordon and the guards opened the gates. As soon as Mizvah was out of the palace, he rushed to the Jungles of Tolcet.

Morava was too tired but she couldn't accept that she would run like this and that too with Mizvah. "Stop the horse now!" she ordered him.

"What? Why?" Mizvah said, bewildered. "If they get to know that you have left, the guards will come immediately to size you. They will not take you back, they will behead you!"

"I will go back to Pegasii!" she snapped. "If I can't get the throne of Pegasii, I will not let Lusitania be its heir. You have to take me there."

Mizvah narrowed his eyes. He slowed the horse and let out a rough exhale. After a long moment of silence, he said, "For that you have to be strong. Let us just think about it rather than act impulsively, okay? I am going to take you to Eridanus Kingdom through the Jungles of Tolcet. From there we will take a ship over the Eridani River and then cross over to Aquila."

"Ship over Eridani? You want to die and kill me too?" she shrieked. "Water of the Eridani River is treacherous. Nothing stays in it and if you are planning on taking those special ships, where will you get the money to sail in them?"

Mizvah chuckled. "I didn't give all the gems to the jailer." He patted the side of his tunic on the waist. "I have some gems still with me so that we can start a new life together."

Morava raised an eyebrow. A new life together? With him? She narrowed her eyes and snapped her mouth shut. Mizvah was dreaming. She scoffed. But she liked the fact that he had some gems still with him. A plan started forming in her mind. With the gems, she could do what she really wanted.

He thought that she had become quiet because she liked the idea of starting a new life with him. He gathered her closer to him in the saddle and nudged the horse to move faster towards Tolcet. He had heard of a route that meandered through the jungle. If he kept this pace, they would reach Eridani River by the next afternoon. He intended to stop for the night.

It was evening by the time they reached Tolcet and Morava didn't talk much. Instead she ate and focused on gaining strength. When they had stopped to eat food, she suggested to him, "Why don't we enter Aquila through Orion Kingdom? It would be a lot shorter. It's not that anyone would be looking for you in Orion."

Mizvah chewed on the hard bread that he had packed while he gave the meat to her. "I am slightly wary of going there. I wanted to keep you away from the public eye. You will be recognized..."

"You shouldn't be that wary, Mizvah. Let us just cut short and go through Orion Kingdom. We will keep to the borders, okay?" Morava knew that if she took a boat through Wolfleirs Lake in Orion, she would be able to further shorten the journey and reach Pegasii fast. When she saw how nervous he was, she placed her hand on his and said, "I will disguise as a common peasant. Don't worry..."

He wiped his face as he looked away. "I just want to keep you safe, Morava," he said in a low voice as he watched the sun going down the horizon. He had to find a place for them to stop and keep her warm. She was so fragile and he was sure that she was tired after all the journey.

She chuckled. "I can take care of myself and stop worrying so much."

This was the first time she had smiled. Mizvah's mood lifted immediately. "Okay," he replied. "We will go to Orion. But first, you must eat." He gave her his bread too.

They spent the night in a clearing in Tolcet. He found a small cave for them that was nestled in a small hill and collected wood to make fire and keep the cold away. He made her sleep near the fire, while he slept on the other side to shield her from all the cold winds.

In the morning, they started for Orion Kingdom. They reached Wolfleirs Lake by the evening. The shores were busy with men and women shouting to get customers for their boats. Vendors were shouting as they tried to attract people to sell their trinkets or other merchandise.

"Do you want to stop to rest?" Mizvah asked. They had traveled throughout the day. On his way to the lake, Mizvah had traded one gem with a rogue trader with gold and silver coins that was enough to last for a long time. He bought another dress for Morava and a dye that would color her hair. He made sure that her tattoo was fully covered. They had stopped in a local inn where Morava colored her hair to a deep purple.

She shook her head. "No, let us get in the boat. We must get away as far as possible, quickly."

His lips lifted into a smile. She was just as eager to start a new life with him as he was. He nodded excitedly. Then he went to talk to a sailor of the largest boat. The trip to Aquila would last a night and a morning. They would reach the borders of Aquila by the night fall. He knew that Wolfliers Lake also ended till Pegasii. So he took a boat that would be near Aquila and very far from Pegasii, but he didn't tell Morava. He intended to keep her safe and warm. And he intended to keep their horse too to travel as fast as possible to Aquila.

"The owner is allowing us to port the horse too!" she asked. They had eaten in a local inn and so she felt much better.

"Yes!" he said as he helped her climb on board. "He has given us a small room for the journey." He didn't tell her that the owner charged heavily.

Morava once again smiled beatifically at him and he thought that the axis of his world stopped, tilted and then started spinning faster than ever. For the whole night, he kept her covered under the blankets in their bed while he lay over them. Mizvah couldn't believe that finally Morava would be his. He would look at her beautiful face and then take a deep sigh. He thanked the deities that Morava was ousted from her kingdom. Had she still been the princess, she would have never accepted him. He promised to himself that he was going to keep her safe from all hazards.

He woke up late in the morning because he had slept pretty late. He watched Morava for most of the night as she slept peacefully in his arms. He stretched his limbs feeling relaxed and happy. His gaze went to the side and he found that Morava wasn't there. Surprised, he got out of bed. The boat wasn't moving either. When he reached out, he saw that it was past afternoon and except two workers there was no one else on the boat. Panicked that he had slept for so long, he rushed back to his room and then came back out. Sweat broke on his forehead. He searched for Morava on the entire boat but she was missing. Dread blasted in his chest when he realized that the gems were missing too. He went to the owner. "Did you see the lady who was with me?" he asked.

The owner sized him up. "Yes, she has gone. She took the horse and said that she is leaving." He dug his pocket and gave him a crumpled parchment. "She left this message for you."

Mizvah opened the parchment. In it was written:

Thank you for your help, Mizvah, but how could you think that I would spend my life with you? I am leaving. Don't find me.

I have taken the gems because they belong to me. You already have enough gold and silver coins to last for a long time.

--  Princess Morava

Mizvah sank to the floor as he stabbed his hands in his hair. She had used him and fucked him so badly that he could never go back to his kingdom. He would forever remain a criminal. Tears stung at the back of his eyes as his chest caved. "Moravaaaaa!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as if she would hear him. He had loved her so much.

The owner of the boat stared at the jilted lover and shook his head. "I am sorry for you wolf," he said and then left him.

Mizvah stayed there, his tears falling unbridled. Morava was lost.