The Alpha's Temptation

Mizvah kept sitting on the deck of the boat for a long time, his mind numb. Flashes of memories flitted through his mind, making it hard for him to breathe. His chest burned with so much pain that he thought it would burst. Never in his life he thought that Morava would be so cruel to use him and then leave him at this juncture. She liked him a lot and he loved her a lot. He had come after her to Draka. He had followed her when she was in a frenzy to mate at the fire festival and then when she was caught, he stayed there in Draka or in the jungles like a mutt who had lost his master. Realization felt like... pits of hell. He doubled up and a sob wracked his body.

"We have to leave," a voice from somewhere broke his chain of thoughts. When he looked up, it was the owner of the boat. He nodded and got up, his knees wobbling under the shock. He let out a humorless chuckle. The owner of the boat came to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry for you son. I was worried about you when just before leaving she gave me the letter and left. She had asked me not to open the letter and give it to you when you woke up."

Mizvah frowned as he listened to the owner.

"She didn't return even after an hour of leaving and then I went into your cabin to look for you to give the letter. However, there was--" the owner looked away and bit his lip. "There was a strong scent of sleep potion in your room. When I went near your pillow, I found it dipped in a solution of strong herbs like chamomile, passionflower and valerian. They are used to induce sleep. When I leaned down to smell it, it was stifling. Now I am not saying that she made you unconscious but you can go back and check it. The smell might be faint now. In my opinion, she used it to make you sleep for a long time while she escaped."

Shocked, he jerked his head back. He didn't smell it at all. "Bu--but where did she get the potion from?" he asked, astonished.

The owner shrugged. "We have various kinds of men traveling on my boat. She could have procured it from them."

Mizvah stabbed his fingers in his hair, thinking of how she must have gone about it. He let out a sad laughter. "She really fucked me up?" He suppressed another bout of tears from his eyes and looked at the sun that was high up in the sky.

"I am sorry..." The owner let out a rough exhale and said, "Well, we have to leave, son. So you may want to collect your bags and go to the shores."

Mizvah looked at the owner and bit his lip. He nodded lightly and dragged himself to his cabin. While he was there, he picked up the pillow and it smelled faintly of the potion. He shook his head as his throat choked with emotions. He was such a fool. While he packed, he mulled whether he should go after her, pursue her. She would be so lost. Would she even know which direction to take? Did she know how to take care of horses? She was so delicate and fragile. Did she even eat her food? All the thoughts made him rub his chest as if he wanted to cover the void that had formed there. Should he go after her? He wanted to. The separation was intolerable, but the betrayal was unbearable.

He loved her so much that he had given up on his family, his duty and his kingdom. He was now homeless and a convict on the run. And this is what she did to him. She paid him for his work and left with the remaining crystals.

Somehow, Mizvah collected his things and packed them in his bag. His clothes smelled of her and it was a torture. Before he came out of the cabin, he wiped his tears with his sleeve. He folded the letter and stashed it in his pocket. When he came out with his bag strapped to his shoulder, the owner was waiting for him on the deck.

"There is a very nice inn on the trade path to Aquila," said the owner, pitying the young man. "My cousin brother manages it. I suggest that you go and stay there for a few days. I can give you a letter to show him."

Mizvah looked at the owner. The man was so kind even though he didn't know him. He was extending support without knowing who he was or who the girl was. Mizvah said, "Can I go back with you?"

The owner narrowed his eyes as he jerked his head back slightly. A moment later, a smile lifted his lips. He said, "It will cost you."

Mizvah's cheeks pinkened. "I will pay for it." Suddenly, he stepped forward and embraced the owner.

The owner patted his back and said, "I am glad that you made this decision." When Mizvah pulled back, he was smiling through his misery. "By the way, I am Bertolf."

"And I am Mizvah."

Mizvah made a decision when he closed the cabin door behind him. As much as he wanted to go after Morava, he didn't. Instead he decided to work on one of the boats out here and stay hidden. He couldn't go to Draka or Pegasii. He was completely ruined. But whatever little that he was left with, he was going to make full use of it.

---

Morava rode for the whole day after she had left Mizvah. Although she had planned on escaping him once they reached the border, the opportunity that came her way last night was too good to miss. It wasn't difficult to make him unconscious once she came across a trader who specialized in selling herbal potions.

At night, Morava had come out on the deck after Mizvah had slept. She was thinking of ways to go to Pegasii when a woman approached her. The woman looked lowly, and Morava was disinterested in her at first, but when she came to know of her husband's profession, plans started conjuring up in her mind.

She talked to his wife and gave her an excuse that she was unable to sleep well. His wife took pity on her and gave her a sleep-inducing potion from her husband's merchandise.

Mizvah had said that there was disturbance going on the outskirts of Pegasii. She knew that the Pegasii borders were northwest of Orion and that's where she headed her horse. Dressed in tunic and trousers with a hooded cloak on her, she was disguised as a soldier.

Since she couldn't keep herself on the trade paths or pass through the villages, she rode through the forests on the periphery. She had rested in the afternoon in a small thicket near a stream of water to let her horse drink and eat grass before she headed again towards the place where she knew she would meet General Balfour.