The Alpha's Temptation

Tania slept peacefully after having a busy night with her husband. She didn't even stir when a guard softly knocked on the doors of their bedchamber. Eltanin didn't disturb her. He slid out of the blanket and covered her nicely before going to the door. She murmured something about not leaving when he was slipping out. He smiled at his mate, tucked her hair behind her ear and walked to the couch. He picked up his pajamas and wore them swiftly.

The guard said, "General Fafnir is here."

Eltanin closed the door softly behind him and stepped in his antechamber. Scratching his chin, he asked, "What is the urgency, Fafnir?"

"Princess Morava has been captured by the Nyxers," Fafnir informed him.

Eltanin chuckled and then he wanted to laugh. However, he suppressed his laughter and said, "That is good news." He started leaving but realized that Fafnir still stood right there. "Anything else?"

"King Rolfe has said that he would want to see Princess Lusitania in an hour. The day will be long!"

Eltanin knew what Rolfe meant. Yunabi wasn't an easy arcana. Moreover, the magic in it was dark. He constantly worried about Tania about it. "I will let Tania know," he said and then walked back to his wife. As soon as he was in the blanket, he said to her in a low, soft voice, "King Rolfe wants you to be ready in an hour, Tania."

"Mhnn?" she muttered. She wiggled closer to him until she was pressed against his chest with her arms curled in front of her.

Eltanin was full of emotions when he found her snuggled in his chest. Tenderness, joy and love.

He slipped his arm beneath her head to replace the pillow and wrapped his other arms around her tightly until she was pressed against his bare chest. He looked down at her as her citrusy smell surrounded him and as her war breaths fell on his chest. She was so soft and squishy that he pressed her light against himself.

"Rolfe has called you, Tania," he reminded her as he tucked her chin beneath his head.

"I don't want to go," she cried. "I want to sleep!"

A fluttering chuckle left him. "I can tell him that you don't want to come, but I do not want to disrespect him." He stroked her hair fondly. "He is the king of Galahar and his time can't be trifled. If he has spared that much time for us, it is important that we also appreciate and honor it with dignity." While he said all this to her, he knew that she was too young and not so much exposed to the ways of the royals. He felt bad for her in a way.

She fell silent for a long time and he knew that she must have slept because her breath evened out. Feeling content to lie with his mate, Eltanin was in a blissful state. It was only a matter of time that he would announce it to all that she was his. With Morava completely out of the picture, he was partially relieved.

Gently, he nuzzled the crown of her head savoring how she felt in his arms. He allowed her to sleep for a little more and then woke her up. Tania woke up feeling his fingertips gently raking across her back and she moaned in bliss. Reluctantly, she got and swept her feet on the ground. He watched her with a smile and with his hands crossed at the back of his head. She tied her hair in a bun and with a tinge of jealousy, said, "Don't you have to get ready? Your court must be waiting!"

"I am the king," he replied as his smile broadened. "I can go any time."

She pursed her lips and harrumphed him as she went to take a bath. When she returned, she found him still watching her as she got dressed. She hadn't called the maids because Eltanin didn't want to announce her to the public. And maids were gossip mongers.

"Where is the arcana?" she asked him as she braided her hair, watching him through the mirror.

"I have already given it to Rolfe."

"Why?" she frowned.

"The book was in a self-destruction mode. So I gave him to preserve it. Let's hope that he has preserved most of it!"

Tania's mouth fell to the floor. "Oh my god!"

Eltanin shrugged. "It is a dark arcana. What do you expect?"

Tania left soon after. However, the moment she reached the library, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She pressed her sides and entered the library. It had been cordoned off. At first, Eltanin thought that he would let Rolfe and Tania use the little chamber where she was staying earlier, but Rolfe said that they would be needing a bigger room.

The shelves in the library had been pushed to the sides and a vast space in the center was left open from which the carpet was removed. An oak table and two chairs were set on the side with a small lamp. Tania walked inside to realize that there was no one else. However, as soon as she reached the table, Rolfe revealed himself. He was flipping the pages of the book while sitting cross-legged on the chair.

She jerked to a stop. "Gods above!" she rasped.

Rolfe laughed. "Come Lusitania. There's a lot that you have to learn and we don't have much time!"

Lusitania's lips curled up. She bowed to King Rolfe and said, "But surely, we can't finish the book in a small time. I am hoping that you would be able to spare more time for me to teach me Yunabi."

Rolfe took a deep breath in. "I am afraid that I won't be able to, Lusitania. Moreover, I think Ileus has brought a message for King Biham. And that makes me wonder how long you will be able to stay in Draka."

"What do you mean?" Tania asked, bewildered and angered. No one would make her leave Eltanin. Even the thought sent shudders in her.

"Don't worry, Lusitania," he said. "Let us first focus on Yunabi!" Saying that he placed the book on the table and flipped the first page. He pointed at the symbols beneath his index finger. They started wiggling as if trying to escape and run to the other side. "Osmanate!" he ordered them to stay in place. The symbols shuddered, squirmed beneath his finger and finally stopped moving. "Read from here."

Tania sucked in a sharp breath. Eltanin had said that the book was on a self-destructing mode. Did it mean that the symbols were trying to run away? She stared at the text and began reading the first line. The moment she finished reading it, violet amoky tendrils rose from the page, into the air from the book and lashed towards her. Rolfe flung his hands at them chanting, "Medelny!" The tendril slowed down but continued swirling towards her.

"Read it again!" he ordered. "And receive them. Open your mind, open your heart."

Bracing herself, she placed her hands forward and read the text again. The violet tendrils swirled towards her and immediately coiled around her wrists as if trying to make her their captor.