The Alpha's Temptation

Blue, red and violet shimmery lights appeared in front of them. They pulsated and expanded out forming a large portal. Horses whinnied at the bizarre lights. They backed a little, but the riders stroked them to allay their fears.

Ileus and Anastasia stepped inside first followed by Rolfe and Biham on their horses.

Eltanin was about to mount his horse when he turned. He strode to his father and hugged him in a bear embrace. "Thank you for supporting me," he whispered in a hoarse voice.

Alrakis patted his son' back. "You do understand that I have selfish reasons."

Eltanin chuckled. His father wanted to go back to his mate and be with her forever. It was impossible to think of his father staying for so long without Taiyi. Alrakis carried out his duty as his father and as the king of Draka with so much sacrifice that it was impossible to fathom it. "I know you want to go to my mother, but I think I will get Mother here!"

Alrakis laughed and shook his head. "She is a stubborn woman. If I wasn't able to bring her here, no one can. And believe me, I tried my best!" He had begged, threatened, got angry, sad and basically used every arsenal he had in his emotions to bring her, but the sea goddess didn't budge. Eventually, Alrakis decided to give it all up to his son and go back.

Eltanin squeezed his father a little and then turned to mount his horse. He buttoned Tania's cloak up to the neck and lifted Tania on the saddle first. In a swift motion he sat down behind her and nudged his horse in the portal. He winked knowingly at Rigel just before entering. Rigel gave him a smile and nodded.

When the haze of magic dissipated, Tania saw Sgiáth Bio. It was a beautiful, vast expanse of a snow forest. They had entered an area that was full of pines and firs that were loaded with snow. Ice needles hung from them reflecting the light of the sun. She took a deep breath of the air of the realm and instantly felt… at home. It was as if the air itself was enough to churn her blood. Her skin felt tingly. The magic in her body pulsated and she heard it hissing, 'Mine.'

Eltanin had curled his arms around her tightly as he held the reins of the horse. As Rolfe rode beside Biham, Ileus sidled his horse with Eltanin's and said, "There is a field of passion flowers after this. We have to ride through it quickly. I won't stop the horses over there even for a minute. I hope you are well rested for the journey!"

Mesmerized by the forest, Eltanin was a little dazed. He could feel the slithery magic on his skin. His throat went paper dry when the winds picked up a little and ruffled his hair. It was as if they wanted to sing a song to him.

"Don't get distracted by this place, Eltanin," Anastasia warned. He glanced at Lusitania and said, "You have to help him through this all, okay? The forest is going to call you, but you have to resist the call. Our magical abilities are reduced in Sgiáth Bio. So if you fall into a situation—" Anastasia let out a rough exhale, "—it would become tricky…" her voice drawled off.

Eltanin sucked in a sharp breath of chilly air. "I will stay with you." He was just as anxious as Tania.

"Good," Ileus said and rode in front of him.

They all rode through the forest, dodging the low hanging branches of the trees that were weighed down by the snow and ice. As they rode, the evening morphed into night. The air became cool, watering their eyes. Eltanin noticed how even moonlight hesitated to enter the forest and thick and deep shadows fell on the ground. His hand went to his sword and his shoulders tensed when he thought that the shadows moved. They kind of peeled away, creeping away from them or at times towards them.

Much ahead they came across tall pines, the branches of which knotted from tree to tree. It was as if they formed a barrier and resisted the travelers from going further inside.

Suddenly, Rolfe picked up his hand in a signal to stop. As soon as they stopped, Eltanin picked up the sweet scent of… passion. His arms tightened around Tania and his chest rumbled with a growl. "Are we in the valley of passion flowers?" he asked. He was feeling dazed. His lips quivered as he resisted the need to fuck Lusitania hard. His eyes drooped and his heart pounded against his chest.

"We are!" Ileus breathed, his arms curled tightly around Anastasia.

Rolfe walked his horse to them and said, "We have to cross the valley of passion and I suggest that all of you cover your noses. It will be a long journey."

Eltanin nodded. His chest warred between claiming his mate right here, right now against going ahead. He wondered that if this was what happened before entering the valley, what would happen when they would enter in it.

They all took out woolen mufflers or cotton bandanas from their saddlebags and covered their noses. At the same time, Anastasis cast a spell on all of them. It was a thin veil of air that filtered most of the smell of passion flowers.

Ileus led them all through the valley with Biham following him. Rolfe rode in the last because he was keeping an eye on Eltanin and Tania.

Tania was feeling excited. She wanted to dismount and run in the forest. She felt as if there was something on her back that needed to be untied. She would scratch her back and sometimes rub it against Eltanin like a cow rubbing her skin against a pole.

"Are you fine?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I want to get down and run," she giggled. All her senses were fired. She had never been so charged up in her life.

He chuckled. "Do you want to run away from me?"

She giggled again. "I will make you run with me!"

He laughed. "I wish we could, but let's keep ourselves together."

Soon they entered the valley. Eltanin and Tania were astonished. Wherever they looked, they could only see a vast expanse of red passion flowers. Under the moonlight, they fluttered in the chilly winds, smelling as sweet as passion could be. "Fuck!" Eltanin rasped. He buried his nose in Tania's head to smell her hair. He was overwhelmed by the smell of flowers around him. In order to escape it, he nudged his horse to ride faster.

"That is not going to help!" Ileus shouted a warning. "You will tire the horse!"

Eltanin was in a hurry to get out of the valley. They had just entered it. He didn't listen to Ileus and rode as fast as possible.

"Eltanin!" Biham yelled. "Stop going so fast! We all have to be together in this!"

However, Eltanin just kept going. Soon, they were on their own. The aroma of the wildflowers increased. His fangs lengthened and he grabbed Tania so tightly that he almost squeezed her.