The Alpha's Temptation

She reached her closet that she lived in, with a renewed hope. There was a pitcher of water several days old on the table. She picked it up and drank it greedily. A sigh escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and sat on the pelt. It was so good that she wanted to sleep on it and forget the last three days. Her body was aching all over and her skin felt like it was on fire, but she didn't have a single moment to waste. She got up and went to take a bath in the common bathrooms.

At this time of the day, the bathroom was usually unattended, since everyone was busy doing their duties, so she got it all to herself. Tania used the last vestiges of her soap to scrub herself clean. She washed her matted hair thoroughly and used more water than required to remove the stench and any scabs. Then she rushed back to her room and packed her belongings in a small bag. She picked out her best gown, a frayed gray colored cotton uniform worn over a white petticoat. Once done, she closed the door to her room and went to hunt for food. The kitchen was in the main monastery.

In the kitchen, two cooks, an old and a bulky woman, Ahra, who was also the head cook, and a very young boy, were chatting in low voices. Pots were hung over the fire, the aroma of fresh stew wafting from it. Utensils were lying scattered on the counter and some in the sink. The young boy was cutting the vegetables as he spoke with Ahra.

"Tania, you poor, poor soul!" Ahra squealed when she saw Tania.

Ahra bounced all the way to Tania and hugged her tightly, her heavy bosom pressing down on her. "Where have you been?" she asked in a worried voice, removing herself from Tania. She pulled her to sit at a wooden table. "And you look as pale as a ghost." She barked at the young boy to bring food for Tania.

Tania gobbled her food down quickly while listening to the only person who had ever fussed over her in her entire life. It was heartwarming. "Thank you Ahra," she said with a smile. When she finished eating, she pecked her on the cheek and dashed out of the kitchen. "I will be back after seven suns and then we are going to talk."

Ahra shook her head as she watched her rush out. She loved the child immensely, the poor child was an orphan. There was no one to look after her or to take care of her needs. When Menkar had first brought her in, she darted her fear-filled gaze around like a doe. Menkar had taken her to his library and she had heard screams of the child, but dared not intervene. because she knew the Shaman was knowledgeable about the dark arts. She knew that he was making her his slave. She had hoped that Tania would eventually show her wolf, but the girl never had shown any signs of her wolf nor did she smell of her wolf. Ahra knew that Tania was doomed.

She would often keep leftovers and give them all to Tania and other children. She knew that wolf-less children like her hardly ever received a full meal. It was not because the monastery couldn't afford it, It was because the High Priest had twisted notions about such children. He hated them. None of the other priests could challenge his decision. He had never made a wolf-less person his slave, yet he had made Tania his. It was a mystery she didn't want to delve into.

By the time Tania reached the carriageway in front of the High Priest's dwelling within the monastery, she noticed that he hadn't come out nor was there any carriage present. So, she stood in the garden, under the shade of an oak tree and waited for him. Menkar came out when the sun had tilted to the west.

A carriage with blue curtains that was pulled by two brown and white horses was waiting for them. Tania walked up to the carriage and waited with her head hung low, for permission to step into the carriage.

Menkar motioned towards his two retainers, who were standing near the horses. One of them had brought a massive gray owl. Menkar outstretched his hand for the owl to sit on his forearm, fluttering its wings. He caressed its wings gently. "Nomia. My messenger." He glanced at Tania. "He is going to bring me back the messages. So, make sure that you are in the apple orchards of the palace every night."

"Yes, master."

He lifted his arm for the owl to fly away. It hovered in the sky, circling twice over the aspens and oaks of the monastery and then flew east.

The coachman opened the door for Menkar and he stepped in. As Tania entered, she heard the coachman's low snarl of his sheer disgust he felt about her traveling in the same carriage with the High Priest.. "Should I make her sit with me, m'lord?" he suggested, holding her back.

"Do what you are supposed to do," Menkar replied coldly. The man winced. He closed the door after Tania and jumped up to the driver seat. She heard servants whispering as they loaded the luggage at the back. She clutched her little bag she was carrying tightly.

As the carriage started to move, Tania could hear heavy footfalls of the horses of the four guards who were accompanying them in the journey to the Draka Kingdom.

Tania sat huddled in the corner, her eyes fixed in her lap, as Menkar looked outside the window, his face cold.

"Are you afraid?" Menkar said as he pulled the curtains closed when they approached the outskirts of Cetus. It was evening and they were passing through the thick Eslam Forests.

Tania was going for a covert mission. How could she not be afraid? There were swords at her neck from all sides. Slowly she lifted her face to look at him. "I would be a fool not to be afraid, m'lord," she replied.

"Good," Menkar remarked. "If they come to know that you are a spy, they will kill you without hesitation and will terminate any relations they have with Cetus out of pure spite."