The Alpha's Temptation

When Tania peeled open her eyes, she found herself looking at Eltanin. He was stroking her back gently and watching her with a worried expression. "Tania!" he said when he saw that she was awake. He gathered her close to his chest and embraced her hard. He started rocking her. "I am so sorry," he muttered. "I am so sorry!"

She closed her eyes again, savoring his mist and brine smell. She remembered how the dark tendrils of Yunabi swirled around her. As they entered her, she felt as if her body was going to burst into a thousand pieces. She shrieked, asking Rolfe to stop it, but the arcana was beyond his control too. All she knew later was how painful it was getting and perhaps she was levitating in the air. Her back itched a lot as if lights sizzled and crackled, burning her skin. After that she lost all sense of the world.

When he pulled away from her, his gaze dipped to her face. She cupped his cheek with her hand. He was looking like he had walked through a hurricane. His hair was messed up, he had a beard worth two days, there were dark circles beneath his eyes and there was a small scar on his forehead. "How did you get that?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

Eltanin's chest squeezed. She was worried about him when it should be-- "I am fine, love," he said in a low, assuring voice. "I wished you weren't undergoing all this."

When she was unconscious, Eltanin almost wept. It was impossible for him to stop crying because all he could think of was that his mate was undergoing so much trouble for him. So that he could claim her with her full powers and defeat Felis. He refused to eat food and continued to hold her in his lap until she woke up. It was evening and Ileus set fire inside the cave. He scoured the surroundings for a dry pallet and brought it for them to sit and lie upon.

Eltanin was so dejected by what was happening that he said, "I wish to return to Draka. I don't want Tania to suffer so much for me." He didn't look at Biham. "You all can go ahead to Vilinski, but I want my Tania back. We are going to live the way we are. Felis can go to hell. I will make sure that she is safe and will continue to fight Felis for as long as I live!"

Ileus took a deep breath. He could understand Eltanin's feelings about his mate. However, he explained to him that the fate of realms depended upon Tania. It was important for them to destroy Felis. And for that Tania had to get her full potential. He said that had it not been so important, they wouldn't have bothered to come or meddle in his affairs. He continued to say that Felis was out to destroy Araniea and needed to be stopped as soon as possible. He had manipulated many people to achieve his endgame. However, his endgame was not as he perceived it. It was much more evil and he wasn't even realizing it. "You have to be patient, Eltanin," he said.

Eltanin stared at Ileus as his words sank in him. The gravity of the situation weighed like all of Jade Sea on his shoulders. After that he became quiet. All he ever did was to caress Tania. Sometimes he would shudder and mutter something incomprehensible.

She was unconscious for the remaining afternoon, until evening. When she woke up, he thanked every deity in the world.

"I am hungry," she said in a soft voice that made his chest feel lighter.

He let out a small laugh, relaxed. "Let me bring you some food then." He lifted her off his lap and made her lie down on the pallet. After covering her with his cloak, he went out to get food for her.

That night the wolves shifted so that they could provide warmth to their mates. Both Anastasia and Tania curled into their wolves and slept peacefully while Biham and Rolfe slept near the fire.

They started early the next morning for the next part of the journey. "The Gavran Wilds!" Ileus spat. "I hope there are no rogues here this time!"

Anastasia frowned. "I hope so too. I had asked my father to get rid of them, but they kept coming." She was riding with Ileus. She turned her neck to the right to see Tania who was sitting behind Eltanin on Wind, clutching his waist. The two looked cozy and relaxed after yesterday's ordeal. Rolfe and Biham were riding behind them. They were talking about the possibility of agriculture trade between Galahar and Pegasii.

Gavran Wilds was even tougher than the last stretch. It was nothing but a vast expanse of snow forest. Sun shone in the sky, the rays reflecting brightly on the snow. Their pace slowed down because the snow was soft, but the horses seemed to enjoy the slow pace.

"How long will it take to cover this section?" Eltanin asked, not happy. He grabbed Tania's hand and brought it closer to his chest.

"About two days, if we are lucky to not get a blizzard!" Ileus replied. "I do hope to see a portal that would take us to Vilinski!"

"You mean this place has portals?" Eltanin was surprised. Why the hell were they riding on the horses through such treacherous terrain when the portals were around the corner?

"There are," Anastasia replied. "But only faes can sense them. Unfortunately, I haven't sensed a single one so far."

"Should we go through that cave, Ana?" Ileus asked, recalling the last time when they entered the cave which had a large statue of an ancient fae king.

"No!" she snapped. "There are plenty of other caves and if there is water in them, I will create a portal."

"Why didn't you create a portal in the last one?" Eltanin asked, almost angrily.

"The energy wasn't enough..." she said, looking at Rolfe.

They rode through the snow forest for the entire afternoon and rested only for an hour near a small brook. The horses were tied to a pole as they all had their food. Anastasia and Tania refused the men to even help them to cook. The last rabbit stew was so bad that Biham's pride shattered. He actually stayed away from the cooking activity.

They resumed the journey soon enough. As they rode, Rolfe sidled with Ileus's horse and said, "I have an idea about the spells on Tania." He watched how Eltanin was now sitting on Wind with Tania in the front. He held her like his most precious treasure and it reminded him deeply of Iona. A smile crossed his lips. "If the idea works, we can yank them off her back. All in one go!"

Ileus snapped his gaze at Rolfe. "And what is your idea, demon?" He was sure that Rolfe had a menacing plan in his head.

"As we go north towards Vilinski, there is a dangerous portal that we have to cross. We have to take advantage of its energy!"