The Alpha's Temptation

General Alphard had come with a unit of Nyxers at the Pegasii borders. He had instructed all his soldiers to stay hidden in the Eslam Forest. Right now, he was sitting in one of the tents in a clearing in the forest where he had called a meeting of his commanders.

Felis had asked him to look for Lusitania and abduct her the moment he saw her. He knew that Felis was after Eltanin and that was why he wanted Lusitania, but Alphard had his own selfish reasons. He was going to abduct Lusitania but for himself. He would claim her and sink his fangs in her before presenting her to Felis.

Alphard was sure that Felis would not mind the idea because of two reasons. One, Lusitania was a fae. That meant she had immense magic powers that could be used to fulfill the purposes of the king. two, with Lusitania with him, Eltanin would come running down to search for his lover. And then he would capture him and give him to Felis. Eltanin's beast was already very weak. Felis would be able to leash him easily.

"We are here to keep solid vigilance over the Draka borders," said Alphard to his commanders who were sitting around a table. "There are strict instructions from the king that he wants Lusitania unharmed." Those were not the instructions from Felis, but Alphard didn't want to harm his future mate. "As soon as you see the fae, you will abduct her and bring her to me!" he almost spat those words out.

The commanders cringed, feeling Alphard's strong aura. They nodded.

"The fae girl is very important for all of us. For Hydra!" he said. "If she resists, I want each of you to be equipped with a sleeping draft, so that you give her in case she resists." He glared at all of them. "Make sure that no common Nyxer even thinks of cruelty to her, because if he does, I would personally maim him."

The commanders gulped. They had rarely seen General Alphard to be so aggressive for a prisoner and that too for a woman.

"Increase your surveillance around Draka and Pegasii. Lusitania is with King Eltanin right now. From the spies I have heard that she doesn't leave Draka without King Eltanin, so we have to look out for every rider, every carriage that passes through these borders for them. Eltanin will not be easy to catch. You have to have a lot of force to catch him. If Lusitania will be with him, he wouldn't let go of her either. So, you have to have your strategies ready on how to catch him." He was so excited that with wide eyes he glared at all the commanders. "Am I clear?"

The commanders nodded.

Alphard rubbed his hands. "Then let's start!"

---

Ileus ate the rabbit stew that Flora had prepared for all. "I am planning to return to Draoidh," he said to Biham.

Biham looked at Tania who was still sleeping. "Will it be possible for you to come with us?" He exhaled heavily. "I know it is too much to ask for, but it would be really nice. She—" he looked at his daughter again and worry etched over his face.

"I am not sure, King Biham. I have stayed away for a long time from Draoidh. I need to go back there."

"And Anastasia?" Biham asked carefully.

"She has been away from our children for more than a week now."

Biham lowered his head and stared at the rabbit stew in his bowl. If he was so worried about his daughter, how could Anastasia not be worried about hers. He became quiet and the conversation died.

Kinshra would keep checking on Tania. When she woke up next, she asked if she was ready for the last ten pages of Yunabi.

"I am," Tania replied, but she looked wary of it.

Anastasia was watching her as well. "I will be there when you teach her, Kinshra," she offered. "I know that after the last part of Yunabi, she is going to—"

Kinshra didn't let her complete her sentence. "Yes, Your Highness," she interrupted. "After the last part, she will be slightly out of her element, but we need to finish it."

"I understand," Anastasia replied. "That's why I will be there with both of you. We have come to the last part of this journey. I wouldn't want things to get jeopardized."

"Thank you so much, Your Highness," Kinshra replied with a kind smile.

Along with Kinshra and Tania, Anastasia went to a small thicket of trees once again. Yunabi must have sensed the presence of a strong force around it because it opened without attitude.

"Come here," said Kinshra to Tania as Anastasia stayed a few meters away from both of them.

Tania went to where the Yunabi was spread. She took a deep breath and started reading it. The symbols started leaving the page slowly. They coiled around her wrists and traveled all the way up to her shoulders and neck.

"I want you to read all of it till the last page, without stopping," Kinshra instructed when Tania halted and looked at her after finishing the first page.

Sighing, she read it all till the end. Her body was covered with symbols that floated around her.

"Close your eyes," Kinshra said. As soon as she closed her eyes, Kinshra chanted the spell and the symbols turned a fiery red. With a violent throb, they got absorbed in her body. And the moment that happened, both of Tania's wings flared wide open and a shriek of pain escaped her throat. Her body felt lighter but the pain on her back was crazy. Last time when her right wing had opened, she didn't feel the pain, but why did she feel it now?

"Tania!" Eltanin came running out, but he couldn't cross the barrier that Anastasia had made. "Let me in!" he growled. Tania was several feet up in the air with her hands and wings outstretched.

"I am taking her for the first flight!" Anastasia announced. "She is ready!"