The Alpha's Temptation

Fafnir walked straight to Eltanin and bowed. "Can I have your audience?" From the corner of his eye, he looked at Tania who was surrounded by her fae family.

After hearing Fafnir, Eltanin asked him to stay quiet about the whole thing. "Let them do what they are planning on doing," he said. "Right now, enjoy the dinner." Eltanin was about to leave when he said, "I hope Rigel and Lerna are safe."

"They are, Your Highness," Fafnir said. "They are currently lodged in one of your cabins in the Eslam Forest in the Black Fang Mountains."

"Hasn't Rigel received any message from his father?"

Fafnir pursed his lips. "No, his father remains adamant. He says that Prince Rigel can't enter Orion with the girl!"

"Too bad," Eltanin muttered and then went back to join the dinner.

All the nobles were just too fascinated by the faes. They were finding one or the other way to get near them. Lord Krail had become very popular because the werewolves wanted to visit Vilinski. They were aware that Princess Anastasia was daughter of King Ian, but she lived in Draoidh along with her husband, Prince Ileus. But Lord Krail was the permanent resident.

As if to lure him more, some nobles even offered to have trade with Vilinski. They were way too excited to seek interesting opportunities. However, Lord Krail would just reply, "Trade between Vilinski and Araniea needs to be worked out. There have to be laws and treaties and taxes that need to be looked at. Also I can't say anything on King Ian's behalf."

Biham was standing with Kinshra and was hardly interested in anything else. All he wished was to go back to Pegasii to spend some quality time with her. And that brought him to wonder on how to make his father-in-law stay back in the Draka Kingdom. Ileus and Anastasia were standing next to him, talking to other nobles. All of a sudden, Ileus leaned over to him and said, "Draka has some beautiful gold and black crystal mines. See if you can ask Lord Krail to look at them."

Biham frowned. Why would his father-in-law be interested in them? Anyway, when he conveyed the message to Lord Krail, his eyes were wide open. He asked, "And who do they belong to?"

"Eltanin, of course," Biham replied nonchalantly.

Lord Krail said, "Would it be possible for Eltanin to show them to us? I can stay for the next week over here. I am quite free!"

Biham's lips curled up in a big smile. He glanced at Ileus who lifted his flute and winked. "It can be arranged," he said. A free week with Kinshra was all he wanted.

The dinner was lavish, just like it should have been for a king and queen. Taiyi had personally ordered the dishes. She had taken Kinshra's help, who had willingly run around with her.

The event got over after midnight and as soon as the last of the guest went away, Eltanin took his wife to their bedchamber in his arms.

Ileus couldn't help it. Even he picked up Anastasia and walked to the guest rooms.

Lord Krail raised an eyebrow when he saw Biham coaxing Kinshra to lift in his arms. What was it with all the couples? Absolutely ridiculous. And then he saw Taiyi literally jumping in her husband's arms. He shook his head. Lusty werewolves!

---

Kypho rode the entire night to reach the borders of Draka. He halted in an inconspicuous travelers' inn that was on the borders. After paying money for the stablemaster to keep his horse, he went to his room that was on the ground floor. After having traveled through most part of the night, he was practically limping. He opened the lock of the room that the owner had rented at twice the price because it was night-time. The room was horrible. There was a wooden bed in the center with a mattress ridden with mites. A small jug was on a table.

He didn't risk drinking water from it, and used his own canteen. As he sat on the mattress, he decided that he was going to kill Lusitania. Not because he had anything against her, but because now he hated Menkar. He knew that Lusitania was way too precious for him.

Menkar took not even an hour to appoint someone in his place. This would be revenge.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he closed his eyes, feeling extremely tired. In the morning he would be meeting his contact outside the gates. But the fact that he had a hunch back, he was sure that he would be easily spotted. He had to disguise somehow. He got up and opened his saddle bag. From it, he took out a little bottle, one of the many that he stole from Menkar. He opened the cork and drank its contents. And then he waited.

Moments later, he fell back on the mattress, his body gone limp. It was as if he would die. He gulped for air, but it was not enough. Soon he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

Kypho woke up with a jerk and saw that he had slept through the night or was it that he remained unconscious for so long? Morning sun filtered through the trees into his room's window. He rubbed his eyes and then went to the dirty bathroom where he heard a rat squeaking. He opened the tap of the washbasin and looked at his reflection in the old mirror. He smirked. His hunch had gone and his eye color had changed. His features were a little different. The effect was going to last at least a week or ten days.

After washing his face and finishing off with his daily routine, he came back to his room. While changing into a fresh pair of trousers and robe, he noticed red rashes on his belly. He grunted. Mites had bitten him badly out there while he was sleeping. He had a big day today, so he hurried out.