The Alpha's Temptation

"Please follow me," Rigel said to her. Eltanin's aggressive growl behind him made him jump. Rigel closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and wondering about Eltanin's strange  behavior. "I am going to personally take you to the quarters where my people are staying. You will take up a vacated residence. Is that okay?" A dozen of Rigel's trusted soldiers who accompanied him, had a permanent residence in the Draka Palace. Since he was leaving, she could easily stay in one of those residences and go unnoticed. "Come."

Did Tania have a choice? She nodded. Moreover, she wanted to go away as far as possible from the king who had invaded her personal space with no shame or restriction. She was getting scared of him by the minute.

Before they left, Eltanin said to Tania, sounding extremely impatient, "Come back to the library in an hour. I will be waiting for you with your first assignment."

As she hurriedly walked away with Rigel, Eltanin felt as if sand was slipping through  his hands as if he had no control. Panic and jealousy bloomed in his chest.

Tania gripped her small bag tightly in her embrace. A prince was taking her to show her to her residence. Surely, her task here was of great importance. With one last look at Eltanin, whose fists were tight as if he was going to punch someone, she scurried away. It was better to stay away from him. He was just too menacing.

For the next hour, Eltanin did nothing but paced his room anxiously. All his thoughts were on the girl who was living in the servant quarters, his mate. It was a big, big mistake to leave her there. He had to bring her to him, to someplace close to him. In his fury, he had punched a wall that had fractured, threw a chair down that splintered, clawed the curtains and kicked the couch. He wanted to shift and run to her. It was as if she was a magnet and every drop of blood in his body was attracted to her. Now he realized why he wasn't able to sleep with another girl ever since he had smelled her, why he had become so possessive of her and why  she filled his dreams. He missed her crazily, even in this short span of an hour. Eltanin rubbed his face, frustration taking root in his body.

Soft knocks on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. "Your Highness, your bath is ready," came a maid's voice. He took a bath as soon as possible for he had to reach his Tania. However, when a servant informed him that his father along with the guests was waiting for him to break the fast, he gnashed his teeth out of pure exasperation.

"What is with you and this brooding behavior?" asked his father as they sat in the dining hall, waiting for King Biham and Princess Morava. "You better behave in front of Morava. She is going to be the future queen of Draka!"

"I won't marry her," he snarled. He was in a big hurry to leave and go to Tania. He was on his way to her when he was forced to come to the dining hall.

"What?" Alrakis said, his shock going through the roof. "What the hell are you—"

"The morning in Draka is beautiful," came Morava's lilting voice as she walked in the dining hall, putting a halt to the conversation between him and his father. Her arm was curled around her father's. Wearing a lilac silk gown that hugged her curves, she looked like she had been working since last night to look pretty. Her hair was pinned up with numerous diamond pins, showing her nape and large diamond earrings. She had applied red paint on her lips and her eyes were once again heavily kohled.

Eltanin and Alrakis rose to their feet out of courtesy. Alrakis gave her a big smile. "And how are you doing, my dear?" he asked as he waved for them to sit on the left of Eltanin.

Eltanin was now facing a new problem. He had to get Morava off his back.

Morava looked at Eltanin and sat beside him. "I have never been better," she said in a husky voice.

Eltanin was disgusted by her already. He gave her the cold shoulder. He stared at the steak that the servant served and wondered with unease if his Tania had eaten.

"Can you take me on a tour of the palace?" she asked him. "I would love to see things around here and get acquainted with them." After all, she was soon going to become queen. She had to assert her authority. She had to show them all that she was going to rule.

"I don't have the time," Eltanin replied roughly. How could he take her on a grand tour of the palace, when he had to go and check on his unclaimed mate? Right? Who knows that there must be a line of boys standing in front of her door already? She was just too beautiful. The thought made his wolf stir within him restlessly. He rubbed his hands on his thigh impatiently as jealousy seeped into him like tiny needles through every pore of his body, twisting.

Embarrassed, Morava flushed a little. Then to cover her embarrassment, she said, "I am very sorry to have asked you this. I know that a king's schedule is very busy."

Alrakis clenched his jaws at his son's apathy. He just couldn't understand his hot and cold behavior. He offered, "Don't worry, Princess Morava, I will take you on a tour of the palace. I believe your friends are here with you. Eltanin is always too busy!"

Morava nodded lightly, as her flush failed to retreat.

"Then ask them along as well. I will take all of you around," he said affectionately and also to make up for his son's apathy.

"Thank you," she said in a voice that carried hesitation. Obviously, Morava wanted to be with Eltanin. But for now, she was going to give him this leverage. She would make sure that he listened to her after they married. She looked at her father and scratched her forehead slightly. It was a signal.

On cue, her father coughed a little. "I will be leaving tomorrow. Why don't we have the children get engaged tonight?" he said to Alrakis. "Maybe in a private ceremony. When I am back in a week to retrieve  Morava, we can go for a more elaborate event."

"That is a wonderful idea!" Alrakis slapped the table with excitement.

Eltanin's eyes became wide at his father's eagerness. "It is a terrible idea!" he countered loudly. He punched the table and the utensils on it rattled. "I don't know Morava at all. And don't push me!" Saying that he got up, kicking his chair back and strode out of the dining hall.

It certainly wasn't an appropriate behavior in front of Biham, but Biham couldn't do much except gulp down the insult. Eltanin was too strong of an Alpha to be messed with. He wiped his mouth, shaking a little inwardly, and then looked at his daughter.  Morava appeared to be  flustered and rattled. He could sense that her anger was rising.