The Alpha's Temptation

Tania placed the glass back on the table and exhaled heavily. "I will have to apologize to him!" She rubbed her neck as she glanced away from the note on the table and looked up at the water on the wall, wondering if she was going to remain trapped in this room until she completed her job. There were tiny fish that swam around like helter-skelters, doing their everyday routine, as the morning light filtered through water and fell onto the floor. From the corner of her eye, she saw something large swimming towards her. It was a woman.

Tania's eyes widened and she rushed to where the woman was. Her auburn hair streamed behind her as she swam. A shudder of surprise ran down her spine and her skin lined with goosebumps, realizing the woman was a mermaid. She was wearing a red leather corset. Her azure tail whipped water behind her in powerful strokes. The woman was stunning. Filtered sunlight cascaded across her pale complexion, enhancing every feature.

Tania's breath lodged in her throat as she placed her hand onto the glass wall separating her from the water. The woman reached for her hand from the other side. Mesmerized, Tania's gaze locked with hers and for a moment, she felt hypnotized. Was she dreaming? She had heard of mermaids, but she had never seen one. The experience was so breathtaking that Tania froze. She had a thousand questions to ask, but all she managed was to bob her throat. A smile spread on the mermaid's face. Then she turned and swam away, leaving a stunned girl behind.

Tania watched her leave until she disappeared out of sight. Reluctantly, she stepped back. A shudder passed through her as the images of the mermaid continued to flash in her mind. As if in a trance, Tania went to take a bath, coming back with even more questions on her mind. She decided she would ask Eltanin about it when he returned.

She peered into the small closet that seemed to have cyrtels and gowns that fitted her well. She was amused by it, she thought that the king must have been benevolent enough to gift her these dresses, she would have gladly accepted them even if they were castoffs. She chose to wear a simple gown. She wasn't here to seduce anyone. Her appearance played no impact on the task at hand.

She wrapped her hair in a tight bun and secured it with an extra quill on the table. She smoothed her beige dress, sauntered to the table, and then got to work.

The tiny orbs of lights on the ceiling floated towards her, glimmered brightly, imparting a thick beam of soft light on the table. She sat down, opened the first page and started reading Onduri. A gentle gust of magical air whirled around her lifting her hair on its fringes. A chillness spread over her. She had translated Onduri before, even read books in it that belonged to that era, but she hadn't known that an arcana of Onduri existed.

The first page she translated smoothly since it consisted of easy incantations. However, as she carried on further, something inside her stirred. It felt as if something wispy and smoky crawled inside her chest. She let out a ragged breath. She diligently translated half of the book by afternoon.

Eltanin came to his bedchamber as soon as he could. His father was surprised at how restless he was to return to his room so soon. At lunch, he hadn't even gone to the dining hall, but had ordered the servants to bring a sumptuous lunch for him to his bedroom.  Alkaris thought that his son must be mentally exhausted after doing all his kingly duties.

Princess Morava didn't have the guts to show herself and have lunch with Alrakis and Eltanin. She informed her companion, Ivy, that she was unwell with a headache. The palace's royal healer was sent to her dutifully, after which she was forgotten.

Eltanin picked up the tray of food and went to her room. As soon as she saw him, she got up. Quietly, he placed the tray on the bed and raked her body with his gaze. A pale blush dusted her cheeks.

"I have completed half of it," she informed him, pointing at the book. "The spells are interesting." Her hands were stained with ink.

Even though she was a slave who was forced to keep her head down, Tania had a grace about her, a quiet dignity that he had started admiring. However, this afternoon, she looked pale and was slouching. Her left shoulder dropped down more than her right one. His gaze shifted to the open book and her quill. He walked over to the table, closed the book and placed the quill back in the inkstand. "I think you have done enough for today. You don't need to work any further." He wondered how her ink-stained hands would look on his shaft. He stifled a groan.

She stared at him, bewildered.

He pointed at her shoulders and said, "Are you sore from sitting for too long?"

She bit her lip and lowered her head. Eltanin loved the way she blushed for him. "You don't have to worry, Tania," he said. "You are translating pretty quickly. At this rate, you will have half my library translated in less than a month." He sauntered to where she was and stood right in front of her. He inhaled her scent, redolent of citrus and sweet spices.

"It isn't a problem," she replied. But as soon as she tried to straighten herself, a pained gasp left her.

"You might be used to it, but if you continue working in this position, you will suffer. And how good would you be then? Hmm?"

"I promise that I will not let my quality …" she closed her mouth, realizing that she was arguing with a king, her gaze fell onto the floor. "Otherwise, what will I do for the rest of the day after lunch, Your Highness?"

He curled his hand beneath her chin and tipped her head up. "First, look up at me and not at my feet." Their gazes locked. Eltanin's breath lodged in his throat when he looked into her beautiful blue-green eyes. A moment later he added, "I look handsome, don't I?"

Tania suppressed a giggle. Narcissist. She nodded.

"I don't need a sick scribe," he added. "We will continue tomorrow." He waved at the food tray. "You are very pale at the moment and need to be looked after."

A smile wormed onto his lips when she protested, "I am not fragile."

"Don't worry, Tania," he said as he held her hand. She tried to pull it away, but he wouldn't let her. He tugged her to the bed and made her sit. He stepped away from her and removed the crochet that covered the silverware. "I will be right back with something to help alleviate your sore shoulders."

"Wh— what?" she asked. He was really taking so much care of her all the time that she felt indebted to him. Just yesterday he applied a soothing potion on her.

He narrowed his eyes as he noticed the dread and curiosity cross her face. "Wait," was all he said before heading up to his room. A little while later, he returned with a jar that had a green liniment in it. "It will soothe your sore muscles. Remove your clothes," he said.