The Alpha's Temptation

"Cordea, run with the baby!" Arthur shouted as the guards started chasing them across the field. Bathed in the moonlight, the field was a green patch surrounded by tall palatial walls. The landscape was filled with water puddles and wild flowers

"Get themmmm!" a guard screamed at the top of his lungs.

The baby was crying in Cordea's arms. "Hush, my child," said Cordea. "If you cry, the guards are going to find out about you."

Even though she was wounded and blood flowed out of her upper arm, Cordea ran as fast as she could. Arthur leapt in the air and morphed into his gray wolf form. Cordea climbed onto him with the baby tucked in her arms and the wolf ran as fast as he could into the darkness of the night. The soldiers couldn't catch up to him. Arthur found a bend in the wall. It was a small breech. The wall was broken. He jumped over it and then continued south towards the Eslam forests. Both Arthur and Cordea rubbed themselves with yarrow and honeysuckle leaves on the way so that the soldiers could not catch on to their scents. They came to a halt in front of a small hut with a thatched roof.

"We will have to stay here for the night," said Cordea. "The baby is under a lot of stress and I can feel her limbs going stiff."

Arthur's ears went down. He shifted back into his human form. He took the baby for Cordea as she went to fetch some dry wood from the forest for a small fire. He caressed the child's soft golden hair and smiled. "I am your Da, okay?" he whispered affectionately.

The baby mumbled a tender Da.

Tania woke up with a jerk. She was alone. Who were the people haunting her dreams? Who was the baby? Tania turned to her side and grabbed a pillow. She hugged it tight and sucked in a sharp breath. Images of the last night flashed across her mind. The crimson mist, the ruins… Eltanin had become unconscious. She rose up in the bed. "Eltanin!" she called him. A sharp pain stabbed her in the chest. She cried and looked down only to find that she was bandaged heavily around her chest with one breast jutting out in between them. She wasn't wearing anything except her pajamas. She gasped and quickly covered herself with the blanket. She scanned her surroundings and realized that she wasn't in her room. Instead, she was in Eltanin's room.

It was late morning and the sun's light was peaking through the gauzy curtains. A smile curled her lips up. They were back at the palace and she would now be able to translate Yunabi arcana. However, a small twinge of pain pricked at her heart. This would be her last assignment in the palace and after that she would have to go back to the Cetus Monastery. She was sure that after her work would be done, the king would have no interest in her. And why would he? She was just a slave and a scribe. The thought left her mood sour. Maybe, she would request the king to let her stay for a few more days after she finishes her work.

Little did she know that the king was planning on claiming, marking her and then introducing her to the world after she read the Yunabi arcana.

With a heavy exhale, Tania got out of bed. She missed Eltanin. His presence was so comforting to her senses that she was beginning to feel elated when he was around and sad when he was away from her. She missed the tingles that spread through her body when he touched her. She picked up the silk nightshirt from the couch and put it on with great deal of difficulty, wincing every time a sharp pain in her ribs occurred. Tania had wanted to go to the balcony overlooking his room, but since it was daytime, she was sure there would be guards outside, so she decided to open the window so that she could breathe in some fresh air. Where was Eltanin? As soon as she opened the window, the sweet smell of roses and jacaranda filled the chamber, along with the melody of birds.

"Nomia!" she said sharply, remembering that she hadn't sent the message still. She turned back to the bed and decided to go to the orchards. She was about to leave from the secret passage door, when the main door opened and Eltanin walked in with a huff.

"And what are you doing out of your bed?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, closing the gap between them in long strides. He held her hand and brought her back to the bed. "You are injured and you are venturing out?" His eyes went to the opened window and he growled.

"I am fine," she said as she stared at him fondly. He looked so much better than he did last night. She was ecstatic to see him bustling around as usual. There was a small bruise on his forearm. "And I see that you have healed quickly."

He set more pillows behind her head and sat down next to her. He cupped her face and leaned over to press a lingering kiss on her lips. "I am healthy because of your spell. Glenn told me how you used the last bit of your energy to drive the mist away and revive me." He brushed her skin with his knuckles. Tania smelled different than what she normally  smelled like. Her citrusy and spicy scent was mixed with female musk. He lowered his head to the hollow of her neck to take in her smell and heat rushed to his groin. She smelled tantalizing and if she weren't in bandages, he would have taken her. She also smelled faintly of… magic.

Happy to have him back with her, she asked, "How is Glenn feeling?"

"He is fine," he replied without a trace of jealousy. The soldier had proven his worth.

She peered at her bandages and said, "Who put me in these?"

"Who else?" he replied nonchalantly. "If anyone else had touched you out here, I would have ended up killing them." He recalled how he removed her tunic and then used a dry cloth to sponge her. She was terribly bruised and it killed him to see her unconscious like that.

After they came back to his bedchamber, Glenn helped him on to the bed and also helped him with Tania. The soldier was exhausted, but despite his tiredness, he did whatever he could to make them comfortable and then after that he left.

Eltanin couldn't reveal his journey to anyone. Exhaustion had taken over and he had slept with Tania on the bed. He woke up after a horrible dream of the crimson mist, reaching out for Tania in the dark. She was right beside him and had murmured in pain. Eltanin got out of bed and forced himself to take care of his mate before he went to take a bath. In the dead of night, he had gone to the healer's room to fetch medicinal pastes for her and some fresh linen.

He had peeled all her clothes off, wiped her clean and then bandaged her ribs carefully.