The Alpha's Temptation

Eltanin looked at his mate with such tenderness that it tugged on her heart. He walked to her and said, "You all right?" He caressed her cheek with his knuckles as his throat bobbed.

"I am," she replied as she looked up at him. Magic rippled around them and a cool breeze brushed past their heated skin.

He grabbed her hand and held it close to his chest as he led her out of the chaos. Tania couldn't take her eyes from the sight of his large hand that clasped over hers protectively.

The cave was hot and lit with small fires. No one else was inside it. Eltanin was now consumed with mating fever. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew that she had to be patient with him. There was a lot of energy and a lot of waiting that spanned over the past five hundred years of his existence. He needed to mark her and claim her so urgently that his heart accelerated at the thought that she could have died or been with Nyxers, had Rigel not intervened at the right time. His entire day was spent in anticipation. It was impossible for him to conduct his court, so his father had taken over for the rest of the time.

Not able to stay away from her any longer, he scooped her up in his arms and had taken her deep inside the cave, in the shadows of an unlit pyre, while wolves roared and howled and celebrated outside. The drums had picked up their beats.

Furs were spread out onto the stony floor of the cave and an oil lantern imparted a soft buttery glow. He made her sit on the fur very carefully and surveyed her for any injuries. Rigel had brought Tania back an hour before and had hidden her in a room adjoining to his.

"I missed you…" he said.

She brought her hand to his cheek and cupped it. "I missed you…"

"Oh, Tania," he breathed and pushed her delicately on the ground with his body. He held her for a few moments, savoring the feel of her in his arms. He cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs glided across her cheekbones as he traced the contours of her nose, eyes, lips and jaw. "Every woman in Araniea pales in comparison to my mate, a woman who has gold in her hair and the moon in her eyes." His fingers wrapped around her nape possessively as he caressed her pulse point and pressed his weight onto her body.

A moan escaped her lips when he captured her lips in a gentle kiss that was long, as he made love to her mouth. He rested his forehead on hers and said, "I want to claim you."

"Then claim me…"

"And I want to mark you as mine."

"Then mark me as yours…"

That was all the permission he needed. He lifted himself off her. His gaze went to her breasts that were rising and falling enticingly. Gently, he removed her gown and tossed it aside. He gasped when he moved from the bed and then knelt back, sitting above her. Tania was completely naked and she was on full display for him for the first time. She felt shy and a blush crept on her face. Her impulse was to cover her breasts, but she resisted it and let him have his fill.

He rubbed his hand over his mouth wondering if he would last even a minute inside her. The thought of being inside her made his erection painfully hard. Dropping his hands to the flap of his trousers, he said, "Watch me."

Tania's lips parted as she watched him remove his boots and then his trousers. Her breath lodged in her throat when she saw her man in all his glory. He was the most beautiful man in the world and she hadn't even seen any yet, but she knew that he was the only one for her. All that tanned skin and lean muscles. There was not a single scar on his body and his skin was flawless unlike hers. She had scars on her body, but he never even seemed to notice them. His muscles rippled under her gaze.

She recalled how he sent his men to save her from being sold to a brothel and emotions choked her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes and a treacherous one rolled out. He moved to her and pressed his hard length over her soft and supple body. He licked the tear and she felt overwhelmed. "No tears tonight," he whispered in her ear. She chuckled.

He brought his hand to curl around her nape and said, "Do you know how long I have imagined this mating? You have no idea how much I have wanted to be inside you and feel you all over my cock while I sink my fangs in your neck." He paused as he shifted on top of her. "It feels like I have been waiting for you for an eternity."

She could scent his need and that was enough for her to unleash the darkness and wildness that was hiding inside of her. She met his lust with vengeance. As if this was what she has been waiting for a hundred lifetimes. As if this wasn't the only lifetime that he had claimed her.

"I have ached for you for an eternity, Tania," he grated against her neck.

Her thoughts struggled to remain coherent until all she could feel was her ache for him too. Her breasts began to feel heavy and her sex ached for him.

He cupped her breast and flicked his fingers on her throbbing nipple. The touch was enough to make her putty in his hands. She cried out in pleasure and brought her fingers to his midnight blue hair and yanked his head to kiss her. He growled as her tongue pushed against his lips. He opened for her and she delved her tongue inside his mouth, but then he pushed his tongue inside her for a deep kiss.