The Alpha's Temptation

A smile crossed her lips and she stretched her limbs. "Mmmm…" she groaned and turned to her side. The lights above her dimmed, transforming the ceiling into a starlit sky. She was amazed by it. Tania reflected on the day's events. Other than the king, almost everyone in the palace seemed vicious.

A sigh escaped her lips as her fingers inadvertently wrapped around her necklace that she had always worn ever since she was a child. It was a light blue stone that often pulsated, sending out a faint shimmer of white light. It was told that the stone was something her mother gave and that it wasn't supposed to be taken out. No one even tried to take it, though she wondered why Menkar left it on her. She brushed the stone. It throbbed and pulsated a flicker of weak white light and then faded. She chuckled and then closed her eyes. Soon, she drifted off to sleep.

Nightmares plagued her dreams. They found her every other night.

Shadows loomed above her. "Tania…" her mother called her. "Come here…" Little Tania jumped on her feet when she saw her mother, her face in a haze. She opened her arms and ran to hug her mother. She reached barely above her mid thighs. Tania hugged her mother's leg and looked up at her lovingly. Her mother leaned down to pick her up, when suddenly something blasted. Next, Tania's face was covered in so much blood that it was as if someone had thrown her into a tub of blood. "Run, Tania, run."

And the next she heard was the soft lullaby.

'My sweet little Tania

Like a star hidden in the sky

Let her sleep

Pick her up

And watch her die.'

A shriek choked its way up as Tania jerked open her eyes and gasped for air. Sweat covered her trembling body. Her nightgown clung to her skin. The lights on the ceiling flickered here and there as if reacting to her mood and scattered a soft buttery glow in the room. She tried to bring her hand up to wipe off her sweat, but she couldn't. Something was holding her hand down. She turned to see what it was and found that king Eltanin was sleeping right beside her, holding her hand in his, tightly, facing her. And to top it off, their intertwined hands were on his chest.

Tania blinked her eyes, stunned into silence. What was king Eltanin doing in her bed, holding her hand? Did he sleepwalk? Did he also suffer from nightmares just like her? If anyone came to know about this, especially princess Morava, she would be at the receiving end of more torment. The king was trying to make her life a living hell in the palace.

Tania tried to pull her hand away from him with force, but she realized that even in his sleep, he was very strong. The dim, sultry, glow lights illuminated around his face. She couldn't help but notice his beautiful features and she was entranced.

His nose was sharp and the cheekbones were so angular as if they could cut a glass. Her lips parted as a sigh left her when she saw how thick his eyelashes were. Her gaze traveled to his strong column of neck and broad shoulders. Something tingled in between her thighs. The sensation was stange for her and she gasped clenching her thighs. It was no wonder that King Eltanin was so popular amongst women and that Princess Morava was the luckiest woman alive to marry him. The thought didn't dwell well in her heart. She felt terrible and she knew that she needed to fix her thoughts. Yet, she watched his features… feeling captivated by his aura.

The movement stirred him a little and Eltanin ended up turning on his back with her hand firmly over his chest, now held between both his hands. This motion made Tania shift closer to him. She was now barely a few inches away from his body, staring at him, wondering if she would incur his wrath. If she tried to wake him up, would he execute her?  She attempted to pry his fingers off her hand and wriggle it out of his grasp. But the moment she did that, the king woke up with a dangerous growl and their gazes locked.

---

After feeding her last night Eltanin had gone up to get the second food tray and came back down to eat with her, but he saw that she had closed her eyes and was stretching her little limbs. Her hair was spread across the pillow like a halo. She had turned on her side and slipped into a deep slumber. Enthralled, he placed the tray on the table and covered her with the soft blanket. Tania curled beneath it with a soft hum.

Eltanin couldn't leave her. He had his food while watching her sleep. She was so charming and captivating even in her sleep. His mate was the most beautiful woman in the world.

Taking a deep breath, he walked back to his room and changed to go to bed. It had been a very long day. He was sure that the next day his father would have a thousand questions regarding Morava and he was ready to answer all of them.

However, Eltanin couldn't sleep on his bed. He tossed and turned restlessly for a long time. While his mate slept in the room below, staying away from her became increasingly unbearable. Attracted like a moth to a candle, Eltanin quietly walked back to her room. Satisfied that she was sleeping peacefully, he climbed in next to her and rested his head on the pillow beside hers. He spent half the night watching her, studying her features, drinking them in, committing every contour to his memory, and then not being able to be there without touching her, he crawled his hand towards hers and grasped it gently. The touch sent jolts of electricity in his body. It was as if his soul was touched by her gift. His breath lodged in his throat. Moments later when his mind settled a little, he was able to sleep.

He dreamt of unicorns and flying horses and faes and Tania. It was as if his usual nightmares were replaced by utopia. He saw Tania in a white chiffon gown, the one he saw her wearing when he first met her. There was a flower wreath on her head that had orchids, hydrangeas and roses interwoven. She looked ethereal, like a fantasy woven from another world. He walked to her to touch her, hold her, when all at once her white wings unfolded and stretched wide. She snapped her face in his direction and he saw that her eyes were blazing like fire.

"Tania!"

He felt a tug. It was as if someone was trying to wrench open his hand to take away his most prized possession. A growl escaped his throat as he tightened his hand around hers. He peeled open his eyes reluctantly. And when he opened his eyes, he found her staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes. Her hair fell on his chest forming a golden veil around both of them. It was like a gilded cage with his fae.