The Alpha's Temptation

Tania slept for most of the day. When she had woken up in the afternoon, she saw a tray of food placed for her on the bedside table, covered with a red crochet. She knew that Eltanin had left it for her on the table so as to not disturb her. He was really taking such good care of her that her guilt was eating at her. Removing the cover, she saw a salad of chicken mixed with lettuce and olives and pickled anchovies, sliced fresh pineapple and buttered bread. Hungry, she munched on her food quickly. She then went back to sleep.

When she woke up next, it was evening. And to her amusement, the food tray was replaced with orange juice and milkshakes. She rose to her feet to go to the bathroom. Her chest was still hurting and she wondered how long it would take to heal. She was amazed to see how quickly Eltanin healed. She wanted to meet with Glenn and ask him about it. Maybe tomorrow… Tania went to her room downstairs and surveyed the water that surrounded it. From her peripheral vision she saw a mermaid swimming towards her. Mesmerized, Tania walked to the wall to look at the mermaid. The mermaid steered towards her. Tania's breath lodged her throat when she saw how beautiful she was. She had long midnight blue hair and emerald eyes. Her long tail was covered with shiny peacock-green scales. Wearing a leather bustier, the mermaid looked ethereal. Soft light radiated from her body.

Tania placed her hand on the glass wall and the mermaid raised hers onto the other side. The two smiled at each other. Tania mouthed her name. The mermaid nodded and mouthed her name, but Tania couldn't understand. The mermaid laughed and after blowing a kiss to her, she spun around and swam away. Tania watched her until she disappeared from her sight.

She had made a decision. She was going to tell Menkar that she was not going to come back and that she would like to negotiate a deal with him for her soul. She was also planning on talking about it to Eltanin, because he was the only man who could help her get her soul stone back. She was sure that Menkar was afraid of the mighty king and would never have the gall to deny Eltanin's order.

With that in mind, Tania put a shawl over herself and headed towards the secret tunnel, which led to the orchards. Last time, Nomia hadn't come to her and she was delayed. This time she would not reveal anything about what she was doing for Eltanin, but she would instead, send her message for negotiation. Tania wanted to be free from Menkar, but she wanted to give her body and soul to her king, her mate. She wished that she could shift into her wolf and be able to smell him soon. The thought sent a wave of joy down her body. What it would be like to play with Eltanin's wolf while in her wolf form. She chuckled at herself.

The passageway was covered in the soft light from the torch that she carried in her hand. It was completely quiet. She increased her pace in order to reach the orchards as soon as possible. She didn't want Eltanin to know about the message she wanted to pass to Menkar. She wanted to speak to him first about it. After all, she was a spy and the sense of betrayal was weighing her down. She hoped that Eltanin wouldn't become angry when she revealed her true mission. Though if he did get angry, it would be a natural response, she would bear it. Just thinking about his reaction made her shudder. A shaky breath left her when she thought about the possibility that he might order her execution, or worse, reject her. 'The word rejection will never come between us.' His words bounced around in her head and that gave her confidence to do what she was about to do.

She walked out of the passageway into the rose garden. She left the torch on a metal hook on the wall. Stars shone in the sky and the moon was on the horizon. She was in a hurry to relay her message, so she increased her pace, even though her ribs ached. Once she reached the orchard, she let out her slow whistle for the owl to come out. She waited for a few moments. The smell of apples hung in the air. She inhaled it deeply.

Nomia didn't come, so she let out another slow whistle and waited. It was getting colder by the day. She noticed a few places where snow had already formed clusters. In this weather, she wondered how long it would take for the apples to sustain. They needed to be harvested soon. Worry bubbled in her chest when Nomia didn't turn up. She grew impatient and let out another whistle.

"Well, well, who do we have here?"

Tania turned sharply. A woman was standing behind her with two men.

The woman, a tall girl with curly auburn hair braided tightly, was staring at her with winter blue eyes. Two men, who were with her, wore masks and had swords.

Tania gulped as dread flitted down her spine. "I am just a slave," she lied and lowered her head to walk away. She didn't want to be discovered.

"A slave with the king's scent on her?" said the woman.

Tania blanched. The two men stood in her way to stop her from leaving. "No. No! I have his smell because I worked in his room!" She threw another lie as she backed away from the two men. She was ready to use her magic if these men tried to do anything to her.

The woman stepped in front of her and crossed her arms. "Or are you the servant girl for whom Princess Morava was insulted over?"

"What?" Tania gasped. "Who are you?" she asked as she silently chanted her spell, but the spell needed energy and she hardly had any. Chanting it caused her immense pain and blood leaked out of her nose. She couldn't use the magic in her.

"I am Ivy," the woman chuckled and then gestured to the men with her chin.

Immediately, one of the men grabbed her by the waist, while the other put a cloth over her nose. Soon, everything turned black.

---

Eltanin returned late in the night. Fafnir had told him that Prince Rigel would arrive by the morning. Eltanin decided to let his father, as well as Rigel, know that Tania was his mate. And he would tell them tomorrow, first thing in the morning.

His bedchamber was empty. Tania was nowhere to be found . He rushed to look in the bathroom, then to her room, but she wasn't there. "No!" He was flooded with panic. He followed her scent all the way out of the tunnel, cursing beneath his breath that she had ignored his words. Why did she leave when he had warned her against it? Couldn't she stay inside for even a day? He had clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles were white. He reached the orchards to the spot where her scent had taken him. He could smell a strong scent of mint. Was someone else with her that hid their scents? Terror-stricken, he swirled on his feet to look for her. "Taniaaaa!" he roared, but only the birds answered him back with their angry calls.