The Alpha's Temptation

Lerna was in her room feeling impatient. She was so tired but she was pacing in between the fireplace and the bed. The fact that she had left Hydra and was in a new place altogether was scraping against her anxieties. On top of that her constant attraction to the man who was on the outside, who she wanted to be with and who was worrying about her more than her. Was this how the mate bond worked? She wondered if she was out of the frying pan and into the fire. Thinking of him made her heart pound against her ribcage. There was not a moment that she didn’t think about him and his mouthwatering smell didn’t overwhelm her senses.

Through all this her main tension was regarding her brother, Felis. What if he came to attack Rigel? The thought was so potent that a hard shudder rattled every bone in her body. Her teeth chattered and she clenched her jaw so tightly that it was enough to make her ears ache. She wasn’t going to lose him. He had got into the Hydra Kingdom, one of the most dangerous places in Araniea, challenging Felis. She spun when she again heard the movement out of the door. He was there, once again behind the closed doors. Slowly, she walked to the door and placed her hand on it, as if trying to feel him. She wanted to open the door, but she was… scared.

Every time her brother talked to her or her nannies talked to her, it was to breed. She had started hating the word so much that she got a creepy feeling when she thought of the act. Lerna sank to the floor and sat on her knee as she rested her head on the door and placed her hand over there, her nails digging the wood. She knew that he too had done the same thing. She could hear his rhythmic heartbeat and that was enough to calm her nerves… for the while. She didn’t know for how long they sat on either side of the door, but they were close. She reminisced about how he kissed her. It was so sensual that even the thought made her clench her thighs with an unknown emotion. “I am sorry, Rigel,” she whispered. “I need time.” His answering scrap against the wood was enough for her.

Rigel knew that she was sitting on the other side of the door… for him. He was happy that she was accepting him even if she was doing it slowly. He saw the door of her acceptance. She opened up to him when he had gone there. The connection between them was electric. So, Rigel sat there until she kept sitting. He knew that she wouldn’t just allow him to come in, but he was determined to wait for her.

“We will come back,” Rolfe replied. “Right now, Lusitania is going to stay in Pegasii for at least a week. It is better that we go to our kingdoms and then return when she is back in Draka.”

Biham’s heart raced. He really wanted to go to the fae kingdom along with Lusitania, but he didn’t know how to ask them. He was filled with shame. Even if he went there, how would he face the faes? What was he going to tell them? That he rejected his fae mate? That she died giving birth to his child? They would become angry all over again and all bridges would again burn. During the entire dinner, he had this question on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t let it slip past his lips.

Ileus watched him with his golden eyes. A smirk came on his face after an hour of conversation that was pretty common amongst the kings. “Ask away, King Biham. I know that you’ve been dying to ask about it.”

King Biham rarely blushed in front of his servants. This was one of those days. Prince Ileus had read his mind. “I–” he lowered his head and tried to remember and phrase his question. He sucked in a sharp breath. “I wanted to take Lusitania to Vilinski, but–“

“But you are afraid that you are going to be shunned by the faes,” Ileus completed his sentence.

Biham gave a tight nod. “I want them to accept Tania even if they don’t accept me. It is possible that the only reason why she isn’t able to develop her fae features fully is because she has never been in her own environment. Maybe that would help her.”

“That is incorrect,” Ileus replied. “Did you ever check her in person?” _​

Biham frowned. He looked at Ileus with questions in his eyes. “I–” he hesitated. “How can I? She is a big girl. I found her when she was eighteen and not before that. Unfortunately, I was unable to relish her childhood. So…” A moment later he replied, “I wish I could see her wings, but now that she is eighteen, I don’t think they will ever grow.”

Ileus became quiet. There was a tense silence in the room. He didn’t want to speak anything in front of the servants because he knew that even though all of them were standing as if they weren’t hearing a thing, they were too curious to know what was going on. Once they finished dinner, they all went to the main hall, however, Ileus asked Biham if he could take him to a place that was more private. Biham was surprised at his request but he didn’t question. Everything the Dark Prince said was important. “Sure,” he said. “Please come to the library.”

“Who is your General of the army?” Rolfe asked as he looked at the soldiers who were escorting them to the library.

“General Balfour.”

“Where is he? I have rarely seen him around.”

“I haven’t invited him for dinner. He is on the borders of the Aquila Kingdom. There has been some disturbance out there. So, he has gone to take care of it. Princess Tarazed of Aquila needed our assistance.”

“I see.”

They walked through a corridor, rounded a corner and went down a spiral staircase. The library was at the end of the corridor that followed. As soon as they were in, Biham closed the door. The air around him rippled and he felt something slithering over his body. He stared at Rolfe with wide eyes, wondering what was going on.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing,” Rolfe said. “I have cast a spell to seal the room. Now no one can hear us.”

A tremor of unexpected, passed through him. “Please sit,” he said, suppressing the sensation, waving at the chairs in front of his work table. The scent of leather and wood and old paper wafted in the air. Book shelves from top to bottom covered an entire wall. The soft rug on which chairs sat had the design of the spirit of the kingdom.

Once they were all seated, Biham said, “I know that there is something of importance that you want to tell me. And I can’t wait to hear it.” He clasped his hands and leaned forward in his chair as his eyes darted from Ileus to Rolfe and back to him.