The Alpha's Temptation

The first rays of sun had peeped through the white leaves of the Ivory Forest, making them appear golden.

Felis rose to his feet to lead his mother all the way back to the edge of the camp. But just before they came out of the tent, she hugged him tightly. And so did he. He committed the hug to his memory because he knew that this was probably the last time he would ever meet her.

Before climbing back in her carriage, Taiyi cast him one forlorn look and said, "Hope to see you again."

Felis's mask was right up as soon as he was surrounded by the soldiers. He placed the helmet back on his head and watched Taiyi climb the carriage. He didn't want others to see how he was feeling because after this he would shove all those feelings further down. The fact that Eltanin didn't know that he was his elder brother, rattled him to the soul. But in a way it was better, now he was going to increase his endeavors to get him to Hydra and control his beast. Without feeling guilty.

He watched Taiyi's carriage disappear on the dirt road until the last haze of the dust settled. "Alphard!" he yelled at his General. As soon as Alphard came to stand next to him, he spat an order, "We need to head back to Hydra!"

"Yes, Your Highness," he said.

"After that, call an emergency meeting of all the leaders. We have to form a new strategy for attacking Draka!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Alphard was pretty bewildered at his sudden orders but he commanded the soldiers to return back to Hydra.

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Alrakis was waiting for his wife with bated breath. So the moment her carriage appeared on the horizon, he rode his horse there to meet her and receive her. He had spent the night in so much tension that there were dark circles beneath his eyes. He rode with the carriage all the way back to their camp but he ordered his men not to stop. He opened his mental link with the soldiers who had come with him and asked them all to ride back to Draka. Alrakis was too jittery to stop anywhere until he took his wife back home.

Somewhere in the midway, when the carriage stopped and they rested to have lunch and for the horses to drink water, Alrakis left his mount and came to sit in the carriage with Taiyi.

She was crying.

"Taiyi…" he rasped and then took her in his embrace. "What happened, love?" he asked though he knew that she was emotionally rattled after meeting Felis, her older son.

Taiyi didn't say anything as she just buried her face in his chest and continued to cry. Leaving Felis was extremely emotional for her. It was as if she had abandoned him again. She could feel his emotions at the back of her throat and she knew that Felis was also pretty sad.

For the rest of the journey back to the capital of Draka, she remained quiet. She thought of a thousand scenarios of how she could have got her son back, but each time she knew that Ukdah would have foiled her plans. Ukdah was so driven by his lust to rule the whole of Araniea that he produced a son from her only for the purpose of it. She lamented that she was unsuccessful in bringing up her older son to be a good citizen of Araniea. If only he could still understand the importance of strengthening his kingdom rather than focusing on ruling Araniea and becoming a mindless killing machine.

When they were towards the capital and Taiyi could no longer cry, Alrakis cupped her face in his hands. "How can I help you, Taiyi?" he asked, feeling hopeless.

She let a shaky breath out. "You can't help me, Alrakis…" she replied. "No one can help me other than Felis. But that man wouldn't even help himself, so there is no redemption."

"I am so sorry…" he said in a soft, calming voice to soothe her nerves.

"You know he was unaware that Elty didn't know that he is his younger brother and holds me responsible for so many bad things in his life?"

Alrakis's face softened as his heart squeezed for his mate.

Taiyi let out a dry sob. Alrakis pulled her in his lap and cupping his big palm on the side of her face, pulled her closer to him and said, "You can't do anything about that, okay? So stop blaming yourself for everything bad in his life. You never got the chance to shape it."

They reached the capital by the time it was midnight. Alrakis lifted his wife in his arms and carried her all the way back to their bedchamber. He made her lie on the bed gently and said, "Sleep, love."

Eltanin came to see his mother along with Tania but Alrakis asked him to meet her the next morning. He wanted to know how things went by with her. Alrakis was on the verge of spilling it to him, but he decided that it was a call that Taiyi had to take. "She is very tired, Eltanin," he said as he closed the door behind him. "Meet her tomorrow morning."

However, Taiyi didn't meet Eltanin for the next two days. She couldn't. She was still mourning the loss of her elder son, who was alive but who wasn't in her life. She tried her best to divert her attention, but every little thing drew her attention back to Felis. She was aware of Eltanin's constant approach to her bedchamber to ask about her health. She refrained from talking to his because she decided not to tell him about his relationship with Felis. And the main reason was that Eltanin was preparing for a war that was not just for him, it was for all of Araniea.

Two days later, when she was feeling a little better, she let Eltanin come and meet her.

"Mother, what is it that you are not speaking about?" he asked the moment she opened the door of her bedroom and he hugged her tightly. "What happened out there that you have shrunk in your shell?"