The Alpha's Temptation

Tania wore something light and after eating a very light dinner, along with Eltanin she went to see her mother-in-law.

"Where are Prince Ileus and Princess Anastasia?" she asked while they were crossing the main hall.

"Ileus is done with Kypho. Anastasia wanted to go somewhere she could fly unhindered. So Ileus took him to one of our cabins in Eslam," Eltanin informed. But he knew that Ileus was a wild one. He wanted Anastasia for himself and Eslam was perhaps the best place where they would be devouring each other without interruptions.

"When will he return?" Tania asked impatiently.

Eltanin stopped her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Why are you so worked up, love? Take things slowly. We are about to go and get all those who wronged you. Let us not hurry up at this time. Patience is the key."

Tania worried her lips. Then she looked in his eyes and said, "It's easier said than done. I really want to finish it off and leave my life peacefully! I don't think you will understand!"

Eltanin curled his fingers below her chin and tipped her face up. "I understand everything, Tania," he said. "You cannot fathom my itch to finish Felis, but I am waiting for the right moment. From what I can see is that everything is tangled badly. We are solving one knot after the other. Trust me, the end is not far."

Tania moaned and slammed herself against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso and her face buried in his chest. "I am so sorry," she said, her voice muffled. "I should have thought about you too. We are going to kill Felis slowly and painfully."

He placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "You are the reason why I feel so strong to fight back Felis. What you have done for me is..." his voice choked with emotions, when he remembered how she absorbed Yunabi for him. "No one else could have done that. I love you..."

"I love you too," she whispered.

After a moment of staying in each other's arms, he said, "Come, let us go and meet Mother. She has to share some important information."

"How are you feeling now?" Taiyi asked when she saw Tania and hugged her. The girl had gone through a lot.

"I am feeling better," Tania replied. She bowed to Alrakis who was in a perpetual good mood these days. Ever since Eltanin had come back, he had given the reins of the kingdom to him and was relaxing to the hilt. Nothing could be better because his mate was here at the same time.

"Come sit," Taiyi said, guiding her to the couch. Alrakis went to the bar and poured wine for himself and Eltanin.

"Eltanin was saying that you have important information to share with us," Tania asked, not able to hide her impatience.

"Oh yes. I do!" Taiyi got up and walked to the oak table at the corner of the room. She picked up a scroll from there. She rolled it out while coming to them. "This is the report I got from the royal healer of Stourin." She came to sit with Tania.

Eltanin also came to sit with them while Alrakis remained at the bar watching his family with pride in his eyes. He had waited for so long to marry his son to a suitable girl that he had almost given up. Just as he was about to pressure him into marrying, his son found Lusitania. Alrakis thanked his stars for the thousandth time for putting Tania in their way before things began to tumble down. He rubbed his chest as a warm feeling suffused him.

Taiyi pointed to the healer's results. "This is a potion that affects your physical features. If you drink it, your features will get enhanced or changed. It depends from person to person." She leaned back and rested her back on the couch. "Now this potion is nothing new. What I mean is that I have heard of people making it but it is banned by the law of Araniea. So obviously, Menkar is doing it illegally."

Eltanin was shocked. He stared at the scroll. The ingredients of the potion were written on it and what effects it had on merfolk. He pointed at one of them and said, "This plankton is found only in the Jade Sea!"

Taiyi chuckled. "That is the most interesting part," she said. "This plankton is found in the Jade Sea only and that too it is pretty rare. It is harvested under strict vigilance in a very small area in the North Kingdom of Garduff. It comes at a very high price. Now the question is--why is the Garduff king selling it to Menkar?"

"Or selling it to the person who is making the potion for Menkar," Tania interjected her opinion.

"That is a high possibility," Taiyi replied with a sigh. "There's another thing. The ingredients of this potion need not necessarily contain this plankton. Sometimes, when it was prepared on the lands of Araniea, they used a plant found in the Ivory Forest. But that was again very rare and I remember Alrakis destroying them all."

"So what does it mean?" Tania asked, her brows knitted.

"It means that change in appearance is largely dependent on the ingredients. Or certain ingredients would suit or work on certain species only."

"Calaman's horns!" Eltanin rasped.

Taiyi added, "Basically, it means that Menkar is hiding his true appearance. He is someone else. But that brings me to my next question--if he is someone else, then where is the real Menkar. And if he is Menkar, then what is the point of drinking this potion? Why would a man suffer so much to change his appearance?"

"I have an idea!" Alrakis said as he walked to his family. He just wanted to protect all of them.

"And that is?" Eltanin asked.

Alrakis looked at his wife. "How about you--"