The Alpha's Temptation

Along with Felis, Taiyi reached the camp with thick emotions whirling across her mind. The night was nearing an end and she knew that she had to leave.

They reached the tent and Taiyi once again snapped her fingers to surround themselves with thick mist so that the sound didn't percolate out.

"Thank you," she said in a soft voice once she sat on the edge of the bed.

"I would have done it earlier if I had known…" he said. "Does Eltanin know?" he mocked.

"No…"

"You mean Eltanin doesn't know about Menkar at all?" he asked, his eyes growing wide.

"No…"

Felis sank in his chair as he continued to gaze at his mother. "That means Eltanin doesn't know that I am his elder brother?" He couldn't believe that.

"No…" Taiyi bit her bottom lip, lowering her gaze to her lap where she had intertwined her fingers.

"Calaman's horns!" He stabbed his fingers in his hair. He let out a chuckle which converted into a deep throaty laughter. When he stopped, he looked at his mother. "You all are such hypocrites. You haven't told Eltanin that he is my brother?"

Taiyi shot him a sharp gaze. "Don't judge me, Felis! You don't exactly think that I would go around telling my son that I was forced earlier than finding my mate by someone and that I have a son. How pathetic that sounds!" The main reason why she never mentioned it to Eltanin was that then he would have become too biased against the Hydra Kingdom and Felis. It was possible that the opposite would have been the situation, but she never took chances.

Felis flinched for the first time that night. He recoiled when Taiyi spat those words. Bile rose in his throat. He felt disgusted. "I knew that you hated me…"

"That is an absurd insinuation, Felis," Taiyi berated him. "I can never hate you, but can you stop hating Eltanin? Can you stop with your unreasonable pursuit of leashing his beast?"

"No, I can't!" he sneered. "And I will forever continue to try my best to leash his beast. I will leash the beast of your glorious son and then rule this world!"

Taiyi's lips lifted slightly in a sad smile. "Stop comparing yourself with Eltanin. You are—"

"I am the ugly demon werewolf son of yours, right?" Felis cut her off with his venomous words.

"No," Taiyi sighed. "You are different from him. If Ukdah had given me my son, I would have made sure that you turned out better than Eltanin. I would have gladly given you Stourin to rule and Eltanin would have gladly ruled Draka with you. There is only one difference between Eltanin and you!" She breathed. "And it is that while you want to rule over all of Araniea, Eltanin only wants to settle happily in Draka." She wanted to mention Lusitania to him, but she didn't, on purpose.

Felis clenched his jaws so hard that it hurt. He narrowed his eyes as he glared at his mother. "So you already have favorites?"

Taiyi got up, walked to him and slapped him hard across his face.

Stunned as hell, Felis's head whipped to the right as his skin burned at the impact. Wide eyes, he couldn't believe that he was slapped. For the first time by a woman. By his mother. He placed his hand over his cheek. If it had been anyone else, he would have ripped that person's head from their neck by now. But he blinked his eyes, shook his head slightly and looked back at his mother.

"I told you that you and I didn't have enough time to spend with each other. How can I have favorites? I have known you for less than a night!" Taiyi lashed at him, towering over him like the mother she was.

Felis became absolutely quiet. A new feeling swirled in his chest. Of possessiveness. Where was his anger? In a low voice he said, "I heard that you lived away from Eltanin for a long time and that Alpha Alrakis lived with him for most of his youth. Is that true?"

Taiyi closed her eyes and then went back to sit on the bed. She had clenched her fists tightly. "That is true."

Felis blinked his eyes and suggested, "In that case, Eltanin must be very possessive about his father. Even more possessive than he must be about you. Why can't you stay with me?"

"What? What do you mean?" she spat.

"I mean that he can have his father while I have my mother," Felis replied with a gleam in his eyes. "It is a win-win situation!"

Taiyi raised her eyebrow. "I have to go back to Stourin, Felis. My kingdom awaits me."

All his hopes dashed against a hard cliff like waves crashing against them. "Then if I want to come to Stourin, will you allow me to visit?"

"Of course," she replied, but then we will do that in happy times. "And for that, I suggest that you give up your ways. It is long that you stop with your nasty activities and recall your Nyxers."

"Why are you making deals with me, Mother? Can't you accept me the way I am?"

Taiyi closed her eyes. "This is a long argument which will never have an end, Felis. But remember this— if you mend your ways, I will be standing right there for you. If you mend your ways, I will protect you from everyone's wrath." She got up from the bed, her chest heaving. She walked to Felis and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you a lot…" she whispered. When she removed herself, she said, "It is time that I leave…" She knew that it was a hopeless exercise to convince Felis. He had gone too far. And for that she hated Ukdah.

Felis gulped a thick swirl of emotions. He didn't want her to leave, but he nodded. He had promised her that he would leave her by morning.