The Alpha's Temptation

Chapter 45 Ego

Eltanin couldn't believe that this girl was ready to put herself in danger's way so easily. What about self-preservation? What kind of a spy was she? Such a novitiate. He pursed his lips at his guileless mate as his heart filled with warmth and fierce protection for her. He said, "First of all, those servants are not being whipped because of you. They are being beaten because of the inflated egos of those women. Secondly, I'm commanding you not to go anywhere."

Tania shrank in her spot listening to his commands. The king was ordering her a lot but then that's what the kings did, right? They loved to show their authority.

Eltanin didn't like how he spoke to her, but there was too much at stake. She was a delicate petal holding herself up in a turbulent river. He had to protect her at all costs. She had no clue what would happen to her if his foes discovered she was his mate. They would kill her to get at him or use her to take advantage of her. Both the thoughts made him queasy.

With her in the palace, he didn't trust anyone, not even his closest men. He had been with many women in the past, but never felt this basic instinct urging him, no, pushing him, to protect her with his life. He looked at her as if she was water and he was a fish. Without water, he would… die.  It was as if… as if he was created just for her. This sudden realization sent a tremor down his spine. Something inside him goaded him to take her to the secret garden with the golden apple tree and leave her there under the protection of the dragon spirit until he came back. The dragon tattoo on his body slithered a little as if humming in agreement.

When Tania didn't speak up, he said, "Okay?" pinning her with his narrowed gaze.

"Okay," she breathed softly and gave a tight nod.

"Do you promise?" he asserted. He wasn't sure if his lamb would try to run away. He didn't have a chain so he could shackle her to stay in the bedroom, so he had to use his words to chain her here instead. He waited for her to reply when he noticed her puzzled expression. "Hmm?"

Tania pursed her lips and gave him another tight nod. "I promise."

Eltanin relaxed a little and then sighed. "I will be back as soon as possible." He stepped back and then turned to leave. On his way out, he closed the door softly and wished that there was a key to lock his bedchamber's door. He was going to have one made right away.

The guards surrounded him the moment he stepped out. They bowed and then followed him. After crossing the entire length of the corridor, they rounded a bend, and a patio became visible. There were several wooden benches that were crafted out of tree trunks with a large fire pit in the center and dense willow trees surrounding it, which formed an overhead canopy. As he walked through it, he wondered what it would be like to bring Tania here. Hidden, yet not. Blood traveled to his groin and a low rumble vibrated in his chest. Air punched out of his lungs just at the thought. What would it be like to really be able to do that when just the imagination caused this to him? Now he realized that all these years it was his destiny to not marry anyone and wait for his Tania.

He arrived at the servant quarters, and saw that a unit of fifty soldiers surrounded the building.

As soon as Eltanin reached the servant quarters, he opened the mind link and ordered everyone to halt what they were doing. The soldier that was lashing a servant on Giada's and Orna's orders, stopped immediately. They froze as Eltanin's aura seized them via mind link. The king's command had so much power that no one could resist it.

Eltanin strode to where the soldiers had gathered, in front of Tania's room. Rage streaked through him. A savage growl emanated from his chest when he saw that every item in her room had been upturned. The bed was broken, her clothes were tossed all over the floor, her tiny little bag was torn apart and the earthen pitcher was shattered. "Why did you do this?" he demanded the guard who was standing in the room with a whip in his hand. _{ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​}

Upon seeing the king, the guard clenched his jaw. The king was not someone you would want to consider angering. He was deadly, fast and the strongest man in all of Araniea. Hard to wound, let alone to kill. And not only that, he was capable of coercing others if he chose to force his will upon them. Right now, the guard was under that compulsion to bow to him. "It was the order of Lady Giada," he replied, not able to look into the eyes of the Alpha.

Giada blinked and then slowly looked at Eltanin, her fists closed tightly on her sides. Eltanin said nothing. His piercing gaze was more than enough to send shivers down her.

"I asked them to find the girl, Your Highness," she said in a low, gravelly voice. "I can smell her. She is lodged in this room. I had come to drag her out and throw her in the dungeons, so she could be punished. I think the plan—"

"What you think is irrelevant in the kingdom of Draka." Eltanin silenced the woman.

"But, Your Highness, she assaulted me," Giada pushed. She couldn't digest the insult. How could a servant girl kick her?

Eltanin's jaw tightened as his eyes met hers. The darkness in his eyes was chilling. She trembled as the air around them rippled with tension. She realized that she had pushed the king too far but her ego was hampering her reasoning.

"Didn't I already pass my judgment for that?" There was so much coldness in his expression that it was kind of a warning for everyone.

The way he presented himself this moment sent anxiety prickling down Giada. She paled. There was a tense moment of silence that fell over them.

"You did, Your Highness," she said as her lips quivered. "But—"

He cut her off when he looked at his guards and barked, "Whose orders do you follow in this kingdom, mine or Lady Giada's?" He roamed his gaze over all the guards. "Are you all feigning loyalty to me?" Eltanin forced the guards onto their knees. "How dare you all whip and violate the servants of this palace? How dare you go on a rampage in the palace when this is against this land's law? This is considered as an invasion on my palace!"

What he said was true. The guards couldn't go on a rampage like this without his orders. And Eltanin had never in his lifetime been cruel to his servants. He loathed the way other kingdoms treated their servants. The innocent omegas who never turned into wolves had an equal right to live. He had passed the law long back that every omega who went against the system would be given a fair trial.

Giada—