The Alpha's Temptation

Eltanin sighed deeply as he looked at the dragon. His misty body that was covered in smoky wisps of tendrils against the backdrop of golden apples looked ominous. He closed the distance between them in slow strides, musing about his predicament.

"It seems you are in a lot of tension," said Ladon, sensing the king's worries.

"I am…" Eltanin breathed. "My mother told me about Felis and how he is related to… me."

Ladon slithered down the tree slightly and uncoiled his body. His massive head came right in front of Eltanin's eyes. His red eyes gleamed. "So?"

"So?" Eltanin was shocked by his one word reply. "I am sorry but it is not just a 'so' situation! So many things have changed ever since mother told me about Felis!" he snapped as his raven eyes gazed into Ladon's red ones.

The dragon let out a whiff of smoke from his mouth as if sighing. "Nothing has changed, Eltanin," he said. "Only a piece of information has been added to your mind. Other than that, everything is the same."

"But Felis is my brother!" Eltanin said loudly, closing his fists so tightly that his knuckles became white.

"I hope that doesn't mean that you think of sparing his life or that you plan on ruling Draka with him?"

Eltanin looked up in the dragon's eyes and stumbled a step back. "I— I—" He didn't know what to say.

"If that is your intention, then you are no longer the ruler of Draka as I had envisioned. In fact, you should give up being a king and only think about yourself. You don't have to think of all the women he had imprisoned and taken in his kingdom to be used as breeders. You don't have to think of how many soldiers the Nyxers have slaughtered under his command. And certainly you don't have to think about Ukdah, who forced your mother. Do you think that Ukdah is dead?" Ladon's words fell sharply on Eltanin's conscience.

"I— I don't know…"

"Ukdah isn't dead. He gave his throne to Felis and has gone on the tour to other realms. Felis is an instrument for him, a corrupt and highly unstable instrument on whose back he had pinned hopes that he would be able to rule Araniea. Once Felis is able to lash your beats, Ukdah will come out of hiding and take over. Why do you think he is traveling through the realms?"

Eltanin was stunned that Ladon knew so much. But then he was an ancient spirit. He knew a lot of things. "Why?" he breathed incredulously.

"Ukdah has gone to garner support from different species of the Lore. He has been traveling from one realm to another just to gather as much support as possible in case a war comes. And if you think that Felis is unaware of this, then you are a fool. He knows of his father's intentions, and he is willing to sacrifice himself for it. You cannot imagine the level of depravity that Felis is infested with."

"But when my mother went to meet him, he was… welcoming."

Ladon coiled back to the tree and barked what sounded like laughter. Smoky wisps of tendrils wrenched out of him as his body shook with laughter. When he settled, he said, "Felis had seen his mother for the first time. What do you expect? But more than that, do you know who it was that he was hoping would have come?"

Eltanin's eyes became wide. He felt a noose tightening around his neck. He couldn't form words from his mouth as he continued to stare at Ladon.

Sensing his emotion, Ladon said, "Felis hoped that it was Lusitania who would have come to meet him and not Taiyi. It was a shock to him when he saw Taiyi."

"Why Lusitania?" Eltanin's breath lodged in his throat.

"Because Felis wanted to capture the fae and make her his by forcing her. He wanted to have children who would have fae traits, who would have magic like her. Because he wants to build a stronger army of Nyxers. But that is not even the tip of the iceberg," Ladon scoffed. "He knew that you would have gone after her and then you would have willingly given your beast to him to free Lusitania."

A shudder passed through Eltanin. "No!"

Ladon coiled back on the tree and sighed. "That was his plan."

"H— how do you know? You are tricking me?"

"And why would I trick the man who rules Draka. You are born with my mark on your body, which means that a small piece of my soul has somewhere ingrained in you. Why would I want to hurt you or trick you when all I want is to protect you and all of Draka?"

Eltanin's fingers went on his throat and he rubbed his skin out there as if trying to dislodge a lump forming inside. The truth about Felis was so dichotomously correct.

"Go back to Lusitania, Eltanin," Ladon hissed. "She needs to be protected. There is danger hovering over her. And this war that you feel would get over by a few talks… won't. If you like, you may experiment at the risk of exposing your mate to Felis."

He closed his eyes and let out a long exhale. Now he knew why he came here. Why his feet brought him to meet Ladon. It was as if Ladon had called him to open his eyes. He didn't say anything. He bowed to the dragon and walked out of the royal gardens with a heavy heart.

'Protect Lusitania.' Ladon's words rang in his head like warning bells. He hurried back to his bedchamber. Lusitania was standing by the window, watching something on the outside. He came to stand behind her and then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Startled, Tania laughed. "Elty! When did you come?"

Eltanin buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent to calm himself. His heart was thundering against his ribcage.