The Alpha's Temptation

Chapter 86 About Mates

As a soldier and warrior, Eltanin knew how to take care of himself, as well as his colleagues, when they were on the battlefield. He made her wear one of his pajamas, leaving the shirt on the couch.

After taking a bath, he got back in bed to sleep with her in his arms. However, he got up in the morning to inform Fafnir that he would be late for the court hall. He had to go to the opening ceremony of the Great Library in the afternoon, but he didn't want to.

A pale blush spread across her face when he said that he helped her change. "Did anyone notice your absence?" she asked as she placed her hand over his cheek.

A smug smile appeared on his lips. "I am the king and I can do whatever I want!"

She laughed at his cockiness.

But he then became serious again. "Thank you for saving my life at Humval ruins."

"I had to…" she replied.

He took a deep breath in relief. Perhaps she was feeling the mate bond just as strongly as he was. "You smell different," he said. when she furrowed her brows, he said, "You smell of morning mist and smoke." Like that of sorcery and thunderstorms. "It seems that your gift is awakening." He had nearly died and it was her magic that pulled him out, but it had drained her completely. He remembered how silky threads of her essence tugged on his soul and stirred him inside.

A flicker of excitement passed through her eyes. "But I would like for you to suppress this scent for as long as you can. I don't want anyone to know about your magic."

"I will…" she reassured him. He was over protective about her.

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "There is something very important I want to tell you."

"What?" Tania asked with a frown.

He rubbed the lines on her forehead. "Don't worry so much. But it is something I have been wanting to tell you for a long time now." He held her hands and squeezed them. "It is about—"

A heavy knock on the door stopped him. He growled, "Who is it?"

"Your Highness!" The guard called. "There has been another murder!"

Eltanin got up as shock blasted through his body. He went to the door and cracked it open a little. "What are you saying?"

The guard bowed, trembling under his glare. "There's been another murder, Your Highness." The guard turned his face to the right. Eltanin followed his gaze and saw a very tense Fafnir standing in that direction.

Fafnir bowed to him. "The body was found this morning on the rear side of the rose garden.

Dread skittered down his spine. That was the place where the passageway from his bedchamber ended. "Who is it this time?" _{ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​}

"A guard from Prince Rigel's army. His name is Glenn. Prince Rigel had left him here, which is quite unusual," Fafnir informed.

Dread knotted in his chest. "Glenn?"

"Yes, Your Highness. He had bruises on almost every part of his body. It looks as if he was tortured the entire night before being murdered. There was a dagger plunged into his throat."

Eltanin grabbed the handle of the door tightly as blood drained from his face.

"Whomever did the ghastly act did it in such a way that no one knew about it. And I had no clue as to why anyone would murder Glen. He was an innocent man who wasn't involved in the politics of Draka, or the Orion kingdom." Fafnir clenched his fists. "They threw the body in the garden. A passing servant scented the rotten smell. He followed the smell and found the body. When I arrived, I saw that blood was already caked around the body. Glenn was cold and smelled rotten. There were flies all around him."

Eltanin felt as if the ground had slipped out from under his feet. He leaned against the door frame to stop himself from falling over from shock. Glenn had accompanied them to the Humval ruins. He had brought him back safely. Not once did he stop on the journey back to the palace because the man had understood the importance of the covert mission. In the end he had murmured to Eltanin, "I know that you both are mates, but don't reveal her to anyone. There are many who would want to take her place." It was friendly advice which Eltanin took with a smile and then had embraced Glenn. His lips trembled as he said, "I will be out in a moment."

Fafnir bowed to him. "I will wait for you. Do you want me to send a message to Prince Rigel?"

"Yes."

Fafnir left. Eltanin closed the door and leaned his back against it. How could he tell this to Tania? The girl was already in shock and was still recovering. He decided to deal with it on his own.

"What's wrong?" Tania asked with worry when she saw Eltanin's grave expression. His face was pale. She couldn't hear what Eltanin was talking with the guards about since they spoke in hushed voices. Moreover, the main door opened into the living room and the bedroom. It was impossible to discern what they had talked about.

"Nothing," he murmured. He sat down on the bed and then pulled her into his embrace carefully. Stroking her hair and down to her lower back he said, "Don't leave this room for the next few days. There are some issues I have to sort out, and after that—?

"After that?" she asked, her face was pressed against his chest.

"I will let you know…"

"You should let me know now," she argued, tipping her head up.

He stared into her blue-green eyes and melted. "Promise me you won't get upset and that you won't leave me."

She let out a soft laugh. Her gaze went to his lips. She brought her finger up to them and traced their outline. "I won't promise you that I won't get upset, but I will promise that I won't leave unless you ask me to."

"And that day will never come," he added immediately.

"So, now tell me what you have been wanting to say," she urged.

He bit his lip. "What do you know about mates?"

Her heart went still. "Mates are for life."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he started, "Yes, mates are for life. Usually on your eighteenth birthday, you shift into your wolf, and if your mate is near, you can smell them immediately as well. However, this wasn't the case with you. You didn't shift into your wolf, so how could you smell your mate? Finding a mate is pretty rare in Lore. Sometimes we don't find our mates and mark females that we love and want to take them as wives." He made her lie back onto the pillows. "When mates smell each other, the contact is so electrifying that it triggers emotions you've never felt before. You are drawn towards your mate even if it meant that you would burn up like a moth to a flame. Your wolf gets so stirred up that it wants to come out with you and follow the scent. Mates can scent each other from miles away."

Her stomach knotted.