The Alpha's Temptation

Taiyi knew that what she just suggested wasn\'t going to click with Felis but she said it nonetheless.

"Why? Are you afraid that I will end up killing your good son?" Felis mocked. "Because given a chance, I would!"

Taiyi didn\'t like his response. "No Felis. You got me wrong. I don\'t want either of my sons to be killed. The loss would be mine and only mine. If you can\'t understand that, then I really don\'t have anything to add further."

Felis whipped his head up to see her and found that she was crying. Crease formed in his forehead. He had never imagined that his mother would even cry for him. He was sure that the day she would meet him, she would reject him or deny him or refuse to talk to him because she would remember what his father did to her, but here she was--crying for him.

He wasn\'t well molded to tackle intense emotions. All he felt was sadness that his mother cried because of him. This was a memory he didn\'t want to carry back with him. He didn\'t know how to stop her from crying. He took his hand to her cheek and wiped away the tears with his fingers.

"I didn\'t mean to hurt you..." he said in a low voice. "But my goal in life is to rule the whole of Araniea. That is what I have been engineered for. My father has turned me into something that I cannot back away from, nor I would. I am what I am and I will defend it. So if you are telling me to stop what I am, then you should know that your pleas would fall on a stone."

Taiyi smiled but her smile didn\'t reach her eyes. How could she forget that the son that she had left so long back has turned into a killing machine? He had built an army of Nyxers who were nothing but mindless killers. "Then may I suggest something else?" she said through her tears. She couldn\'t come to terms that Ukdah had turned her son into this.

"I am listening," he said quietly, still watching her. He didn\'t understand why she was crying even though he wiped her tears.

"You should stop abducting females from other kingdoms and use them as breeding machines. I--" She pursed her lips and looked away. "I--" It was impossible to speak further because horrible memories choked her throat. She let out a ragged breath and then steeled herself. "Because I faced that situation and it is so gruesome and shameful that-- that you can\'t--" she stopped as a loud sob wrenched out of her.

Felis froze because he knew what she was referring to. He turned and clung to her legs. "Mother!" he rasped. For once he hated his father as he watched his beautiful and delicate mother reliving that past in his presence. It made him hate himself because his father wanted to have a son who was a demigod. Instead he turned out to be a demon werewolf. "Please don\'t..." He pleaded with her.

Taiyi cupped her son\'s face with her palms. "Felis, it is important that I tell you what happened to me."

"No, Mother!" he said. He didn\'t want to listen to what happened to her. "Please spare me."

Taiyi nodded lightly. "Okay, but know this. Menkar had a big role to play in it. He was the one who convinced your father and then betrayed my trust."

Felis jerked his head back. "Menkar? The High Priest of Cetus Monastery?"

"Yes. He isn\'t Menkar. His real name is Nerio."

Felis placed a finger on his mother\'s lips. "In that case, why didn\'t you kill him till now?" he said quietly though he was seething with rage.

"He is of no use to me now. His mind is broken and even if you try to glean information from him, you won\'t get much!"

"No, Mother. This is not how it ends." Felis got up from his place. "If you trust me, would you accompany me to the Eridani River? I promise that I will take you there alone and will bring you back here safely."

She was surprised at what Felis just said. She didn\'t know what was going on in his mind, but he looked... feral. Even murderous. "What are you planning?" she asked, a bit suspiciously, a bit on guard and a bit out of curiosity.

"Something..." he said and extended his hand to her.

Taiyi gazed into his eyes that looked like a deep well. They were full of mystery. She knew that if he tricked while she was on that side of the border, she might end up losing her freedom again. At the same time, if she doesn\'t trust him, he will lose all hope in the world of having a mother. She sucked in a sharp breath and decided to believe in him. She took his hand and he gently tugged her up.

"Aren\'t you afraid that I will kill you?" she asked.

"No I am not," he said with a smile. "If you will try to kill me, Mother, I will defend myself and won\'t hesitate in killing you."

He took her outside and asked his General, "Where is the wagon which has Menkar?"

Alphard had come immediately after Felis had ordered him and he was standing outside the tent, waiting anxiously. He wondered who this woman was with whom Felis was spending so much time. Was he able to use his dark magic and control her to spill some secrets? "It is standing with the prisoner right over there," he replied, pointing towards the end of the tents.

Without another word, Felis strode to the wagon with Taiyi following him. Alphard too came after them. He watched the woman with intrigue. She was beautiful and had a glow about her.

"Get the wagon attached to two horses. I will be taking it inside Hydra," Felis ordered his General. "I will be going with Taiyi, but no one will follow us. Is that clear?"