The Alpha's Temptation

"What about your father?" Taiyi said, almost growling. Her son had become... clingy.

Eltanin didn't know what to say. He let out a long exhale. His head bobbed up and down as if trying to blame his parents for a conspiracy against him. He couldn't stop himself from asking and so he blurted out, "Are you planning on deserting me?" The question was for his father, but it was directed to his mother.

Taiyi had had enough of this boy. She walked to him and flicked his forehead.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his forehead. "What was that for mother?"

"Good Taiyi!" Alrakis encouraged his wife. "Maybe that will give him some sense. He is behaving weirdly these days."

"I am behaving weirdly?" Eltanin said loudly. "It is you, father! You are the one who is behaving weirdly. At every damn opportunity you want to leave me and go away when there is so much to do out here!"

Alrakis raised an eyebrow. He gave a deadpan look to his son and then looked away. "I am doing everything to help you, Eltanin. I am going to help your mother to find Menkar. She has been alone for far too long! I want to be with her."

Eltanin moved his head back slightly as his expression changed to I-knew-it look. "I see... Fine then. You can go. I won't stop you." He took a step back, turned and walked to the fire hearth where he gripped the ledge of the mantle and stared at the flames. He looked like an abandoned child.

Alrakis was amazed at his son's act of misery, desperation, abandonment and various other emotions that surfaced all at once. He looked at Tania who had pursed her lips as if stifling a laughter. Her cheeks were flushed. The Alpha scratched his head and glanced at his wife as if asking what to do.

Taiyi was straight. "We are wasting time, Alrakis. Let us go!"

He nodded and followed his wife out wondering what would happen to Eltanin.

---

It had been three days since Menkar had been swimming in the tide beneath water. In these three days he had precisely two fish a day that came along his way. He was hungry and tired and restless. He knew that his journey wouldn't end so soon. At times, he wanted to come out of the current and just swim like a free soul. But then he reminded himself of all the sacrifices he had done over thousands of years. His determination would come back and he would look forward to meeting his brother.

All of a sudden, he detected motion around him. It was as if a large whale had slapped water across the current. The swirl twisted a little and he maneuvered himself accordingly to stay inside with a lot of difficulty. "What the hell!" he rasped as he looked on the side. The water swirling in the current had many layers and it was impossible to see what was outside, so he was sure that no one could look in or even have the guts to enter the swirl. However, what caught his eyes was a movement of numerous colorful tails that appeared blurred from inside the swirl. He wouldn't have caught the motion had it been just one merman, but he was sure that there were many.

"Fuck!" He stretched his arms in front to propel himself at a faster speed. He didn't understand as to why there was an army of guards patrolling the sea. First, King Izo stopped the trade with Araniea and now there are soldiers everywhere? He had to hurry and ask his brother. At the same time he had to keep an eye on another large movement of soldiers.

He traveled for one more day until he reached the entrance of the secret tunnel. The current curved from there and turned southwest. Bracing himself to get out of the current at the point from where the tunnel was seen, he waited. When the exact point came, he flapped his tail to the right as he steered to the left using maximum force. Getting out was not easy. The force of the swirl put a lot of pressure on his body and he yelled with pain. However, as soon as he touched the outer layer of the swirl, he was kicked out of it.

Menkar was tossed in the sea almost half a mile away before he could regain his balance. Scared that he would be caught, he started swimming towards the tunnel even though his body was aching everywhere. He stopped and everything in his gut came out.

The entrance of the unused tunnel was covered with seaweeds and a nest of fish. He cleared them all. He captured a few fish, put them in a bag he knitted from seaweeds and entered it.

It was a long winding tunnel under water. Menkar was extremely tired. As much as he wanted to go fast, he couldn't. He swam slowly, too exhausted. Thankfully, he had caught the fish at the entrance because now he could eat them. There weren't fish inside the tunnel, only water snakes. Deadly water snakes whose venom could kill you with one bite. And that was why Menkar couldn't afford to sit on the ground. He just had to swim.

He reached the end of the tunnel after a day. As soon as he reached there, he plucked a flower that only grew just outside and crushed it. The juices mingled with water and moved towards the palace. It was a signal for his brother that he had arrived.

Within ten minutes, two guards came by his side and they escorted him through a secret passage inside the palace.

King Murel was hosting a dinner of the nobility when he received the signal. He was taken by complete surprise. "Nerio!" Murel exclaimed the moment he saw him. He rushed to him and embraced his brother tightly. "My God! You are burning with fever!"

Menkar's real name was Nerio.

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