The Alpha's Temptation

In the Kingdom of Hydra, the war had become too intense between the Alphas. All of them started claiming to be the real heir of the throne. When initially they were supporting each other, now they were opening against each other. Every other day, the Alphas sent their men to attack the boundaries of others.

The weak ones got eliminated fast. Only five remained. But these five were too tired to attack any further. Apart from that, their resources were depleting. Since the boundary of the kingdom was sealed, there was no way that they could get any kind of help, monetary or in kind. This was creating a lot of havoc on their own economy.

The areas where they ruled were now marred with poverty even though they had a lot more under them. The twelve territories were now reduced to five. Jaris continued to remain neutral.

Mirik was sitting in his meeting room, assessing the loss that he had gone through during the war. It was huge. He had his head in his hands as nightmares became real in front of his eyes. The dreams that Morava showed to him were dreams made of glass. They shattered sooner than he could even think. Not only that, now he began to suspect that Morava had given other Alphas the same deal that she gave to him. And so he decided to talk to all the other remaining Alphas to talk about it. He hoped he was wrong, because if his suspicions were correct, then Morava wouldn't be able to find a place in hell also.

When Henk received Mirik's message, he wasn't sure whether he should meet him or not. He pinched the skin of his forehead between his thumb and index finger. The war had killed half his concubines. He was sitting with Kepp. "What do you think of this message?" he asked Kepp as he slid the letter to him across the table.

Kepp picked it up and read it. He frowned and said, "There is no harm is talking to him. At the end of the day, if he doesn't comply to our demands, we don't have to agree to him. We can wage a fresh war over him. Mirik has gone weaker than before and once he is dead we can conquer his territory."

"I don't want another war!" Henk growled. "I want an end to this misery. Who wants to rule a kingdom which is on the brink of poverty? Have you seen our stores, our treasury? Hell, we don't have enough bread to give to servants in my quarter, let alone those who are in the village!"

Kepp winced. "I understand," he responded quickly. "But what do you suggest?"

Henk looked away and shook his head. Under Felis things were so organized. "I am ready to talk with Mirik. Arrange a meeting on neutral grounds."

"Should I arrange it in Morava's apartments?" Kepp asked because that was the only place where all Alphas went.

"No!" Henk snapped. "Somewhere else."

---

Morava was sitting on the couch in the balcony of her room with a glass of wine in her hand. She was looking at the snow clad peaks of the Crimson Mountains. There was a smile on her face. Her revenge was nearing its end. She knew that only a few more days were left before the remaining five Alphas would kill each other.

She knew that since she was their mate, she had to reject them before they were killed in order to save herself from all the pain and depression. So in order to keep it simple, she had rejected all of the remaining who hadn't rejected her beforehand, other than Mirik.

She took a deep sigh and chuckled. The Alphas were such fools. They got in her trap so easily. She was going to have fun, when she became the queen of Hydra. She couldn't help thinking that she had carved out a place for herself despite how her father threw her out of his kingdom. With her renewed powers she was going to attack Pegasii and kill Lusitania for sure. She was going to first send a peace message to the faes so that they lifted the seal.

"Slow, Morava, slow. You have all the time in the world now," she murmured to herself. She finished all her wine and ordered her maid to refill her glass.

There was a knock on the door. "Who's there?" Morava asked the maid.

"It is the guard, m'lady," said the maid. "He wants to speak with you."

"Call him in," she said as she picked up a cheese cube and ate it.

The guard came in and handed her a message. She opened it and read it. Alpha Mirik had called her to his quarters for a meeting and the meeting was supposed to take place in an hour.

Morava's lips curled up. She knew that he was calling her to report about the war. And she was going to fuel his ambitions a little more. This time she would pitch him against the Alpha she hated—Alpha Henk.

She folded the letter and got up from her couch. She had to get ready and this time she was going to get ready in her sexiest dress. So she went to her closet and chose a red gown that had a plunging neckline. A slit ran in its skirt right to her thigh. She curled her hair and pinned them up. She applied red paint on her lips and dark kohl. After glancing herself in the mirror for one last time, she walked to the quarters of Alpha Mirik.

There she saw five soldiers standing with a carriage. One of them said, "Alpha Mirik has asked us to take you to the borders of Alpha Jaris's territory. Please be seated in the carriage as you are scheduled to reach in less than an hour."

Morava didn't like the tone of the soldier, but she didn't argue because it looked like if she didn't sit in the carriage, they would make her sit forcibly. She didn't know what was going on and why did Mirik call her there, but left with no other option, she sat in the carriage. Many thoughts swirled in her mind about the venue, but she couldn't understand any of it. She let out a rough exhale as she waited for the journey to get over.