Sophie's POV

The steam of the final broth had barely cleared.

Cassian entered the kitchen. He ignored the other chefs. His eyes found me immediately.

The urgency in his posture made me a little nervous.

"The Alpha would like to see you at the royal farm." Cassian said.

His voice was low.

"He expects you as soon as your duties here are finished."

I wiped my hands on my apron. I nodded slowly.

"I'm done now. I was just about to head to my quarters."

"Don't keep him waiting." Cassian advised.

He turned to his heel.

I headed for the farm. The night air was cold. Shadows stretched across the stone path. I smelled earth and horses.

Alaric stood in the clearing. He did not move as I approached. I knew he heard my footsteps.

"There you are." Alaric said as he turned slowly.

He kept his hands behind his back. His shoulders were stiffed. I paused a few feet away.

"You called for me, Your Majesty?" I asked.

I tilted my head. I tried to see what he was hiding.

"Why are your hands behind your back?"

He took a step closer. His golden eyes searching mine in the moonlight.

"Tell me, Sophie. Are you scared of dying?"

The question was blunt. It hit me like a physical blow.

I let out a dry laugh.

"This place had thought me not to fear death anymore." I replied.

I meant it. Between falling off cliffs. Being caught in nets. Facing off against Lady Elara. My fear threshold had been pushed to the limit.

"In this kingdom, death feels like a shadow that follows everyone. Why do you ask?"

Alaric looked away.

"Speaking of death... I think someone might have killed my trusted messenger, Eunuch George. I sent him to the archives to find the truth about my mother's last draft. Now, he is gone. Vanished into thin air."

The gravity of the situation settled over me. George was the link to his mother's past. The truth Alaric had been hunting for years.

"You should send someone to search for him." I said immediately.

"The longer he is missing, the colder the trail gets."

"I already sent some guards to comb the lower town and the palace perimeter." Alaric said. His voice laced with frustration.

"No." I shook my head.

"Guards in armor make too much noise. They represent the crown. Whoever took George is clearly hiding from the crown. You need to send someone who operates in secret. Someone who can move through the shadows. Someone without a badge or a uniform. Make sure no one knows about the operation. If not, you'll never find him."

Alaric stood still for a moment. He stared at me. Like I had just spoken in a language he had never heard but perfectly understood.

"Why haven't I thought about that?" He whispered.

He took a step toward me. The intensity in his gaze softened. It turn into something like admiration.

"It seems like you have a solution to most of my trouble even without being in the kitchen. You see the world through a different lens, Sophie."

"It's nothing." I said. I felt a flush creep up my neck.

"I'm just helping out."

"I thank you for your idea." He said.

He finally brought his hands from behind his back.

"And because you have been a loyal chef to this crown... I found this."

My breath hitched.

In his large hands was my bag. My colorful synthetic fabric. It was the bag I had lost at the cliff.

"My bag!" I gasped.

I moved forward. My hands outstretched to grab it. Alaric was fast. He raised his hands high above his head. He used his massive height to keep it out of my reach.

"Not so fast." He teased.

A glimmer of playfulness in his eyes.

"Alaric, give it to me!" I cried.

I began to jump. I tried reaching upward. I tried to snag a strap. I was focused entirely on the bag. My feet leaving the ground as I lunged for it.

On my third attempt, I lost my balance. I stumbled forward. My chest colliding with his hard, muscular torso.

Alaric's arms came down instinctively to steady me. He trapped me against him.

Everything went silent. My hands were planted on his chest. I felt the heat of his skin through the fabric of his tunic. Our faces were inches apart.

The air between us felt electric. It was thick. With a tension that had been building since the moment he caught me in that net.

Alaric leaned in. His grip on my waist tightening. He was ready to seize the moment.

I felt a wave of heat wash over me. Then a sharp realization hit. I wasn't just a girl in a forest. I was a girl with a missing life. I forced myself to break the spell.

Cough, cough.

I made a loud, awkward coughing sound. I stepped back. The contact broke instantly.

Alaric cleared his throat. His face turning a shade darker in the moonlight. He quickly adjusted his tunic. He was smoothing the fabric with unnecessary force.

"Right." He muttered.

His voice gravelly. "The bag."

He handed it to me. The awkwardness was so thick. You could cut it with one of my kitchen knives. I took the bag. I immediately dropped to the grass. I pulled the zipper.

"Where is it?" I muttered.

My heart racing for a different reason now.

I tossed aside a stray granola bar wrapper. I threw my spare hair ties. I reached into the deep pocket where I always kept it.

Nothing.

I turned the bag over. I shaked it aggressively. My heart sank into my stomach.

"The Ledger of Satiety... it's not here." I whispered.

I looked up at him. Panic rising in my throat.

"And my phone. It's gone too."

Alaric frowned.

"Who found the bag?" I demanded.

"Cassian brought it to me." Alaric admitted.

"He found it caught in the briars near the water's edge."

"Where is the ledger? Where is my phone?" I asked.

My voice rising. "He must have seen them!"

"I cannot answer that." Alaric said.

He looked toward the stables. "Cassian!"

Cassian stepped out from behind the stone wall. He had been waiting nearby the whole time. He walked over. His expression guarded.

"Sophie wants to know about the contents of the bag, Cassian." Alaric said.

I stood up. I grabbed Cassian's arm.

"The book, Cassian. The old journal with the leather cover. And the black rectangular device. Where are they?"

Cassian looked uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I didn't see any book." Cassian said.

"The bag was open when I found it. But I saw the black mirror. I picked it up. It suddenly flickered to life. There was a figure inside it... a girl that looked exactly like you. But she wasn't moving. Her soul was trapped in it."

My blood ran cold. He must have seen my lock screen. A selfie I took back home.

"And?" I pressed.

"I panicked." Cassian admitted.

He is now looking at the ground.

"I thought it was a soul-trapping mirror. I thought the girl's spirit was crying out. I got scared... and I threw it away. It fell into a pit."

Alaric's eyes widened.

He looked at Cassian with utter disbelief.

"Why would you throw the... the pi-hon... away?"

Alaric struggled to pronounce the word. His brow furrowed.

I didn't hear the rest of their conversation.

The world felt like it was tilting. My phone was my only link to my world. And the Ledger... It was the only thing that could explain how I got here. Without them, I was truly a ghost.

My life was shattered. Every hope of finding a way back. Every clue I had to what brought me here. It was lying at the bottom of a pit.

I felt strength leave my legs. I fell to the ground. My knees hitted the dirt with a thud. The tears I had been holding back finally broke through.

"I just want to go home." I sobbed.

My voice breaking into a thousand pieces.

I buried my face in my hands.

"I just want return home!" I yelled.

Alaric's POV

I couldn't watch her sob. It cut through me like a blade. This was not a servant crying over a broken dish. It is not a soldier weeping for a lost comrade.

It was the sound of a soul being hollowed out. I could not bear to see her cry.

She looked so small. She looked fragile. I left Cassian standing like a fool. I moved to her. I grabbed Sophie from the cold dirt. I pulled her up. Until she was steady on her feet.

"Stop." I said.

My voice softer than I ever intended it to be.

"I promise you. I will make sure I find the book that brought you here."

She looked at me. Her eyes red with grief. Her hands were trembling. She clutched the straps of her bag.

"It is the only proof I have, Alaric." she whispered.

"Without it, I am just a ghost with no home."

"You are no ghost to me." I replied.

I held her shoulders firmly.

"Go have some rest. You have worked enough today. I will send out the guards tomorrow in search of the book. We will scour every inch of this kingdom until the ledger is back in your hands."

I could see relief wash over her. It was subtle. She slightly loosen her jaw. Her breath was becoming stable. She believed me.

She gave a tired nod. She began to walk. She walked slowly back toward her quarters. I watched her until she was completely gone.

I turned to face Cassian. He was leaning against a wooden post. His arms crossed over his chest. He had a look on his face that I did not like.

Before I could speak. He opened his mouth.

"I see you love her more than Lady Elara." Cassian said.

I felt my jaw tighten.

"You are unserious. We are dealing with a missing Eunuch. A kidnapping for that matter. A girl is falling apart. Here you are trying to crack jokes."

Cassian did not look intimidated.

He stepped into the moonlight.

"It is no joke, Alaric. I am your childhood friend. I have seen you with Elara for years. I have never seen you look at any woman the way you look at Sophie."

"You are imagining things." I said.

I started walking back toward the main keep.

Cassian followed me.

"Am I? Then tell me about the ledger. Did you see it when I brought the bag?"

"I didn't check the bag." I said.

"No, you did." Cassian said.

His voice dropping.

"I know you. Even if I had found that book, I know you wouldn't want her to find it. Because if she finds that book, she finds her way home. And if she goes home, you lose your heart."

"Shhh!" I hushed him.

I looked around the empty farm.

"Who told you that? Keep your voice down."

Cassian laughed.

It was a humorous sound that grated on my nerves.

"No one had to tell me. It is written all over your face. You still try to deny it, but you are not good at lying, Alaric. You are a King not a performer."

I knew I was guilty. I felt the heat in my face. I am the Alpha, the ruler of Blackwood. Yet a kitchen girl from another time had made my emotions as transparent as glass.

"Go have your rest, Cassian." I snapped.

"Tomorrow will be a long day. We have a search to organize."

"I will go." He said.

He was still smiling.

"But remember Alaric. Secrets in this palace have a way of coming out. Especially the ones you keep from yourself."

I left him there and walked back to my chambers.

The halls were silent. The air felt heavy with the things I was not saying. I entered my room. I sat at my desk.

I looked at my journal. I thought about the ledger. If I found it, would I give it to her? Or would I hide it to keep her here? The thought made me feel like a villain. But the idea of her vanishing back into the thin air was worse.

I pushed the thought away. I had a kingdom to protect. I remembered what Sophie had said earlier at the farm. She told me to send someone who moves in secret. Someone who no one would suspect.

I walked to the door. I signaled the guard.

"Get me Thomas the Jester." I commanded.

The guard looked confused.

"The Jester, Sire? At this hour?"

"Do as I say. Bring him through the servant's entrance."

Thomas was a man of many masks. Most people saw him as a fool who jingled his bells for a laugh. I knew him as a man of secrets. He knew every crawl space in the palace. He heard the whispers in the wine cellars. He was exactly what I needed.

Thomas arrived just in time. He was not wearing his bells. He wore dark, simple wool. He bowed low. His eyes sharp and alert.

"Come closer." I said.

He moved until he was a foot away. I leaned in. I whispered into his ear.

"Eunuch George is missing. He was taken from his room without a sound. And before that, a rogue tried to kill me in the forest when I went hunting. They used a silver arrow."

Thomas did not flinch. He just nodded.

"The guards are too loud for this." I continued.

"I need you to find that person. I need you to go where my soldiers cannot. Find the one who is after the crown. Find the one who wants to stop the truth about my mother. Whoever they are, they must be punished for treason."

Thomas looked at me. His face was dead serious.

"I will find the thread, Your Majesty. And I will pull it until the whole tapestry unravels."

"Go." I said.

He vanished into the shadows of the servant's hall.

I stood alone in my chamber. I was a King surrounded by enemies. But I'm in love with a girl who belonged to the future.

Elara's POV

The moon hung high over the kingdom of Blackwood. Its light brought me no peace.

I sat alone in my chamber. The silk of my gown feeling like sandpaper against my skin.

Every time I closed my eyes. I saw her. That ghost of a girl with her strange clothes. She was a rot in my garden. A weed that refused to be plucked. She was ruining everything I had spent years building.

Alaric is changing. I can feel it in the way he speaks. The way he carries himself. Most dangerously, the way he looks at her.

He is no longer the predictable tyrant I need him to be. A tyrant is easy to lead; you simply point him at an enemy and watch him tear them apart. But Alaric is softening.

He is looking for "truth" and "justice" instead of the raw, bloody revenge. Revenge that would keep this kingdom in a state of chaos.

If he finds out the truth about his mother's death. He might not kill the people I need him to kill. He might actually think. And a thinking King is a King I cannot control.

This nameless girl is the catalyst for his transformation. She is the anchor holding him back from his wolfish nature. My heart burned with a rage so hot I feared it would sear the very air in the room.

"She has the audacity to challenge me." I whispered to the empty room.

"Me. The woman feared by every wolf in this pack. The woman who should be wearing the crown."

Morgana stepped out from the shadows. Her face pale. She had been waiting for my mood to shift. But tonight, there was no shifting. There was only the fire.

"What do you think, Morgana?" I asked.

My voice cracking like a whip.

"Tell me how a peasant from nowhere is making the future Queen of Blackwood look like a bumbling fool."

Morgana bowed her head.

Her voice hushed. "My Lady, the girl is... unexpected. She does not play by the rules of the court because she does not know them. But she is making you look weak in the eyes of the other wolves. I hear the whispers in the servant halls. They say the 'Ghost Chef' has the Alpha's ear. They say she is untouchable."

I gripped the arm of my velvet chair. My knuckles turned white.

"Weak? They think I am weak?"

"They see a girl survive your wrath and come out stronger." Morgana said.

"We need a more dangerous plan. Something that does not just shame her, but leads directly to her execution. She is too small to be competing with the Lady of Blackwood, yet here she is, standing in your light."

"She is just a fly." I spat.

"A fly that needs to be swatted and crushed until there is nothing left but a stain on the floor."

"I believe you can handle her, My Lady." Morgana said.

She tried to soothe me.

"We just need more time to gather the right pieces. A plan that leaves no room for her to slip through."

I stood up. I paced the length of the room. The sapphire silk of my dress hissed against the stone.

"Time? We do not have time. Alaric is already searching for evidence. He threatened to bring proof against those involved in the old queen's passing. If he finds that proof before she is gone, she will protect him from the fallout. I want him hungry for blood. Not balanced by her 'mercy'."

I turned to Morgana, my eyes narrowed.

"Tell me one thing. How was it possible for Sophie to win that dinner? I watched the tray shatter. I saw the food hit the dirt. There was nothing left. How did she produce another meal in minutes?"

Morgana bite her lip.

"Only Cook Damien can answer that, My Lady. He was in the kitchen while we were... changing your attire."

I paused.

A slow, cruel smile began to form on my lips.

"Smart girl. I didn't think about that. Damien is the key. He is weak, and weak men are the best tools."

"Get me Damien." I commanded.

Morgana looked at the heavy curtains.

"It is really late, My Lady. The bells have already tolled for the third watch. Why don't we wait until morning? It might look suspicious if he is summoned now."

I turned on her. My voice low and dangerous.

"You sounded smart a minute ago, Morgana. Now you sound incredibly stupid. Do you not realize it is better if no one sees him coming here? Under the cover of darkness, he is just another shadow. You were there when Alaric threatened me. You stood in that hall and heard him. And now you tell me to wait?"

"I'm sorry, My Lady!" Morgana cried, dropping to her knees. Her voice trembled with genuine fear.

"I didn't mean... I will go at once."

"Get Damien now." I hissed.

She rushed out of the room. Her footsteps were frantic.

I sat back down and waited. I looked at the small, ornate box on my vanity. Inside sat the solution to my problem.

It didn't take long. The door creaked open. Morgana slipped back in. She led a trembling Cook Damien. He looked as though he had been pulled straight from a nightmare.

"Damien." I said.

My voice sweet as poisoned honey.

"How did that ghost chef come up with another meal minutes after I crushed her food? Tell me the secret."

I looked at him furiously. My gaze bored into his skull.

Damien shook his head. His eyes darting around the room.

"I... I wouldn't know, My Lady. You only asked me to prepare something special for the Alpha. I was focused on my own tray. When I saw her food fall, I thought it was over. I went to serve the King, but then..."

"Shut your mouth!" I interrupted.

I stood up and walked toward him. The height of my heels making me tower over his cowering form.

"Shut your mouth, you good-for-nothing chef. Do you think the position of Chief Royal Chef is a joke? Do you think I placed you there so you could lose to a girl who fell out of the sky?"

Damien nodded frantically. His voice a mere whisper.

"No, My Lady. Of course not."

"You are supposed to fight for that position with your life." I said.

My voice rising.

"You are supposed to do everything possible to make sure that ghost is destroyed. You allowed her to outshine you. You allowed her to make the Grand Prince laugh while your 'traditional' food sat cold and forgotten."

"But... she moved so fast." Damien started.

His hands wringing together.

"She had kept some back. She said she knew accidents happened. She was prepared."

"Be quiet! I am not done talking!" I shouted, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

I reached for the vanity. I picked up a small, green bottle. It was no larger than my thumb. It held enough power to change the history of Blackwood.

"I chose you, Damien, because I know how determined you are." I said.

My tone shifting back to a terrifying calm.

"I also know things about you. I know you have a family in the East. A wife. Three small children. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, would you?"

The color drained from Damien's face. He looked like he was about to faint.

"My family? My Lady, they have nothing to do with the kitchen."

"They have everything to do with your loyalty." I replied.

I stepped closer. The smell of my perfume clashing with the scent of grease and sweat that clung to him.

"The next time that ghost cooks, you will pour this in the food. Not all of it. Just enough. And leave the rest to me."

I stretched my hand out. The green bottle glinting in the candlelight.

Damien didn't move. His hands were shaking so violently. He couldn't have held a spoon, let alone a delicate vial.

I didn't wait. I grabbed his hand. I dropped the bottle into his palm, and closed his fingers over it forcefully.

"Remember your family, Damien." I whispered into his ear.

"Think of their faces when you consider saying no."

"But..." Damien's voice cracked. A tear escaping his eye.

"She... she saved my hands. When the King was angry, she took the blame. She saved me."

I felt a surge of disgust so strong I wanted to strike him.

"Oh? You now question my authority? You choose the gratitude of a peasant over the commands of your Lady?"

I pushed him back. My eyes flashing with malice.

"Do what I have asked you, or watch all your family wiped out of the surface of the earth. I will start with your eldest son. Do you understand me, Damien?"

He looked at the bottle in his hand as if it were a live coal. He looked at me. I was not playing. I was a wolf in silk, and I was hungry.

"I understand." He choked out.

"Good. Now get out of my sight. And remember, not a word to anyone. If Silas or that girl suspects a thing, you will wish the Alpha had cut off your hands when he had the chance."

Damien turned and fled.

Morgana trailing behind to ensure he was hidden.

I stood in the center of my room, breathing heavily. The pieces were back on the board.

The ghost would cook her final meal. Alaric would finally see what happens when you trust the wrong woman.