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.

Magnus's POV

I sat in my chamber. The silence pressed against my ears like a physical weight.

Beside me, the fire crackled in the hearth. It was meant to provide warmth. But tonight, the sound was nothing more than irritating noise.

I stared into the dancing orange flames. I watched them consume the logs. Much like I intended to consume the throne of Blackwood.

My thoughts were dark. Alaric is no longer the person I can control.

For years, I have carefully cultivated his rage. I have fed his hunger for revenge like one feeds a starving beast. I needed him to be a tyrant.

I needed him to be hated. So when the time came, the coup would feel like a liberation rather than a betrayal. But now, his focus has shifted. He is obsessed with a ghost who fell from the sky.

I had initially dismissed Elara's warnings as the bitter ramblings of a jealous woman.

I was wrong. I have seen it with my own eyes. Alaric is softening. He looks at that chef not with the eyes of a King. But with the eyes of a man who is finding peace.

Peace is a luxury I cannot allow him to have.

A sharp knock at the door disrupted my thoughts.

Elder Hrothgar stepped into the room. He looked anxious. His eyes darting toward the shadows.

"Ahhh, my partner in crime." I said.

My voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What are you doing here so late at night? To what do I owe this midnight visit?"

Hrothgar did not smile. He sat across from me. His hands wringing together.

"I am bothered, Grand Prince. The Alpha is well. He is no longer going accordingly to our plan. The trajectory of his rule is shifting away from the darkness we require."

I narrowed my eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing. But when you say the Alpha is well. What do you mean by that? Is he supposed to be sick? Or perhaps at the point of dying?"

Hrothgar went quiet. He looked like a man caught with his hand in a neighbor's grain sack. He did not respond. His silence told me everything I needed to know.

"Don't tell me you were the one who sent a rogue to attack him in the forest." I inquired.

My voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"I am sorry, Grand Prince." Hrothgar said. He finally found his voice.

"I thought it was the right time to strike. He was alone with the ghost girl. I believed that if he died there, everyone would think the Moon Goddess had punished him for defying the sacred ritual. It would have been clean. All I did was ensure you get the crown. I wanted a new era to begin in the Blackwood Kingdom."

"You did it for yourself, Hrothgar." I spat.

I leaned forward until I could smell the stale ale on his breath.

"I told you I would let you know the right time to strike. You acted on your own will, and you failed. Now, Alaric is alert. He is hunting for enemies in his own woods."

Hrothgar looked guilty. But his incompetence still filled me with bile.

"Now the Alpha has sent Eunuch George to get his mother's last draft." I continued.

"He wants to know the late Luna's final wishes for her offenders. We both know the truth of that woman. She was soft hearted. She would never wish anything bad for another wolf, even those who poisoned her. She will tell him to forgive. If he reads those words, he will find mercy. It will destroy our plans of portraying him as a tyrant. We cannot dethrone a man the people see as a saint."

"Grand Prince Magnus..." Hrothgar started.

"You better have a very good plan for me after the rubbish you just did." I interrupted. My eyes flashed with anger.

"I already have Eunuch George in my custody." Hrothgar said.

I paused. The anger in my chest was replaced by a surge of genuine amusement.

I looked at him. My eyebrows raised. "You kidnapped Eunuch George?"

"Yes." Hrothgar said.

He was gaining a bit of confidence.

"I knew he was close to finding the draft. I did not want him to ruin our plans. So I took him. I am here to ask the way forward."

I let out a foolish laugh. A deep, guttural sound like a man drunken with wine. I leaned back in my chair. The tension leaving my shoulders.

"You are indeed my partner in crime." I said. Pointing a finger at him.

"But next time, start with the best news instead of beating around the bush. This changes everything. Now we have a new plan in place."

Hrothgar looked confused.

"What do you mean? What will we do with him?"

"You should know me by now, Hrothgar." I said.

"What do you think I would do?"

"You would use Eunuch George against Alaric?" he asked.

"Smart man. You really are just like me. We will turn his most loyal servant into the instrument of his downfall."

"With all due respect, Grand Prince." Hrothgar said. "That is a terrible idea. We all know how loyal Eunuch George is to Alaric. He will never speak against the King."

"I know that, Hrothgar. Just watch how I plan this out. Logic is a weak shield against a broken heart. Tell me, how are the rogues we are training in the south camp?"

"They are doing well, Grand Prince." He replied. "They are strong and hungry."

"Good. Very soon, they will go on a mission to capture the chief royal chef. That is where we will start. I want to see what they have learned so far. If we take the girl, Alaric will lose his mind. A man who loses his mind is a man who makes mistakes."

"No problem, Grand Prince Magnus." Hrothgar said.

"As for Eunuch George, keep him. I will attend to him when the time comes. And the rogue who shot the King... send him to me. I know Alaric will find him eventually, so I want to make sure he says exactly what I want him to say before he is executed."

"I will do all that you have asked." Hrothgar said.

He hesitated for a moment.

"But I am still bothered about the late Luna's last draft. We know she is soft hearted. If she says Alaric should forgive, we won't be able to trigger his anger."

I let out that drunken laugh again. I shaked my head at Hrothgar's lack of vision.

"You are too shallow, Elder Hrothgar. That is exactly where Eunuch George comes in."

Hrothgar leaned in. His curiosity piqued. "How?"

"We will not give Alaric the whole truth." I explained.

"We will tear the draft in half. We will only give Eunuch George the portion where she listed her offenders. Seeing that his own family, the Grand Queen Mother, was part of the plot will be enough. It will trigger Alaric's anger beyond anything we have seen. I know Alaric too well. I know what triggers him. Leave the manipulation to me."

"And the other half?"

"Burned." I said. "Along with her mercy."

I stood up and walked to the window. I looked out over the dark expanse of the kingdom.

"But we need more. We need a visual. We will find the late Luna's mother. The old woman who ran mad after her daughter was poisoned. We will bring her out of the shadows. We will feed her, clothe her, and tell her exactly what to say. We will give her a dress stained with blood and tell her to claim it is the clothes the late Luna wore the day she died."

I turned back to Hrothgar. My face wore a mask of cold ambition.

"I will watch Alaric turn into that uncontrollable tyrant that he is. He will see blood, and he will want more. The palace will flow with blood that day. In the chaos, the people will beg for a new leader." I laughed lightly.

I yelled. "They will beg for me!"