Alaric POV

I sat in the dark for three days. I refused to attend to any palace duty. I refused to eat.

The walls of my chamber felt like a cage. I blamed myself for every minute Sophie spent in that hole.

I should have seen the trap. I should have protected her from Isolde. I accepted the dinner invitation and let the woman who brings me peace fall into a pit of vipers.

I stayed in the shadows and counted the seconds.

A knock hit the wood of my door. It interrupted my dark thoughts.

"Your Majesty, your morning meal is ready." Elspeth said. Her voice sounded small.

"I thought I told you I am not interested in eating anything!" I replied in anger.

I felt a surge of fury. This woman had the guts to talk about food while Sophie suffered in a cell.

The irony was a blade in my gut. I wanted to roar at the walls. Then a soothing voice cut through my rage.

"You promised me you would not starve yourself." The voice said.

My heart skipped. The sound was impossible. I froze in my room. I didn't know if my ears deceived me. I wondered if my mind finally broke from hunger. I had to check if the sound was true.

I rose up quickly. My legs felt weak but I did not care. I ran to the door. My hands shook as I grabbed the metal deadbolt. I unlocked it quickly. I threw the door open.

It was Sophie.

She stood there in blue silk. The one I had bought her. Her face showed bruises but her eyes were clear.

I could not help myself. I took her hands. I pulled her to me. I hugged her tightly. I wanted to feel her in my soul. I wanted to make sure she was real. Not a trick of the light. Hugging her was not enough. I needed more. I leaned down. I kissed her.

I did not mind the guard. I did not mind the chefs. I did not mind that a King should not fall in love with a chef. All I wanted was her. She was my air. She was my center.

Sophie pushed me back. She looked at me with a frown.

"I told you not to kiss me. I don't belong to you Alaric." She said.

I stepped back. My face felt hot. I arranged my tunic in an awkward way. I felt like a boy instead of an Alpha.

I looked at her. I wondered. Why can't she love me back? Or does she feel the same fire? Maybe she is scared of the crown. Maybe she is scared of me.

I turned to the other chefs.

"Set the table." I commanded.

They rushed inside the room. They moved with speed. They set the silver tray down. They arranged the napkins. And the spoons.

They fled the room as soon as they finished. They knew I would send them away. Sophie turned to follow them. She reached the door.

"I can see the blue band on your head." I said.

"It signifies you are the Chief Royal Chef. So where are you going?"

She stopped. She turned. She walked toward the table. She bent down. She arranged the dishes with precise movements.

She began to explain the ingredients of the broth. I did not listen to a single word she said. I just stared at her. Anytime I look at her, everything else disappears. The room becomes a blur. The palace becomes a memory. She is the only thing I see. I did not hear her description of the meal. I only heard the rhythm of her voice.

"Eat with me." I said.

She looked at me. Her eyes widened.

"Your Majesty." She said.

I did not wait for her excuse. I grabbed her hand. I pulled her close to me. I sat her down on the chair next to mine. I looked into her eyes.

"Please eat with me." I said. I made my voice softer.

She picked up the spoon. She scooped the broth. She took a sip. She nodded as she tasted her own work. I watched her lips move.

"Feed me." I said.

She looked hesitant. I saw the look in her eyes. I know she would say I trouble her. I trouble her because I love her. I want to be close to her. I want her to develop feelings for me too. I am a King who has everything. But I am a beggar for her heart.

She scooped another spoonful. She brought it to my mouth. I swallowed the warm liquid. The broth was rich. It held the taste of home.

We sat in silence for a moment. We shared the bowl.

"How did you get out of the cell?" I asked.

"Who unlocked the gate?"

"The Grand Queen Mother released me." She said.

I felt a chill. My grandmother does not act out of mercy. She acts out of strategy.

"What did she ask for in return?" I asked.

Sophie looked down at the silver tray. Her voice became quiet.

"She gave me a condition. I have three days to find out what is wrong with Prince Daemon. I must find the truth or the cure."

I leaned forward.

"And if you fail?"

Sophie reached into her pocket. She pulled out a silver dagger. The blade caught the morning light.

"She told me to use this. If I cannot find the truth I must end my own life to save my honor."

I felt a roar build up in my chest. My grandmother is playing games with the life of the only woman I've ever loved.

She turned a release into a death sentence.

"She has no right." I said.

My voice was a snarl.

"She has every right Alaric." Sophie said.

"I am a foreigner accused of a crime. This is my only chance to prove I am innocent."

I looked at the dagger. I looked at the bruises on her skin. My mind began to race.

I had three days to save her. I had three days to find the poison before the woman I love used that silver blade.

Alaric POV

I must do everything to save the one who brings me peace. My chest felt tight. I looked at Sophie.

She sat beside me. She looked tired. Her skin was pale. I looked at the silver blade in her hand. The metal caught the morning light. It looked sharp. It looked final.

"I will talk to my grandmother." I said.

I stepped toward her. I reached for the blade.

"I will return this dagger to her now. She cannot hold your life over your head like this."

"No." Sophie said.

She stepped back. She pulled the dagger away from my reach.

"We should work together to find the culprit. Returning the dagger will not make the young prince well. If I hide from this, Isolde wins. If I fail to find the truth, the Prince dies. That is the real tragedy."

I looked at her. Her eyes held a fire I did not expect. She was not just trying to survive. She wanted justice.

I admired her strength. I agreed with her logic. I still reached out. This time, I did not ask. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist. I gently took the dagger from her hand. I tucked it into my leather belt.

"I will keep this." I said.

"I cannot forgive myself if you die after three days. I cannot let you keep the tool of your own death. If the time comes, I will be the one to face my grandmother. Not you."

Sophie sighed. She rubbed her wrist. She did not argue further.

She knew I was stubborn. I looked at her. I needed to focus. My brain felt slow from three days of hunger. I took a deep breath.

"Where do we start?" I asked.

"I know the food did not cause this." Sophie said.

She walked to the table. She touched the empty bowl of broth.

"You ate the same meal. We must check the ingredients again. We need to see if something was in the Prince's meal that was not supposed to be. Did he eat something else? Did he go somewhere before he came here?"

She looked toward the door. She was thinking like a detective.

"First we should ask Roland a question." She said.

"Did Young Prince Daemon visit anyone else that day? Did he eat anything else before he came to your table? We need a timeline of his day."

I agreed. I walked to the door. I pulled it open. Roland was there. He had been waiting in the hall. He looked at me with a question in his eyes.

"Roland." I said.

"I need you to move fast. Go make findings. Did the Young Prince visit anyone else on the day he dined with me? Did he eat or drink anything else in the palace? Talk to his personal guards. Talk to the maids in his wing."

Roland nodded. He did not ask why. He saw the intensity in my gaze.

"I will find out, Sire." He said.

He bowed. He turned and left.

I turned back into the room. I sent for Cassian. He arrived a few minutes later. He pushed past the guards. He looked at me. He looked at my messy hair. He looked at the half empty bowl of broth.

"Has His Majesty come back to his senses or is there." Cassian paused.

He saw Sophie standing by the window. His jaw dropped.

"How is she here? I thought she was in the depths."

"Quiet Cassian." I said.

I did not have time for his shock.

"I called you here for a task. You are my most trusted eyes. Go meet the royal doctor. Ask him for a list of things the Young Prince cannot eat. Some children have sensitivities. Some have allergies. Go to the palace archive. Search for the list of ingredients the young prince must not consume. Confirm whatever the doctor says. Do not trust his memory alone."

Cassian nodded. He looked at Sophie again. He saw the bruises on her face. His expression softened. He realized the stakes. He left the room without another joke.

I paced the floor. My boots made a heavy sound on the stone. Sophie watched me. She looked out the window. She seemed to be counting the clouds. Every minute felt like an hour.

Roland returned after some time. He looked grim. He wiped sweat from his forehead.

"The Young Prince did not visit anyone." Roland said.

"His guards confirm he stayed in his room all morning. He ate nothing else that day. He wanted to save his appetite for your table. He came straight to your chambers for the meal."

I looked at Sophie. I felt discomfort. This was not the answer I wanted. I did not believe her food was the cause. I felt someone was playing a hard trick. I felt a professional was at work. Someone knew the schedule. Someone knew the menu.

Thomas entered the room. He is the man of secrets. He usually stays in the shadows. He walked to me. He whispered in my ear.

"Your Majesty." Thomas said.

His voice was a low rasp.

"I found Eunuch George's charcoal. He used it for writing his reports. I found it just outside the border of the Kingdom. In the dirt near the old road."

I looked at him with shock.

George was the one who recorded the kitchen logs. He had been missing since the night of the dinner.

"Does that mean someone took him?" I asked.

"Yes." Thomas said.

"The ground looks like someone dragged him. It was a struggle. I followed the trail for miles. I saw one of his shoes by the path. Then the trail stopped at the rocky pass. The person doing this is trained. They are a professional. They did not leave a single footprint after the rocks."

"Stay on it." I said.

"We must find the truth about George. If he is alive, he should know what happened in that kitchen."

Thomas bowed. He vanished back into the hallway.

Cassian came back. He held a piece of parchment. He dropped the list on the table.

"I found the medical records." Cassian said.

"The doctor was hesitant to share. I reminded him who pays his salary. I must go back to the archives to check the seal on the records. Something feels off."

He left quickly. I called the maids.

"Clear this place." I said.

"We start the investigation now."

The maids cleared the plates. They moved in silence. They knew the mood in the room was dangerous.

Sophie brought the list of ingredients she used for the meal. She wrote them down from memory. We compared the two lists. We at my desk. We looked at the medical restrictions for Prince Daemon.

None of the ingredients she used were on the restricted list for the Prince. There were no allergies listed. There were no warnings.

"There is nothing here." Sophie said. She leaned back. She looked at the ceiling.

"If it was not the ingredients. And he ate nothing else. Then how did he get sick?"

"Maybe it was the quantity?" I suggested.

"No." Sophie said.

"He ate a normal portion. You ate more than he did."

We looked at each other. The sun was setting. Everything we tried led to a dead end. Every lead was a cold trail. The missing Eunuch was gone.

The clock was ticking in my head. Sophie had two days left. Two days until she was expected to use the dagger in my belt.

I looked at her. I saw the fear she was trying to hide. I saw the way her hand trembled as she reached for the list again.

"We are missing something." I said.

"Someone is smarter than us. Someone wants us to see a dead end."

I stood up. I walked to the window. The kingdom looked peaceful below. But inside these walls, a war was happening.

A war of poison and secrets. I felt the hunger in my stomach return. It was not a hunger for food. It was a hunger for the truth.

Alaric POV

A knock on the door woke me. It was Roland. I opened my eyes.

Sophie slept on the chair near my desk. She looked peaceful. I saw the steady rise and fall of her chest. Her presence brought me soothing relief. I did not want to disturb her.

"Come in softly." I whispered.

Roland walked into the room. He stepped lightly on the floor. He opened his mouth to speak. I raised my finger to my lips.

"Shhhh." I said.

I pointed at Sophie.

"Speak quietly. Let her sleep."

"Alpha the elders are gathered in the hall." Roland whispered.

"They demand to see you. They want to discuss the palace security and the Prince."

"I have something more important to tackle." I said.

I looked at the morning light hitting the floor.

"Tell the elders to come back tomorrow. I will not see them today."

Roland nodded. He bowed and left the room. I turned to Sophie. I remembered the deadline. We did not have much time left.

I reached out and tapped her shoulder. She woke up instantly. She looked around the room.

"Have you found any clue?" Sophie asked.

She rubbed her eyes.

"No." I said.

"I do not think staying in this room will give us any answers. We need to visit the young prince. We must see how he is doing. We need more information directly from his mother."

Sophie stood up. She smoothed her blue silk dress. She agreed with my plan.

I arranged my tunic. We headed for the quarters of Queen Mother Isolde.

The maids announced my arrival. Isolde ran out of the inner chamber. Her face was red with anger. She saw Sophie behind me.

"What are you doing here?" Isolde shouted.

"Have you come to finish what you started? Have you come to watch my son die?"

"Watch your mouth." I said. My voice was low.

"I have come to see how my brother is doing. I am the Alpha King. No one tells me where to go in my own kingdom."

I walked past her. I did not wait for her permission. I headed for the bed. Young Prince Daemon lay there. He was struggling for his life. His breath was a shallow rattle. I looked at the maids standing by the wall.

"Who did he visit before and after he dined with me?" I asked.

"He was with Queen Mother Isolde before he visited you." A maid said.

"He came back to her after he dined. He did not visit anyone else."

I scanned the room. I looked for anything unusual. My eyes met a small sack on the side table. It was made of thick linen.

"What is that?" I asked.

"It is his medication." Isolde said.

She stepped closer to the bed.

"He takes it every evening. That is the only thing he took after dining with you."

"Who supplies the medication?" I asked.

"Grand Prince Magnus supplies it." She replied. She narrowed her eyes.

"Are you implying that the Grand Prince wants to kill my son? That is madness."

"I only asked a question. Why are you been so defensive?" I asked.

I looked at the sack.

"Give me one of the medicine. We need to check it. We already checked the ingredients Sophie used. The problem is not there. We must examine the medication. It was the only other thing he consumed."

"The Grand Prince examines the ingredients well." Isolde said.

She shook her head.

"He has been suppling this for a long time. Magnus has no motive to kill my son."

I smiled at her. It was not a friendly smile.

"I am not accusing anyone." I said.

"We just want to be sure."

I took the medication from the table. I grabbed Sophie's hand. We headed back to my quarters. We sat at the desk.

I opened the linen sack. I poured the medicine out. They were different ingredients in it. I broke took one of the ingredient. I tasted it. It was bitter. It tasted like rat poop. It had a foul smell.

"Look at this." I said.

I showed the black thing to Sophie.

"This tastes like waste. This is rat poop. It smells rotten."

"It cannot be rat poop." Sophie said.

She leaned in to smell it. She frowned.

"It must be an ingredient we are not familiar with. It is a strange compound."

Sophie looked at the sack. She looked at the darkening sky outside the window.

"I will take some of this to my quarters." She said.

"I need to continue the investigation. I will check what that is. I will find out if it is used for medicine. If I find anything, I will let you know immediately."

I watched her leave. She carried the samples in her hand. My heart sank as the door closed.

It was the end of the second day. We still had nothing. No cure. No proof.

Tomorrow is the last day. Sophie dies if we cannot find what is wrong with the young prince.

I looked at the silver blade sitting on my table. I became restless.

The wolf inside me wanted to tear the palace apart.