Alaric POV
I dismissed the elders with a sharp wave of my hand.
I felt the heat of anger in my chest. Sophie will be in danger again. I will not let my enemy win.
Sophie says she is from the future. If her claim is true, then she possesses knowledge these northerners do not have.
She can handle them. I will not show any weakness to the council. I will let the competition hold. I called for Roland.
"Go and call the Chief Royal Chef." I commanded.
"Okay, Sire." Roland said.
He bowed and left the room.
I sat in the throne room alone. The silence was heavy. Something feels off about the death of Morgana. Thomas said it was suicide.
But I remember her state. Her hands were tied together. It is difficult to drive a pin into a neck with bound wrists. That is a problem for later.
Right now, Sophie needs to win this competition. I will show the entire clan that I am the Alpha King. No one challenges me and wins.
The heavy doors opened. Sophie walked into the throne room. My thoughts seized for a moment.
She looks extremely beautiful this morning. The morning light caught the gold in her hair. I just want to hold her close to me. I want to tell her she is safe.
"You sent for me, Alpha?" Sophie asked.
Her voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Erm, yes." I managed to say.
I cleared my throat.
"Please sit."
I adjusted my posture. I did not want her to know I was thinking about her. I needed to be the King.
"There is a reckoning that happens by this time of the year every year." I started.
"It is a meeting between the Blackwood Pack and the Moon Crescent Pack."
"Okay. Are you teaching me about the pack?" Sophie asked.
I smiled.
"No, Sophie. The northern clan arrived yesterday. They have heard of your fame. They want you to compete with their finest chefs."
"Another competition?" Sophie asked.
She sighed.
"Yes. And I want you to compete." I responded.
"And if I refuse?" Sophie asked.
She crossed her arms.
"You cannot refuse the order of the Alpha King." I said softly.
She looked at me. Her eyes told me she believed she had every right to refuse my order. She is not like the other women in this court. She does not fear my title.
"Okay. I know you have every right to refuse my order." I said.
"But if you win, I will make sure I find the book that brought you here."
"But you already promised that you will find the book." She said.
She opened her eyes wide.
"So you have not been finding it all this while?"
"I have." I responded sharply.
"But they will increase the search. They will check every corner of this kingdom. No stone will stay unturned."
"And what are the stakes if I lose?" she asked.
"You cannot lose." I said.
I leaned forward.
"I believe you can win. You are from the future. Show them what you have got."
I saw a soft smile pass through her lips. She is happy I now believe her story.
"Okay. I will engage in the competition." Sophie said.
I smiled. Relief washed over me.
"Now I would like you to accompany me to go greet the Northern Clan." I said to her.
"Right now?" She asked.
"Yes. We can go now. They arrived yesterday. It will be rude if I do not show concern about their visit." I said.
Sophie nodded in agreement. She stood up. I rose from the throne and walked behind her.
We walked past the great hall. We headed for the guest secretariat. We saw Alpha Stone and his envoy in the courtyard.
"Oh, how gracious it is to grace the presence of the most feared Alpha King." Alpha Stone hailed.
He bowed, but his eyes were cold.
"Alpha Alaric of Blackwood Kingdom."
"Alpha Stone, quit the pretense." I replied.
"Let us cut to the chase."
"Alpha Alaric, did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" He asked.
He turned to his group.
"These are my envoys. This includes my three finest chefs. I also have my royal taster and my guards."
Stone pointed to a tall, muscular man with a scarred face.
"This is Chef Fenris." Stone said.
"He is the finest male chef in this time. Some people call him the master chef."
He pointed to a thin man with a very long nose.
"And this is Chef Varg." Stone added.
"He has cooked to a point that he can no longer taste food. Just from the aroma he can predict the taste."
Finally, he pointed to a woman with sharp eyes and black hair tied tight.
"And for the female chef, this is Chef Skade." Stone continued.
"She is the best female chef in this time. She has won many matches. No one has been able to beat her when it comes to open fire cook..."
"Is that why you requested a competition?" I interrupted him.
"I have only heard of a ghost chef and I was curious." Alpha Stone said.
"I wanted to witness the skills she possesses first hand."
"Yet you refuse to eat food made by the Blackwood chefs?" I asked.
I stepped closer to him.
"She is my Chief Royal Chef. You could taste her skills by eating the food you were served."
"Calm down, Alpha." He said.
"I came with three of the finest chefs known in this time. I saw no reason to stress you or your ghost chef."
My jaw tightened. He is insulting me indirectly. He thinks my kitchen is beneath him.
"Or do you not have confidence that your Chief Royal Chef will win?" He asked.
Mockery dripped in his voice.
I cannot show weakness. I believe Sophie will win.
"What are the stakes?" I asked.
"The higher the stakes, the sweeter the game."
"Right to harvest." Stone stated.
I let out a laugh of mockery.
"I should give you the right to harvest Blackwood's entire resources? You want to harvest all our herbs. All our grains?"
"Are you scared your chief royal chef will fail you?" Stone asked.
"And what are you giving to Blackwood when your chefs fail?" I asked.
My face became serious.
"What do you want from Moon Crescent?" He asked.
"Well, you do not have anything Blackwood needs." I said firmly.
"So I request that your pack be dissolved into the Blackwood pack. I will rule over Moon Crescent. You will be under me."
Alpha Stone went quiet. He looked at his chefs. He looked at his guards.
"I will discuss that with the council." Stone murmured.
"I cannot make that decision alone."
I laughed again. "When you are ready, you let me know." I said.
"But for now, let my Chief Royal Chef prepare something special for both of us. You will see your chefs are no match for her. You should see this before you give out your kingdom for a game you have already lost."
I saw his face. He did not want to show his doubt. I noticed it.
I had broken his confidence. I felt a surge of triumph. I turned to Sophie and gave her a nod.
She understood the assignment. She headed toward the kitchen wing alone. I watched her go. It is a taboo for the Alpha to be seen in the kitchen. I must maintain the laws of the pack.
I stood in the courtyard with Alpha Stone. I felt happy that I had shaken him. But the feeling did not last.
I felt a chill on the back of my neck. I looked up at the palace windows. The architect of all this chaos is still out there.
Morgana is dead. The physician is dead. Someone is watching this game.
Someone is waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
