TO SATE AN ALPHA'S FURY

Magnus POV

They think I am too foolish for politics. I play the part of the court jester. I act drunk at every meeting. I stumble over my words. I spill wine on my tunic.

No one suspects me because they only see a shell of a man. Alaric is the Alpha. He is strong. He is fast. He is the leader of the Blackwood Kingdom. But he would never believe I am the architect of all this chaos.

He looks at me and sees a harmless uncle. He does not see the predator in his own house.

I watched Alaric during the morning assembly. I saw the fear in his eyes when Matthias talked about the competition. His jaw tightened. His hands gripped the arms of the throne.

He tries to protect that ghost chef at every point. It is a weakness. I will use that weakness to trap him. I will force him to become a tyrant. I will make him burn his own kingdom to save a girl.

Alaric dismissed us all with a sharp wave of his hand. He was angry. I stood up. I pretended to trip over my own feet.

The elders filed out of the Great Hall. Elder Hrothgar cornered me in the hallway. He looked frustrated. He pulled me into a stone alcove.

"Grand Prince, you were silent all through the morning assembly." Hrothgar said. He hissed the words.

"When I called for your support, you could not say anything meaningful. We are trying to push the Alpha. You are not helping."

"I know what I am doing, Hrothgar." I said.

I leaned against the cold wall. I made sure my voice was low.

"You should know me by now. But it seems you are not paying attention to the board."

"What are you saying, Grand Prince?" Hrothgar asked.

He looked around to see if guards were near.

"Alaric almost got close to finding the truth the last time. He caught Morgana. He almost had the physician. We are lucky they are dead."

"But he did not find the truth." I cut him short.

I gave him a cold look.

"He found bodies. He found silence. That is all he will ever find."

"So what do we do now?" Hrothgar asked.

"The northern clan is here. The pressure is rising."

"We use the competition to our advantage." I said.

"What do you mean, Grand Prince?" Hrothgar asked.

"Leave that to me." I said.

I let out a loud, wet belch.

I made an irritating sound that shows I am filled with alcohol. It was a signal for him to leave.

"Send the rogue who killed the physician to my chamber immediately." I whispered.

I left him standing there. He was trying to figure out what I will do next.

I walked toward my chamber. I kept my gait uneven. I hummed a tuneless song.

I reached my room and locked the door. I sat in my favorite spot by the fireplace. The heat felt good on my skin.

I picked up the jar of wine I left on the table. I poured a cup. I drank the first. I drank the second. The liquid was warm and sharp.

Just as I was pouring the third round, a young man in a dark hood walked into my chamber. He came through the servant passage.

"Grand Prince." He said.

He bowed very low.

I dropped the wine jar on the table. It made a heavy thud. I raised my head slowly to look at him. My eyes were no longer glazed. They were sharp.

"Why did you allow that jester to escape?" I asked.

"He was too fast, Master." The man said.

He did not look up.

"So with all the training you received, you could not kill a mere jester?" I asked.

I stood up.

"How can I trust you with the next mission? You let Thomas live. He is the eyes of the Alpha."

"Sorry, Master." He said.

"Sorry for yourself!" I yelled.

I kicked the table.

"You almost made us get caught. If not that little viper was wise and I sent her a letter immediately I heard of the situation, we would have been caught. Elara had to kill her own maid because of your failure."

"It will not happen again, Master." The man stuttered with fear.

"No, it will not." I said.

I stood up slowly. I walked to the wall. I drew out a sword that was beside me. The steel sang as it left the scabbard. I felt the weight of the hilt.

"I won't let it happen again." I said.

I lifted the sword high above my head. I swung it down with a great force.

Clang!

The blade sliced through the air. The man flinched. He shook.

I looked at him as he checked if his head was still intact. The sword had missed his neck by an inch. Instead, it cut through a large potted plant on the pedestal.

"You see how the sword cut this plant flat?" I asked.

I gestured to the green leaves on the floor.

"Y...yes, yes." The man said.

He was trembling.

"Next time, the only thing that will be flattened is your neck." I threatened.

I leaned in close to his face.

"I believe we both understand each other."

"Y...ye..yes, Master." The man said.

He panicked.

"Get out!" I yelled.

The man stumbled out through the secret door. He ran like a dog.

I adjusted my tunic smoothly. I sat down calmly. I placed the sword back in its position on the wall.

I stared at the destroyed plant. It was a rare species. I had been grooming it for years. It soothed my heart to see it ruined.

This is how I have groomed Alaric for years. I have fed him. I have taught him. I have raised him just to destroy him later.

I let out a wicked laugh. My plans will soon become a reality.

I stood up. I headed to the guest secretariat. I walked through the palace. I kept my shoulders slumped. I looked like I did not know what I was doing. No one paid attention to me. After all, I am the drunken uncle.

I reached the secretariat where the visitors stayed. I met Alpha Stone. He was a large man with a thick beard.

"Ahhh, Grand Prince of Blackwood Kingdom." Alpha Stone said with excitement.

He stood up from his chair.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of hosting you?"

"Oh, leave the pleasantries for later." I said.

I sat down without being asked.

"I am here to talk business."

"Oh, business? How so?" Alpha Stone asked.

He sat across from me. He looked curious.

"I heard you asked for a competition between your chefs and the Blackwood chefs." I said.

"Yes." Alpha Stone stated.

"I have heard so much about the ghost chef. Her fame has spread. I would love to see what skills she possesses. My chefs are the best known at this time."

"Well, I love your curiosity." I said.

I leaned forward.

"But I want you to make the stakes higher. Do not just ask for a match. Ask for his throne."

"Why would I do that?" Alpha Stone asked.

"Alpha Alaric is very confident in the ghost chef." I explained.

"He thinks she is untouchable. He would agree to anything you say. I know the Moon Crescent Kingdom lacks most of the things Blackwood Kingdom has in abundance. That is why you requested the same offering as last year. You are hungry for our resources."

Alpha Stone made his face in a way that says I am telling the truth. He nodded slowly.

"You can tell him that you want a new prize." I continued.

"Tell him that if you win, you will have the right to harvest all the plants and herbs planted in all of Blackwood Kingdom. You will take our medicine. You will take our food."

"And what if he asks what we have to offer when we lose?" Alpha Stone asked.

He looked worried.

"I cannot risk my own lands."

"You cannot lose." I said.

I smiled.

"Just tell him you will discuss with the council and get back to him on the stakes. Do not give him an answer yet."

"Why are you so sure we cannot lose?" Stone asked.

"Do all what I said and leave the rest to me." I added.

"I will make sure you win. I will ensure the ghost chef fails in front of everyone."

Alpha Stone smiled. He nodded.

"This is a great thing for the Moon Crescent pack." He said.

"I will do as you have said. I will demand the harvest rights."

I let out a wicked smile.

I stood up and left the room.

I walked back into the hallway. I felt the cold air of the palace.

Alaric thinks he is fighting for a girl. He is actually losing his kingdom.

I have set a great trap. Alaric will fall for it.

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.

Alpha Stone POV

I walked back to the guest secretariat with Alpha Alaric. The air felt cold.

Alaric walked with a confidence that irritated me. He moved like a man who already won the war.

We reached the sitting room. My three chefs stood by the wall. Fenris looked bored. Varg kept twitching his nose. Skade watched the door.

We sat down. The silence between us was like a sharpened blade.

"You won't win this competition, Stone." Alaric said.

He leaned back in his chair. He did not blink.

"I have heard your boasts before." I replied.

I looked at Fenris.

"My chefs are the finest known in this time. They have cooked for kings and conquerors. Your ghost chef is a girl in a mask."

"She is more than a girl." Alaric said.

His voice was low.

"She is the future of this kingdom. You are about to witness something your tongue cannot forget."

Soon, Sophie arrived.

She carried a silver tray. She did not look at me. She placed the tray on the table.

On the tray sat small, round items. They were colorful. They had a smooth top and a creamy center. I had never seen food that looked like jewels.

"What is this?" I asked.

I let out a laugh of mockery.

"Are we playing with children's toys? I asked for a meal, not pebbles."

"It is a macaron." Sophie said.

Her voice was steady.

"It is a special dessert." Alaric said.

He looked at the tray with pride.

"Sophie made it for me. I believe it is one of the finest desserts that one could ever taste. Go on, Stone. Taste the defeat."

I reached out. I picked up a pink one. It felt light. I put it in my mouth. The shell cracked. The center melted.

A burst of flavor hit my palate. It was sweet. It was complex. I felt my eyes widen.

"Uhhhmmmm!"

I made a pleasing sound before I could stop myself. The flavor was perfect.

"You see? I told you." Alaric teased.

He saw my reaction.

"Your chefs are no match for my chef. You should pack your bags now."

"Oh, please. This is nothing." I replied.

I felt the heat in my face. I forced a look of disgust.

"This is a sugar trick. It is nothing compared to what my chefs are capable of. My men cook meat that can make a wolf weep."

Chef Fenris stepped forward. He looked at the tray.

"May I taste the dessert, Alpha?" Fenris asked.

I nodded. I wanted him to tell me it was garbage. Fenris took a bite. He closed his eyes. He made a pleasant sound. He looked like he was in a trance.

"Hmmmmm." Fenris whispered.

He dropped the rest of the macaron.

He quickly arranged his apparel. He straightened his tunic. He looked like he had made a mistake by appreciating another chef's meal. He refused to look at me.

"I leave you to think about this gamble." Alaric said.

He stood up.

"Make a decision. The stakes are high. My kingdom against yours."

Alaric left the room. His guards followed him. The ghost chef walked behind him. I watched them go.

As soon as I could no longer hear their footsteps, I turned to Fenris. I slammed my fist on the table.

"Why would you gush over her food like that?" I asked.

I roared the words.

"You are my master chef. You made me look like a fool."

"You also gushed over her food, Alpha." Fenris said boldly. He did not flinch.

"We can lie to everyone, but our tongue never lies when it tastes something unique. That girl has a gift. Her hands use magic we do not know."

"It is just a sweet." I muttered.

"It is a warning." Fenris replied.

"We do not have to engage in this competition. You are risking the entire Moon Crescent Pack for a game. If we lose, we lose our land. We lose our identity. It is not worth the risk."

"We will do it because someone has assured me that we would win." I roared.

I thought of Magnus. The Grand Prince had promised me victory.

"From the smell of the dessert, I can tell it is a special one." Varg added.

He was still sniffing the air.

"Her scents are balanced. They are strange. They do not belong to our woods. What if we lose to her, Alpha? The council will hang your head on a spike if you lose the pack."

I sat down. My heart hammered. The taste of the macaron was still in my mouth. It was a terrifying taste. It was the taste of a superior enemy. I saw reason. I realized the danger. I was a fool to listen to Magnus.

"You are right." I said.

My voice was quiet.

"I cannot risk the pack for a mere competition. The stakes are too high. I will tell them the deal is off."

I pulled a small piece of parchment.

I wrote a short message to Magnus. I told him I could not go through with it. I told him the risk was too great. I sent a guard to deliver it.

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders.

Not long after, the door opened. It was not Magnus.

It was Elder Hrothgar. He did not look like a man of peace. He carried a heavy, leather-bound book. He placed it on the table in front of me.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It is a record." Hrothgar said.

He opened the pages.

"This book records all the offerings you, Alpha Stone has collected from the Blackwood Kingdom over the last five years."

I felt the blood drain from my face. I looked at the numbers. Every bag of grain. Every jar of gold. Every crate of medicine I had taken in secret was listed there.

"These offerings did not get to your council." Hrothgar said.

His voice was like a snake.

"You kept the best for yourself. You grew fat while your people ate scraps. If we show this to your pack, they will tear you apart."

"You would not dare." I whispered.

"We will let all your secrets be exposed." Hrothgar threatened.

"The Moon Crescent Pack loves a strong leader. They hate a thief. We will tell them you sold their future for your own silk sheets."

"What do you want?" I asked.

I gripped the edge of the chair.

"Engage in the competition." Hrothgar said.

"Grand Prince Magnus will ensure Moon Crescent wins. He has already prepared the way. The ghost chef will fail. You will take the harvest rights. You will be a hero to your people."

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"Then you will be a corpse by sundown." Hrothgar replied.

He closed the book. He left the room without another word.

I stayed in the dark. My chefs watched me. They knew I was trapped. I had no choice. I had to play the game of the Grand Prince.

The next morning, I set up a meeting with Alpha Alaric in the Great Hall. The sun was bright, but I felt cold. Alaric sat on his throne. He looked at me with those gold eyes.

"Have you made your choice, Stone?" Alaric asked.

"I have." I said.

I stood tall. I hid the trembling in my hands.

"I have agreed to the stakes. The competition will hold. My chefs against your ghost chef. My harvest rights against your crown."

Alaric smiled. It was a look of pure joy. He thought he had me. He thought his chef would save his kingdom. I looked at him and felt a dark pity.

Blackwood can never win when their kingdom is divided against it own king.