Chapter 8 ~ The Viper's Nest

Alaric’s POV

I walked the Elders out of the hall. I watched them scramble away like frightened rabbits.

The stone floor of the Great Hall vibrated beneath my boots. Every step I took felt like a hammer strike. 

The Elders had dared to speak to me of taboos. They had dared to call Sophie a nobody. 

I felt the wolf beneath my skin pacing. His claws scratching at my ribs. My head was pounding from the fresh sting of their insults. 

I needed to move. I needed to hunt. I needed to silence the voices that told me how to rule.

I marched down the corridor. My guards followed in silence. Their armor usually clanked in a rhythm that soothed me. Today, it was just more noise. 

I didn't think about where I was going. I just let my feet find the path.

"Your Majesty?"

The lead guard spoke. 

I stopped. I realized the air had changed. It no longer smelled of old parchment and damp wool. It smelled of woodsmoke and rosemary. Something sweet, like rising dough.

"Your Majesty." The guard muttered again. His voice hesitant. 

"You are on your way to the royal kitchen. The Alpha King is not supposed to be seen anywhere near the servants' quarters or the kitchen. It is not your place."

I froze. I stood ten yards from the kitchen archway. He was right. A King belonged in the war room. I belonged on the throne. I did not belong in the grease of the kitchen.

My heart sank. A cold realization washed over me. My body sought her without a thought. I walked toward the only source of peace I had felt in days. 

What has she done to my senses? I asked myself.

I was the Alpha. My subconscious should be focused on the borders of the kingdom. It should be focused on the grain stores. On the training of new recruits. 

Instead, it was tuned to the frequency of a girl who had fallen from the sky. I stayed in a state of constant focus on her. Even when I was not trying. She had infected my mind.

I stepped into the shadow of a pillar. I looked over the low kitchen wall.

There she was. Sophie.

She was standing at the central table. She was focused on a pile of greens. Her hands moved with a precision that was almost hypnotic. But she did not look well. 

Even from this distance, I could see her shoulders slumped. Her face looked pale. The vibrant energy she usually carried had been replaced. She now wore a somber mask.

I did not cause this. 

The wine did this. My lack of control did this. I had taken a liberty I did not remember. Now I was watching the consequence. 

I watched her wipe her forehead. She looked exhausted.

Rage hit me. It was not directed at Sophie. I felt rage for the person who set traps for her. I knew who had whispered to the Elders. I knew who tried to cripple her. I knew who was poisoning the atmosphere of my home.

I turned away from the kitchen. I walked toward the royal wing. The air smelled of heavy perfume and expensive oils.

"To Lady Elara’s chambers." I growled at the guards.

We moved fast. We passed servants who scurried out of the way. We passed tapestries that had hung for a hundred years. 

I reached her doors. I did not wait for the guards to announce my arrival. I kicked the door open. It hit the wall with a loud crack.

Elara stood by her vanity mirror. She held a gold brush. She jumped, her eyes wide. When she saw me, she quickly smoothed her features into a mask of delight. 

She dropped the brush and ran toward me. Her silk skirts swishing on the floor.

"Alaric!" she cried.

Her voice was musical. The voice that brought me comfort after a long day of ruling. Now sounded like noise to my ears.

"Finally. The Alpha King is here to see the only woman who can comfort him. I heard about the meeting with the Elders. I knew you would need me.”

She reached out to touch my chest. Her fingers fluttering toward my tunic.

"Don't you dare touch me." I snapped.

I stepped back. I pinned her with my stare. 

Her hands froze in mid-air.

"And don't think too highly of yourself." I continued. 

"I am not here to see you for comfort. I am here to call you out on your plots. I am here to expose your agenda against Sophie."

Elara’s face went white. She pulled her hands back and clasped them in front of her. 

"Alaric, I don't know what you are talking about. You are upset. The wine from last night must have confused your mind."

"I am not confused." I roared. 

I paced the room. I looked at the luxury I had provided her. The silk pillows. The gold-leaf mirrors. 

"I know you were behind the trials of skill. I know you tried to have her crippled. And the meeting today? The Elders coming to me with talk of taboo? You plotted that too. You whispered in their ears. You used their fear of the unknown to strike at a woman who has done nothing but serve this kingdom."

Elara snapped. 

Her submissive act vanished. 

She stood tall. Her eyes flashing with a cold, green fire. 

"I know nothing about all this.” She tried to deny.

“You want to stand here and deny it to my face?” I responded immediately.

“Fine! I will tell you the truth. You don't look at me anymore! Ever since that ghost fell into the forest. You have ignored me. You no longer focus on the affairs of the Blackwood Kingdom. You are obsessed with a spirit that belongs in the ground." 

I smirked. It was a cold, joyless expression. 

"So all of this is because of your jealousy. You are willing to risk the stability of the palace because you feel ignored?"

A single tear dropped from Elara’s cheek. 

She looked at me with an expression of deep hurt. I saw the calculation behind it. 

"You now call her by her name. You lay accusations against me that are not true. I have never done anything to hurt you Alaric. I have only ever comforted you. I have stood by your side through the darkest nights of your reign. And this is how you pay me back? By defending a nobody over me?"

I let out a very silent, bitter laugh. 

"Stop with your crocodile tears Elara. We both know the truth. You are behind every shadow in this palace. You are behind the rumors. You are behind the fear."

Elara’s face contorted. She stopped crying. 

"Your elders telling you the truth is now my plot? You are no longer focused on important and pressing issues Alaric! You are chasing a ghost while the kingdom waits for leadership!"

"And what are these pressing issues?" I cut her short. 

I stepped into her personal space. My height towering over her. 

"Tell me, Elara. What is more important than the justice of my court?"

"Finding those who were involved in your mother’s death!" she yelled.

The name hit me like a physical blow. The air left my lungs. The grief I had been trying to drown in wine and work came rushing back. It was sharp and jagged.

"Don't you dare bring my mother into this.” I whispered. My voice was shaking.

"I will bring her into it!" Elara continued.

Her voice rising in a frantic pitch. 

"You no longer care about getting revenge for her! You spent years hunting for the truth. Now you have stopped. You are now focused on a love you know can never work. You are focused on a spirit while your mother’s killers walk free!"

The pain in my head exploded. 

It felt like a white-hot needle was driven into my skull. The "fits" were returning. 

I felt my bones begin to shift. My jaw ached as my teeth sharpened. I was unstable. I was moving from human to wolf and back again in a blurred, agonizing cycle.

The voice that once brought me comfort was now the very thing giving me these fits. Every word she spoke was like a lash across my back.

"Stop!" I screamed.

I staggered. I grabbed the edge of her vanity table. My claws leaving deep gouges in the expensive wood. 

I looked at Elara. She didn't look afraid. She looked triumphant. She saw the pain she was causing.

"You care more for the ghost than your own mother." She whispered.

I forced myself to stand straight. I pushed the wolf back down with every ounce of my will. I looked her in the eyes. My vision blurring.

"I know you are behind it all." I said.

"I know you are the source of the rot in this palace."

Elara stepped back. She crossed her arms. She had a cruel smile. 

"Until you have solid evidence to prove I am behind it all, your words hold no weight Alaric. I am the daughter of a noble house. She is a nameless girl. Who will the pack believe?"

I leaned forward. My face inches from hers. The scent of her perfume made me want to gag.

"I will get evidence." I told her. 

I made it a vow. 

"I will find every string you have pulled. I will find every person you have bribed. And when I do Elara, you will be brought to book. You will answer for every lie you have told."