Page 57 of The Alpha and the Baker

And it was all thanks to Felicia. I didn’t know what I could possibly do to express my gratitude to her and make up for all the time and effort the whole thing had cost her, but I would happily spend the rest of my life doing so.

“Impressive,” Sal remarked, leaning over the table to look at our entry up and down. “Never seen one of those in person.”

“I ain’t neither,” Polly said with a nod of approval. “It’s a thing of beauty, ain’t it?”

“Sure is.” Maybe it was just my imagination, but Sal’s compliment seemed a bit chagrined. Still, his expression did have quite a bit of admiration as he met Felicia’s gaze. “May the best baker win.”

“Oh, they will.”

That’s my girl!

While the table was loaded with quite impressive fare, from towering cakes to sculptures made out of Rice Krispies and Baked Alaskas, I stood with pride and confidence as we waited.

Unsurprisingly, since it was the big finale, the judges really took their time.

By the time they got to us, all of us smelled like nerves, except Felicia.

“My, my, my,” the more stylish one said, clapping her hands together. “I dare say, is this a croquembouche? I haven’t seen one of these in ages.”

“It most certainly is,” Felicia answered.

“But it seems that you have put your own spin on this classic,” the severe governess said.

“Indeed I have. While I love the outer crunch of the cream puffs, as well as the rich filling within, I’ve always been of the opinion that they can get a little boring by the end of the croquembouche. So I decided to split the flavors into quarters.”

“Quarters, you say?”

“Yes. A quarter is classic, a quarter with a churro-inspired filling, a quarter with a rhubarb-and-sweet cream filling, a quarter with a blueberry-lemon compote, and the final quarter is filled with a passionfruit and mango cream. They’re dyed accordingly so you can tell what’s what without biting in and getting a flavor that you don’t want.

” She glanced to me as she said the last part.

“I wanted to combine different flavor influences that one might not expect together, because I believe the differences make the dish even better than it would be if it was entirely uniform.”

Huh.

“Well, isn’t that just exceptional!”

“You know what this means, right, young lady?” the male judge asked, his white eyebrows wiggling.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Felicia said, sounding just as mystified as I felt.

“It means that we’ll just have to take a bite of each flavor!” he said joyously before following it up with a big belly laugh. We joined in, although less enthusiastically than the other judges. Even the more stern one gave a fairly hearty chuckle.

“It is a sacrifice that we are willing to make,” she said in such a grave tone that it actually made me laugh harder.

“All right, let’s dig in.”

With that, they took four of the cream puffs off the impressive structure and shared a bite each. One thing was for certain, no matter which way the competition went, there would be plenty leftover for the crowd to enjoy.

“Fantastic!”

“Exceptional!”

“You’ve truly outdone yourself, Miss Nga. I have no doubt that your bakery will be very busy indeed after this.”

There was more praise, but after a while, it just sounded like rushing in my ears. We had done it. I knew there was such a thing as calling it too early, but it really felt like they couldn’t give such emphatic praise and not mean to give us the grand prize.

Which meant I didn’t have to worry about punishment from the fairies or any other ridiculous consequences from accidentally going to the public market on a day I shouldn’t have.

Granted, there was still one more team to judge.

The Ramirezes.

Their showstopper was also a thing of beauty, with three very puffy-looking confections that interlocked together on a stand that rotated, allowing them to make different arrangements.

“And what is this lovely conglomeration you have here?”

“This is a trio of pavlova.” Sal answered, and I had to wonder if he had baking experience or was just leading his team as a figurehead.

“One is gingersnap with cranberries, one is a chocolate with sweet crema and raspberries, while the third is an apricot and pistachio pavlova with hints of ginger.”

Huh, that did sound pretty cool, but a quick glance to Felicia showed that she was still unruffled. That had to be a good sign.

“Ooooh, another entry where we truly feast! Guess we’ll have to take a bite of each flavor,” the male judge cooed.

“We really are martyrs for the cause,” the severe one added. Those two made quite the dynamic duo. Perhaps it would be fun to compete again. Not that it was wise to violate fairy rules a second time.

“But someone has to do it!” the third one said before they all bit in and gave their critiques, which of course, were positive.

And that was it. Suddenly, the entire thing was over, and they had to make their decision. It was down to us and the Ramirez pack. The croquembouche medley versus the pavlova trio.

“Attention, everyone! It’s time for the final judgment. So, if those with tasting tickets want to come up and eat these elaborate works of art, this is the time to stuff yourself silly. It looks like there’s going to be plenty for everybody.”

The process of handing things out took much longer even with so many people still standing at the competitor table since they didn’t have to rush back to the kitchenette for final prep.

It was just as nerve-racking as I’d expected it to be, but I did try to be as patient as possible and gracious whenever anybody talked to me.

I was more than relieved when the last person headed off with their plate full of sweet treats.

Now, all that was left to do was wait for the judges to finish their deliberations.

They took much longer than the ten minutes they had before, or at least it felt that way.

Why, though? Surely Felicia’s impressive structure was the obvious winner.

“It’s gonna be all right,” Felicia said after the third time I checked my watch.

“It’s been fifteen minutes.”

“That just means they’re taking it seriously.”

That may have been true, but talking about it made the seconds pass faster, at least.

My heart thundered when the megaphone let out another one of its annoying crackles.

“Here it is, everyone. Your judges have the final results of what has been our most attended bake-off in our entire history. We thank all of you for coming and donating to a good cause.”

Oh right, the proceeds were going to charity. I’d been so caught up in my own drama that I had forgotten. Whoops.

“Thank you, thank you all for being so patient,” one of the judges began after taking the megaphone from the announcer. “This really was an exceptional event, and we’re thrilled with the level of skill brought by all the contestants this year.

“And after much deliberation, we’ve decided that the winner of the showstopper round is… is… is….”

Is who?

But the man never finished his sentence, and that was probably because he and every single other human were suddenly asleep, collapsing to the ground or slumping over wherever they were sitting.

“What the hell is happening?” Sal blurted.

“Look!” one of our kids yelled from the bleachers, pointing down the main road beyond the entrance.

What I saw made my blood run cold. Approaching us was a convoy of polished, jet-black SUVs. There were at least six cars, and they were barreling toward the market way faster than the speed limit.

“Fairies!” I hissed.

The entire mood of the event shifted, with the rivalry and tension instantly turning to fear. My worst nightmare was coming true, and when I glanced over to Sal, I saw he was equally pale.

“What do we do?” he murmured, meeting my panicked gaze.

“You and me take the fall,” I said quickly, earning a gasp from my mother. “As alphas, we can say we coerced our packs into being here. Might win them mercy.”

Sal nodded. “Yeah, if they want to maintain their good image, they can’t punish our victims.”

I was immediately relieved at how quickly Sal agreed. He could have argued or tried to find a way to save his own skin, but no, it seemed like he was just as dedicated to protecting his own people as I was to time.

“Castiel, you can’t do this,” Aunt Letitia objected. “It’s a bake-off. Maybe they’ve come because they’re amused.”

“I’d love for that to be true,” I answered. “But we need to be prepared.”

“I’m not going to let you just sacrifice yourself!” my mother hissed, and although her voice broke my heart, I knew what I had to do.

“Chris, can you get her somewhere safe?”

“And leave you?”

I fixed him with a steady look. All of Felicia’s calm that I had been admiring all day settled over me. I wasn’t looking forward to what was going to happen, but at least I could make sure my pack wasn’t punished for my idea.

“You’re my beta. I need you to survive and lead if…” I trailed off, not wanting to upset my mother further. She looked like she was about to cry. Seeing her like that made what I was about to do that much harder.

“I understand.” Chris’s voice cracked as he wrapped an arm around my mother’s waist to lead her away.

She started to object, but I leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

When had she gotten so small? Sometimes it felt like yesterday when she showed me how to tie my shoes and put Band-Aids on my own scrapes.

“Please, Mom.”

Her protests died on her lips. “I love you, son. My alpha.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

With that, she allowed Chris to lead her away, and I turned to face the parking lot where the SUV convoy had arrived, lined up all in a neat little row along the curb.

Their doors opened in unison, and then figures began to step out.

They were all tall, and willowy, dressed in impeccable designer suits right down to their overly polished shoes.

Men, women, whatever other flavor fairies came in, it didn’t matter—they were all decked out to the nines in business professional finery.

I’d never actually seen a fairy in person, only heard descriptions of them. While I knew that they didn’t have wings or walk around in Renaissance garb, I didn’t think they’d look so… corporate.

All in step with each other, a dozen of the most powerful Wild Folk in the city marched toward us, shoes and high heels echoing across the ground.

“Alphas Castiel McCallister and Salvador Ramirez,” one of them said when they all came to a stop in the center of the activity area, dozing humans and terrified pack members surrounding them.

“That’s us,” I said, trying to put as much steel into my voice as I could. Who knew, maybe fairies would turn out to be allergic to that too.

“Both of your packs are in direct violation of the peace accords you are contracted under with our people. Penalties for such indiscretions include everything from rescinding your right to your ancestral lands, to banishment, or even execution.”

A tall woman in a pinstriped pencil skirt and matching blazer stepped forward. “You can find your violations highlighted here.”

She pulled a cellphone out of a breast pocket that suddenly appeared, then disappeared just as quickly. She showed us the screen, but instead of it lighting up with any information, a long scroll popped out of the bottom, dropping down to the ground and rolling all the way across the lawn.

“Sub-section Z-4, in yellow.”

I didn’t need to look at it, and I wouldn’t have had time to anyway, because as soon as Polly reached down to pick it up, it rapidly rolled back into the phone before disappearing entirely.

Convenient. For the fairies, that was. Heaven forbid we actually get to read the finer details of the deal that had been made long before any of us were alive.

“You are not allowed to interfere in human events. This is?—”

“I challenge you.”

A clear, calm voice cut through the air, and every single head of the conscious people turned to see Felicia standing at the center of the competition table, her hands on her hips.

“Excuse me?” one of the fairies said.

How was she even awake? When all the humans had collapsed and I hadn’t immediately seen Felicia, I assumed that she was asleep with the rest of them.

“I said I challenge you. It is my right to do, and as the ruling fairies of this region, you must answer a challenge to the court of fae.”

Wait, was that true? And if it was true, how did Felicia know that?

Much to my horror, the fairies all laughed as if she had just told them the funniest joke. “You need to study your bylaws, young one. If we had to rise to the challenge of any Wild Folk that was breaking the rules, none of our contracts would be viable. Contract supersedes any such thing.”

“That’s the thing. Your contract is with the wolf packs here and the wolf packs only. I’m a human.”

The equivalent of pandemonium broke out amongst the fairies, with all of them exchanging looks and two of them whispering fervently to each other. As for all of us shifters, we were watching with wide eyes, completely shocked.

“If you’re human, how are you awake? Our magic should have you on the ground with the rest of your kind?”

Smiling, Felicia lifted the protection necklace that Gammy McCallister had given her, and I saw a little pouch hanging from the pendant.

“It seems that gifts willfully and openly given from elders of both packs have fully shielded me from your magic. That’s why you keep them separated, isn’t it? Because you’re afraid of what they could do if they weren’t divided.”

My jaw dropped. How had Felicia been so prepared for the fairies to arrive? More prepared than us shifters were.

Did… did she plan this?

“So,” she continued, head held high. “Like I said, I challenge you. All of you.”

Holy shit!