Chapter 210
Andrew parked his gold Aston Martin in the parking lot of the Moonlit Homeless Shelter. Over the past three days, he had taken Princess Aurora to all of his favorite monuments and landmarks within the city: the One World, One Species Tower (a monument to werewolf/human coexistence), Bloodsuckers Rock (a memorial to the victims of the first vampiric insurgence), Lycanthrope Galleria, the Werewolf Heritage and Art Museum, to name a few. Now, he wanted to show her a grimmer side of the werewolf world and what he was doing to clean it up.
When Princess Aurora saw the sign for the werewolf homeless shelter, she turned to Andrew, her bright, innocent eyes wide.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, placing her hand on his arm.
“I thought that you would like to see some of the charity work that we do here.”
Princess Aurora looked at the shelter, then down at her blue turtleneck dress with a sapphire in the middle of the collar. Her eyes drifted down to her blue suede high heel boots.
“Am I dressed…appropriately?” she asked.
Andrew chuckled and patted her hand reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be just fine. When Crystal would come here…”
His voice trailed off as his mind got stuck on the memory of Crystal volunteering at the shelter for his campaign, then almost being shot there as a result.
Princess Aurora tilted her head curiously at Andrew.
“Andrew? Are you all right?”
Andrew shook himself out of the memory.
“Yes, of course. Sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment there.”
He smiled at her, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Like I said, you don’t have to worry. Your outfit is perfectly fine. Beautiful, in fact.”
Princess Aurora smiled broadly.
“Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself.”
Andrew nodded, but his mind appeared to be a million miles away.
“Let’s go before they start to wonder why such an ostentatious car is parked in their lot.”
Andrew stepped out of the car and rushed over to Princess Aurora’s side to open her door. As she got out, he held out his hand, which she graciously accepted. Her hand in his arm, the two walked over to the shelter entrance.
“So, what do they do here?” Princess Aurora asked, leaning slightly on Andrew.
“They mostly provide shelter to werewolves and hybrids with nowhere else to go,” Andrew replied. He hardly seemed to notice her head as it rested on his shoulder. “Sometimes, they also give jobs to those who are really deserving and in need of financial aid.”
“What have you done here? I assume that you have helped out here, considering how generous and caring you are.”
“My administration has donated generously to the shelter, and I have made private donations to the shelter as well. Crystal and I—” Andrew cleared his throat as he attempted to not let emotion overwhelm him— “have volunteered here also, helping to hand out supplies to those taking shelter as they come in for the night.”
Andrew waved at the man standing the door. The man wore a modest gray suit and a fedora with a red poppy inside his jacket pocket. He grinned broadly at Andrew, as though greeting an old friend.
“Hello, Your Highness,” the man said. “Who is this beautiful young woman you have brought with you today?”
“This is Princess Aurora of the human world. I am taking her on the tour of the werewolf world and showing her all my favorite spots.”
Andrew turned to Princess Aurora.
“Princess Aurora, this is Director Ludwig Bauer. He is in charge of the entire shelter.”
Princess Aurora curtsied to Director Bauer.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Director Bauer.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Princess Aurora.” Director Bauer gave his attention to Andrew. “Would you like me to give you two a tour?”
Andrew shook his head.
“No, no, Ludwig. You have enough to do already, and I know my way around the shelter well enough. I can handle the tour myself.”
Director Bauer clasped his hands together.
“Very well. I need to go check on some of our homeless workers. If you need anything, let me know.”
Andrew and Princess Aurora waved to Director Bauer as he took off into the shelter. Before they could start their tour, a woman and her young daughter approached them.
“Crystal, Crystal!” the little girl cried out, clutching a stuffed wolf. She stopped in front of Princess Aurora. “It’s me, Sapphire!”
Princess Aurora looked at Andrew in confusion. He returned her expression with a befuddled look of his own.
Sapphire’s mother gave them an apologetic grin.
“I am so sorry, Alpha King Andrew,” she said as she placed her hands on Sapphire’s shoulders. “Sapphire and I met Crystal one of the times that she volunteered here, and your lady friend looks a lot like her…”
Andrew nodded in understanding.
“Of course, it’s fine.”
His heart ached at seeing how crushed the little girl was when she saw that Princess Aurora was not Crystal. Crystal truly did make friends everywhere she went.
“This is Princess Aurora of the human world,” he explained.
Sapphire tilted her head at Princess Aurora.
“A real princess?” she asked. “Like in the fairy tales?”
Princess Aurora raised her hand to her lips and giggled.
“Yes, like in the fairy tales. My father is a real king,” she said.
Sapphire squinted her eyes at Princess Aurora and Andrew, as though contemplating something.
“Is Andrew your prince?” she asked.
Princess Aurora giggled again and looked up at Andrew with eyes filled with admiration.
“I could only hope,” she said wistfully as she ran her hand up and down Andrew’s forearm.
Andrew was no longer paying attention. He was wondering if this was the little girl and mother that Crystal had mentioned from the time that she nearly got shot volunteering at Moonlit Homeless Shelter. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment.
Was she thinking about him, too?
Princess Aurora frowned slightly. Andrew was clearly distracted, and she was sure that it had to do with this Crystal woman that everyone kept talking about. Someone that she apparently looked like.
A twisted thought popped into her head.
She knelt down beside Sapphire and smiled warmly.
“Well, since Crystal isn’t here, is there any way that I can help you and Mommy?” She glanced up at Sapphire’s mother for an answer.
“We don’t have enough money for food this week,” Sapphire’s mother said quietly. “I talked to Director Bauer about a maintenance job, but he had already assigned all the jobs for this month…”
Princess Aurora stood up and took $300 out of her blue velvet clutch. She put the crisp, clean bills into Sapphire’s mother’s hand.
“There. That should be more than enough for groceries this week,” she said with a smile.
Sapphire’s mother stared down at the money with wide eyes.
“Oh, no, Princess, we cannot take this. It’s too much.”
“Please, I insist.” Princess Aurora cocked her head. “Is there anything else we can do to help?”
Sapphire’s mother, still stunned, said, “It’s almost time for the volunteers to start putting together overnight packs for the shelter residents. They might need help.”
Princess Aurora beamed up at Andrew.
“Shall we, my handsome prince?”
Andrew absentmindedly nodded.
“Whatever you want, Princess Aurora.”
Princess Aurora pouted momentarily at his lack of attention. As they walked into the shelter, the sides of their bodies pressed together, she decided to not give up, yet. He was just a bit distracted, and she just had to try harder.
