Chapter 217

Amanda Butcherson presented her broad, obnoxious smile to the crowd.

“Good morning, day-walkers!” she announced. “We have two very important guests here today: Alpha King Andrew Dubois and Princess Aurora of the human world!”

The audience erupted into applause as Andrew and Princess Aurora walked onto the stage. The couple smiled and waved at the crowd as they took their seats on the couch next to Amanda Butcherson’s desk. Andrew sat closest to Amanda, and Princess Aurora placed herself as close to him as she could.

Andrew shifted slightly, trying to get some space between him and Princess Aurora, but he found himself squished between the edge of the couch and Princess Aurora’s knee. Though they barely touched, Andrew worried that it would give viewers—and Princess Aurora—the wrong message as to where their relationship was, and that was the exact opposite of why he had agreed to come onto this show in the first place. He just wanted to clear the air so that he and Crystal could work on getting back to where they had been before this mess began.

“Thank you for being with us today,” Amanda said, continuing her forced cheerfulness.

“Thank you for having us,” Andrew replied.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Princess Aurora said, placing her hand on her leg so that her pinky touched Andrew’s knee. “It’s quite an honor to be on one of the biggest shows in the werewolf world.”

“Oh, Princess Aurora, you really are too much.”

Amanda laughed, and she was soon joined by Princess Aurora’s melodic giggle. Andrew chuckled to not stick out, but he did not find much to laugh about in Amanda’s statement.

“You two have caused quite the stir,” Amanda continued. “First, you were seen chatting it up at the welcome banquet. Now, you’re being spotted all around the city together.”

“Oh, yes, Andrew has been quite the excellent tour guide,” Princess Aurora gushed. She put her hand on top of Andrew’s, but he discreetly slipped his fingers out from under hers. “He’s been so kind as to show me all of his favorite places in the werewolf world.”

Amanda’s eyes flitted from Princess Aurora’s hand to Andrew’s, but she did not remark on the exchange.

“I’ve heard that you’ve been all over, seeing different monuments and landmarks. What was your favorite site, Princess Aurora?”

Princess Aurora tapped her finger against her chin as she gave the question some consideration.

“I would have to say…Moonlit Homeless Shelter.”

Amanda cocked a brow at the princess, and even Andrew tilted his head at her curiously.

“Oh, really?” Amanda asked, leaning forward on her desk. “Why would that be?”

“Well, it was the place where Andrew helped me realize how fulfilling it is to give and help the less fortunate.” Princess Aurora tucked a stray curl behind her ear and batted her eyelashes at Andrew. “It was such an eye-opening experience, and I couldn’t have had it without Andrew as my guide.”

A chorus of “awwws” echoed through the crowd.

Andrew looked away from Princess Aurora. He couldn’t let her innocence hinder his mission to fix his relationship with Crystal.

“What about you, Andrew?” Amanda asked, pulling Andrew out of his thoughts. “Princess Aurora said that you took her to all your favorite sites in the city, but which was your absolute favorite that you visited with her?”

Andrew smiled slightly and did not hesitate to answer.

“Howler Park, of course.”

Amanda smirked like the cat that caught the canary. Princess Aurora beamed, her hand inching towards his once more.

“Ah, yes, Howler Park,” Amanda said, a hint of amusement in her tone, “the park that brought you two to true international attention as a couple. Let’s talk about that infamous trip seen around the world.”

Andrew stiffened. He knew that this moment was coming, but it did not mean that he wanted to talk about it.

“Andrew, we have all seen the picture of you carrying the beautiful Princess Aurora to your car shirtless,” Amanda continued. “Why don’t you tell us what led to that situation, in your own words?”

Andrew took a deep breath and nodded.

“Princess Aurora and I were having a picnic lunch, and Princess Aurora got some mustard on my shirt, so I took it off to change into a clean one that I had in the car,” he began. “Then…”

Andrew hesitated. Should he tell them about the fight with Crystal? It was best to be honest, but he didn’t want everyone to know about his private life with Crystal.

Please forgive me, Crystal, he thought.

“Then Crystal saw us, and we had a small tiff. She left, and when Princess Aurora and I went to go after her, Princess Aurora tripped and hurt her ankle. I had to carry her to the car to ensure that she didn’t hurt herself further.”

“So,” Amanda said, her tone suspicious, “you just carried her to the car, princess-style, because she had hurt her ankle? And you had taken your shirt off because you had a stain on it?”

Andrew cringed internally. He could hear the absurdity and unlikelihood of it all now that it was being said out loud, but he was going to stick to the truth, no matter what.

“Yes, that is exactly what happened.”

“Then what about this picture?”

Amanda pointed to the screen behind them as a picture of Andrew and Princess Aurora, leaning in close just before Princess Aurora spilled the mustard from her hot dog onto Andrew’s shirt, projected onto it. They were but inches apart, and Princess Aurora had her eyes closed and her chin tilted up, as though she were about to kiss Andrew.

Andrew dug his hand into the arm of the couch. How much of that day had the reporter caught on camera? Was this something that he was going to be paying for the rest of his life?

The picture faded. Andrew and Princess Aurora returned their attention to Amanda.

“Is that, perhaps, the scene that Crystal stumble upon that made you two have your little…tiff?” Amanda asked.

Andrew took a deep breath in and out through his nostrils. He could not lose his temper, not on national television.

“That picture is taken out of context,” he said in the calmest, most even voice that he could manage, “and Crystal and I just had a disagreement.”

“Speaking of Crystal,” Amanda said, twining her fingers together conspiratorially, “does this all mean that you’re cheating on Crystal? Or have the two of you broken up already?”

Andrew felt as though someone had slapped him across the face. He had not expected anyone to be so brazen when asking about his relationship with Crystal. He quickly shook the shock off and compiled his answer.

“No, I am not cheating on Crystal,” he said firmly. “We are still together. I love her very, very much.”

“Then how do you explain what has happened with Princess Aurora?” Amanda asked, gesturing toward the princess.

Andrew smiled gently at Princess Aurora, then faced Amanda with a stern expression.

“She is a dear friend, and her father is a dear friend. However, that is all we are, and that is all we will ever be,” he said with conviction. “My heart belongs to Crystal Blanchard.”

His heart froze as, beside him, he heard a sniffling, and Princess Aurora’s hand moved away from his leg.