Chapter 220
A couple days passed since the taping of Good Morning, Day-Walkers! Andrew had not heard from either Crystal or Princess Aurora. He knew that could only mean bad news on both fronts, but he did his best not to panic; that would do him no good.
It was around dinnertime, and Andrew hoped that having a nice quiet meal alone would help to clear his mind after the case of another day trying to juggle his usual duties and the consequences of speaking his truth on television. The social media comments had only gotten nastier as more support for Princess Aurora came spilling out of the woodwork, and both Andrew’s advisors and the Werewolf Council were giving him Hell for it. All he wanted now was to enjoy his warm bowl of beef stew in silence.
So, of course, that was not going to happen.
Andrew’s phone began to buzz on the dining table next to his bowl. He sighed in frustration. When he checked the caller I.D., the sigh became a groan.
King Frederick.
“Good evening, Your Highness,” he answered as he set down his spoon. “How may I help you?”
“You know damn well how he can help me, Alpha King Andrew,” King Frederick snapped.
“King Frederick, I never expected such language from you,” Andrew replied, trying to sound shocked. He knew exactly why King Frederick was so upset, but he wanted to keep this conversation cordial and hoped that King Frederick would as well.
“You relegated my daughter to the position of the other woman,” King Frederick growled. “You cannot imagine the shame that she is bearing right now. How do you propose that we make this right?”
Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.
“How about I meet you at your hotel room in about two hours?” he finally asked. “I’m out at the mansion right now, but I’ll get there as soon as possible, and we can talk this through, maybe have a few drinks. How does that sound?”
He knew that King Frederick was never one to turn down a drink.
“Very well,” King Frederick replied. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I’ll see you at the Lexington Hotel in two hours or less.”
With that, Andrew hung up. He gave his stew a longing look, then sighed.
Andrew got off the elevator at the top floor and went directly to the presidential suite. He knew this path well; he had been made this trek many times before. To do so as a guest, rather than as the occupant of the suite, felt odd.
Andrew eyed the black-suited guards as he approached the door to the presidential suite. He held himself tall, putting himself far above the men he faced, and kept his chin up. Everything about him exhumed power and authority.
The men in black stood at attention, recognizing Andrew’s status. They did not move to open the door yet, waiting for him to verbally confirm his identity.
“Alpha King Andrew Dubois, here to speak with King Frederick,” Andrew said firmly.
The man to the left listened to his earpiece for a moment, then nodded to the man on the right. The man on the right took out a keycard and opened the door wide for Andrew, motioning him inside.
“Thank you, gentlemen,” Andrew said with a bow of his head.
The door closed behind Andrew, clicking with a finality that echoed in his ears.
“Thank you for coming, Alpha King Andrew,” King Frederick greeted him from one of the loveseats. He swirled a glass of red wine beneath his nose and inhaled deeply. “Please, help yourself.”
Suspicious of the king’s hospitality, Andrew poured himself half a glass of wine and sat in a recliner facing King Frederick. He supposed that he was just fortunate that King Frederick had dressed himself, considering Crystal’s account of when she had visited his hotel room.
“Thank you for having me on such short notice, Your Highness,” Andrew said, taking a small sip of wine. “I’m hoping that we can settle this matter peacefully.”
King Frederick lifted his chin to Andrew haughtily.
“Indeed.”
A moment of silence passed between the two men. Neither dared to look away from the other.
“So, where, may I ask, is Princess Aurora?” Andrew asked when the quiet became too deafening for him.
“Oh, she’s back in the tub, soaking her troubles away—” King Frederick narrowed his gaze at Andrew— “trying to forget about a certain werewolf who broke her heart.”
“King Frederick, it was never my intention—”
“To what? Play with my daughter’s heart?”
“To cause any misunderstandings. I care a lot about your daughter, but my heart belongs to Crystal—”
“Ah, yes, the infamous Crystal Blanchard.” King Frederick downed his wine in one gulp. “Honestly, Andrew, I don’t know what you see in her…besides her appearance, that is.”
Andrew dug his fingers into the arm of his chair. He imagined ripping King Frederick to shreds as the royal stood up and went to the minibar to get himself more wine. He mentally counted to ten to regain control of himself as he waited for King Frederick to return with his wine glass, now filled to the brim.
“There’s a lot about Crystal that you don’t know,” Andrew said, trying to keep his voice calm.
“I am sure that you are familiar with Crystal in ways that I am not—” King Frederick grinned leeringly— “ways that I would love to get to know her.”
“Watch it, King Frederick,” Andrew growled.
King Frederick brushed off the matter with a wave of his hand.
“My apologies, Andrew. My point is that, from what I’ve heard, she is no prize beyond her looks and sex appeal. She’s a convicted criminal, you’ve had to invest countless resources into protecting her from numerous threats, and her public image goes back and forth on her best day—”
“What are you getting at?” Andrew had no patience to hear this from his most trusted advisors and the Werewolf Council, let alone from a so-called “political ally”.
“I’m only saying that you really should be considering other marriage prospects, ones that would help you rebuild and strengthen your political relationships.” King Frederick leaned towards Andrew. “Ones like my daughter.”
“King Frederick, Princess Aurora is a sweet young woman, but I—”
“You aren’t understanding what I’m saying,” King Frederick said, his voice dropping dangerously low. “This is the only form of reparation that I will accept for the shame that you brought on her, on us.”
Andrew was taken aback by this declaration, but he was not going to be intimidated.
“King Frederick, be reasonable—”
“I am being reasonable. You tarnished my daughter’s reputation—”
“I did no such thing! All I did was clarify my feelings to her and the entire world.”
“Making her look like the other woman in the process.”
“I’m sorry that you and Princess Aurora feel that way, but I never claimed to be in any sort of relationship with her. I only ever admitted to being her friend. Crystal is my girlfriend.”
King Frederick’s nostrils flared. His eyes widened, and his grip on his wine glass tightened to the point that his knuckles turned white.
“Fine. You want to play the hard way, then we will play the hard way.”
He stood up, planting his feet firmly on the ground. As he towered over Andrew, he threw his wine glass into the fireplace, causing a brief eruption of red and orange flames.
King Frederick’s voice boomed as he said, “Either you will break up with Crystal, or I will cease all trade between the human world and the werewolf world.”
