Chapter 221
The flames in the fireplace died down to their normal height, but Andrew’s temper still flared. How dare King Frederick offer him an ultimatum, one that could have such drastic consequences for the werewolf world? To make him choose between the love of his life and the constituents who depend on him to keep them safe and healthy?
Andrew jumped to his feet. At his full height, he easily dwarfed King Frederick, in both height and muscle. The other man cowered beneath Andrew’s smoldering glare.
“No,” Andrew said, his growl even louder than King Frederick’s command. “I will not be bullied by anyone, most especially not by the likes of you.”
Although King Frederick was clearly intimidated by Andrew’s power and status, he did not back down.
“You’re not thinking about the benefits of a union between you and Aurora would have for the human/werewolf relationship—”
“I don’t care about that. I care about Crystal.”
“You owe me this,” King Frederick asserted, his voice quivering behind his tough façade. “You owe my daughter this.”
“I do not owe either of you anything. I was a kind and generous host, I opened my world to you, and this is how you two repay me, by trying to blackmail me into leaving the woman that I love? I will not stand for this.”
“And I will not stand for you treating my daughter like one of your trollops!”
“I am doing no such thing. Just because I won’t marry her after giving her a tour of my city does not mean that I am mistreating her in any way. For you to teach her otherwise is you setting a bad example for her.”
Andrew slammed his wine glass onto the nearest counter.
“If you cared at all about your daughter, you would teach her to find love in her own time with someone who will reciprocate it, rather than trying to bully the object of her affections into returning her feelings.”
King Frederick gawked at Andrew but quickly regained his composure.
“Think about what you’re doing, Alpha King Andrew,” he said. “I will be cutting off the exporting of essential supplies to from the human world to the werewolf world. That includes meat, cloth, plastics, everything you can think of modern living.”
Andrew lifted his chin defiantly without taking his eyes off King Frederick’s.
“We will find a way to get along without you.”
He stormed toward the door and put his hand on the handle.
“You’re going to regret this!” King Frederick yelled after him.
Andrew paused, then walked out the door.
Andrew drove with the driver’s side window of his gold Aston Martin down. His left elbow leaned on the door, and his face turned slightly toward the breeze blowing in through the open window. He had hoped that the fresh air would help to clear his head of what had just happened with King Frederick, but so far, no luck.
He knew that he had possibly ruined relations between the werewolf and human worlds. He knew that he would be hearing about this from both his advisors and the Werewolf Council as soon as they caught wind of it, not to mention the media storm if King Frederick decided to have loose lips. He also knew that this could possibly lead to a major catastrophe for the werewolf world, one that he might not be able to avert.
He didn’t care.
All that Andrew cared about at that moment was seeing Crystal. He still hadn’t heard from her since their fight about the picture, but he had hopes that she had seen the talk show and knew that he had chosen her. He just wanted to start rebuilding their relationship.
He parked in the lot near Crystal’s apartment and stepped out of the car. Staring up at the apartment complex, he found the windows of her apartment and saw that the lights were on.
Andrew sighed in relief. At least she was actually home. He thought about texting her to let her know that he was on his way up but decided that it would be better to surprise her.
He hurried down the street and rushed up the stairs of the apartment complex, eager to see Crystal after all this time. He realized now that this had been part of his problem when he had tried to explain the picture to her; he hadn’t done it face-to-face. Too many misunderstandings can happen over the phone, and it had been too long since they had been in the same room without fighting.
Andrew stopped at Crystal’s door and knocked. He heard rustling inside and waited patiently for Crystal to answer.
Instead, he was met by Jeffrey’s face.
Andrew’s anger sparked momentarily at the thought of Jeffrey inside Crystal’s apartment. Then he reminded himself that he had assigned Jeffrey to protect Crystal from every threat, including interior threats. He shuddered at the thought of any threat that might lead Jeffrey to stay inside the apartment with Crystal.
“Hello, Jeffrey,” Andrew said. “Is something the matter?”
“It’s been a rough several days, Your Highness.”
Andrew’s brows shot up.
“What’s happened? Did someone attack Crystal?”
Jeffrey shook his head.
“No, no, it’s not that. Crystal has just…been in a state, that’s all.”
Andrew’s expression drooped.
“Oh, I see.” He tried to look around Jeffrey for Crystal, but the man was too large for him to see into the apartment. “Where is Crystal?”
“She’s home.”
“Can I speak to her?”
Jeffrey paused and glanced back behind the doorframe. After a moment, he returned his gaze to Andrew.
“I’m afraid that she doesn’t want to see you, Your Highness.”
Andrew’s heart sank.
“Are you sure? Did she see the interview on Good Morning, Day-Walkers?”
Jeffrey nodded.
“Yes, Your Highness. I made sure that she did. She’s just not willing to see you right now.”
“Oh. Well, I understand.”
Jeffrey hesitated.
“May I speak with you for a moment…in private, Your Highness?”
Again, Andrew tried to get a glimpse of Crystal, but again, he could not see anything or anyone around Jeffrey.
“Yes, of course.”
Jeffrey stepped outside the apartment and closed the door behind him. They walked a few feet away from Crystal’s apartment before Jeffrey stopped and faced Andrew.
“She’s in bad shape, Your Highness,” Jeffrey admitted. “She finally went out for drinks with Lily a couple days ago after watching your interview, but the way she was talking…I don’t know.”
Andrew’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Do you think that she’s going to do something to herself?”
Jeffrey shook his head.
“No, she’s not thinking that way. Still, I’m keeping an eye on her, just in case.”
Andrew placed his hand on Jeffrey’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Thank you, Jeffrey. You’re a great guard and an even better friend.”
“It is my honor, Your Highness. My only hope is that you two will reconcile soon.”
Andrew nodded and patted Jeffrey on the shoulder.
“You and me both, Jeffrey. You and me both.”
He glanced at the ground.
“Call me when Crystal seems more receptive to seeing me, okay?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Jeffrey. Until then, keep her safe for me.”
“As always.”
On the outside, Andrew held himself tall as he walked back to the stairwell and out of the apartment complex. On the inside, his heart ached to see the love of his life.
