Chapter 254
Andrew tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk in his home office. Even the normally soothing clacking of his Newton’s cradle only served to irritate him that day. He just wanted to speak with Head Wolf Antoine and Princess Aurora, then spring into action.
He had called for them hours ago, but neither of them could come in immediately. Head Wolf Antoine was in the middle of a meeting with the rest of the Werewolf Council, and Princess Aurora had a scheduled video call with her father, King Frederick. Given the news that Andrew had gotten earlier that morning, he did not appreciate having to wait, but he knew that he had no choice.
Andrew was so tightly wound that when someone knocked on the door, his tapping fingers curled into a fist and his shoulders stiffened. He forced himself to relax before he answered the second knock.
“Come in!” he called out.
Parker entered, Head Wolf Antoine and Princess Aurora close behind him.
“Your Highness, I have Head Wolf Antoine and Princess Aurora here to speak with you,” Parker announced.
“Thank you, Parker,” Andrew said quickly. “Please make sure that we are not disturbed.”
Parker nodded and left the room, closing the doors to the home office behind him.
Andrew watched Head Wolf Antoine and Princess Aurora closely as they took their seats directly across the desk from him. As soon as their bottoms made contact with the cushions, Andrew tossed aside formalities and started his prepared speech.
“I got a phone call this morning,” he said, careful not to mention who it was from. “They informed me that Bob paid someone to try to kill Crystal and Noah late last night.”
Princess Aurora’s hand flew to her mouth as she tried to hold in a gasp.
“Are they all right?” she asked.
“Crystal is unharmed. Noah was stabbed with a silver knife, but he will recover.”
Princess Aurora’s hand dropped to her chest.
“Oh, thank the Goddess,” she said. “That must have been so frightening for them. I pray for Noah’s swift recovery.”
“It is unfortunate that someone attacked them,” Head Wolf Antoine said, trying to keep his face neutral, “but what, pray tell, do you want us to do about it?”
Andrew snarled momentarily.
“You don’t have to do anything except make sure that everything runs smoothly while I’m gone,” he snapped.
Head Wolf Antoine’s eyes widened.
“What do you mean, while you’re gone?” he asked.
“Exactly that,” Andrew replied. “I’m going to be leaving for the Crescent Moon Pack territories immediately, and the two of you will need to ensure that everything runs according to plan while I’m gone.”
“What exactly will you be doing there?”
“I’ll be dealing with Crystal’s attacker myself…before I deal with Bob.”
Head Wolf Antoine sighed and shook his head.
“Your Highness, this happened in the Crescent Moon Pack territories,” he said slowly. “It’s out of your jurisdiction—”
“They tithe to me!” Andrew argued. “That makes their territories my jurisdiction. And it was one of my councilmembers, still my jurisdiction.”
He leapt to his feet, pacing the length of his home office while Head Wolf Antoine and Princess Aurora watched.
“It was my son-in-law,” he continued. “That not only makes it my jurisdiction but my responsibility.”
He clenched and unclenched his fists until his arms began to cramp.
“I should have made certain that that ne’er-do-well had stayed behind bars when we had him for murder.”
Head Wolf Antoine stepped in front of Andrew with his hands raised, bringing the other man to a sudden halt.
“Calm down, Your Highness,” Head Wolf Antoine said. “You know that you cannot talk like that, especially about a council member.”
Andrew breathed in and out slowly through his nostrils.
“I don’t care if he’s a council member,” he said through gritted teeth. “He’s trying to kill Crystal.”
“You don’t have any proof that he’s behind it.”
“I was told—”
“Yes, you were told, but by who?”
Head Wolf Antoine waited for a response, but Andrew did not offer any.
“See?” Head Wolf Antoine said. “If you cannot say who they were, then they probably were not a reliable source.”
“It’s not that, Head Wolf Antoine,” Andrew countered. “I cannot reveal my source because they play a top-secret role in my operations.”
Head Wolf Antoine crossed his arms over his chest.
“So top-secret that you cannot tell the Head of the Werewolf Council and your Beta?”
Andrew’s eyes flickered towards Princess Aurora. He then leaned forward and whispered in Head Wolf Antoine’s ear.
“It’s George Black of the Special Guard.”
Head Wolf Antoine nodded, his eyes widened in understanding.
“I understand. Regardless, that does not prove definitively that Bob had anything to do with it, and these are hefty charges.”
“Then you don’t really understand. I need to get out there and—”
A sobbing, soft at first but growing louder, put a stop to Andrew’s protests and drew both men’s attention to Princess Aurora. She had begun to cry, dabbing a hanky at her eye to avoid smearing her mascara.
“Princess Aurora,” Andrew said, swooping to her side, “sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
“Our wedding is days away, and you’re talking about getting up and leaving,” Princess Aurora replied through her tears. “All for her.”
Andrew’s heart stung at the underlying accusations.
“My love, it would only be for a few days—”
“But you might miss our wedding!”
“I won’t miss our wedding, I promise.”
She sniffled and turned her face away from Andrew. He knelt before her, taking both of her hands in his. He squeezed her hands tightly, but she still would not look at him.
“I will be back in time. I would never let you down.”
“But you’re letting me down already.”
Andrew tilted his head at Princess Aurora.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re focusing on her. It’s almost our wedding. Your focus should be on me…on us.”
Andrew felt as though someone had reached into his chest and started tugging on his heart. He should have known that giving so much of his time and attention to Crystal—even just the thought of Crystal—would cause Princess Aurora distress. That would have happened with any woman.
“I’m sorry, Princess Aurora,” he said, rubbing the backs of her hands with his thumbs. “You’re right. You’re both right.”
He sighed.
“I’m just so used to handling everything myself that I thought that I should handle this, too, but it’s not my problem, not anymore. I should let the local authorities take care of it.”
Princess Aurora glanced at him through the side of her eye.
“Do you mean it?” she asked.
Andrew nodded.
“Of course, I mean it. You are my whole world right now.”
Princess Aurora smiled broadly and threw herself into Andrew’s arms.
“Oh, thank you, Andrew, thank you!” She hugged him tightly to her chest and swayed back and forth. “You’ve made me so happy!”
Head Wolf Antoine patted Andrew on the shoulder.
“You’re doing to the right thing, Your Highness,” he said. “Everything is going to be just fine.”
Andrew smiled at them, but it did not quite reach his eyes.
Under his breath, he muttered, “I hope you’re right.”
