Conquering His Cold Heart

Everard sighed and asked, “Where’s the doctor?”

“He is currently running some tests. He is working hard to find the cause behind His Majesty’s sudden change in symptoms.”

Everard took a towel and started wiping the sweat beads from his father’s forehead. “I thought there were several doctors who were looking after my father. Shouldn’t one of them be present here all the time instead of leaving him in the hands of those incompetent nurses?”

Jerome gave a nod to Everard and replied, “I will ask them to be here by His Majesty’s side.”

King Alfred was watching his son very dearly. He was happy to see how much his son cared for him and how worried he was for him.

Everard checked to see if his father’s robe was wet again. It was slightly better than earlier, so he covered his father with the blanket again.

“My Prince.” Jerome was now starting to get restless because the talk with the King went on for much longer than he had expected. “We have to hurry now. We don’t have much time.”

Everard suddenly felt an overwhelming sensation all over his body. He nodded and then gave a gentle bow to his father. “You should rest, father. I think I won’t be able to check up on you tonight. It’s the full moon, so... But I will have the others stay by your side.”

.....

“Ah! Yes. The full moon...” King Alfred coughed a few times and instructed Everard in a breathless whisper, “Don’t try to fight it once the full moon is out. Let the feeling consume you. Then, you’ll be able to transform quickly. The pain won’t eat you up if you do that.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Everard said with a subtle smile on his face.

Everard was about to turn around to get out of the room when he heard his father’s feeble voice, “Son!”

He looked at his father’s face. His father was trying hard to gather his breath first.

After a moment, he put on a smile on his face, and said, “Everard, I am really proud of you. Your mother would also have said the same if she was here.”

“Father... There’s no time to be emotional. You should rest,” Everard said after gulping when he saw tears rolling down the corners of his father’s eyes.

Alfred cleared his throat and said in a low whisper, “Know that I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”

“Father...” Everard closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

‘Why is he making it sound as if this is the last time he will see me?’ Everard thought to himself.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “You shouldn’t put a strain on yourself, Father. I will come and find you after the night is over.”

Alfred closed his eyes and nodded.

Everard took one last glance at his sick father before abruptly turning on his heels and heading out of the room.

Jerome gestured for the nurses who were waiting by the door to go inside the King’s chamber. He asked one of the guards to call for the doctor, then he also followed the Crown Prince.

It was already past the time that he led the Crown Prince to the dungeon. The full moon would be up soon, and when it was up, he wanted to stay by his alpha’s side.

While walking at a faster pace, Everard asked Jerome with great worry, “Won’t my father also transform tonight?”

“He...” Jerome took a deep breath and nodded. “He will.”

“W-What?” Everard stopped on his track. He had half expected the answer to be ‘no’. He felt his heart being crushed when Jerome said that his sick father would also go through the horror of transformation.

He took a moment to process that information and asked Jerome in disbelief. “But he is so sick that his heartbeat is barely audible! Hell, he can barely breathe! Will he even be able to withstand the transformation?”

A hint of fear, sadness, and anxiety ran across Jerome’s eyes.

He clasped his hands together and replied confidently while looking straight into the Prince’s eyes, “The alpha is an experienced wolf. He knows how to transform within seconds and then revert back to his human form within a minute of his transformation. I would like to believe that he will be fine.”

Everard could see the hidden emotions behind Jerome’s confident-sounding voice.

All of a sudden, Everard’s knees gave out. His back slammed against the wall, and he slid down to sit on the floor.

“My Prince, are you alright?” Jerome immediately crouched down and tried to pull Everard off the ground.

But Everard swatted Jerome’s hand away and buried his head between his knees while grabbing his hair with both of his hands. His eyes were already glistening with tears and his breathing was getting irregular.

“Please tell me that he will make it through the night...” Everard demanded while sniffling and uncontrollably rocking back and forth.

Jerome grabbed Everard by his shoulders and tried his best to assure the Prince, “He will survive the night. You don’t have to worry. Our King isn’t that weak.”

Everard wanted to believe Jerome, he desperately wanted to believe that his father would be alright.

But he just could not.

Jerome felt a sharp sting in his heart when he noticed the moonlight that seeped in from the window near them.

“Your Highness, we have to hurry!” Jerome grabbed Everard by his arm and pulled him up on his feet. He quickly gestured for the guards who were close by to clear the perimeter of any humans.

Jerome had already prepared the dungeon to be used by the new wolves who hadn’t gained a proper grip on their transformation process yet. He had prepared a separate space for Ruby as she had desired.

Right now, he hoped that he would be able to lead the Crown Prince to the dungeon before his transformation began.

However, since the moon was already out, and Everard was in a really vulnerable emotional state, his transformation began in an instant.

Crack!

Everard’s wrist bone suddenly snapped.

“Arghhh!” His scream echoed throughout the corridor of the castle.

Jerome bowed to the Prince and immediately said, “Please excuse me for what I am going to do.”

Everard wasn’t even listening to what Jerome was saying. He was already consumed by the pain. His consciousness was juggling between his human side and his werewolf side, each trying to take control over Everard’s mind and body.

Jerome quickly lifted Everard on his shoulder and headed toward the dungeon at an unmatched speed.