Conquering His Cold Heart

The King looked much worse than he looked just a while ago before the full moon shone. Though he was able to revert back to his human form, his body didn’t have enough energy to heal all those broken bones and torn muscles.

And because of that, Alfred still had a broken rib, a twisted calf, and a toe that still resembled a wolf’s.

Jerome was unable to bear that pitiful state of his alpha, and thus, he was standing in front of the window while staring at the full moon with his glistening eyes. And he was wondering what sin his alpha had committed for him to be treated this badly by the Moon Goddess.

When he heard the King, he quickly sniffled and then turned to look at him. “I am right here, Your Majesty,” he answered and closed the distance between him and the King’s bed.

The King turned his gaze at the shadowy figure. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to make sure that it was Jerome. However, all he could see was the tall figure hovering near his bed.

“Jerome? It is you, right?” Alfred coughed a few times, blood sprinkled out of his mouth every time he coughed.

Jerome quickly grabbed a kerchief and wiped the King’s mouth. “Yes, Alpha, it’s me.”

He felt as though someone had stabbed his heart with a silver dagger when he saw the King fighting to catch his breath. He could even hear the King’s chest rattling when he breathed.

.....

Alfred, on the other hand, felt a bit relieved to hear Jerome’s voice. “Hmm... Stay where I can sense you, Jerome. My senses aren’t working properly.” He then closed his eyes to catch his breath after speaking the whole two sentences.

Jerome could see the King shuddering with cold and in a lot of pain, so he pulled the blanket up to his neck and made sure to properly tuck him in.

He then turned to look at a doctor and asked, “You had stacks of medicines that could help relieve the pain, didn’t you? The pain seems to be getting worse for him. Will you give a dose to him now?”

The doctor gently bowed and answered, “We gave a strong dose to him the moment he reverted back to being a human, but it seems like that medicine isn’t working for him anymore.”

“Then give him another one!” Jerome shouted in an irate voice. “Can’t you see how much pain he is in?”

The doctor took a deep breath and softly replied to Jerome, “There is another pain relief that I’ve prepared by using the Devil’s Trumpet. It is much stronger than the last one that we administered on His Majesty, but...”

“But?” Jerome frowned at the doctor and asked.

The doctor nervously scratched his head and replied, “But there are some unpleasant side effects, like entering a state of delirium and dysphoria. So, I wouldn’t recommend it to the King.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as it lessens his pain,” grumbled Jerome.

However, the King, who had been silently listening to their conversation until now, waved his hand and spoke under his breath, “Jerome, it’s fine. I don’t want to leave this world without knowing whether I am dreaming or whether it is happening for real.”

Jerome turned to face the King and looked at him with immense pain in his eyes. “You will be fine, my King. Don’t say such ominous things when the Moon Goddess is watching you.”

Alfred gulped and forced his eyes open. And he spoke in his ragged voice, “You can deny it as much as you want, Jerome. But I can sense my life slowly coming to an-”

“Please don’t say that!” Jerome abruptly cut him off and said consolingly, “You will be fine once the full moon passes. So, please, don’t lose your will just yet. You have to hold on for a bit longer.”

The King closed one of his eyes when a droplet of sweat trickled down from his brow and entered his eye.

There was a deafening silence in the room for a while.

After some time, the King cleared his throat and then ordered Jerome with extreme difficulty, “Bring my son to me, will you? I want to see him one last time.”

Jerome clenched his jaws and closed his eyes. He was unable to bear what the King had just said to him. The King sounded so sure about not surviving the night that it crushed Jerome to his core. He wanted to argue with Alfred and say that he was going to be fine when the morning arrived. However, deep down in his heart, he could sense that the King was right.

He forcefully swallowed his tears and then bowed to his alpha, “I will bring him here at once.” He turned toward the door and stepped out of the King’s chamber to fetch the Crown Prince.

However, after taking a few steps down the corridor, he didn’t feel like leaving the King alone, not even for a few minutes. So, he stopped a guard who was on patrol duty and then ordered him, “Bring the Crown Prince to the King’s chamber at once. It’s a direct order from the King.”

The guard bowed to Jerome and instantly ran in the opposite direction to where he was coming from.

—

“What do you mean by I have to be your dessert?” Anastasia asked Caspian in a breathless whisper, even though she was clearly aware of what he meant by that.

Caspian swiftly picked his wife up in his arms with great ease. He had a lot of practice by now.

He gave a meaningful smile at her and whispered, “You know what I mean, Anna. I know you do.”

Anastasia simply snuggled comfortably in her husband’s arms and said nothing.

“I will take it as a ‘yes’ then,” Caspian said with an expectant smile on his face.

He then headed for the window instead of the door. It didn’t take a genius to know that Caspian was going to take her flying.

Anastasia put her arms around her husband’s neck and tightly clung to him.

When she braced herself, Caspian gave her a heads-up, “Okay, we’re going to be in the air now.”

After getting a nod from Anastasia, Caspian flew under the glistening moonlight with his dearest person close to his chest. The soft breeze was gently blowing her hair, causing her lavender aroma to embrace his senses.

Caspian looked at his wife’s angelic face; the moonlight was bringing out the best of her beauty. And the way she was closing her eyes and pressing her head into his chest stirred up genuine happiness in his once callus heart that had now started to soften.

‘Nothing can be any more perfect than this,’ he thought to himself as he flew toward their destination.