Conquering His Cold Heart

Lorenzo forced a smile and said while maintaining his composure, “It’s okay, Your Majesty. I understand why he did that. So, I am okay.”

“You might be okay with it, but I am not!” Everard slammed on the table indignantly and then said angrily, “He should know how to treat my friends. If he keeps on disrespecting the few friends that I have then he is going to drive everyone away from me. And I don’t want that.”

Lorenzo looked down from the balcony. He could see Jerome and Romulus standing in one corner and drinking wine.

A piece of the earlier incident flashed in front of his eyes. He recalled how Jerome was the one saving him when his own alpha was trying to take his life. He could tell that even though Jerome had threatened to kill him, it was just a threat and nothing more, unlike his alpha who tried to kill him for such a small reason.

“Lord Jerome was only doing that because he cares for you a lot, Your Majesty.” Lorenzo kept on looking at Jerome and mumbled, “Please don’t get angry at him... because I am not angry at all. He did what he needed to.”

“He cares for me, I know. But that doesn’t give him the right to treat you the way he did.” Everard rested his head on the backrest of his chair and then closed his eyes.

And he gave a piece of advice to Lorenzo, “You shouldn’t let other people walk all over you, Lorenzo. If you allow them once, then they will repeat that over and over again because they think they can get away with it every time.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Lorenzo replied, although he knew that he was just some nobody who didn’t have much say in how he was treated. If people with the power wanted to walk over him, betray him, or belittle him then there was nothing he could do about it, especially if it was his own alpha.

.....

‘Am I even standing on the right side of the fence?’ he wondered to himself. He sighed when he fell deeper into the rabbit hole of his thoughts, ‘But it’s not like I deliberately chose to stand where I am standing today. I was born into the clan.’

He looked back at Everard and then thought, ‘Is it possible to jump to the other side of the fence?’

Lorenzo recalled the stories about the werewolves who had managed to break free from their alphas. However, they became lone wolves, which was a worse fate for the creatures that thrived in packs. They would get humiliated and even hunted down by every other werewolf.

He breathed shakily and then thought to himself, ‘I don’t think it’s possible though...’

Everard suddenly opened his eyes when he recalled that Anastasia was in his castle. “Ah! I almost forgot about her!” he mumbled to himself and then got up on his feet.

He looked around the hall in search of Anastasia; he had already forgotten that Alexander had taken Anastasia and the others to the other hall.

“Are you looking for someone?” Lorenzo asked Everard so that he could be of some assistance.

Everard nodded and asked, “Where are all the guests from Sorvando?”

“Ah! The Crown Prince of Orsenia led them to the other hall earlier,” Lorenzo replied.

“Hmm... Alright then. I think I should go and see how they are doing.” Everard straightened his clothes and then ran his fingers through his silky hair. He then gargled his mouth with plain water, hoping that it would take away the smell of alcohol.

Lorenzo’s heart started to drum louder when he saw the King getting ready to leave. He instantly got up and stood next to Everard because he didn’t want to be left alone. If he would be left alone then he was sure that his alpha would come to him and ask him to do things that he might not like.

‘I don’t want to cause any harm to the King, at least not today. Not when he is the only one who is truly on my side,’ he thought to himself and asked Everard, “May I tag along with you?’

Everard gave a nod and smiled reassuringly because he could sense a subtle hint of fear in Lorenzo’s voice. “Sure. I wasn’t going to leave you alone anyway.”

Lorenzo sighed in relief and then began following the King closely while keeping his head down on his feet. He didn’t want to accidentally make eye contact with his alpha.

Everard’s head was getting clearer and clearer. The effect of alcohol was slowly wearing off.

He was, however, very nervous when he was getting closer and closer to the other hall. ‘I wonder what Anastasia might be thinking of me? I didn’t even welcome her properly, and neither did I take care of her as the host of the ball. I got drunk instead and passed out...’

Everard looked at Lorenzo and thought while regretting his earlier behavior, ‘I shouldn’t have drank that alcohol that Lorenzo offered to me. After all, Lorenzo did warn me that it was really strong. I should have believed him and not taken it as a challenge instead.’

When the two of them reached the door, Everard turned to look at Lorenzo and then asked, “How do I look? Be honest.”

Lorenzo hummed while looking at Everard from head to toe. He held out his hand and patted down a few strands of hair that were flying out. He also adjusted the mask a little. “I think you look fine,” he replied.

Everard then took a deep breath and gestured for the guards to open the door of the hall.

The moment the door opened wide, Everard’s eyes searched for Anastasia. A subtle smile appeared on his face when his eyes fell on the golden butterfly mask. Anastasia sat there so beautifully that he almost instantly forgot everything that was happening outside.

‘I want to dance with her,’ a low voice resonated inside Everard’s head. He smiled to himself and then confidently headed towards Anastasia. ‘I am going to ask her right away.’