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“Yes. You’ve been to Xanmar before?” Lorenzo asked while leaning a little forward. He was still waiting for Everard to shake his hand.

Everard, however, stared at Lorenzo for quite a while without answering or returning his greeting.

He noticed how Lorenzo had a tiny frame and a baby face. And unlike most people of Xanmar, his hair was golden brown. He could easily pass as a foreigner if he didn’t mention where he was from when he introduced himself.

The Crown Prince was trying to recall if he had seen that man somewhere before. Before saying a word to him, he wanted to know if that man was a friend or a foe to the King and to him.

Lorenzo was now starting to get a little uncomfortable from the constant glare from Everard. “Er... Is... Is something wrong?” He put his hand away and asked again, “Did I offend you in some way? If I did then I would like to apologize.”

Everard nonchalantly replied, “No. I was lost in my own thoughts.” He then further questioned Lorenzo, “So, you are originally from Xanmar or you migrated there?”

Lorenzo replied while giving an innocent smile, “I am originally from Xanmar. But my grandmother is from Lavinya. I think her gene was dominant in me.”

“Ah! So where’s your hometown?” Everard questioned again and took a sip of his liquor.

.....

And Lorenzo replied without showing any signs of agitation from that excessive questioning from Everard, “I’m from Misty Moon Grove. It is a very wonderful place. If you ever visit Xanmar then I suggest you visit that town at least once. It is really famous for a dish called Moon Pie.”

From the way Lorenzo was blabbering everything about his hometown and about himself, Everard didn’t suspect that Lorenzo knew about his true identity. And he didn’t think that Lorenzo was there to harm him.

So, he also introduced himself to his drinking companion. “My name is Ever- Everton.” He made up some random name and continued, “And I am also from Xanmar. But I haven’t been to your town yet.”

“Oh my god! You’re also from Xanmar? Talk about coincidences!” Lorenzo happily laughed. “Where in Xanmar exactly, Mr. Everton?”

“I’m from the Capital,” Everard couldn’t think of any town’s name in an instant. So he simply told the truth.

“Oh, really? I was in the Capital two days ago!” Lorenzo said while smiling ear to ear.

Everard gestured for the lady in waiting to come over to the table. And he asked Lorenzo, “What would you like to drink? You can order anything. As I said, you will be my guest.”

Lorenzo was touched by that gesture from Everard. “Thank you for your warm welcome, Milord.” He then looked at the lady and asked, “Can I get a glass of red wine please?”

“Yes, of course. I will be right back with your order, Milord.” The lady bowed the gentleman and went to the counter.

Everard then asked his new company, “So, how are things in the Capital?” He was indirectly trying to know if anything bad had happened back at his home.

“Everything is as it used to be. Nothing new.” Lorenzo smiled and gave a nod to the lady when she served his drink to him.

He swirled the glass and then took a whiff of the wine. He took a sip. And he suddenly looked at Everard and said, “Ooh! I heard that the Crown Prince was in the capital for a few days. But I heard that he already left for his studies.”

Everard gave a nod and pretended as though he wasn’t the same Crown Prince who Lorenzo was talking about.

Lorenzo took another sip of his wine and then took the chance to ask, “So, is something troubling you, Milord? You look like your heart and mind aren’t in alignment.”

Everard almost thought that the young man could read his mind when he said that.

And seeing Everard giving him suspicious looks, Lorenzo politely said, “It’s written all over your face that something is deeply troubling you.”

Everard gave a mirthless smile. He had never been the one who could hide his true emotions. So he believed the man.

And he didn’t know if it was the liquor or if it was the setting and the mood, he felt like sharing what he was feeling with the man he just met.

“I had a woman in my heart for a long time. But unfortunately, she was married off to someone else.”

Everard didn’t notice it, but Lorenzo’s eyes suddenly glimmered with excitement. And the corners of his lips curved up slightly.

Everard tightened his grip on his glass. And the frown lines between his brows got deeper when he further spoke, “I was really devastated when I heard that news. I was a wreck. But now... my heart is playing some sick joke on me. It is now feeling things for a woman I barely saw for a minute.”

Lorenzo’s eyes widened just a little. “A woman you barely saw for a minute?” he asked with great curiosity.

“I’m going mad, aren’t I?” Everard mockingly laughed at himself.

However, Lorenzo didn’t laugh or agree with Everard. He shrugged his shoulders and simply replied, “It’s okay to feel that way. It happens to everyone. My heart beats faster every time I see a beautiful lady.”

Lorenzo chuckled and snorted. And he continued, “And may I remind you, it happens at least thrice a day!”

Everard shook his head though. “No, it’s... it’s different in my case. For some reason, I feel as if that woman is... I don’t know... someone who is my family? I felt this strong urge to protect her when I met her. It doesn’t even make any sense!”

“Protect her, huh?” Lorenzo inquisitively looked at Everard and asked with all seriousness, “Not pull her close and kiss her or you know... get intima-”

“No!” Everard slammed his fist on the table before the young man could even complete his sentence. And he growled in anger, “I’m not some sick bastard! Stop thinking so lowly of me!”

Lorenzo got startled by that sudden aggression from Everard. He nervously smiled and apologized, “I’m sorry, Milord. I didn’t mean to anger you. I was simply trying to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?”

Lorenzo sat at the edge of his chair and leaned forward. He was very close to Everard’s face. And before Everard pushed him back, he whispered, “Since you’re from Xanmar, I would like to ask you something. Can you... can you shift?”

Everard instantly knew what Lorenzo was trying to ask. “You are one of them too?” he also asked in a whisper.

And Lorenzo gave a nod. “Yes. I shifted last year.”

Everard narrowed his eyes and asked, “Which clan?”

“Atkinson. And you?”

“Crestfire.”

Both of the men leaned back on their chairs. They took some moments to sip on their drinks and acknowledge the fact that both of them shared a similar fate.

And after a while, Everard asked, “So, what were you trying to confirm? Is there something I need to know? I’m new to all this so, it would be helpful if someone would tell me what the hell is wrong with me. Is my other side playing tricks on me?”

Lorenzo sighed and then asked with some hesitation. “Have you heard about the concept of ‘mate’ before?”

“Mate? Do you mean friends?” Everard asked with a frown.

Lorenzo swirled his wine glass and smiled. “Guess you haven’t.” He took a sip of the wine and slowly explained, “It’s something that people of our kind are very eager about. All of us have a mate who already exists out there. They are someone with whom our destiny is intertwined.”

“Intertwined how?” Everard was really interested to know.

And Lorenzo seemed excited to impart the knowledge that he had. “They are our lifelong partners, our love of life. And one of our duties is to find them because, without them, we will be incomplete. They say that there will always be this hole in our hearts if we don’t find our mate. And that constant pain will eventually be the cause of our demise.”

Everard didn’t know how to react to something like that. For him, the concept of ‘mates’ sounded like something that was straight out of a fiction novel.

But until a few weeks ago, if someone had told him that humans could shape-shift into wolves during the full moon, he would have thought the same. So he didn’t dismiss Lorenzo no matter how absurd he sounded right now.

Rather, he asked, “How do we know if someone is our mate?”

Lorenzo happily answered, “Our raw instincts will win over our logical thinking capability. We will feel strong emotions when they are near us. And by that, I mean a strong sexual attraction. That’s why I asked if you felt like kissing or doing something more to that woman earlier.”

Everard sighed in relief. “There was no such attraction. I simply wanted to protect her and make sure that she was okay.” He went silent and thought to himself, ‘I guess... that was what I was feeling. Maybe my heart was beating faster because I felt pity towards her.’

Lorenzo thought for a moment and nodded. He then said, “Then maybe she wasn’t your mate. If she was then you would be dying to meet her again. It is impossible to stay apart once you’ve found each other.”

Everard thought about Anastasia. She was the one whom he was dying to meet. He had gone mad when he found out that she was married off to someone else. He had felt like tearing his chest and ripping his heart apart because it was hurting that much.

‘If anyone, it must be Anna,’ he thought to himself.

“What if she is already married then?” Everard asked skeptically, “Does that mean I will die?”

Lorenzo gave a sly smirk as if he had the Crown Prince right where he wanted. And he suggested nonchalantly, “That means you will have to snatch her back. Dying for love is too overrated.”