Conquering His Cold Heart
Chapter 490 - 490: Body and Soul

The moment Everard's eyes caught sight of the woman he was so persistently searching for these past few months, his elation knew no bounds.

He wasn't aware if he was running on the land or if he was soaring freely in the sky. He didn't know when he spread his arms. All he knew was that his body, his heart, and his whole being were getting drawn towards this woman as if they were the opposite poles of the magnets.

Unlike previous times, he was letting himself get pulled by this invisible force because by now, he had already realized that the feelings that he had for Ruby were not just because of the sire bond. It was something more than that.

He did not just want to think of her as a random pack member. Neither did he simply want to protect her out of obligation as an alpha. To him, she was already someone irreplaceable. He wanted to claim her whole, her body and soul. He wanted to keep her safe because he could not imagine living in a world without her.

Sadly, it took Ruby's sudden disappearance for him to realize and accept that fact.

And now that she was finally right in front of his eyes, he wanted to embrace her tightly and never let her go.

He wanted to smother her with a long fiery kiss. And the way his body was guiding his brain instead of the way around, he already knew that he wasn't going to be satisfied with just one kiss. He wanted to do a lot more things than that.

"Your Majesty!"

The way Ruby was laughing with tears running down her cheeks, and was running towards him even when she was clearly in pain, he was sure that Ruby was also feeling the same way he did. Well, he wasn't exactly sure about the kissing part, but he was sure that Ruby was also feeling the unexplainable tugging sensation in her heart.

"Ruby!" Everard immediately took Ruby in his arms when she was in his arms' reach. He buried his face into her thick red hair that had fallen to her neck and then whispered in a ragged voice, "I missed you so much!"

"Your Majesty…" Ruby wanted to say she missed him too, so much so that she thought she would die from heartburn, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Everard lifted his head and met Ruby's soft and vulnerable gaze. He could see a mixture of fear and relief behind those innocent eyes.

He gently rubbed his thumb over the freshly healed corner of her lips and looked at her from her head to her toe. Though there were no signs of visible injuries on her face and her body, he could tell that Ruby had recently been physically assaulted from the look of her tattered gown covered with patches of blood.

The happiness that he was feeling after finally reuniting with Ruby suddenly got taken over by anger. 'Regulus! You messed with the wrong person…just like your brother.'

He clenched his jaw and resolutely whispered to Ruby, "I will make them pay for what they did to you."

As if it suddenly occurred in her mind, Ruby pulled away from Everard's hold and shamefully covered the hole in her gown which had left the side of her stomach exposed. She lowered her head and warned Everard once again, "You should reconsider before going there blindly. Regulus is a very twisted man. He was planning to use Queen Anastasia as bait to lure you in."

"Wait, what?" Everard widened his eyes upon hearing Anastasia's name and grabbed Ruby by her shoulders. Then he asked her while shaking her and making her look at him, "What do you mean by Anastasia? Is she there right now?"

Ruby darted her eyes around to see that they were surrounded by a large number of soldiers, all werewolves. She looked back at the glowing red eyes that were already staring at her and asked, "Didn't you already know that she was there? Isn't that why you were marching there with all the soldiers?"

"I already told you that I was coming to rescue you. I would have come sooner if I knew that you were being held captive there." Everard sounded more and more impatient with every word that came out of his mouth. "But you're telling me that not just you but Anastasia was also being held captive? Where is she being kept? Answer me!"

Ruby could see how Everard's eyes were flaring with pure rage. He looked angrier after hearing about Anastasia. A small voice in Ruby's head mocked her for holding her hopes too high.

She gulped to soothe the back of her throat and mumbled weakly, "A vampire came to her rescue. He also rescued me. I was unable to run so he carried me all the way here and dropped me nearby."

Everard's facial expression contorted upon the mention of a vampire. However, he was grateful that that vampire didn't hesitate to rescue Ruby even though she was a werewolf.

"You recently lost a lot of blood, didn't you?" The color of his eyes gradually returned to normal. He gently touched Ruby's cheek with his fingertips and said in a much softer tone than earlier, "I will carry you from here."

Ruby had thought that Everard would question her further about the Queen and would rush to look for her. But when he didn't, she asked him in confusion, "Aren't you worried about Queen Anastasia?"

Everard nodded but said something unexpected by Ruby, "You just told me that she was already rescued. I'm sure she is in safe hands."

"But don't you…" Ruby couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence and ask Everard if he still loved her.

As if Everard understood her unasked question, he solemnly whispered, "She is someone else's responsibility now, and you are mine. So, let me just worry about you."

The wall of resolve that Ruby had built around her heart to protect herself from falling for the man she could only desire crumbled down to dust as soon as Everard's warm words touched her heart.

And the woman who had refused to cry no matter how many times she was threatened and tortured by the Atkinson brothers began to cry her heart out.

Upon hearing Ruby wailing like a little girl, Everard felt his chest swelling with rage again. He felt an aching sensation in his heart seeing Ruby this vulnerable.

He wanted to rush to the Atkinson mansion right away and bring hell to Regulus and everyone else who hurt Ruby and kept her separated from him for so long. But before that, he wanted to reassure Ruby that she had a place in his castle as well as in his heart so that she wouldn't run off again.

"Ruby, I'm sorry I couldn't find you for so long." Everard closed his eyes which were already blurred by his welling tears and pulled Ruby in his embrace once again.

He pressed Ruby's face against his chest and lightly caressed her head only to feel a rough patch of hair which was definitely a blood clot.

His seething anger reached the boiling point in an instant and he shouted out an order to the soldiers behind, "Go to Atkinson mansion right now! Capture each and every one of those bastards, including their new alpha."

Except for the King's guards, all of the soldiers immediately took off at the speed of the wind.

As the warm tears rolled down Everard's cheeks, he lovingly whispered to Ruby, "Please don't cry… I can't bear to see you like this."

The months of suffocation and unresolved feelings that were cooped up in Ruby's heart didn't allow her to calm any time soon. She grabbed onto Everard's shirt and continued to bawl her eyes out.

After quite a while, she mumbled while hiccupping in between her cries, "I thought I would die without ever getting to see you again."

"I wouldn't have let that happen," Everard spoke through his clenched teeth. "I never stopped looking for you. And you are here with me now."

He couldn't resist planting a soft kiss on Ruby's head. He then rested his chin on her head and promised from the bottom of his heart, "I won't let anyone take you away from me, neither will I say harsh things to you and drive you away."

He then cupped her delicate face and said while looking into her wet eyes, "Please forgive me for what I said to you that day. I would go back to that day and stop myself from ever saying such hurtful things to you, but since that isn't possible, you have the right to punish me in any way you want."

He quickly added after a short pause, "You can do anything to me except isolate me from you. You aren't allowed to leave me again. Ever."

"You are the King. How could I dare to punish you?" Ruby finally showed a little smile, a small hope budding in her heart once more. However, she wondered if she was misinterpreting his words. She wasn't sure if his words were purely platonic or if they meant something more.

She wished they meant something more. Her heart wouldn't be able to take it if she had to stay near Everard but couldn't have him.

Everard caught Ruby's gaze lingering at his lips for a little longer than it should have. He wondered if Ruby was also feeling the same way as him all along, kiss and all…

However, before he could do anything to test his theory, Ruby quickly averted her gaze and pulled away from him.

"Umm…" She wiped her tears and suggested, "Your Majesty, I think you should join the soldiers if you are serious about capturing Regulus. He is too strong."

"Hmm…" Everard's mind was already malfunctioning again and he wasn't paying serious attention to what Ruby was saying. All he could think about right now was how her lips would taste like.

He didn't want to suppress how he was feeling anymore. What more? He wanted to act on it. And he did.

He grabbed Ruby's waist and pulled her close. The next thing he knew, he was already relishing in the sweet taste of Ruby's mouth. The way her lips felt so soft when they collided against his lips made him completely lose control over his body.

He pressed her against the nearby tree and kissed her everywhere like a starving wolf. Ruby was in no better state. She had always dreamt about something like this happening between her and Everard. And now that it was actually becoming a reality, she responded to Everard's kisses with equal passion.

Everard didn't know when his hands had slid under her gown but when he came to his senses for a split second, he realized he was kneading her hips and rubbing her sensitive spot. And Ruby was greatly enjoying it, her loud moans clearly indicated so. It became even clearer when she took the liberty to wrap her legs around his waist.

Everard smirked and gently nipped her neck before continuing to act on his raw instincts.

He was letting his strong carnal urge to take the front seat because deep down, he was feeling as if both of their lives depended on it…as if it depended on them ravishing each other and becoming one.

"Your Majesty…" He heard Ruby whispering softly and chuckled before kissing her until she nearly suffocated. His teasing whisper reverberated on her lips as he thrust deeper into her, "You can call me by my name if you promise not to leave my side ever again."

"Everard…" Ruby arched her back and moaned his name without hesitation.

A satisfied smirk danced on Everard's lips. He pinched her chin and asked her, "Does this mean you will never leave me again?"

"Mhmm…" Ruby bit her lower lip and nodded with her eyes closed.

"Say it clearly," he commanded, completely halting his motion.

Ruby gave him a disapproving look for stopping but complied with his request. "I will never leave you again." She was feeling bold with all the adrenaline rush that she was feeling right now. So, she asked him, "But you should also promise me that you will never make me feel like I don't belong…with you."

Everard leaned in to plant the softest kiss until now, a kiss that wasn't backed by physical desire but by emotional yearning.

Then he sincerely opened up his heart to her, "Ruby, I didn't really believe in fate but right now, I believe that we are bound together by our fates. I believe that we are meant to be together in this lifetime. I am sorry for not realizing this sooner. I was stupid for not realizing this sooner even when all the signs were right in front of me…"

"Not realizing what?" Ruby asked while knitting her brows, her heart threatening to jump out of her mouth.

Everard looked into her beautiful eyes and whispered while donning a wide smile, "I believe that you are my mate."

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