I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep would not come. Jack's face kept appearing in my mind, the raw vulnerability in his voice when he begged me to love him. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
Are you engaged to Tayo Dante? I typed and sent before I could second guess myself.
In his chambers, Jack had poured himself a glass of vodka when his phone chimed. He read the message twice, then typed back quickly.
No, I am not.
My phone lit up with his response. I bit my lip and typed again.
But she said she is engaged to you.
She lied. I have nothing with her or any other woman. Believe what I tell you.
I stared at his words, my chest tight.
But you did not believe me back then when I told you I was not the kind of woman you thought I was. Now you want me to believe you?
The response came slower this time.
I am sorry.
Two words that made my eyes burn. I set the phone down and pressed my palms against my face. How many times had he apologized? How many times had I heard those words?
Another message notification pulled me from my thoughts.
I am at the door. Open for me.
I shot upright in bed. He was here? I stood, forgetting I wore only my thin nightgown, and walked to the door. My hand hesitated on the handle. I drew a breath, steadied my nerves, and opened it.
Jack stood in the hallway wearing a dark robe. His eyes traveled from my face down to my bare feet, taking in every inch of exposed skin. The nightgown was nearly transparent in the lamplight, revealing the outline of my body beneath.
Heat flooded my cheeks. I stepped backward and grabbed my outer robe from the chair, wrapping it around myself quickly.
He had already stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He walked toward me slowly, deliberately, until he stood directly in front of me.
"Do you accept me now?" he asked, his voice low.
Before I could answer, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. His lips were warm and insistent. I stood motionless, uncertain, while he kissed me with a tenderness I had not expected.
He pulled back slightly. "Be mine, Aurora. Be my queen. I need you in my life. Cody needs his mother."
His arm circled my waist, drawing me closer. "Just say yes."
I looked up into his eyes, those stormy gray depths that had once terrified me and now made my heart race for entirely different reasons. I nodded.
He laughed, a sound of pure joy. "I love you so much."
Then he kissed me again, and this time I kissed him back. This kiss was nothing like the brutal one from before, when he had forced himself on me in his office. This was gentle, searching, asking permission with every movement.
He explored my mouth slowly, his tongue tangling with mine. I felt his arms tighten around me as he deepened the kiss. A soft sound escaped my throat, something between a sigh and a moan.
He did not stop. His body pressed against mine, and I felt his desire hard against my stomach. His scent surrounded me completely, that pine and winter air smell that I remembered from the first time in his office, but now it did not frighten me. Now it made me feel safe.
When he finally broke the kiss, we were both breathing hard. He smiled down at me, his thumb tracing my lower lip.
"Will you move into my chambers with me?" he asked.
"No," I said. "I prefer to stay here."
He nodded, not arguing. "Thank you." He kissed my temple gently, then my forehead. "Goodnight, my queen."
After he left, his scent lingered in the room, clinging to my skin and hair. I climbed back into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. Joy and happiness flooded through me in waves I had not felt in years. I was the Alpha King's chosen mate now.
Across the palace grounds, in the western wing reserved for visiting nobles, Tayo Dante sat in her sister's chambers. She sank into the chair and sighed heavily.
Flora Dante watched her sister with cold eyes. "You look defeated."
"The woman living in the palace is Aurora Bluey," Tayo said. "She is the eldest daughter of the Bluey family. They were prominent once, before her father went bankrupt."
"So she is a nobody," Flora said.
"That is what troubles me. Why would a nobody be living in the Alpha King's palace? My informant says she is fully recovered now. Jack seems to care deeply for her. What should I do?"
Flora leaned forward. "First, what are Mother and Father doing to secure your position? You need their support to stand as the rightful queen. Second, you need to make it clear to this Aurora that you are his intended mate. She has no place in the royal family. You will be the queen. She should look elsewhere for a man of her own rank."
"Do you think I should visit the palace and speak with her directly?" Tayo asked.
"How would you gain entrance?"
Tayo smiled slowly. "Getting in is not a problem. I have an insider."
"Who?"
"George. My ex lover. He serves as one of the royal guards now."
Flora raised an eyebrow. "Then perhaps it is time you paid the palace a visit after all."