I leaned back against the royal carriage seat, a smirk on my lips. "I thought you were just a palace guard that night. I wanted nothing to do with you after. You served your purpose well enough."
Jack shook his head, amusement flickering in his eyes. The carriage rolled through the kingdom streets toward the palace.
"Did you tell Clara about it?" I asked. They must have been courting by then.
"Yes, I told her. We were already courting but had not bonded yet. It was after that night with you that Clara and I completed our bond," Jack said.
"She forgave you that easily?" The words came out sharper than I intended.
"Almost immediately. She dismissed it like it meant nothing, and I loved her more for it," he replied.
I coughed, sitting up straighter. "I would not forgive you if you did that to me. I would claw your face off."
"I would not dare." He laughed and stood, pulling me up. His arm circled my waist as we moved through the carriage. The warmth of his body against mine felt too right.
Inside the royal transport, I found myself leaning against him. His fingers combed through my hair gently, and he pressed a kiss to my temple.
The memories flooded back. My former mate and best friend had betrayed me. I had told Jack that night I was not myself, that I was broken and lost. He had refused to believe me.
I had not been lying. So why had he been so cruel? He had tortured me with his words, forced himself on me, made me feel worthless. And through it all, I had never told him about Cody. He had never known he was a father.
"After everything I did to you, why did you not tell me about our son? Even when I abused you and forced myself on you, you said nothing. Why?" His lips brushed my temple again as he spoke.
"You already called me a spy. You said I was after you and John for some twisted purpose. How could I tell you about Cody? You would have thought I came back to blackmail you, to trap the Alpha King with a bastard child."
He nodded slowly. "You are right."
The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken regrets. Then he tilted my chin up and lowered his lips to mine.
I kissed him back, losing myself in the familiar taste of him. He pressed a button on the panel beside us, and a partition slid up like a curtain, giving us privacy from the driver. He pulled me closer, deepening the kiss.
We were nearly at the palace. He had told the driver to take me home before returning him to the council chambers.
The kiss grew heated. I found myself lying across him, his hands on my waist, mine on his chest. Heat pooled low in my belly.
His phone rang once. He ignored it. When it rang again, he pulled away reluctantly. "I am sorry. It is my father."
I sat up quickly, smoothing down my dress. My makeup was smudged but passable. "Stop the carriage and step outside," he commanded the driver.
I glanced out the window. We were already on the street leading to the palace gates. The driver obeyed immediately, leaving us alone.
"Good day, Father," Jack said through his earpiece.
For a long moment, he said nothing. I watched his expression shift from neutral to annoyed to absolutely furious. His jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with barely contained rage. He glanced at me several times, and my stomach twisted with dread.
"Father, you know I do not like it when you raise your voice at me," Jack finally said, his tone dangerously calm. "I hate it. And that is exactly what you are doing. You are yelling at me because of that stupid woman? Did you know what she did? First she went to the hospital to meet my girlfriend and claimed we were engaged."
My blood ran cold. This was about Tayo Dante. The things I had said to her this morning would come out eventually.
Our eyes met. I looked away quickly.
"Who gave her the right to walk through the palace gates and harass Aurora? She is Cody's mother, and I love her. You will have to clean up the mess you created. I never asked you to find me a mate. I do not and can never have anything to do with Tayo. It was your arrangement. Marry her off to John if you love her family so much. And I was having a private moment with my mate when you interrupted me."
His voice grew sharper with each word. "Aurora did not insult her father. She did not try to harm Tayo like she claimed. She is not even my chosen mate yet, and she has already started lying. They argued, nothing more. Yes, Aurora is my woman. Yes, Tayo spoke the truth about one thing. I love Aurora alone, not your ally's daughter."
He hung up abruptly and immediately called someone else. "Eduardo, summon all the palace guards. I want to know who let Tayo Dante into the palace grounds without my permission. Whoever the bastard is will face my wrath."
He ended the call and turned to me, fury still radiating from him. "Can you imagine? Her parents called my mother and father. They told them I have a son and that his mother threatened to kill Tayo if she did not stay away from me. As if that was not enough, Tayo claimed you said you own my body and that we mate every day."
"Your parents arranged this?" My voice came out smaller than I intended.
"They planned it all. Father wants me to bond with Festus and Selina Dante's eldest daughter. I told them from the beginning I was not interested. I said when I found my true mate, I would bring her home to them. I have turned down countless arranged meetings that Mother and Selina planned. Tayo called me so often I blocked her number. Now she is using lies to win my favor." His eyes met mine. "You were right earlier. I do not want skinny women with no curves."
Heat flooded my cheeks at the memory of what I had said to Tayo.
The carriage door opened. Eduardo stood there, his expression grim. "Your Majesty, we have a problem."