I watched Jack's eyes darken across the breakfast table. His golden wolf eyes, usually warm when they looked at me, turned cold and hard. The air between us shifted, and I felt my stomach twist with unease.
"It appears you are very happy today," he said. His voice was calm, but I heard the edge beneath it.
I smiled without thinking. "Yes, very happy. You know I haven't felt like this in a while. I feel pleased and satisfied."
The words left my mouth before I realized how they sounded. Jack had lifted his coffee cup halfway to his lips, but his hand froze in mid-air. The silence stretched between us like a physical thing. I wanted to take the words back, to explain, but my throat closed up.
Pleased and satisfied. I watched his jaw tighten. His hand remained suspended, the coffee cup trembling slightly. Something dangerous flickered in his expression, something that made my wolf whimper inside me.
I knew what he was thinking. I could see it playing across his face. He thought I had been with Ethan. He thought we had done something when the security guards saw us together at my old apartment. The truth was so much simpler, but I had lied about where I went this morning. I told him I would be home at the palace all day.
The guards must have reported everything to him. They always did. It was their job to protect the alpha king, and that meant watching everyone who came near him. Including me.
I saw the exact moment his control snapped. His fingers pressed hard against the coffee cup, and the glass shattered in his hand. The sound made me jump. Blood welled up from his palm, dripping onto the white tablecloth, but Jack did not look down. He kept his eyes fixed on me, unblinking, like a predator who had just spotted prey.
I stood up so fast my chair scraped against the floor. My heart pounded as I took two steps backward. "Darling, you're bleeding."
I moved toward him, reaching for his injured hand, but he jerked away from me. "Leave me alone."
His voice came out in a thunderous growl that made my wolf cower. I had never heard him sound like that before, not even when we argued. This was different. This was the voice of an alpha who felt betrayed.
My eyes filled with tears. I stared at him, trying to find words that would make him understand. He had apologized to me so many times before, for so many things. Now it was my turn, and I did not know how to make him listen.
Jack stood slowly, and I backed away without meaning to. My face felt hot. How could I explain what really happened? How could I make him believe me when I had already lied once?
"How many more lies have you been telling me?" His voice was rough and cold. "What other secrets are you keeping from me? How many of us do you sleep with, and who do you want to make your choice?"
The questions came one after another, each one hitting me like a blow. "I'm sorry. How can I make you understand? I'm sorry."
"How many of us have you been sleeping with, and who do you want to make your choice?" He repeated the question as if my apology meant nothing.
"You. It's you. For both of your questions, it's you. It's only you, Jack." The words tumbled out in a rush.
He moved faster than I expected. His hands gripped my shoulders, and he leaned down until his face was inches from mine. "Then tell me what you were doing with your ex behind closed doors. Tell me why you lied to me about being home this morning. Tell me why you still lied when you came back, saying you were home all day and not bored. Tell me why you said you were happy because you were pleased and satisfied. Just tell me, Aurora."
His fingers dug into my shoulders. I tried not to wince, but the pain was sharp. "You don't love me, right? You said I am not your type of man. Ethan is your type, the one you used to love, still love, and cannot stop loving. You don't have a place for me in your heart. I do not suit you. I don't possess the qualities you want in a man. I'm not romantic enough, right?"
His voice cracked on the last word, and I realized he was hurting just as much as I was. Maybe more. "Just tell me that unique thing about Ethan that you do not see in me. Tell me. Just tell me, Aurora."
Tears streamed down my face. I closed my eyes against the pain in his voice and the pain in my shoulders. When I opened them again, he was staring at the blood on my left shoulder. His blood. From his injured hand.
He released me immediately and turned his back. "I can't force you, Aurora. I swear I will let go. It doesn't make any sense if I force you to be with me when your heart and mind are occupied by someone else. You said he pleased and satisfied you, then go. Maybe I can't give you that satisfaction that you want, but he does. I want you to be happy, Aurora. I release you to go."
He walked away from me without looking back. His footsteps echoed in the empty dining hall. I stood there with blood on my shoulder and tears on my face, watching the only man I had ever truly loved walk out of my life because I was too afraid to tell him the simple truth.