I sat on the cold stone floor of the corridor, my body shaking with sobs. Jack had walked away from me. The Alpha King of the Northern Territories had turned his back on his mate, and I only had myself to blame.
I wiped my face with trembling hands. My chest ached worse than any physical wound. I had lied to him, and now he thought I had betrayed him with Ethan. The same way Clara had destroyed him years ago.
After what felt like hours, I forced myself to stand. I needed to explain. I needed him to understand.
I found him in his private chambers. The door was half open, and I could see him standing by the window, holding a first aid kit in his uninjured hand. His other palm was wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth. He must have punched through something when he found out I had lied.
I stepped inside and walked to him. My arms circled his waist before I could stop myself. I pressed my face against his broad back and felt the tears come again.
"Leave me alone." His voice was flat. "I need to wrap my hand."
He pulled away from me and sat in the leather chair near his desk. The first aid kit rested on his lap.
"I will help you with it," I said.
"I do not need your help. Stay away from me."
His words cut deep, but I deserved them. I moved closer anyway. "I am the reason you got hurt. Let me help you. Staying away from you would be harder than shifting during a blood moon."
"I said no," he growled.
"I am saying yes, my king." I knelt before him and took his injured hand before he could protest. The cloth fell away, revealing deep gashes across his palm. Pieces of glass glittered in the wounds.
I worked carefully, cleaning the blood first. Then I picked up the small forceps from the kit. One by one, I removed the glass shards. His face remained expressionless. He did not even flinch.
"Do you not feel any pain?" I asked.
"I do. A lot." He closed his eyes. "The pain in my heart is what I feel. Not the pain in my palm."
Guilt crashed over me like a wave. I sniffled and focused on his hand. "I did not mean to lie to you. I wanted to leave the castle that day, but the guards would not let me. They were afraid you would punish them like you did George."
I wrapped gauze around his palm as I continued. "I promised them I would not tell you I went anywhere. I did not know they would report to you anyway. I was trying to protect them and keep my word."
"Go on," he said quietly.
"I swear I did not know Ethan knew where I used to live. When I arrived at my old cottage, he was waiting outside. He said he had come every day, hoping to see me." I tied off the bandage and looked up at him. "He begged me to give him one hour. Just one hour to talk."
Jack opened his eyes but said nothing.
"He apologized for everything. His mate cannot bear pups, and he thinks it is karma. He came to ask for my forgiveness." I sat back on my heels. "But what made me happy was that he gave me the key to my old cottage. The one where my important things are kept. He would not let me have them when I returned after we first met."
"Your mother's belongings," Jack said.
"Yes." Fresh tears filled my eyes. "My mother's things are there. I have not searched through everything yet. I think I might find a clue about who my father was."
His expression softened slightly.
"You have no idea how worried I have been since I learned I was not Ned's daughter. My mother is dead. She is the only one who could tell me who my father is, but she is gone." My voice broke. "How can you think I would have an affair with someone like Ethan? When I was still his intended, I never lay with him. Why would I do it now when he has a mate and I have you?"
"Aurora," he started.
"I would never do that to you, Jack. Never. I am in love with you too. I love you." The words rushed out. "It is true I once said you were not my kind of man. That was because I did not understand you. You seemed too hard, too ruthless. But I know now that when you are not provoked, you are good and kind."
I reached for his bandaged hand. "I swear on my life that you are the only man I have ever been with. Only you. I will never betray you. I am not that kind of woman. Please believe me."
He stood up, pulling me to my feet. "Thank you for wrapping my hand."
I tried to smile through my tears. "Do you believe me now?"
"I want to be alone," he said.
"How else can I explain things to you? I love you, Jack. I really do."
"You want my guards to start lying to me, is that it?" His voice rose. "Even if they had not said anything, should you not have told me? Should I not know your movements? You were gone for hours. Now you want me to believe you?"
"Do you believe that I love you?" I whispered.
He stared at me for a long moment. His jaw was tight, his dark eyes unreadable. The mate bond hummed between us, broken and frayed but still there.
"That is not what I asked," I said, my voice shaking. "I asked if you believe I love you. Not if you believe where I went. Not if you believe what I did. Do you believe I love you?"
The silence stretched between us like a chasm. Outside the window, the moon was rising over the kingdom. My heart hammered against my ribs as I waited for his answer.
Finally, he turned away from me. "Get out."
"Jack, please."
"I said get out, Aurora."
I backed toward the door, my vision blurred with tears. But before I left, I had to know. "When you figure out the answer to my question, come find me. Because I will be waiting. I will always be waiting for you."
I walked out and closed the door behind me. In the empty corridor, I pressed my back against the cold stone wall and slid down to the floor. The bond ached in my chest, a constant reminder of what I might have just lost.
The Alpha King did not come after me.