“Fuck, Clover, stop,” he bit out through the pain.
“Fuck you,” she screamed, and tried to headbutt him again.
“Stop,” he commanded. “It’s not what you think, and I didn’t know my father was coming to announce her.”
“I bet it’s really inconvenient that your mate found out about your future queen.” She grunted out the last word as she jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow.
“Will you fucking stop and listen to me? She’s not my future queen—you are. Please let me explain.” He didn’t care that he was begging, he needed her to listen.
Realizing that he was ten times stronger than her and she wouldn’t break free unless he wanted her to, she stopped struggling. “Just say what you need to say and leave me alone.”
Amos blew out a long breath and rested his forehead on the top of her head. “Thank you.”
He released her, and she stepped far away before facing him. For the first time in three years, he really took her in. Seeing her in person, instead of through Roland, felt like something holy.
“You’re beautiful,” he rasped, moving closer.
Clover backpeddled, her face showcasing every emotion he felt through their bond. He let himself feel freely, wanting her to know how much she meant to him and how sorry he was.
“I didn’t tell you about Jennifer, because I wanted to tell you in person. I’d planned to tell you this week.”
She scoffed. “Exactly how long did you not tell me?
“When my father asked for the name of my mate, I made up a name. The odds of someone having the name Jennifer and being born on my birthday were nearly impossible.”
“Obviously not,” Clover snapped. “You’ve had a fake mate since we were thirteen and didn’t tell me?”
The hurt she felt was worse than her anger, and he despised himself for it. “I wanted to tell you in person. I knew you’d have questions,” he explained. “I thought about how I would feel if I received a letter telling me you had a fake boyfriend, and I knew I’d go crazy waiting to hear back. I didn’t want that for you.”
She sniffled and looked away. “In the first few months we wrote, we promised to be honest. You lied.”
“I didn’t,” he insisted. “I was always going to tell you.”
“A lie by omission is still a lie,” she shot back. “I’ll give you an example of honesty: I have never been more humiliated and—” Her voice broke. “—andheartbrokenthan what I was today.”
He swore softly under his breath and closed the distance between them, scooping her into his arms. Her anger receded, but the sense of betrayal still lingered as she cried into his chest.
“Never again,” he promised. “I’ll tell you everything that happens to me from here on out.” Her tear-stained face turned up, and her blue eyes blazed against the red rims. “I was going to ask you to stay here,” he confessed. “I want you here with me.”
“How would that work with Jennifer?” The mention of the other girl's name had her lip trembling.
“She’s known from the beginning we’ll never be anything romantic, and she’s fine with that. Her home life was awful, and her being my fake mate helped us both. Her father couldn’t marry her off against her will, and my father wouldn’t look into my true mate.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She stepped back and wiped at her cheeks. “I mean if everyone thinks she’s your mate now, where does that leave us?”
He frowned. “What do you mean? You’re my mate, we just have to keep it secret.”
Her face fell with disappointment and resolve. There was no way around that now that Jennifer had been announced until Amos took the throne, and they both knew it.
She sniffled. “What about Amelia? We can’t leave her unprotected at the orphanage.”
“Amelia’s always had protection at the orphanage,” he said before he could catch himself, and by her expression, he knew he’d fucked up.
Clover’s face had gone unnaturally blank, and the bond went cold. “What do you mean Amelia’s always been protected?”
“Clover…”
“What did you mean, Amos?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Anddon’tlie to me.”
