THE PAST THAT WON'T STAY BURIED

Reed’s POV

Reed stood in the corridor long after Scarlett disappeared around the corner.

The palace hall was quiet again.

Too quiet.

The bond between them pulsed under his skin, sharp and restless, pulling in the direction she had gone.

His wolf stirred uneasily inside him.

Go after her.

Reed clenched his jaw.

Not tonight.

Tonight had already gone wrong enough.

Scarlett’s face when she walked away replayed in his mind—calm, controlled, distant.

That hurt more than anger would have.

If she had shouted, he could have fought back.

If she had argued, he could have explained.

But the cold distance in her eyes had felt like a door quietly closing.

And he had no idea how to open it again.

“You’re staring at the hallway like she might come back.”

Reed didn’t need to turn to know who it was.

Ione stepped out from the shadowed archway nearby.

Of course she had followed.

She always did that—appeared exactly when things were already complicated enough.

Her arms were crossed as she leaned lightly against the stone wall.

“Running after her already?” she asked.

Reed finally turned to face her.

“I wasn’t running.”

“No,” she said dryly. “You were just watching her leave like a wounded dog.”

His patience thinned instantly.

“What do you want, Ione?”

Her expression hardened slightly.

“What do I want?”

She pushed herself off the wall and stepped closer.

“I would like to know why my fiancé is chasing after another woman five minutes after dinner.”

Reed let out a short breath.

“She’s my mate.”

Ione laughed.

The sound was sharp and humorless.

“Yes, I heard that part.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“Very dramatic, by the way.”

Reed said nothing.

For a moment they simply stared at each other.

Two people who had once known each other too well.

Two people who no longer did.

“You delayed our wedding for two years,” Ione continued slowly. “And suddenly a mate appears.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Convenient.”

Reed’s jaw tightened.

“You know exactly why I delayed the wedding.”

“Oh?” she said lightly. “Enlighten me.”

He stepped closer.

“You disappeared.”

The word hung between them.

The old wound.

“The night before our marking ceremony,” he continued quietly. “You vanished without a word.”

Her eyes flashed.

But she didn’t interrupt.

“You didn’t send a message,” Reed went on. “You didn’t explain. You didn’t even say goodbye.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“For two years.”

The memory still burned.

The palace in chaos.

His father furious.

The Solace family scrambling for answers.

And Reed himself—

Waiting.

Searching.

Wondering if she was dead.

Ione looked away briefly before meeting his gaze again.

“You don’t know why I left.”

“Then explain it now.”

Silence.

A long one.

But Ione only shook her head slightly.

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Reed laughed bitterly.

“It mattered then.”

She took another step closer, her voice lowering.

“You were ready to mark me,” she said.

“Yes.”

“That meant something to you.”

“It did.”

It had meant everything.

Back then.

Before she disappeared.

Before the trust between them shattered.

“And now?” she asked.

Reed didn’t answer immediately.

His wolf shifted restlessly inside him.

Now there was Scarlett.

Scarlett with her sharp tongue, stubborn pride, and haunted eyes.

Scarlett who had walked away tonight without begging him to defend her.

Scarlett who had somehow become the center of his world in the span of days.

Ione noticed the hesitation.

Her expression cooled instantly.

“So that’s it,” she said quietly.

“You found a replacement.”

Reed’s gaze hardened.

“No one replaced you.”

“You replaced me the moment you let her call herself your mate.”

“She didn’t call herself anything,” Reed snapped.

“The bond did.”

Ione scoffed.

“A bond.”

“Yes.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“So what now, Reed?”

She gestured toward the corridor Scarlett had disappeared down.

“You break our engagement?”

He didn’t answer.

She laughed softly.

“You know your father will never allow it.”

Reed knew that already.

King Alaric had made his position very clear.

A Donovan kept his word.

And the alliance with the Solace family was older than Reed himself.

“You promised to marry me,” Ione continued.

“And my father will not accept humiliation.”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Neither will yours.”

Reed’s jaw flexed.

“I tried to end the engagement.”

“Yes,” she said coolly. “You did.”

“And the King refused.”

“Of course he did.”

Ione folded her arms again.

“You may feel a bond with that girl,” she said, her voice suddenly colder, “but the crown doesn’t run on feelings.”

Reed stared at her.

“Then why did you come back?”

The question slipped out before he could stop it.

Ione froze.

Just for a moment.

Then her mask returned.

“That’s none of your concern.”

Reed studied her carefully.

“Isn’t it?”

Her eyes hardened.

“I came back to finish what we started.”

Her voice sharpened slightly.

“And I will not step aside because of some girl with a tragic past and a prison record.”

Reed felt his wolf stir again.

Low.

Protective.

Dangerous.

Ione noticed the shift.

She smiled faintly.

“Careful,” she said softly.

“You’re starting to look like you care.”

Reed didn’t respond.

After a moment, Ione turned away.

“Goodnight, Reed.”

She paused briefly before walking away.

“Oh,” she added over her shoulder.

“You should decide quickly.”

Her gaze flicked toward the corridor Scarlett had taken.

“Because mates don’t wait forever.”

Then she disappeared down the opposite hall.

Reed stood alone again.

The silence felt heavier now.

His wolf was restless.

Agitated.

The bond tugged sharply at his chest.

Scarlett.

He could feel where she was.

Not far.

Somewhere in the palace.

His wolf pushed harder.

Go to her.

Reed exhaled slowly.

Duty pulled one direction.

The bond pulled another.

He ran a hand through his hair before turning toward the palace gardens.

Cold night air hit his face as he stepped outside.

The training grounds were empty at this hour.

Moonlight spilled across the stone courtyard.

His wolf pressed against the surface of his mind.

Impatient.

Possessive.

The bond pulsed again.

Stronger this time.

Scarlett.

Reed closed his eyes briefly.

The crown demanded one thing.

The alliance demanded another.

But the bond—

The bond didn’t care about politics.

It didn’t care about promises made years ago.

It only knew one truth.

Scarlett Monroe was his mate.