THE QUEEN'S VISIT

Scarlett’s POV

Sleep did not come easily.

When it finally did, it was shallow and restless — filled with half-formed dreams and the constant, low hum of the bond in my chest.

I woke before dawn.

For a moment I didn’t remember where I was.

The unfamiliar ceiling above me, the heavy velvet curtains, the faint scent of polished wood and something sharper — like cold stone after rain.

Then everything rushed back.

The dinner.

Ione.

Reed’s silence.

The King’s offer.

First Consort.

I sat up slowly, pressing a hand to my sternum as if I could physically still the restless pull there.

The bond felt different this morning.

Not weaker.

Just… strained.

Like a rope pulled too tight.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, moving toward the tall windows.

Outside, the palace gardens were washed in pale silver light. Dawn hadn’t fully broken yet, and the world looked soft and distant — like it belonged to someone else.

For the first time since arriving here, I allowed myself to wonder if coming to the Lycan capital had been a mistake.

A quiet knock sounded at the door.

I stilled.

For one irrational second, my heart jumped.

Reed.

But the knock came again — lighter, more deliberate.

Not him.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened slowly.

Queen Azura stepped inside.

I blinked in surprise.

She was dressed simply compared to last night, in a flowing dark robe that made her silver-streaked hair stand out even more. Without the formality of the dinner table, she seemed less like a distant royal figure and more like a woman who had lived a long time and seen too much.

“I hope I am not intruding,” she said gently.

“No,” I replied, still a little startled. “Of course not.”

She closed the door behind her and moved further into the room, her sharp eyes taking in everything — the untouched tray of food a servant must have left during the night, the rumpled bedding, my bare feet on the cold floor.

“You did not sleep well,” she observed.

It wasn’t a question.

“I’ve had better nights.”

A faint smile touched her lips.

“I imagine you have.”

Silence settled between us for a moment.

I wasn’t sure why she was here.

Royalty didn’t usually visit disgraced guests at dawn.

Queen Azura seemed to sense my uncertainty.

“I wished to speak with you privately,” she said. “Without the weight of an audience.”

I folded my arms lightly across my chest.

“That sounds ominous.”

“Practical,” she corrected softly.

She moved to stand near the window beside me, looking out at the gardens.

“For what it is worth,” she began, “Ione’s behavior last night was… unfortunate.”

That was a diplomatic way of putting it.

“I have learned that court dinners are rarely comfortable places,” I said.

Her gaze flicked to me briefly.

“You handled yourself with dignity.”

The words caught me off guard.

“Thank you.”

She studied me for a long moment.

“You did not beg for acceptance. You did not raise your voice. You did not try to prove your worth to people who had already made assumptions.”

She inclined her head slightly.

“That speaks of strength.”

I looked away, focusing on the faint movement of leaves in the gardens below.

“Strength or stubbornness,” I said quietly.

“Often the same thing.”

A ghost of a smile touched her mouth.

Then her expression grew more serious.

“You should understand the position you now find yourself in.”

“I think I am beginning to.”

“Perhaps,” she said. “But there is more.”

She clasped her hands loosely in front of her.

“The alliance between our family and the Solace family is not merely political convenience. It is history. Shared wars. Shared victories. Shared losses.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“And promises made long before you or Reed were born.”

“I’m not trying to take anyone’s place,” I said.

“I know.”

That answer surprised me again.

Queen Azura continued calmly.

“But mate bonds do not ask permission from politics. They simply… exist.”

The bond pulsed faintly at her words.

She noticed.

Her gaze sharpened, thoughtful.

“Being Reed’s mate will not guarantee you happiness,” she said.

I let out a small breath.

“I wasn’t expecting guarantees.”

She studied me for another moment.

“You remind me of myself,” she said quietly.

That definitely wasn’t something I had expected to hear.

“The King’s first marriage was arranged,” she went on. “His second… was not entirely his choice either.”

Her lips curved slightly, but there was no humor in it.

“Royal life teaches you quickly that love and duty rarely move in the same direction.”

I absorbed that in silence.

After a moment, she turned toward the door.

“I will not tell you what decision to make,” she said. “But I will advise you not to let others make it for you.”

Then she paused.

“One more thing.”

I waited.

“You are not as alone here as you may think.”

With that, she left.

The door clicked softly shut behind her.

I stood there for a long time, staring at the place she had been.

Her words lingered in the room like smoke.

I stayed in the room for a while after that.

Thinking.

Not spiraling. Just… thinking.

Eventually, I needed air.

The palace felt too quiet, too full of things unsaid.

So I left.

The corridors were more alive now—servants moving around, doors opening and closing somewhere down the hall.

I followed the first open path that didn’t lead me back to a room.

It took me outside.

The gardens were different in daylight.

Less intimidating.

Still too perfect, but at least real.

I walked for a bit, not really paying attention to where I was going.

“You look like you’re reconsidering all your life choices.”

I turned.

Sayer was stretched out on a stone bench like he had nowhere better to be.

“How long have you been there?” I asked.

“Long enough to know you didn’t see me.”

“That’s not comforting.”

He grinned. “You’ll survive.”

I hesitated for a second, then walked over and sat at the far end of the bench.

There was a brief silence.

Then he said,

“So… that dinner.”

I let out a breath. “Let’s not.”

“Fair,” he said. “But also—impossible.”

I gave him a look.

He shrugged.

“What? It was the most interesting thing that’s happened here in months.”

“I’m glad I could entertain you.”

“Oh, you did more than that,” he said. “You broke the room.”

I leaned back slightly.

“Didn’t feel like it.”

“That’s because you were in it.”

That… was probably true.

He was quiet for a moment, then added,

“For what it’s worth, Reed really did try to end it.”

I turned to him.

“The engagement.”

“He told you that?”

Sayer shook his head. “Didn’t need to. I was there.”

He picked at something invisible on his sleeve.

“Father shut it down immediately. No discussion. No compromise.”

“Of course he did.”

“Of course he did,” Sayer echoed.

I looked out at the gardens again.

“And Ione?” I asked.

He huffed a small laugh.

“That’s a whole different problem.”

“Because she disappeared?”

He glanced at me sideways.

“So he told you that part?”

“No,” I said. “You did.”

“Right.”

He leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head.

“Yeah. She vanished. No warning. No explanation. Caused absolute chaos.”

“And when she came back?”

“Everyone pretended it was fine,” he said. “Because it was easier.”

That didn’t surprise me.

“Royal families are very good at pretending,” I said.

“You’ll fit right in.”

“I doubt that.”

Sayer looked at me for a moment.

Then he smirked.

“You’re the first person I’ve seen not try to fit in.”

“That’s because I’m not staying.”

The words came out before I could stop them.

He didn’t react immediately.

Just studied me.

“Maybe,” he said.

Then he stood up.

“But if you do stay…”

I looked up at him.

“Don’t let Ione push you around.”

“I don’t plan to.”

“Good.”

He started walking away, then paused.

“Oh—and Scarlett?”

“Yes?”

His grin came back.

“This is about to get worse before it gets better.”

I didn’t doubt that.

Not even a little.

And as he walked off, leaving me alone in the garden again—

The bond pulsed softly in my chest.

Like a reminder.

Like it wasn’t going anywhere.

No matter how complicated everything else became.