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Chapter 15

Author: Lin
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-22 17:24:33
AIDEN'S POV

From the time that Haylee sets foot into the clearing, the world appears to halt. She’s wearing a plain blue dress that makes the silver flecks in her eyes pop—eyes I’ve dreamed of for five long years. I push myself away from the oak we once carved our names in, buried under new bark. Appropriate, the way nature hides the old wounds.

“You showed up,” I say, shocked. Part of me had thought Xavier would come up with some kind of emergency to keep her from returning.

“I don’t lie, I keep my promises,” she says, keeping a safe space between us. "One day, as agreed."

The mate bond thrums between us, louder than it was yesterday, impossible to escape. Does she feel it too, the strange force compelling us together despite the years and pain that lie between us?

“I think we can go over by the river,” I say, pointing to the eroded path on the east side. "Like we used to."

Haylee pauses, her guarded expression on her face. "I'm not here to swap memories, Aiden.

“Just walking,” I repl
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