Ariana
The cool night air was wrapping around me like a blanket, I could feel my heart still racing from everything that had happened. The vulnerability I’d shared around the fire, the way Ryder had looked at me… it was all too much. I needed space to breathe, to think.
But as I stepped farther away from the gathering, I heard footsteps behind me—fast, determined. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Ariana,” Ryder’s voice called out, his tone urgent. “Wait.”
I stopped, closing my eyes for a second and taking a deep breath before turning to face him. The moonlight bathed us both in silver, the shadows dancing across his face as he caught up to me. His eyes were intense, glowing slightly under the night sky. There was something wild in them, something that made my heart stu
