Aria's POV
The moon that night wasn’t the kind that frightened me. It was gentle — silver spilling across the water like something sacred. Silver Ridge was silent, except for the distant hum of crickets and the whisper of the trees. For once, there was peace. No howls. No shadows. Just me… and him.
He walked a few steps ahead, his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, that half-smile lingering on his lips like he was amused by my silence.
“You always walk this slow?” he teased without turning.
I scoffed softly. “I’m savoring the quiet. It’s not every day I walk without someone trying to kill me.”
He looked back then, his eyes catching the moonlight — green, vivid, alive. “You say that like you attract danger.”
“I think it likes me,” I said. “Keeps finding me even when I run.” I
