Luna Aria's Awakening

Chapter 14

_Aria's POV_

The next morning, I woke up feeling much better.

The herbal balm Clara had used the day before had worked wonders. My ankle still felt slightly sore but the sharp pain was gone. After breakfast, I joined the others for training.

This time I was much more careful. Jane refused to let me overwork myself and watched me closely the entire morning.

"You are not allowed to injure yourself again," she informed me.

"That sounds unfair."

"It sounds intelligent."

"I preferred it when you were nicer."

Jane laughed. "I was never nice."

Training ended shortly before lunch. Everyone began heading back toward the mansion. I was drinking water near the training field when someone approached.

"Aria."

I turned and found Daniel smiling at me. He was one of the younger warriors who lived at the mansion. He was friendly, easy to talk to and always seemed to be in a good mood.

"Hi."

"How's the ankle?"

"Better."

"Good."

Daniel looked toward the stables. "I was actually looking for you."

I blinked. "For me?"

"Yes."

He pointed toward the horses. "I need to take some of the horses out for grazing this afternoon. I thought you might want to come."

My eyes widened slightly. "Come where?"

"Horse riding."

I stared at him. "Horse riding?"

Daniel nodded. "It will be fun."

A nervous laugh escaped me. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I've never ridden a horse before."

Daniel looked genuinely surprised. "Never?"

I shook my head. "No."

The Silver Moon Pack had never owned horses. Even if they had, nobody would have wasted time teaching me.

Daniel grinned. "Then this is the perfect opportunity."

"I'm fairly certain this is the perfect opportunity for me to fall off a horse."

"You won't."

"That sounds optimistic."

Daniel laughed. "I'll teach you."

I folded my arms. "What if I break something?"

"You won't."

"What if the horse hates me?"

"They don't usually hate people."

"You sound suspiciously confident."

"Because I've been doing this since I was a child."

I hesitated. The truth was that I wanted to learn. Since arriving here, I had discovered so many things I didn't know how to do. Sometimes it felt embarrassing.

I hated always needing help. I hated feeling inexperienced. If I wanted to build a life for myself, then I needed to learn. Maybe horse riding was a good place to start.

Finally, I nodded. "Okay."

Daniel's face immediately brightened. "Really?"

"Really."

"You won't regret it."

"I feel like I might."

"You won't."

His confidence was ridiculous. Unfortunately, it was also contagious. An hour later, we arrived at the stables. Several horses were already waiting outside. They were enormous.

Daniel noticed my expression. "They're not dangerous."

"Easy for you to say."

One of the horses snorted. I took a cautious step backward. Daniel laughed.

"You're afraid of horses."

"I'm respecting their size."

"You're afraid."

"I'm respecting their size."

His grin widened. "You are definitely afraid."

I glared at him. Daniel eventually led a beautiful brown mare toward me. "This one is Daisy."

The horse lowered her head slightly. I stared. Daisy stared back. For several seconds neither of us moved. Then she nudged my shoulder. I nearly jumped.

Daniel burst out laughing. "She likes you."

"She's trying to eat me."

"That's not how horses work."

I wasn't completely convinced. A few minutes later, Daniel helped me climb into the saddle. The experience was immediately terrifying. Everything looked much higher from up there.

"Why is she so tall?"

Daniel looked confused. "Because she's a horse."

That wasn't helpful. We slowly started moving across the grassy fields. At first, I was tense. My hands gripped the saddle so tightly that my fingers hurt.

Daniel walked beside me. "You need to relax."

"I'm trying."

"No, you're not."

"I absolutely am."

"You're sitting like you're expecting the horse to explode."

I frowned. "Can horses explode?"

Daniel looked horrified. "What kind of question is that?"

Despite myself, I laughed. Gradually, the nervousness faded. The horse moved calmly beneath me. The breeze played through my hair. For the first time, I started enjoying myself. Soon, Daniel convinced me to hold the reins properly. Then he taught me simple commands. To my surprise, Daisy actually listened. I felt so excited.

"Did you see that?"

Daniel smiled. "You made her turn."

"I made her turn."

"You did."

A laugh escaped me. For the next half hour, I forgot every worry I had. I forgot everything except the horse beneath me and the freedom rushing through my chest.

That was why I didn't immediately notice another rider approaching. Daniel noticed first. His smile disappeared.

"Oh."

I turned. My heart skipped a beat unexpectedly. Rowan was riding toward us on a large black horse. The sight was unfairly attractive. His dark hair moved with the wind and he looked completely at ease in the saddle. The horse obeyed every movement without hesitation. When Rowan reached us, he looked between Daniel and me.

"Having fun?"

I smiled. "Actually, yes."

Something flickered in his eyes. "I'm glad."

Daniel cleared his throat. "We were just practicing."

"Obviously."

The answer sounded innocent enough. Yet somehow it wasn't. Daniel seemed to notice too. For several seconds, an odd silence settled over the field. Then Rowan suddenly looked at Daniel.

"I need you to help Marcus."

Daniel frowned. "Marcus?"

"Several fence posts broke near the northern boundary."

Daniel blinked. "When?"

"This morning."

"I didn't hear about that."

"Now you have."

Daniel stared at him. Rowan stared back. I slowly looked between them. Something strange was happening. Eventually Daniel sighed.

"You planned this."

Rowan looked offended. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Daniel laughed. "Of course you don't."

He turned toward me. "Good luck."

"With what?"

"You'll see."

Before I could ask another question, Daniel walked away. I watched him leave. Then I looked at Rowan.

"Did you really need his help?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

Rowan ignored that. His gaze shifted toward my horse. "How is the lesson going?"

"Good."

A small smile touched his lips. "You seem happier."

Heat warmed my cheeks. "Maybe."

His eyes lingered on my face for a moment before he looked away.

"Show me."

"What?"

"Ride."

I immediately regretted agreeing. The moment I tried riding without Daniel's help, everything went wrong. The horse suddenly seemed determined to ignore every instruction.

"Turn."

Nothing happened. I pulled the reins. The horse continued walking.

"Turn."

Nothing.

Rowan watched. Unfortunately, he looked entertained.

"Stop smiling."

"I'm not smiling."

"You absolutely are."

His smile widened. I groaned. The horse stubbornly continued moving exactly where it wanted. Frustration slowly built inside me.

"Why isn't she listening?"

"Because you're confusing her."

"I'm doing exactly what Daniel taught me."

"Clearly not."

I glared at him. That only made him laugh. Eventually Rowan guided his horse closer.

"Move over."

"What?"

"I'm going to show you."

Before I could protest, Rowan dismounted. A moment later, he climbed onto the saddle behind me. Every thought immediately vanished. His chest pressed lightly against my back. His arms came around me as he reached for the reins. My entire body became painfully aware of how close he was. I could feel the warmth of him. I could hear his breathing. When he spoke, his voice was right beside my ear.

"Relax."

That was impossible. I swallowed hard. "I'm relaxed."

"No, you're not."

His quiet laugh sent strange butterflies through my stomach. I hated that....or maybe I didn't. His hands gently adjusted mine on the reins.

"Like this."

I tried focusing. Really, I did. But concentrating became difficult. The scent of pine and cedar surrounded me. Rowan was so close that if I turned my head even slightly, our faces would almost touch. For one ridiculous second, a terrible thought entered my mind.

What would happen if I kissed him?

The idea shocked me. I immediately pushed it away. What was wrong with me? Rowan was teaching me. That was all.

I forced myself to focus on the lesson. Unfortunately, my heart refused to cooperate. Then disaster struck.

The horse suddenly bolted. I gasped. The world lurched. Panic exploded through me. "Rowan!"

The horse surged forward across the field. I nearly lost my balance. Instantly, Rowan wrapped one arm around my waist.

"Aria."

His voice was calm. "Look at me."

"I can't!"

"You can."

The horse continued racing. My pulse hammered wildly. Rowan tightened his arm around my waist and steadied the reins with his other hand.

"I'm not going to let you fall."

Something about those words cut through the panic. Slowly, my breathing steadied. A few moments later, the horse finally slowed down then stopped.

Silence settled around us. Neither of us moved. Rowan's arm was still around my waist. My heart was still racing....not entirely because of the horse. Eventually Rowan cleared his throat.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

My voice sounded strange.

"Good."

Neither of us seemed to know what to do next. Very carefully, Rowan released me and climbed off the horse. The moment he stepped away, the air somehow felt colder. The rest of the lesson was awkward. Rowan became unusually quiet. I wasn't much better. By the time we returned to the mansion, neither of us had said much.

That night, I lay awake staring at the ceiling. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Rowan behind me on the horse. His arms around me. His voice near my ear. The feeling of his hand on my waist.

I groaned and buried my face in my pillow. This was ridiculous. Why was I thinking about it so much?

Rowan was Rowan. He was my friend. My protector. The man who had saved my life. That was all.

Then why had I wanted to kiss him?

The thought made my face burn. I immediately rolled onto my other side.

No.

Absolutely not.

Those were dangerous thoughts...completely inappropriate thoughts. I needed to stop thinking about Rowan. I needed to focus on horse riding, training and building a future.

Not on the way his voice sounded when he said my name. Not on the way his eyes looked at me. And definitely not on what it felt like when he held me.

Unfortunately, the more I tried not to think about him, the more impossible it became.

________

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the mansion, Rowan sat alone in his office.

For the third time, he realized he had been staring at the same document for ten minutes.

His thoughts kept drifting back to the field...back to Aria and the way she had felt in his arms.

With a frustrated sigh, he pushed the papers away and leaned back in his chair.

For the first time in a very long time, Rowan had no idea how to act normal around someone.

This was becoming a problem.

Aria had only been at the estate for a short time, yet somehow she had managed to work her way into places she had no business occupying. He found himself paying attention whenever she entered a room. He noticed when she smiled. He noticed when she was upset. He noticed far too much.

That needed to stop. The sooner he remembered that, the better. Getting attached would be a mistake....a very dangerous mistake.

For years, Rowan had done what needed to be done without allowing emotions to interfere. That was how things had to be. Some decisions became impossible the moment feelings got involved.

Aria was supposed to be another responsibility. Nothing more and nothing less. Yet lately, every time he looked at her, that simple truth seemed harder to remember.

With a low curse, Rowan picked up the abandoned reports once more and forced his attention back to work.

He needed to stay away from her. Because if he allowed this to continue, sooner or later it was going to become a problem.

And Rowan had enough problems already.