ARDEN
I continued dragging Owen away with no final destination in mind, muttering curses under my breath. It was only when he pulled his hand away that I finally came to a halt. I let out a deep breath and turned to him. He didn’t say a word, but I could clearly see the relief in his eyes.
With that, I ran my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes, attempting to steady my breathing.
“Are you always this courageous?” he asked, breaking the silence that had settled around us.
A small smile crept onto my lips. “No,” I muttered, “not really.”
“That’s hard to believe,” he replied.
“You really didn’t have to do all of that, you know?” he added. “I told you—I don’t need help.”
“Let’s just say I didn’t do it to help you,” I clarified, “but because I was genuinely annoyed by Kieran
