Ch: 5 MOONFIRE AND RAIN.

YARA’S POV

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

He stood there, the moonlight brushing over his hair, turning it silver. His eyes caught mine, steady, familiar, and so painfully gentle that my heart began to race.

“Riel?” I whispered, unsure if I was imagining him.

He smiled slowly, that same quiet smile he used to give when we were children. “Hey, Yara.”

The sound of my name on his lips made my chest tighten. It had been years since I last heard it said that way.

I took a small step back. “You’re really here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He chuckled softly, taking a slow step toward me. “I didn’t think you’d come. Everyone said you never left your room anymore.”

I looked away, my hands twisting around the hem of my dress. “I wasn’t supposed to come. Tiana… she convinced me.”

“She always could,” he said with a small grin.

Silence fell between us, filled only by the sound of the fountain nearby and the faint laughter drifting from inside the hall.

He looked different, broader shoulders, sharper jaw, older somehow, but his eyes hadn’t changed. Still warm. Still kind.

“I didn’t think you’d even remember me,” I murmured.

He tilted his head, surprised. “How could I forget you? You were the only one who ever stood up for me.”

I frowned slightly. “You were the Alpha’s heir, Riel. No one dared mock you.”

“Oh, they did,” he said quietly. “They just made sure no one important was watching. You remember, don’t you? When they used to call me soft because I didn’t want to fight the smaller boys?”

The memory hit me before I could stop it, him standing in the training yard, fists clenched but refusing to hit back. The other boys were jeering. Me throwing a stone at one of them and shouting until they left him alone.

I couldn’t help but smile faintly. “You were always too kind.”

“And you were always too brave,” he said softly. “You had this fire in you, Yara. You’d laugh in their faces like you didn’t care what anyone thought.”

“That was a long time ago.”

He shrugged slightly. “Maybe. But it’s still there. I can see it.”

I shook my head, embarrassed. “No, you can’t.”

“I can,” he said again, his tone gentle but firm. “You just forgot what it feels like.”

I looked down, unable to hold his gaze. “You shouldn’t talk to me, Riel. People are watching.”

He smiled faintly and took another step closer. “Let them.”

The way he said it, calm, sure, made something inside me tremble.

The night air felt heavier suddenly. The scent of roses and wine faded, replaced by something else. Something wild.

Riel went still. His eyes widened slightly, then his breath hitched.

“Riel?” I asked, confused.

His voice came out rough, lower than before. “Yara…”

His eyes began to glow faint gold.

I froze. “What’s happening to you?”

He shut his eyes, breathing hard, trying to control it. When he opened them again, the glow was stronger.

“Yara,” he whispered, almost like he was afraid of the words. “You… you’re my mate.”

The world stopped.

I stared at him, my heart thudding painfully. “What?”

He stepped closer, his eyes desperate now. “I can feel it. My wolf, Ashen, he’s awake. He’s never reacted like this before.”

I shook my head slowly, laughing nervously. “That’s not possible. I don’t even have a wolf.”

But Riel didn’t move back. His hand trembled slightly as he lifted it, stopping just before touching me. “You do. I can feel her. Faint, but there. Like she’s sleeping inside you.”

“Riel, stop…”

“I can smell you now,” he said softly, his eyes glinting gold again. “You have a scent, Yara. Moonfire and rain.”

I swallowed hard, shaking my head faster. “No… no, don’t say that. Don’t do this.”

His voice cracked. “I’m not making it up.”

Something deep inside me shuddered. A soft hum, so quiet I almost didn’t notice, began to stir beneath my ribs. My breath caught.

It felt like a heartbeat that wasn’t mine. A faint pulse, slow and steady.

Riel’s gaze softened as if he knew what I was feeling. “You feel it, don’t you?”

“I…” I pressed a hand to my chest. “I don’t know.”

“Yara,” he whispered. “You’re not broken.”

The words nearly broke me. I blinked quickly, but the tears came anyway. “Don’t say that. Don’t give me hope.”

“It’s not hope,” he said quietly. “It’s the truth.”

I shook my head and stepped back. “No. You don’t understand. My wolf never came. I’ve waited for years. Everyone says she’s gone.”

“Everyone’s wrong,” he said simply.

I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to.

He took another step forward, and I didn’t move away this time. His hand brushed mine gently, his touch warm and careful, like he was afraid I might vanish.

“Let me protect you,” he murmured. “Let me prove…”

A scream tore through the air.

“Tiana!”

The sound made my blood run cold.

I jerked away, the connection between us snapping like glass. My dress caught on the edge of the bench as I ran, but I didn’t stop.

“Tiana!” I shouted again, lifting the skirt of my gown as I raced toward the hall.

Riel followed close behind.

The noise grew louder. When I reached the marble steps outside the banquet hall, I froze.

Tiana was lying on the stairs, clutching her ankle, her face pale with pain. A few guests stood around her, whispering. Someone shouted for a healer.

“Tia!” I ran forward and dropped to my knees beside her. “What happened?”

She winced, trying to sit up. “I…I slipped. My ankle…”

“Don’t move,” I said quickly. “You’ll make it worse.”

Riel came up beside me, his eyes full of concern. “Let me help.”

But before he could touch her, Tiana’s eyes widened. She pulled her hand away sharply.

“Don’t touch me!” she gasped.

Riel froze. “I’m just trying to…”

“Please,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Don’t.”

Her reaction made the crowd murmur. I didn’t understand what was happening, but the look in her eyes stopped me from asking.

“She’s my sister,” I said quickly, slipping my arm around her shoulders. “I’ve got her.”

Tiana leaned against me, still shaking slightly. I could feel her heart racing.

“Come on,” I said softly. “We’ll take you to the break room.”

Riel stood there, his jaw tight, his eyes flicking between us. Something unreadable passed over his face, confusion, hurt, maybe even anger.

“Fine,” he said finally, his voice low. “But we’ll talk later, Yara.”

“Riel…”

“Don’t make me wait too long for an answer.”

The way he said it, quiet, steady, but edged with something fierce, made my stomach twist.

I looked at him once more before helping Tiana up the stairs. His gaze followed us the whole way, burning into my back.