** subtle feelings **

Kieran had made a reckless move instead of using a car he choose the most subtle , a horse .

The steady rhythm of the horse's hooves echoed in the quiet night. Eliana's head rested against something firm, warm. Her body swayed with the motion, exhaustion pulling at her limbs. 

Slowly, she blinked awake. The first thing she saw was **him**. 

Kieran. 

His long, jet-black hair flowed freely, the wind catching it like silk. The moonlight kissed his sharp features—high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and full lips pressed into a firm line. His dark eyes, shadowed and unreadable, stared ahead, focused. 

For a moment, she just watched him. 

He looked like something out of a legend—**untamed, powerful, beautiful.** 

Then she realized where she was. 

Pressed against his chest. Held securely in his arms. Riding through the night **together.** 

Her breath hitched. 

"You're awake," Kieran said, his voice low, smooth. 

Eliana swallowed, pushing herself upright. His arm tightened around her waist to steady her. **Too easy. Too natural.** 

"Where are we?" she murmured. 

"Far from the city." His gaze flickered down at her. "For now." 

The way he said it made something twist in her stomach. 

She studied him. His shirt was torn slightly at the shoulder, revealing smooth skin where there had been a wound before. A wound that *she* had healed. 

His expression was unreadable, but his grip on the reins was tense. 

"You're upset," she said. 

Kieran scoffed. "That's putting it lightly." 

She frowned. "Because I healed you?" 

"Because you nearly passed out after." His tone sharpened. "And because you never told me." 

Eliana let out a slow breath. "Would it have changed anything?" 

His jaw ticked. "Yes." 

"How?" 

Kieran didn't answer immediately. The wind whistled around them, and the horse's steady breaths filled the silence. Finally, he exhaled sharply. 

"You're a healer, Eliana. Not just any healer. You can heal *anything*." His voice was low, edged with something she couldn't quite name. "You don't think that matters?" 

She met his gaze. "It matters too much. That's why I never told you." 

Kieran's fingers flexed on the reins. "Who else knows?" 

"Everyone." 

His head snapped toward her. 

She forced a small, bitter smile. "The government. The kings. The alphas. I didn't *just* start running, Kieran. I've been running my whole life." 

His jaw clenched. "And they've never stopped hunting you." 

She looked away. "No." 

A heavy silence fell between them. 

Then— 

"You should have told me." 

Something in his voice made her chest tighten. 

"You would've treated me differently," she whispered. 

Kieran let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Damn right I would have." 

She looked back at him. "Would you have turned me in?" 

His eyes darkened. "No." 

The way he said it—**absolute, unwavering—**made her throat tighten. 

She licked her lips. "Then why are you mad?" 

Kieran huffed a quiet breath. "Because now I know what they'll do to you if they catch you." 

Eliana's fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. "I know what they'll do too." 

His grip on her waist tightened slightly, his other hand steady on the reins. "We'll make it to that village." 

She nodded. "They'll protect us." 

Kieran's gaze flickered down. "Because you saved their leader?" 

"Yes." 

A pause. 

"That's not why they'll protect you." 

Eliana blinked. "What?" 

Kieran's expression was unreadable. "You're more than just a healer to them, aren't you?" 

She hesitated. "I don't know." 

Kieran studied her for a long moment before looking ahead. "We'll find out soon enough." 

She wanted to ask what he meant. Wanted to understand what was going through his mind. 

But the way he held her—the way his fingers flexed slightly as if reassuring himself she was still there—**felt like an answer all on its own.** 

For the first time in years, she wasn't running alone.