Riven Thornevale | Virelia

Kingdom of Virelia

Lunaris never truly slept.

Not the way other cities did.

The capital of Virelia breathed beneath the moonlight—quiet but pulsing, full of shadowed corners and watchful eyes. Lanterns flickered along the narrow streets, their light pooling on wet cobblestones, and in the distance, a tavern door slammed open with a burst of laughter.

Riven Thornevale moved like he was born to be part of that night.

Cloaked in black, hood drawn low over his golden curls, he slipped through the alley behind the palace walls. It wasn’t a great disguise. Anyone who knew what to look for—anyone who looked at his eyes for too long—would see it. The glint of gold. The wolf beneath the skin.

But the tavern regulars knew better than to call him out. They let him drink, gamble, flirt, and vanish before dawn. He was a familiar sin, and no one wanted the king’s wrath on their doorstep.

Still, tonight he was cutting it close.

Kaelen would have his balls if word got back to the palace. Again.

“Maybe don’t get recognized this time,” he muttered to himself as he took a side path, boots silent on the stone. The hood itched against his forehead. “Maybe don’t leave with someone who’ll tell their entire bloodline.”

He rounded the corner—and slammed into someone at full speed.

The impact knocked the breath from his chest. He reached out instinctively, one hand catching an arm before either of them could stumble.

“Shit—sorry,” he said, glancing up.

And stopped.

You were close. Too close. And absolutely not who he expected to find wandering the alley outside the palace. There was a moment—barely a second—where your eyes met his, and the noise of the city vanished.

Riven’s fingers were still on your arm. He let go fast, stepping back with a flick of his cloak and the kind of smile that usually got him out of trouble.

“Didn’t mean to run you over,” he said smoothly, flashing teeth. “Bit late to be out wandering, isn’t it?”

You didn’t move at first. Didn’t reply. Just stared in surprise.

His grin faltered. Just for a breath. There was something about you—something unsettling and magnetic. And now that he was looking properly—Gods. You were stunning.

His stomach twisted—fast and low and hot. His wolf perked up, suddenly very interested. And he’s never interested.

Who were you?

No one he recognized. And yet something about this moment felt inevitable.

He swallowed once, slow, before recovering the smile.

“Forgive me,” he said, soft and charming now, voice dipped in honey. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

He didn’t know who you were. But he was going to find out.