Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter 203

The days following Elyra and Dain's arrival passed in a strange, quiet rhythm. Matthew quickly noticed that the two children weren't like any he'd encountered before.

Elyra seemed to gravitate toward the cabin's windows every evening, her small frame bathed in silvery light as she stared at the moon. Matthew often found her there long after he'd banked the fire for the night. Her golden eyes shimmered with a distant, almost yearning expression that unsettled him. "Do you ever sleep?" he asked one night, leaning against the doorway.

Elyra turned her head slightly but didn't answer. Her fingers traced the windowsill, her gaze fixed on the glowing orb above.

Meanwhile, Dain exhibited the opposite tendency. His instincts were sharp, almost animalistic. A sudden knock of wind against the shutters or the snap of a twig outside sent him into a crouch, his amber eyes darting around the room with alarming intensity. Once, when Matthew accidentally dropped a pan, Dain spun toward the noise so fast Matthew instinctively raised his hands.

watching as Dain unclenched his fists,

an apology but avoided eye

know how to navigate by instinct, her small feet finding the best paths through thick underbrush. Dain had a knack for tracking, pointing out faint signs

Matthew asked one afternoon, watching as Dain expertly tied a fishing knot he'd only

don't know.

not pressing further, though his

softly when Matthew shared a silly story about a raccoon raiding his food stores, and Dain grinned for the first time after successfully catching a fish from the nearby