Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter 213

Matthew leaned against the cabin's porch railing, watching Elyra and Dain as they worked in the garden. The late afternoon sun bathed the clearing in golden light, but their usual energy was absent. Elyra moved listlessly, her silver hair catching the sunlight in soft waves, while Dain seemed unusually quiet, his brow furrowed as he dug into the soil.

Something was weighing on them. Matthew had seen it in the subtle changes-Elyra's distracted stares out the window, Dain's tendency to disappear into the woods for hours. At dinner, they spoke in half-sentences, deflecting his questions with vague reassurances. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were hiding something.

That evening, as the three sat around the fireplace, Matthew decided to address the tension head-on.

"School's been rough lately, hasn't it?" he said, his voice gentle.

Elyra didn't look up from her book, but her fingers tightened on the edges of the pages. Dain, sitting cross-legged on the floor, shrugged. "It's fine."

explain the bruises on your knuckles," Matthew

hands into his lap. "It's

to her. "You've been quiet.

Dain before

Matthew asked,

admitted softly, her voice barely

"Why?"

glanced at Dain again, and he cut in sharply. "Because they're

here to help, right? You don't