Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter

226

The cabin was quiet that night, but Elyra's thoughts were anything but. The encounter with the investigator had shaken her to her core, and Dain's raw display of strength replayed in her mind over and over. Dain sat at the edge of the couch, wincing slightly as Elyra dabbed at the scratches on his arms with a damp cloth. His fiery orange eyes were focused on the wall, but his body was tense under her touch. "You didn't have to fight him," Elyra said softly, breaking the silence.

Dain scoffed. "He wasn't giving us a choice."

"I mean it," she insisted, her voice trembling. "What if you'd gotten hurt worse? What if..."

trailed off, and she bit her lip, unable to

his eyes meeting hers for the first time since the fight. "I'll always

made her chest tighten. She nodded, focusing on her task to avoid the intensity of his gaze. But her hands faltered as a new realization settled over her: she wasn't just

felt his closeness, the warmth of his skin beneath her fingers. The silence between them stretched, charged with

she finally looked up, she found him staring at her. Not

she whispered, her

and he abruptly pulled away, standing up so quickly that her cloth fell to

need air," he muttered, heading for the door without

this pull she felt toward him? Why did his absence leave her