Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter 262

Elyra stirred awake to the faint crunch of leaves outside their makeshift camp. Her silver hair glinted in the dim light of the dying fire as she sat up, every sense on edge. The stillness of the forest seemed unnatural, as though the very air was holding its breath. A guttural growl shattered the silence.

Shadow-beasts surged from the treeline, their glowing red eyes and jagged forms barely visible in the pre-dawn gloom. Elyra scrambled to her feet, reaching for her dagger as Dain sprang into action beside her.

"Matthew, stay back!" Dain shouted, his voice sharp and commanding.

But Matthew, clutching a thick branch, limped forward to join them, his expression grim. "I'm not sitting this one out."

fueled by a primal drive to protect Elyra. His fists connected with the beasts' shadowy forms, scattering them into plumes of darkness. Elyra, her heart pounding, channeled her

through the air as Dain intercepted it, the sound of bones cracking

felt endless, but as the first rays of sunlight pierced the canopy, the remaining beasts retreated, dissolving into the shadows. The clearing

crashing over her. Dain caught her just before

his

her cheek. The tenderness in his eyes, the way his thumb

back, her resolve firming. "We need to keep moving. The forest