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."

the beasts' shadowy forms, scattering them into plumes of darkness. Elyra, her heart pounding, channeled her powers with growing confidence, sending bursts of silvery

tore through the air as Dain intercepted it, the

the canopy, the remaining beasts retreated, dissolving into the

caught her just before she fell,

now," he whispered, his voice low and

brushed her cheek. The tenderness in his eyes, the way his thumb lingered near her jaw, made her

the moment could deepen, Elyra pulled back, her resolve firming. "We need to keep moving.