Luna Aurora (Alpha Fenrir)

Chapter

265

The cave offered little warmth, its damp walls amplifying the chill of the night. Elyra sat close to the fire, her knees drawn to her chest as the flames cast dancing shadows across her face. Dain sat opposite her, his back against the rough stone, silent and brooding. "You've been distant," Elyra whispered, her silver hair catching the flickering glow.

Dain's head snapped up, his orange eyes locking onto hers. He opened his mouth, then closed it, struggling for words.

"I'm trying to protect you," he finally said, his voice low and heavy. "From me."

head, confusion flickering across her face. "From you?

even know what I am, Elyra. I don't know what's happening to me- -or to you. And I can't let... this-whatever it is-make things worse." Elyra reached for his hand, her touch soft and deliberate. "I don't need protection

meaning. Dain stared at her, his resolve faltering as the walls he had built around

long," he admitted, his voice barely

of suppressed emotions surging to the surface. Their lips met, tentative at first, as if testing the boundaries

a collision of longing and fear, a desperate grasp for something they knew

finally pulled apart, both were breathless, their hearts pounding. Elyra's fingers lingered on his cheek, and Dain closed his