The moon hung high in the night sky as Elyra crept out of her room, her small feet silent against the wooden floors. She was tired of being treated like a fragile cub, and the pull of curiosity was too strong to resist. She wanted to see more of Fenrir's camp, to understand why her parents seemed so uneasy here.

The camp was eerily quiet, the usual bustle muted under the cover of darkness. Elyra wandered between the rows of tents, her silver hair catching the faint light of the stars. She stopped abruptly when a voice, laced with familiar arrogance, broke the silence. "Well, well. If it isn't the tiny nuisance."

Elyra whirled around to find Dain leaning against a post, his arms crossed and a smirk playing on his lips. His amber eyes gleamed in the darkness, catching the faint torchlight.

"What are you doing out here?" Elyra demanded, her small hands planted firmly on her hips.

Dain shrugged. "Same as you, I guess. Trying to get away from all the noise. You wouldn't understand."

Elyra's glare deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've got it easy," Dain replied, his tone sharp. "You're the 'Child of the Pact,' everyone's golden cub. No one expects you to actually do anything because they think you're already perfect."

Elyra blinked, taken aback by the bitterness in his voice. "That's not true," she said quietly. "Everyone's always watching me, waiting for me to mess up. And my powers-" She hesitated, looking down at her hands. "They don't listen to me."

Dain's smirk faltered, replaced by a flicker of something softer. "Yeah, well, at least you don't have a father who wants you to be some kind of unbeatable Alpha. No matter what I do, it's never enough."

Elyra frowned, her anger giving way to a tentative understanding. "That sounds... hard."

Dain looked at her, surprised. "Don't go feeling sorry for me, tiny nuisance. I can handle it."

Elyra straightened, her defiance returning. "I wasn't feeling sorry for you. I was just saying I understand. But I still don't like you."

Dain chuckled, his smirk returning. "Good. The feeling's mutual."

Elyra turned on her heel, stomping away with as much dignity as she could muster. As she walked, a faint glow emanated from her bond, flickering like a warning light.

Dain watched her go, his amusement fading into thoughtfulness. "We'll see about that," he muttered under his breath.noveldrama