The cafeteria was a cacophony of clattering trays and overlapping voices. Elyra sat alone at the edge of a table, picking at her sandwich. She kept her head down, trying to avoid the stares she could feel boring into her silver hair and golden eyes. ""Hey, Moon Freak."

Her stomach dropped at the voice. It was the same boy from the hallway, flanked by his usual gang of sneering followers.

Elyra didn't look up. She tried to focus on the soft hum of the fluorescent lights overhead, on the sound of the wind outside, anything to drown them out.

"Too good to talk to us?" the boy sneered. "Or are you just scared you'll blind us with your shiny hair?"

The gang laughed, their mocking voices cutting through the air.noveldrama

"Leave me alone," Elyra said quietly, her voice trembling but steady.

"What was that?" the boy said, leaning closer. "Did you just talk back?"

A shadow loomed over them. Dain was there in an instant, his fiery orange eyes blazing. He didn't say a word; the look on his face said enough.

"Uh-oh," the boy said mockingly, though his voice wavered. "Is the freak's bodyguard gonna save her?"

Dain stepped forward, his fists clenched at his sides. "Say that again," he said in a low, dangerous voice.

The boy faltered, but one of his friends chimed in. "What's your problem, man? Just a joke!"

"She said to leave her alone," Dain growled.

"Yeah?" The boy puffed up his chest. "What are you gonna-"

The words didn't finish. Dain's punch was a blur, landing squarely on the boy's chest and sending him sprawling backward. The cafeteria erupted in gasps and cries as trays clattered to the floor.

The boy lay there, clutching his chest and gasping for air. His friends stepped back, their bravado evaporating.

"Dain!" Elyra shouted, grabbing his arm. "Stop!"

He was shaking, his breaths coming fast and shallow. His knuckles were red where they'd connected.

The teachers arrived moments later, pulling Dain away and tending to the boy on the ground. Elyra's heart pounded as she saw the fear in the eyes of the other students-the way they recoiled, whispering and pointing.

When Matthew arrived at the school, his face was a mask of barely concealed frustration. After a long lecture from the principal, he sat Dain down in the car, his voice firm but not unkind.

"What were you thinking?" Matthew demanded. "You can't just lash out like that!"

"They wouldn't stop," Dain muttered, staring out the window. "They were hurting her."

Matthew sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You can't protect her like this, Dain. You scared everyone. You're strong-I don't know how, but you are. You have to be careful."

Dain didn't respond. He couldn't explain it not to Matthew, not even to himself. It wasn't just anger he'd felt in the cafeteria. It was a need so fierce it burned inside him, an instinct that screamed at him to protect Elyra no matter the cost.