Chapter

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The argument erupted as they walked home, their voices carrying through the quiet woods.

"You're suffocating me, Dain!" Elyra snapped, stopping abruptly and spinning to face him. Her silver hair gleamed in the twilight, her golden eyes flashing with frustration. "Suffocating you?" Dain's voice rose, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'm trying to protect you! Do you have any idea what's out there? What they'll do to you if they find you?" "I'm not a child!" she shouted. "I can take care of myself!"

Dain stepped closer, his fiery orange eyes boring into hers. "You don't get it, do you? You think I'm doing this because I don't trust you? I don't trust them. And I can't-" He cut himself off, shaking his head as though the words were too much. "Can't what?" Elyra demanded, her voice trembling.

Dain's breath hitched, his frustration boiling over. "I can't lose you!"

The confession hung in the air, raw and unguarded. Elyra's heart pounded as the space between them felt charged with something she didn't want to name. "Dain..." she whispered, her anger dissolving into confusion.

He looked away, his jaw tight. "You don't understand what it's like. Every time someone gets close to you, every time you're hurt... It tears me apart, Elyra."

Her eyes softened, but his words stoked something in her chest-something warm and dangerous. Before she could think, she reached out, her fingers brushing his hand.

Dain froze, his gaze snapping back to hers. Their proximity felt suffocating, but neither moved.

"You're all I have," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

The dam broke. Elyra leaned forward just as Dain did, their lips meeting in a desperate, fleeting kiss. It was electric and overwhelming, both of them clinging to something they couldn't fully comprehend.

But just as quickly as it began, it ended. Dain pulled back, his breathing ragged, his expression a mix of shock and guilt.

"Elyra..." he whispered, his voice thick with regret.

She stepped back, her hand flying to her lips as if trying to erase what had just happened.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, her cheeks burning.

Dain shook his head, his eyes haunted. "This... This can't happen."

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Elyra alone, her heart aching with confusion and shame.