Page 93 of My Shy Alpha

I sigh, slipping my leg between his to weave ourselves together even more. “You’re so sweet to me, Noah. But I want to try to finally get it right tomorrow.”

“Okay, feisty Omega. No matter what, I’ve got you.”

As he kisses my head, his loving scent washes away my concerns for the night.

34

My Friday starts back in the classroom, where surrounded by toddlers, things often go from tranquil to chaos in a single breath.

Today is no exception. I plug Andy’s nose - blocking his airway so he’s forced to breathe from his mouth, and therefore unlatch his teeth from Jenna’s arm as she screams bloody murder. My ears crackle with the rising pitch of her screech, Andy’s angry, growling grunts peeking through Jenna’s scream-pause whenever she takes a heaving breath.

I do not have my happy teacher’s voice on. “Andy, let go, now.”

Finally, he’s forced to take a gasping breath, dropping Jenna’s arm with a trail of spit. I separate the children, and Mrs. Jacobs, the neighboring teacher, rushes to help after hearing the commotion.

But my eyes catch on three-year-old Kelsi, shuddering in the corner instead of her usual attachment to my leg. “Oh, sweetheart...”

She whimpers, too afraid to run to me no matter how much her muscles tense toward me like she wants to. My heart ripples in pain, almost doubling me over. This biting incident won’t help her feel safer, and I’m afraid to imagine the consequences.

Andy fumes beside me on the carpet, brimming with hot tears. I have to check on Jenna, but Mrs. Jacobs escorts her away to rinse Jenna’s arm in the sink, shooting me a glare.

Great. The older teachers already think I’m young and inexperienced enough. They don’t like that I don’t believe in traditional punishment, and this incident could support their case.

But I don’t see how shaming and isolating Andy will help him understand what he did wrong.

I just don’t believe kids are malicious monsters. From how Lilian treats Noah, I bet that’s what she believed about him. I felt so much anger in his past when I marked him. But eventually, he gave up. Quieted himself.

My heart aches as Andy whimpers next to me, afraid how I’ll react. I want to do what I feel is best, whether or not it’s the best method in the world.

Extending my hand to Andy, I steady my voice. “Let’s go have a cool-down talk, okay?”

He takes my hand, slouching after me to the quiet reading corner with a weepy, red-faced scowl. Andy plops into a bean bag with a pout. His thick brown hair flops over his eyes, snot dripping from his little button nose. Even when I hand him a tissue to wipe it, he doesn’t meet my eyes.

“Can you tell me what you’re feeling like inside?”

He still avoids my gaze.

“I know I was playing with Jenna. Did that make you feel angry?”

Andy’s brows furrow. “I wanted to play too.”

“I would have loved to play with you! What do you think you could say to let me know you want to play?”

He sucks back snot, peeking up at me. “Miss Matsuoka, can I play too?”

I smile. “Yes! You’re so right, Andy. Then we could all play together! You, me, Jenna, and our other friends.”

His lips warp into a pout. “I wanted to play with you, Luna.”

My heart flips before breaking into a sprint. I had no idea he was a little wolf. No wonder his first instinct was to bite Jenna.

I neutralize my voice. “Andy, we can’t bite our friends. Biting really hurts, and we don’t want to hurt our friends.”

Andy drops his stare with massive, pooling tears threatening to spill, his lip quivering.

I rub his back, softening my voice. “If you want my attention, you have to tell me what you need, otherwise I won’t know what you need. Let’s try it. You can say, ‘Miss Matsuoka, I need some attention.’”

“Miss Matsuoka...” He fiddles with my long braid, leaning against my shoulder as he blinks a tear down his cheek. “I need some attention.”

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