Page 46 of My Shy Alpha

“Luna, no. We don’t want both of you stuck.”

I dismiss this concern with a shake of my head. That little Omega wolf is bawling and absolutely terrified. It physically hurts my heart to do nothing.

I try not to show my decision on my face, but Noah gasps as I lurch forward.

“No!” He shouts.

But I don’t waste another second. I brace myself on the hole’s edge, sticking my head in as far as I can. My fingertips stretch to their limits, straining to touch the little one, but the whimpering boy remains beyond my grasp. Even if I could barely reach him, he’s wedged so tightly that he needs small hands to wriggle him out - something I’ve had to do one too many times on our school playground’s obnoxious, covered slide. I have no choice but to crawl in after him.

With arms outstretched, I slip into the cool earth, trying my best not to kick too much dirt onto the boy.

He shrieks. “It’s dark!”

I keep my voice light and even. “It is, huh? But I’m right here with you, see?”

I brush dirt off his cheek with what little light creeps past my hips. Inching closer, I finally squeeze close enough to touch his shoulders.

A hand grabs my ankle. It takes everything in me not to yelp in surprise.

Feisty, feisty Omega. You’re about to give me a heart attack.

Noah, he’s jammed against a wall of rocky mud. If you pull us out now, it could break his little arm.

Fuck. What should we do?

Just give me a minute. I have an idea. I take a deep breath, imagining sending the boy a soothing scent - just like Noah does for me.

He immediately stops crying, peering up at me with big tears in his eyes.

My chest aches, but I smile. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Colin,” he coughs, straining against the rock.

“Nice to meet you, Colin! My name’s Aliya, and I’m right here with you, okay?” When I softly squeeze his shoulder, he grasps my hand with his free arm, hugging it to his chest. “There you go. I’m here. Hey, you learned the Forest Song in preschool, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” His lip wobbles, but his focus locks on my eyes. I make sure to steady them for him.

“Let’s sing it together, okay? By the time we’re all done singing, we’ll be outside.”

“Okay.”

Then I sing. “I’m in the forest, look at all the trees!”

The little boy reaches for me with his free hand to gesture to the “trees,” and my heartbeat skips; he remembers the dance moves from preschool.

“Look at all this dirt around, even on my knees.” He grunts through his lyrics, trying to show me his knees, and I smile.

“You’ve almost got it! Show me your knees!” While I hold his free hand, I lightly tug him to lean against the wall on his side. As he bends his knees, wriggling to show me them, he stoops just enough to yank his pinned arm free. I let out a delighted laugh. “Good job!”

Then I continue to sing. “Look at all the little birds, blowing in the breeze.”

After flinging his arms up to fly like a bird, Colin links his hands behind my neck, his breath jagged. “Look at all the laughing wolves, chasing all the leaves.”

“Jumping through the flowers, I think I might sneeze!” I grasp his torso beneath his armpits the best I can, wriggling his chest left and right until he slips free, allowing me to lift him enough to latch one arm behind his lower back.

His voice shakes, fear revealing itself through his death grip on my skin. “Take me to the forest, take me there, please!”

Tucking my head over him to ensure he can’t hit his head, I triple-check my hold on him and let out a slow breath. Okay, Noah. Your turn.

---