Page 27 of The Alpha's Forbidden Heir

“Elias,” I say gently, brushing his curls away from his face. “Baby, talk to me. What happened?”

“I didn’t mean to,” he whispers, his voice shaky and full of tears.

“Didn’t mean to what?”

Miss Clara steps forward, her expression a mix of sympathy and concern. “They were playing tag, and the girl, Lily, screamed. When we got to her, her arm was red, like she’d been grabbed too hard.”

I glance at the girl, whose sobs have quieted slightly. One of the teachers is crouched beside her, inspecting her arm. The red marks are unmistakable. Five small finger-shaped streaks against her pale skin.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay calm. “Elias… did you grab Lily’s arm hard?”

“I didn’t mean to!” He looks up at me, and tears start streaming down his face. His pupils flash gold for the briefest moment, and my heart breaks.

“I know you didn’t,” I say softly. “But we don’t grab our friends very hard, okay? We always must be gentle.”

“She was going to fall!” he cries, his voice cracking. “I was trying to help!”

I close my eyes for a second. “I believe you, sweetheart. But even when we’re helping, we have to be careful. Can you apologize to Lily for scaring her?”

Elias nods, sniffling, and stands up on shaky legs. He walks over to Lily, who’s still clutching her arm.

“I’m sorry,” he says, his voice small. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lily looks at him, her bottom lip trembling. “You’re scary.”

The words cut deeper than I expect, and I can see the way they hit Elias too. He steps back, his tears starting up again, and I reach for him instinctively, pulling him close.

“He’s not scary, Lily,” I say gently. “He just didn’t know his own strength. And he’s very sorry, aren’t you, Elias?”

“Yeah,” he whispers into my shoulder.

After making sure Lily is okay and apologizing profusely to the other teachers, I gather Elias’s things and take him back to the classroom. The rest of the day goes by fast, but my thoughts are miles away, and they circle back to the same problem over and over.

Elias is changing. It’s happening faster than I thought it would, and I’m running out of time to figure out what to do.

That night, as I tuck him into bed, he looks up at me with those big brown eyes, still puffy from crying earlier.

“Mommy, am I bad?”

The question knocks the air out of me.

“No, baby,” I say quickly, sitting on the edge of his bed and cupping his face in my hands. “You’re not bad. You’re good. You’re the best thing in my whole world.”

“Lily said I’m scary.”

“You’re not scary,” I whisper fiercely. “You’re strong. And brave. And kind. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

He nods, but his little face is still uncertain.

“Can you promise me something?” I ask.

“What?”

“Promise me you’ll always be gentle, even when you don’t feel like it. Can you do that for me?”

“Okay, Mommy.”

I kiss his forehead, and return back to the living room.

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