The Alpha’s Shadow Luna
And under the kitchen table, knees pulled to his chest, a boy no older than five, frozen the way children freeze when the world becomes too loud and too wrong to process.
“Hey.” I crouched in front of the table, keeping my voice steady and warm while my lungs burned. “Hey, sweetheart. I’m Leah. What’s your name?”
His huge eyes found mine through the smoke. “Tommy.”
“Tommy. That’s a strong name. Tommy, I need you to come with me, okay? We’re going to go find your mom.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know. But you know what? Scared people can still be brave. That’s the secret. Being brave just means being scared and moving anyway.” I held out my hand. “Move with me, Tommy. We’ll be brave together.”