Chapter 146
“I’m sorry,” I said to Lyra, deliberately softening my tone. “Are you okay?”
Lysandra’s eyebrows shot up at my gentler voice. Why did I always see fear in her eyes? What was she so afraid of?
“Uncle, you were mean to me,” Lyra said, her lower lip trembling.
I patted her head gently, struggling with how to make amends. “How about ice cream? Would you like that?” The memory of our day together flashed through my mind again. “We could get that strawberry one I promised.”
Her eyes immediately brightened as she wiped away her tears, nodding eagerly.
“Absolutely not.” Lysandra moved forward, inserting herself between us. “Lyra, come here. She pulled the girl away from me. “I’ll get you ice cream myself. Haven’t I warned you about strangers?”
Anger surged through me. Was she seriously implying I would harm a child? She made it sound like I had sinister intentions when all I felt was an inexplicable fondness for the little girl.
“Mommy, I want ice cream,” Lyra protested.
“No, Mommy,” she added when Lysandra tried pulling her away.
“LYRA!” Lysandra shouted, her voice sharp with warning.
The little girl flinched violently, her body jerking with fear before the tears returned in full force. Her reaction suggested she wasn’t accustomed to her mother raising her voice like that.
“How can you yell at her like that?” I demanded, surprised by my own defensiveness.
Lysandra grabbed Lyra’s arm, yanking her away from me with unnecessary force. “Stay away from my children,” she hissed, before hurrying them both out of the living room.
I watched them leave, my face expressionless despite the humiliation burning through me. First Alpha Alaric refused to let me stay, and now Lysandra snatched her daughter away like I was some kind of child predator. Did she really see me as that kind of monster?
“Stay away from my mom.”
I looked down, surprised to find Orion still in the room. I rolled my eyes at his defiance. “What’s your problem, kid? Why are you acting like this?”
“Because you deserve it. You’re a bad man!”
“This bad man can do bad things too. Remember that?” I threatened before I could stop mys
Instant self–disgust washed over me. I was threatening a child–a five–year–old boy simply trying to protect his mother. Even by my standards, that was low. Years of being the ruthless Alpha had made these threats come too easily. When I saw the flash of fear in his eyes, an unfamiliar guilt twisted in my gut. Children should be protected, not intimidated.
I chuckled, assuming I’d finally scared him into submission. “Now you’re afraid, aren’t you?”
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Chapter 146
“Don’t hurt my mom,” he said quietly.
I stared at him, completely blindsided. He wasn’t worried about himself at all–only about his mother’s safety.
A sudden idea struck me. “Your mom is going to marry Kieran. Did you know that?”
To my surprise, Orion’s face broke into a brilliant smile. “Really?”
I narrowed my eyes, perplexed and irritated by his joy.
“He’s not a good person,” I tried again.
“You’re lying. Uncle Kieran is nice. I want him to be my dad.”
“How dare you call someone else father so casually?” I snapped, irrationally angry at hearing him call Kieran “dad.”
“He takes care of Mom. Not like you.”
I blinked, startled by his words. How would he know to compare Kieran to me? I wanted to argue with the child, but he d fallen silent, glaring at me with those accusing blue eyes.
Deciding this conversation was pointless, I turned toward the front door. I’d had enough humiliation for one day.
As I reached for the door handle, Orion’s whispered words reached my ears like a final indictment:
“You hurt my mom many times. I hate you.”
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