16
The wolves break into action, sniffing at their eye level, but I know how young kids behave. Where might I want to squish into and hide?
I crouch, examining the crawl space beneath the building, peeking between tree roots, and shining my phone flashlight into the spaces between boulders for any small entrances. Noah spots me and sniffs lower. Soon, everyone else drops to the ground with us.
Then Amy gasps. We whip our heads to her in unison, rigid with focus.
Only Amy’s bottom half peeks from behind a nearby shed, stooped over the surrounding thicket. Amy parts tall weeds obscuring her view, the frond tips brushing her dirt-stained knees.
We rush over to look at the ground with her, unsure what we’ll find. As we approach, my eyes catch on her tight grip on the shed, her tense knuckles as pale as her cheeks.
“Hang on! We’re here to help, okay? Don’t move!” She says.
My stomach crawls into my throat when I see the wriggling little boy, wedged at least seven feet into a narrow hole in the ground with his arm pinned behind his back. Except he looks like he could be buried any second: mini dirt waterfalls pool past his shoulders with every jerking movement. The hole must’ve been created by a burrowing animal, blanketed by long grasses to create a perfect safe haven - unless you want to be found. Rescued.
Noah grips his hair, looking to the sky for answers, and I know why: that hole is way too small for any Alpha or Beta to fit.
“My wolf could dig him out?” He rasps.
“No, it might sink in and collapse on him,” Yasmine whispers.
Calm washes over me. “I might be able to fit.”
Noah grips my shoulder, his eyes wide. I prepare myself for his incoming disagreement, but Elder Aaron steps in first.
“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.
With Noah’s grip on my ankles, we’re lifted by the Alpha. As Yasmine predicted, dirt spills around us, forcing me to hold my breath as poor Colin coughs. Noah yanks faster, anxiety spiking our bond. I open my eyes just in time to watch the hole collapsing around us, threatening to swallow Colin’s ankles. Multiple wolves help hoist the boy from the ground after me, allowing my strained muscles to relax when Colin finally touches solid ground.
Noah sets me on my knees, dropping into the brush with me to kiss my dirty cheeks. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, I fucking hated that–”
But before Noah can finish cussing his brains out, Colin darts for me. He crashes against my chest, grips me with all four limbs, and bawls.
My heart tears as every instinct in my body yearns to soothe him. I gather him into my arms, tethering him to the earth with a soft squeeze. “You did it, buddy! You made it!”
His chin quivers as he rubs his head against my shoulder, immersing himself in my scent. “Luna...”
My eyes water on their own. I tuck his head under my chin as I rock him. “I know, it was really scary, wasn’t it? It’s all over now, okay? We have you.”
Noah wraps his arms around us, his protective scent loosening my tense muscles. The boy stops crying.
“Your mom is on her way, little Omega.” Noah’s deep voice softens for Colin in a way that stirs a deep nerve in my tender heart. “Is she linking you?”
“Yeah.” Colin wipes his eyes, a shaky smile returning.
I can’t relax until he’s finally reunited with his mom. The poor woman breaks into tears like she almost died, herself. As we sit in the brush, watching her vigorously scrub and lick the dirt from his body, I lean into Noah, closing my eyes. “Thank God. I was terrified he’d wedge himself even deeper before I could get him out.”
He sighs. “You scared the shit out of me. But I loved it.”
I laugh. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re clearly a fucking badass, so I better get used to it.”
I giggle until another voice appears above us.
“Alpha, Luna.”
My eyes pop open, revealing Elder Alpha Aaron towering over us. Realization dawns on me all at once; everyone is calling me “Luna.”