I can't bear to respond, flustered to my core. By the time I can pry my eyes off Sarah's adorable marshmallow cheeks, Rainn has taken off down the path, leading the little ones with brisk strides. She doesn't bother looking back despite a few stragglers. But as they keep their eyes trained on me instead, I realize they're waiting - keeping me looped into the pack.
"Thank you for waiting, pups! Let's get going so we don't miss anything Teacher Rainn says."
With a gasp, the pups scramble over a massive fallen log, darting after Rainn. I laugh, enamored by their excitement. That alone tells me Rainn's classes are priceless. Best of all, Sarah lets out a gurgly laugh with me.
"It's all so exciting, isn't it, Sarah?" I giggle along with her, rubbing her little back in my palm. My heart races as she gazes into my eyes in pure trust, releasing another wave of flowery, happy baby scent.
We catch up to Rainn, stilling ourselves with the hush of the surrounding pups. They're honed in on Rainn's point.
"Can someone tell me what this is?"
"A footprint!" A little voice shouts from the bushes behind Rainn.
She smiles. "Yes! What type of footprint?"
"Deer," says a chorus of high voices.
"Excellent! Can any of my littles tell me what else they notice? How long ago our deer visited this part of the forest, and where did they go?"
A few pups around 6 to 7 jump eagerly with their hands up, and Rainn laughs. "I know you know, my big loves. Let the little ones respond first."
The little ones are extra little today, the nearest toddler seemingly just reaching three. She gapes in frozen silence, only glancing between Rainn and I with her eyes.
"Tell me what your nose notices." Rainn's lowered voice hushes the group. Our collective silence draws out the sound of the gentle air current, wind billowing our clothes and rustling the leafy overgrowth.
Little pups stoop to sniff the deep deer hoof impression in the fresh mud. Each time another pup rushes over, they smash their own prints in the fresh mud, collectively smearing each other's backs as they topple over one another. Some return to the bushes and trees, attempting to peek over the tops of everyone's heads.
One tiny pup in particular wobbles, popping upright too fast. I catch her just in time, but Rainn grants her a beaming smile, widening the little one's eyes. The toddler sucks her thumb, using her free hand to point behind the group.
Rainn claps rapidly, letting out a sharp giggle. "Yes! Oh, Goddess, yes! You are so good at this, Chels! That's exactly where the deer went!"
The little one breaks into a breathy smile, proudness emanating from her form as she claps for herself. It tears my heart from my chest with overwhelming affection, begging me to squeeze her little cheeks.
But as the rest of the pups chime in, discovering together how many hours ago the deer passed through these trees, I slump into myself.
These tiny Lycan children can track scents effortlessly. I don't even know how to pick out a scent, let alone decipher what portion of the scent would tell me its age.
I gasp, startled from my thoughts by Sarah's sudden mouthing of my chest. She wriggles in my arms, her breath speeding into an anxious pant when she realizes I'm not rushing to breastfeed her.
"O-oh, uh–" My cheeks burn hot as Rainn meets my eyes.
"Oops, someone's hungry!" Rainn opens her arms for Sarah, but not after whipping a breast from her tank top.
YOU ARE READING
Freeing My Alpha: Book 2 of My Shy Alpha
Werewolf(Becomes an excerpt 6/4) Aliya craves every good, bad, and uncertain task that comes with becoming Noah's Luna - and, hopefully, the mother of his children. But danger sprouts from every corner, and unresolved trauma derails Aliya and Noah's plans...
