OUTCASTS | THE ORIGINALS

13

"Then show us how to fight!" Hayden exclaimed loudly and Cadence shook her head, "Why not?"

"Because you're four-years-old," Cadence reminded in a calm tone, "You're too young. You shouldn't have to fight."

"If we were in the bayou, we'd be taught to fight," Hayden complained, causing Cadence to turn to him with wide eyes, "We wouldn't be doing magic, but we'd know how to fight."

"How do you know about that?" Cadence asked, frowning in concern.

Hayden shot his mother a glare. He stood up and began to walk away, much to Cadence's frustration.

"Hayden, don't walk away from me. I was talking to you!" She scolded him as she walked toward her son.

She lightly grabbed him by the arm, but just then, Hayden whipped himself around. "Don't touch me!" He growled, his werewolf temper getting the better of him.

However, his werewolf side didn't just bring out his anger, it triggered his magic.

Without meaning to, Hayden caused his mother to go flying across the room and against a bookshelf. She cried out in pain, falling straight to the ground with numerous books falling on top of her.

There was a vase on the bookshelf as well and soon enough, it tipped and fell as well. It was on the verge of hitting Cadence in the head, but Hunter stood up and used his magic to make it collide against the wall instead.

He rushed toward his mother worriedly while Hayden stood in place, a terrified look on his face. He didn't even realize what he was doing.

"Mommy!" Hunter called out worriedly as he rushed toward his mother, who was too in pain to get up.

Her nose was bleeding as she was cut on her arm from the fall. Her back was soon to be bruised as well due to how hard it had collided with the bookshelf.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Cadence assured Hunter, despite it being a lie. She turned to Hayden, trying to hide how afraid she was. He was her son, after all. She loved him more than anything in the world, but it didn't change that she was afraid of him at that very moment.

He was four years old and he had just thrown her across the room as if it were nothing.

Both Hunter and Hayden had the werewolf gene, of course, but it was more obvious in Hayden. It always had been. He was constantly angry, which caused his outbursts that led to him and by association, Hunter going through so many different babysitters in such a short period of time.

Though he had never harmed his own mother before.

"It's okay," Cadence spoke up in a whisper, wincing in pain as she pushed herself up and off the ground. She moved toward Hayden, cautiously holding her hand out toward him, "I'm okay. You didn't hurt me."

"I did and I didn't mean to," Hayden confessed, tears beginning to form in her eyes, "I didn't mean to, Mommy, I swear. I was just so angry and I couldn't stop it."

Cadence quickly hugged Hayden, who began to cry. His magic would have been fine if he hadn't been burdened with being an untriggered werewolf. After all, she was a witch herself. She could easily help him.