Fear and assurance
1619 Words
MILLIE’S POV
"Mama?"
Leo's small voice broke through the silence that had filled the car since we left the park.
I reached over and took his hand, my fingers still trembling. "Yes, baby?"
"Why were Braham’s eyes different?"
My heart stopped. I looked across the car seat at Braham, whose jaw had tensed.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?" I asked carefully.
"They were yellow. Like in those animal shows." He tilted his head, studying Braham with that unnerving intelligence that always made him seem older than three. "But then they were normal again."
Braham's eyes met mine over Leo's head. A silent conversation passed between us.
Not yet. He's too young.
But he saw. He knows something happened.
We can't lie to him.
Braham leaned forward slightly, keeping his voice gentle. "You're right, buddy. They were different."
"Why?"
"Because I was protecting you. Sometimes, when people I love are in danger, I change a little bit."
Leo's eyes widened with fascination rather than fear. "Like a superhero?"
Relief crashed through me so intensely I almost laughed. Leave it to a three-year-old to make sense of the impossible through the lens of cartoons and picture books.
"Something like that," Braham said, and I heard the smile in his voice.
"Cool! Can you do it again?"
"Not right now. It only happens when I really need it."
"Oh." Leo's face fell for just a moment, then brightened with the resilience only children possessed. "Okay. Can I have a snack when we get home?"
The whiplash from terror to snack requests made my chest tight. This was Leo…processing trauma through the filter of a child's mind, already moving forward because he felt safe again.
"Of course, mi corazón," I managed.
He settled back in his seat, apparently satisfied with the explanation. But I caught him glancing at Braham a few more times, those intelligent eyes still processing.
When we pulled through the estate gates, I finally allowed myself to breathe properly.
Braham carried Leo inside despite his protests that he could walk. I followed close behind, unable to put more than a few feet between us.
In the kitchen, I made Leo his favorite snack…apple slices with peanut butter…while he sat at the counter swinging his legs.
"Mama, I got scared," he said suddenly, his voice smaller now. "She said there were toys but she lied."
I set down the knife and moved around the counter, pulling him into my arms. "I know, baby. I know."
"My eyes felt weird. Like they were too big." His small hands touched his face. "And I heard things really loud. And I could smell her."
My blood went cold. "Smell her?"
"Yeah. She smelled... yucky. Like flowers but wrong."
Over his head, Braham's expression darkened.
"Am I in trouble?" Leo's voice wavered. "For my eyes being weird?"
"No, sweetheart." I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. "You're not in trouble. Your body was trying to protect you."
"Like Braham's?"
"Yes," I whispered. "Like Braham's."
He seemed to accept this, returning his attention to the apple slices. But I noticed the way his hands still shook slightly as he picked up a piece.
After he finished eating, exhaustion hit him like a wave. He could barely keep his eyes open.
"I'm really tired, Mama."
"I know, baby. Let's get you to bed."
Braham carried him upstairs. By the time we reached his room, Leo was already half-asleep against Braham's shoulder.
I pulled back the covers while Braham laid him down gently. Leo's eyes drifted shut almost immediately.
"My eyes were weird," he mumbled, already slipping into sleep.
"I know, buddy," Braham said softly. "It's okay. Get some sleep."
“Kay."
We stood there for a long moment, watching his chest rise and fall. Braham's hand found mine, our fingers interlocking.
"He's safe," Braham whispered, but I wasn't sure if he was reassuring me or himself.
Downstairs, the adrenaline finally crashed out of my system. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the couch, staring at nothing.
"His eyes changed too," I heard myself say. "I saw them. Gold. Just like yours."
"I know."
"He's so young, Braham. Three years old and his wolf almost surfaced." My voice cracked. "What if it happens again? At a*****e? Around other kids? What if I'm not there to…"
"Stop." He sat beside me, pulling me against his chest. "Don't do that to yourself."
"I looked away for two minutes." The words came out choked. "Two minutes, and she almost..."
"That man was there specifically to distract you," Braham interrupted firmly. "This was a coordinated trap. Martha didn't just get lucky…she planned this. Hired someone to keep you occupied while she made her move."
"But I should have…"
"You did everything right." He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. "Leo is safe. Martha is in custody. That's what matters."
I wanted to argue, to list all the ways I'd failed, but exhaustion weighed down my bones. Instead, I just nodded and let him hold me.
"What do we do now?" I asked after a long silence.
"Now we teach him control. The same way my parents taught me."
"When do we tell him? About what he is?"
"Soon." Braham's arms tightened around me. "Sooner than I thought. But not tonight. Tonight we just... breathe."
"He asked about your eyes. About why they changed."
"I know." A wry smile touched his lips. "At least he thinks I'm a superhero."
Despite everything, I laughed. It came out broken and slightly hysterical, but it was real. "For now. Until he's old enough to understand the real explanation."
"Which will be soon," Braham said quietly. "If his wolf is already trying to surface at three years old, we can't wait much longer."
The weight of that settled over us. My son…my baby…wasn't just human. He was something more. Something I still didn't fully understand.
"I'm scared," I admitted.
"So am I." The confession surprised me. "I've never raised a hybrid child. Never seen one manifest this young. But Millie..." He pulled back to look at me. "We'll figure it out. Together."
Together. That word had become my anchor.
My phone buzzed on the coffee table. I ignored it. It buzzed again. And again.
With a sigh, I reached for it. The screen was flooded with notifications.
Messages from Callie: Are you okay? Is Leo okay? Call me when you can.
Missed calls from my lawyers.
And news alerts. So many news alerts.
"Millie-Rose Harvey's Son Targeted in Kidnapping Attempt"
"Martha Harvey Arrested at Riverside Park"
"Attempted Child Abduction Caught on Camera"
My stomach dropped. "Oh no."
"What?" Braham leaned over to see the screen.
"It's everywhere. The arrest. Martha screaming about..." I couldn't finish.
"About monsters," he finished grimly. "I saw the phones recording."
"What if people believe her? What if they start asking questions about Leo's eyes? About why the car door…" I stopped, remembering how he'd literally ripped it off its hinges. "Braham, you tore off a car door in front of witnesses."
"With adrenaline and the right angle, humans can do incredible things under stress," he said calmly. "That's what the witnesses will convince themselves they saw. And as for Martha's claims about monsters and inhuman eyes? She just tried to kidnap a child. Of course she's going to say crazy things to deflect blame."
"The psych eval," I realized. "That's why the officers requested one."
"Exactly. By the time she's done being evaluated, any claims about golden eyes and supernatural strength will be dismissed as delusion or desperation."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to trust that it would be that simple.
But I'd learned the hard way that nothing was ever that simple.
"There's something else," I said quietly. "The journalist. The one who distracted us."
"Daniel Chen. Renan's team is tracking him."
"What if he talks? What if he tells people Martha hired him?"
"Then she's even more guilty," Braham pointed out. "Conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Premeditation. It only makes her look worse."
He was right, but anxiety still gnawed at my stomach.
Another buzz. This time a call from an unknown number.
I answered without thinking. "Hello?"
"Ms. Harvey?" A woman's voice, professional and clipped. "This is Detective Sarah Morrison with the Metro PD. I need to schedule a time for you to come in and give your full statement about today's incident."
"Of course. When?"
"Monday morning, if possible. Nine AM?"
"I'll be there."
"Bring your lawyer. And Ms. Harvey?" Her voice softened slightly. "I'm glad your son is safe."
The call ended.
"Monday morning," I told Braham. "Full statement."
"I'll come with you."
"You don't have to…"
"I'm coming," he said, leaving no room for argument. "You're not facing this alone."
I leaned back against him, letting his warmth seep into my bones. Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
Somewhere in a holding cell, Martha was probably still screaming about monsters.
Somewhere in the city, Sabrina was free, unaware that her daughter had just been arrested.
And upstairs, my son slept, his wolf already stirring beneath his skin.
Everything had changed today.
But as Braham's arms tightened around me and I heard Leo's soft breathing through the baby monitor, I realized something else:
We'd survived.
Martha had made her move, and we were ready.
And now, finally, we could start fighting back.
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too," Braham murmured against my hair. "Both of you. And I'm never letting anything hurt you again."
It was a promise he couldn't fully keep…life didn't work that way.
But God help anyone who tried to prove him wrong.
- Writer
