Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Chapter 179
Seraphina’s POV

“Mama!”

The world tilted sideways.

One second I was standing there, frozen in place, processing the impossible sight of this tiny girl running toward me. The next, she crashed into my legs with enough force to make me stumble backward.

Small arms wrapped around my knees like iron bands. A face pressed against my thighs. “I—” My voice came out strangled. Wrong. “I think you’ve got the wrong person, sweetheart.”

But she didn’t let go. Just held on tighter, her small body trembling with what might have been excitement or relief or something I couldn’t name.

“Sera?” Caleb’s voice cut through my shock. “Do you know this kid?”

“No.” The word came out too fast. “No, I don’t know her.”

My heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. In my fingertips. In every cell of my body screaming that something was very, very wrong with this situation.

All I could do was stare down at the top of this little girl’s head—dark hair in slightly messy pigtails, one ribbon starting to come loose.

*Just like I used to do Lily’s hair. Always one ribbon looser than the other because she’d fidget.*

“Hey,” I said softly, my voice shaking despite my best efforts. “Hey, sweetie. I think there’s been a mistake.”

The little girl pulled back just enough to look up at me, and—

Oh.

Her eyes.

They were like looking into the ocean at dawn—blue and green swirled together in a way that didn’t quite match mine but felt achingly familiar. Lighter than my emerald green, but with that same depth. That same intensity.

“You have pretty eyes,” she said seriously, studying my face with the kind of concentration only small children possessed. “Like the forest. That’s what Daddy says. ‘Mama has forest eyes.'”

My throat closed up completely. “I… that’s very sweet, but—”

“And black hair!” She reached out with one small hand, fingers barely brushing my hair where it fell over my shoulder. “Daddy says Mama has hair like nighttime. Soft and dark and pretty.”

Each word was a knife between my ribs. Twisting. Cutting deeper.

“Sweetie, I’m not—” I had to stop and swallow hard. “I’m not your mama. You’ve made a mistake.”

Her bottom lip pushed out in the most devastating pout I’d ever seen. “But you look just like her!”

“I’m sure I do.” I managed something that might have been a smile. My face felt frozen. “Your mama sounds beautiful. But honey, are you lost? Can’t you find your mommy?”

The little girl’s expression shifted—something complicated passing across her small face. Sadness, maybe. Or confusion. Or something else I couldn’t quite read.

“I’ve never seen my mama,” she said, so matter-of-fact it made my chest ache. “She’s not around.”

My hands were shaking worse now. I clasped them together in my lap, trying to hold myself together.

“But Daddy tells me about her all the time!” The little girl’s face brightened again, that devastating pout transforming into an excited smile that showed her baby tooth. “He says she’s beautiful and kind and brave. He says she has black hair and green eyes and the most wonderful smile in the whole world.”

“He says—” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper like she was sharing a secret. “He says she’s the strongest person he’s ever known. Even stronger than him. And Daddy’s really, really strong!”

“I’m sure he is,” I managed. My voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. “But honey, I’m not—”

“You have to be!” Her hands reached up, small fingers trying to touch my face. “You look exactly like how Daddy described! And you’re here! You found me!”

I caught her hands gently, holding them between mine. They were so small. So warm. So achingly familiar in a way that made no sense because I’d never met this child before.

“Sweetheart, listen to me.” I made my voice as gentle as I could. As calm. Even though inside I was screaming. “Sometimes people look similar. Like… like copies. But I’m not your mama.”

Her face crumpled, like I’d just told her the worst news in the world.

The tears spilled over. Down those chubby cheeks. Dripping off her chin.

“Oh, baby.” The endearment slipped out before I could stop it. “Oh, sweetheart, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”

I pulled her closer, my arms going around her small body without conscious thought. She buried her face in my shoulder, her whole body shaking with sobs.

“I just want a mama,” she hiccupped against my neck. “Everyone else has a mama. Why can’t I have one too?”

“Sera.” Caleb’s voice was tight with concern. “Maybe we should find her parents. Her dad must be looking for her.”

I pulled back gently, keeping my hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “He’s right. Your daddy must be so worried about you. Do you know where he is?”

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, sniffling. “We were getting cupcakes. Will you come meet Daddy? He’ll be so happy! He’s been looking for Mama forever and ever!”

“Sweetie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I gentled my voice, trying to make the rejection hurt less. “Your daddy needs to find you, but I… I have my own children. My own family.”

“You have children?” Her eyes went wide. “How many?”

“Two.” The word caught in my throat. “A boy and a girl.”

“Like me!” She bounced on her toes, excitement replacing sadness with that mercurial speed only children possessed. “Are they here? Can I meet them?”

“No, they’re… they’re far away.”

“Oh.” Her face fell again. “That’s sad. Don’t you miss them?”

“So you can’t be my mom,” she whispered. “Nobody wants me. Not even you.”

“That’s not—” I started, but she was already pulling away.

“Forget it!” She stomped her foot—that mismatched pink and purple shoe hitting the pavement with surprising force for someone so small. “I don’t need you anyway! I don’t need anybody!”

“Sweetie, wait—”

“NO!” Another stomp. “You’re mean! You’re a mean lady who doesn’t want to be mamas with little girls! I’m gonna find someone BETTER!”

And before I could stop her, before I could reach out and pull her back and tell her all the things I couldn’t say—

She turned and ran.

Those mismatched shoes slapping against the pavement. Those pigtails bouncing wildly. That backward dress flying behind her like small wings.

“Wait!” I scrambled to my feet, my legs weak beneath me. “Come back! You can’t just run off alone!”

But she was fast. So fast. Already turning the corner, disappearing from view.