My Baby Daddy Isn’t Human

Raelynn sat at her usual seat in the dining table, her fingertips lightly brushing the silver fork, mind wandering. Her feet felt perfect now—no more aching or throbbing. It was the first time in a while she could walk without caution, and it gave her a sudden sense of freedom.

She glanced at Elion, who was seated at the head of the table, calmly cutting into his breakfast. The soft clinking of cutlery filled the otherwise silent room. Raelynn bit her lip, debating her next words. She cleared her throat.

"I think I'll go to the library today," she said, watching him from the corner of her eye.

Raelynn bit her lip the moment the words left her mouth. She had no idea why she felt nervous about saying it—probably because she already knew what was coming.

Elion never said yes easily. Not when it came to her going to the library.

He always had something to say, some ridiculous excuse to keep her from going. It's too late.

It's too early. You went yesterday. You'll get bored. It's not safe. The books there aren't interesting anyway.

On and on, like he thought she was some helpless child wandering into danger every time she stepped out of the mansion.

They always bickered about it.

And Raelynn was already prepared to fight him on it today. She had arguments lined up, counterpoints ready, her expression carefully schooled to look just stubborn enough. If he said something about it being unsafe, she'd remind him that nothing had ever happened. If he told her she'd get bored, she'd tell him it wasn't his problem.

She was ready.

But instead—

"Okay. Just go."

Raelynn blinked, her thoughts coming to a crashing halt.

She stared at Elion, waiting for him to change his mind. To throw in some comment, to sigh and say, Actually, never mind, like he had so many times before.

But he didn't. He just continued eating, as if he hadn't just broken the pattern she had come to expect from him.

"Huh?"

Elion didn't even pause his motion. "I said, go ahead."

Raelynn blinked. That was... too easy. She squinted at him, her brows furrowing. "Really?"

Raelynn stared at him, suspicion creeping into her expression.

Who knew what Elion was up to? He never let her go anywhere without some sort of argument first. Yet today, he was just… letting her?

It didn't sit right.

She narrowed her eyes, watching him carefully as he continued eating like nothing was out of the ordinary. No smug smirk, no teasing remarks, no last-minute conditions—just a simple go ahead.

Yeah. No way.

Elion always had something up his sleeve.

Maybe he was planning something. Maybe he was just waiting for her to relax before springing some ridiculous rule on her, like you can go, but only for thirty minutes.

Raelynn couldn't fall into his trap.

If she let her guard down now, he'd pull something at the last second—she was sure of it.

Crossing her arms, she tilted her head. Elion finally lifted his gaze, meeting hers with that infuriating calm. "Unless you'd prefer I say no?"

She gawked at him. "I mean... no! But—usually, you—" She gestured vaguely, struggling to find the right words. "You always come up with the most ridiculous reasons why I shouldn't go."

He tilted his head, his silver eyes cool and collected. "I thought you didn't need my permission."

Raelynn's jaw tightened. "I don't. I was just telling you."

A ghost of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "And yet, you hesitated before mentioning it. Seems like you care what I think."

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, flustered. "It's one of the rules, alright?"

Elion gave a low hum before setting his fork down. "Fine. But take Reinhart with you."

Raelynn blinked. "What? Why?"

Before Elion could answer, Reinhart, who had been silently munching on toast at the other end of the table, perked up. "Ooo, a field trip? I'm in."

Elion barely spared him a glance. "You need to spend time somewhere other than a bar or gambling den. The library might make you a little smarter."

Reinhart gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "You hurt me, brother."

Raelynn snorted but quickly masked it with a cough. "Really? The city library? Why not start him off with the one here in the mansion?"

Reinhart leaned forward, grinning. "I've never been to the city library. I'm curious. It could be... enlightening."

Raelynn sighed, looking between the two men. "Fine. But if he causes any trouble, I'm leaving him behind."

Elion gave a small nod, his face remained the same. Reinhart shot him a quick, almost imperceptible glance, and Elion returned it with a subtle tilt of his head. Raelynn, focused on finishing her breakfast, didn't notice.

Raelynn absentmindedly poked at her food, her thoughts drifting. She hadn't expected Elion to asked Reinhart along, but she supposed it wasn't a bad thing.

Having some company wouldn't hurt.

She had been so focused on Elion and his strange, too easy approval that she hadn't even considered the idea of someone else tagging along. But Reinhart was easygoing—annoying sometimes, sure, but not bad company. If anything, he could help balance things out.

"Great!" Reinhart chirped.

Raelynn stood up, smoothing down her dress. The necklace Elion had given her the night before glinted under the sunlight, cool against her skin. She absently fiddled with it, feeling its weight. Without thinking, she asked, "You're really okay with this?"

Elion's gaze dropped to the necklace for a brief moment before returning to her eyes. "You'll be fine."

Somehow, that simple statement felt heavier than it should have.

As Raelynn left the room, Reinhart jogged to catch up, his grin wide. "So, library date, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not a date."

"Sure. Whatever you say, pretty."

Back at the table, Elion sat still for a moment longer, his eyes fixed on the doorway they had just left through. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the wooden surface before he stood up, the quiet scraping of his chair the only sound in the vast dining hall.

He knew the library wasn't as harmless as Raelynn thought. And that necklace? It wasn't just a pretty accessory.

It was her shield.

And she had no idea.