My Baby Daddy Isn’t Human

Raelynn stood before a full-length mirror, her reflection gazing back at her as she tugged the final ribbon of her dress into place. Her outfit hugged her just right, the pale blue material smooth and light, a little reminder of her lavish lifestyle.

As she smoothed her hands over the flowing skirt, a flicker of memory surfaced—her dream from the night before. She frowned slightly, her fingers pausing. The vision of herself in that silver gown, walking down the grand staircase, came rushing back.

"Probably just a reaction to all of… this," she muttered, gesturing vaguely at the extravagant room around her. Her voice was low, but the thought lingered. Maybe the dream was her mind's way of grappling with the drastic changes in her life. From struggling to make ends meet to waking up in a mansion with a walk-in closet bigger than her old apartment—it wasn't surprising her subconscious was playing tricks on her.

Or was it because Elion had called her princess?

Her cheeks grew warm at the memory. She pressed her cool hands to her face, groaning. "Stop it," she whispered harshly to herself. "It doesn't mean anything."

She turned away from the mirror and grabbed a small bracelet from the table. As she fastened it around her wrist, she shook her head. "Argh, stop with the princess nonsense!" she muttered louder, stomping her foot lightly in frustration.

The closet door swung open, and Hera appeared, her eyes wide with panic. "Raelynn! What's wrong?"

Raelynn stopped in her tracks, caught off guard. Hera's worried look softened as she checked her over and relaxed when she saw nothing was wrong.

"Nothing!" Raelynn said quickly, her hands flying up in protest. "Really, it's nothing. I just… stubbed my toe," she added lamely, her cheeks heating again.

Hera sighed, placing a hand on her chest. "You scared me half to death," she muttered, brushing her dark curls behind her ear. "Please don't scream like that unless it's serious."

Raelynn offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Won't happen again."

Hera gave her a small nod before leaving, and as the door closed, Raelynn exhaled a long breath. "Great," she muttered to herself. "Now I'm the crazy lady who talks to herself in the closet."

**

By the time Raelynn reached the dining room, she had composed herself. The smell of coffee and pastries hit her, making her stomach growl. The dining room looked as grand as always, with its high ceilings and polished table. Elion sat at the head of the table, his dark hair catching the light as he read something on his tablet. Sloane lounged to his right, casually sipping her coffee with an amused expression.

"Finally," Sloane said with a teasing lilt as Raelynn entered. "Your bride has arrived." She directed the comment at Elion, her smirk widening.

Raelynn's steps faltered, her face flushing. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes as she approached the table. "I'm not his bride."

Sloane chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "Who knows? You're already the mother of his child. An upgrade might be in the works."

Raelynn opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, realizing there was no point in arguing with Sloane's playful jabs. Instead, she sank into her chair, avoiding Elion's gaze as she reached for her glass of water.

Her mind wandered briefly to the night before when she had explored Elion's home office. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, half-expecting him to bring it up or give her some disapproving look. But he said nothing, his expression calm and unreadable as he sipped his coffee.

Maybe he's not mad, she thought, though the thought did little to ease her nerves. It's a good thing.

She busied herself with her breakfast, cutting into her eggs and chewing slowly. But her attention kept drifting to Elion, wondering what he was thinking.

She reached for the pepper shaker at the same time Elion did, and their hands brushed. Her breath hitched, her fingers freezing in place as his hand settled over hers, firm and warm. For a moment, neither of them moved. His touch grounded her in a way she didn't expect, but it also stirred something deeper—something she didn't quite know how to name.

Then he pulled back his hand, his expression as unreadable as ever—but the sensation lingered.

Sloane let out a low whistle, leaning her elbow on the table as she grinned. "Oh, how cute. Being a third wheel really doesn't suit me," she said, her tone dripping with mock pity.

Elion shot a glare at Sloane, but she just kept eating her breakfast with a huge smile, totally unfazed. Of course, that wasn't going to stop her teasing them anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Raelynn's face burned, and she quickly grabbed the pepper shaker, sprinkling it over her eggs with far more focus than necessary. When she was done, she slid it toward Elion without a word. He grabbed it easily, moving as smoothly and gracefully as ever.

"Thanks," he said softly.

Raelynn nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She focused intently on her plate, willing her cheeks to cool down.

Why am I acting like this? she thought, stabbing at her eggs with her fork. It's just a stupid little moment. Get over it!

But no matter how much she told herself to brush it off, she couldn't ignore the fluttering sensation in her chest, the way her hand still tingled where his had touched it.

She risked a glance at Elion, who was now calmly sprinkling pepper onto his own breakfast. He didn't seem the least bit affected, his expression cool and composed as always.

Of course, she thought with a huff. It's nothing to him. Just me being silly.

She shoved another bite of eggs into her mouth, determined to finish her breakfast without letting her thoughts spiral further. But even as the conversation shifted around her, she couldn't quite shake the memory of that fleeting touch—or the way it had made her heart race.