After a one-night stand I had three kids novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200

The last time I was this nervous about my work was when I first applied to be an intern for Xocht. Knight is reviewing my drawings and the samples of fabric I’ve been pinning to them so I can get the correct mannequins for the measurements Felicity sent over.

“How did you come up with these?” he asks after a long while. His voice startles me.

“Erm,” is the sound that comes out of me. “How the fuck should I know?”

“Whoa. Why did you get defensive?” he grins.

“Where do your songs come from?” I shoot back.

“Angel, I didn’t mean to upset you. 1-” he shrugs. “It’s like you took them right out of my head. They’re amazing,” he says, standing up and taking my hand. I don’t move when he tries to pull me with him. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

Okay, so I might have overreacted because I firmly believed he wouldn’t like it. What kind of question was that? I don’t know where the hell any of the designs come from. I put the pencil to the paper and my body does its thing.

My brain is just wired for that. It’s not like when I’m learning the laws, studying the traditions, or trying to be a new werewolf. This manifested in me, and I nurtured it at a time when I had nothing else but this.

We go to our room. He goes into the closet and comes back with a leather–bound book. He waves me over to the bed and flips through the pages. He hands it to me.

“Is this where you write your lyrics?”

“And notes. And doodles,” he motions it. I take and immediately get goosebumps.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah,” he smiles.

There, along the margins of the pages, are little chibi–style doodles that resemble the designs in my portfolio. I turn the pages. His writing is impeccable. Gentle in some places. Happy maybe. Some pages have deep grooves where he was upset, sad, or maybe angry enough to push the pen deep into the

paper.

I’ve always wondered where Aizen got the urge to want to write. The desire to perfect the words on the page, even if they were just his name, Ayrie’s, or my own. It relaxes him. He really tried to make the letters the prettiest when Ayrie was in the hospital. He would sit beside her and write her name over and over as if writing it would help her get better. She would smile at him, and once she got better, she would fold them into origami hearts. I kept them

all.

“This is weird,” I admit, and shut the book, a little creeped out. “Do you think it’s because we’re connected?”

“It’s the only thing that might make sense,” he says, setting the book aside.

“I’m a little freaked out that this song is the song we’ve bonded over through our freaky bond.” I laugh.

“Me too. Flames of Desire is about-”

“Domination,” we both laugh.

“It could be because we’re both-”

“Assholes?” I provide.

“Alphas,” he laughs.

those

“I love them. They’re a lot better than the crap I drew.”

“I like your doodles. Where did you pick up that style?”

“Style?”

“It’s the chibi anime style. The kids watch it on TV a lot.”

“I just recently picked it up. It’s how some of my dreams have been manifesting, I didn’t make the connection until now. I want to talk to you about something concerning Ayrie now that you mention it.”

“Is she okay?” My stomach flips.

“Yeah, she’s perfect. It’s the connection she has with me.”

“With you?”

“Yes, I am her father,” he says with a smile. “I’ve been talking to my dad about our shared affinities. I think I’ve been dreaming in this art style because she’s currently obsessed with it. When we first met, I would dream about being in museum–like areas, and the images were on frames along the walls. Hundreds of them playing at the same time. Sounds coming at me from everywhere. It wasn’t easy to sleep.

“I thought it was happening because I was spending so much time with them. Learning what they like and connecting. But now I know it’s much more than that. I’m seeing things that have nothing to do with me.

“Her nightmares are very violent. It’s always the same ones. Three. The first one is about the first time she was poisoned. She didn’t want to eat the food. Her brother came in and made her eat it. The wolfsbane that was used suppressed those memories. And they show up as nightmares when she’s scared.

“It’s what calls on her wolf. What causes the sleep paralysis and the terrors. Because she’s completely linked to Aizen, he feels that fear. Officially becoming part of the pack without her will help him better control her fear. It will make him stronger. His focus will be more on them than her.”

“What about her?”

“She will be a whole lot stronger than we are. Her affinities are guiding her. At her age, I was out on the field helping with the wounded beside my dad. It’s not painful. It’s actually relieving. It’s a really good way to release tension. Especially after long nights. She’s been sleeping so well because of the

attack.”

“Has Arnold been keeping track of that?”

“Yeah, and he wanted me to be the one to tell. He says he mettles too much and that he wanted us to have our privacy when it comes to the pups.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I agree,” he laughs. “But the information he’s gathered is invaluable. A lot of the stuff happening to her has happened to both of us already, and we know how to help her deal with it.”

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