My Baby Daddy Isn't Human-Chapter 197: In The Aisles

The soft ticking of the wall clock echoed faintly in the quiet staff room, blending with the faint rustle of papers and distant footsteps from the library outside. Axel sat slumped on the worn leather chair, his elbows resting on his knees while his fingers tangled through his disheveled hair. His brow furrowed deeply, a heavy sigh escaping from his lips as he rubbed his temples.

Raelynn’s face kept flashing in his mind—pale, fragile, yet still managing to smile despite everything she had been through. The image of Elion standing beside her in the hospital room twisted something inside him, a dull ache that refused to leave. The knowledge that she was pregnant... it gnawed at him relentlessly.

"Damn it..." he muttered under his breath, closing his eyes tightly. Why was this bothering him so much? He should be happy for her... right?

A sudden, crazy thought flickered in his mind—one he quickly shoved away. Maybe... just maybe... Elion was the fa—

Axel’s eyes snapped open, and he hit his own head lightly with the heel of his palm. "Don’t be stupid," he muttered to himself. "That’s impossible."

The faint knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Axel straightened up quickly, brushing his fingers through his dark hair to smooth it out before glancing toward the door. No one entered. Just someone passing by.

He let out another sigh and pushed himself to his feet. Sitting here like this wouldn’t help. Maybe working would clear his head.

Stepping out of the staff room, the familiar scent of old paper and polished wood greeted him. The library was peaceful at this hour. He grabbed a small stack of books from the return cart and made his way to the shelves, letting the rhythmic task of placing each book in its proper place occupy his restless mind.

The soft thud of a book sliding onto the shelf filled the silence. Axel suddenly felt the faint presence of someone approaching the aisle. Without glancing, he knew exactly who it was.

"What are you doing here, Thalia?" Axel’s voice broke the quiet without him even glancing back.

A soft chuckle echoed from behind him. "Wow, not even going to pretend to be surprised?"

Axel finally turned his head, his hazel eyes narrowing at his younger sister leaning casually against the end of the aisle. Thalia grinned, her arms crossed over her chest, her long auburn hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders.

"I’m your sister. Maybe I just wanted to see you hard at work."

Axel snorted, returning his attention to the books. "You’ve seen me now. You can leave."

"Aww, don’t be like that. So cold." Thalia pushed off the wall and strolled closer, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor. "Besides... I heard you had an interesting little date yesterday. Tell me the full story."

Axel’s fingers froze mid-air before he quickly resumed placing the book back. "What date?"

Thalia’s grin widened like a cat playing with its prey. "Don’t play dumb, big brother. I asked around. You were with Raelynn yesterday, weren’t you?"

Axel shot her a glare over his shoulder. "Since when is it your job to stalk me?"

"Geez, don’t make it sound like I’m some creepy stalker. That’s gross." Thalia wrinkled her nose, flicking a strand of hair over her shoulder. "I was just... curious. Besides, you know how small this town is. News travels fast."

Axel exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned away. He knew Thalia had been around yesterday—whether she was looking for him or just checking in on the situation, he wasn’t sure. Either way, when she couldn’t find him, she probably asked one of his colleagues.

That was fine. Annoying, but fine.

It was still better than having Thalia tailing him and Raelynn directly. The last thing he needed was for her to start connecting dots she wasn’t supposed to. She was persistent, always looking for answers, always digging where she shouldn’t. It was part of what made her good at what she did, but right now, it was a problem.

Axel flexed his fingers, forcing himself to stay calm. As long as she was just asking around and not following them, he could manage. But if she pushed too far—if she got too close—he wasn’t sure what he’d have to do to stop her.

Axel clicked his tongue, turning back to his task. "Curious, huh?"

Thalia leaned against the shelf, her sharp blue eyes watching him closely. "So? Did you find out anything new about her? Any juicy details? What about that other guy? You saw him too, right?"

Axel’s jaw tightened. He didn’t like the way Thalia always poked around in other people’s business, especially when it came to Raelynn.

"Yeah, I saw him. Probably just a friend of hers. Nothing special."

Thalia pouted dramatically. "Boring... I was hoping for something more exciting."

Axel rolled his eyes and kept stacking the books, pretending not to care—but the truth was, every little detail about Raelynn tugged at his chest. He hated how easily Thalia could get under his skin.

"Alright, fine," Thalia sighed, pushing off the shelf. "I’ll leave you alone. For now."

Axel glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she started walking away, her back turned to him.

"Try not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong," he muttered.

Thalia threw a wave over her shoulder, her voice light. "No promises."

Axel watched her until she disappeared down the aisle, leaving only the faint echo of her footsteps behind.

Once she was gone, the silence settled heavy again.

Axel exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the shelf. His chest felt tight. He could have told Thalia more, but something deep inside him refused to share those details.

He needed to be careful.

Thalia was sharp—too sharp. If he gave her even a little more, she would start digging, and that was the last thing he could afford. Raelynn’s situation was already precarious enough without someone like Thalia poking around where she shouldn’t.

Thalia couldn’t find out anything more. He had to keep her at arm’s length, no matter how curious she got.

His own fears clawed at the edges of his thoughts. He had buried them deep, convincing himself they were just paranoia. But if they weren’t? If his suspicions were right?

It would be the end.