Artificial Insemination

Chapter Eight

It's when the baby bump started showing in the tiniest inkling, that the routine changed.

Dale was definitely more reluctant to touch her. 

The time between scent marking sessions were becoming further and fewer in between, and when he did scent her, it was with a five second brush to the neck and a quick pat on the stomach before lurching away. A minute with Layla was almost always followed by immediately scenting his girlfriend or kissing her particularly aggressively.

Layla could tell from Evangeline's silent smiles and soft words to Dale afterward that she was happy about the progression of events.

Consequently, Layla found herself feeling even more isolated and needy than before. 

She was still wearing his shirts, which somehow helped to numb the part of her that cried for attention, and a bunch of his old clothes had appeared in her sleeping pile too. For some reason, she could sleep better when she was completely swaddled- his shirts and trousers and random cushions and blankets surrounding her. 

Evangeline had taken a look at her one morning, wearing about three different jumpers while looking miserable, and had mumbled something to Dale about nesting- like she was some sort of damn bird. 

Since then, he'd actively helped her to look for things to add to her pile.

He was also indulging her in her many food cravings. 

They had started up just as suddenly and she'd found herself desiring tubs of mint ice cream and salted pickles to the point where it hurt. At the first point of distress, he'd be rushing out to the shops to appease her.

If Layla was honest with herself, she would say that the excessive cravings were probably a type of coping mechanism. Shoving food in her mouth gave her something to concentrate on, a way to eat away the boredom and loneliness while having some sick sense of satisfaction that Dale was the one to provide the food for her.

For goodness sake, she didn't even like mint.

Those were the thoughts that plagued her as she tried to sleep, back aching unbearably and eyes burning from exhaustion. 

She didn't wish to be ungrateful, but it was moments like these that she wanted her own room, with her own bed- one that was surely more comfortable than the living room sofa. 

She wanted to adjust her position but could hardly move without cushions spilling off the chair from under her. In the grande scheme of things, she would rather have her nest in tact than risk it all falling apart, so she chose to suffer in silence.

Groaning quietly, she fixed her eyes on the ticking clock and hoped that she'd actually end up getting some sleep before the morning.

Tick.

Tick.

Her eyes snapped to the darkened hallway as she heard the clicking of a door, breath leaving her in a whoosh as a pair of eyes made their appearance. 

Dale. 

She didn't know if it was tiredness that was making her hallucinate but she could have sworn that it looked like his eyes were glowing.

He was walking towards her.

There was a sorry on the tip of her tongue as she wracked her brain for what may have woke him up. Probably the groaning, she thought. Yet before the word could leave her lips, he was standing in front of her, looking down with those luminous eyes until the apology dried up. 

She couldn't find it in her to speak and ruin the moment.

There was cool, sharp relief as he dropped to his knees and stuck his nose in her neck, the aching in her back fading away to almost nothing as that infernal need within her was quenched.