He Knows the Door to My Soul and Who Forgot to Novel 30
Natalia and Damon arrive home after a tense confrontation with Andrei, leaving Natalia feeling emotionally heavy and conflicted. Damon reassures her that she did the right thing, reminding her that protecting the twins, Max and Jane, is the priority since Andrei might try to take them away if he learns the truth. Despite Damon’s support, Natalia is troubled by Andrei’s unexpected reaction to her revealing she had an abortion—his face showed genuine hurt rather than anger or relief, making her question if he secretly wanted a family with her.
Once inside, Natalia checks on the twins, finding them still awake and reading together. Jane excitedly embraces her mother, while Max proudly claims he protected the house and his sister during her absence. However, Max soon notices a strange scent on Natalia, which turns out to be Andrei’s lingering smell from their earlier encounter. This discovery unsettles Natalia, especially when Max, with his keen instincts, identifies the scent as belonging to their “real daddy,” Andrei.
Jane reacts with excitement to the idea of having a “real daddy,” while Natalia feels a tightening in her throat, aware of how perceptive Max is despite his young age. She understands that Max’s wolf instincts have recognized Andrei’s scent, a biological mechanism that connects pups to their pack and rank. This moment highlights the complex emotions and challenges Natalia faces as she tries to protect her children from Andrei’s influence while grappling with her own feelings about their father.
Chapter 30
Natalia
The sun had already gone down by the time Damon and I pulled into our driveway. My legs felt heavy, and my heart even heavier after that confrontation with Andrei.
Damon put the car in park and turned to me. “Don’t beat yourself up,” he said gently, reaching across the console to lace his fingers with mine. “You did what you had to do.”
I let him hold my hand, but I looked away. “I just can’t shake the feeling that despite everything, telling him I had an abortion was… wrong.”
“You have to protect the twins. You know he’ll try to take them if he finds out about them.”
I sighed softly, knowing he was right. But the look on Andrei’s face when I had told him I’d had an abortion had taken me by surprise–his expression had crumpled in an instant, going from smug satisfaction to pain and shock.
I had expected him to be angry at the most, or maybe even relieved that he didn’t need to worry about his
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namesake being taken from him. But he had looked genuinely hurt, like I had broken his heart.
Did Andrei really wish we’d had a family after all?
But regardless of the unknowns, Damon really was right. Max and Jane were my entire world; I couldn’t risk Andrei taking them from me. I especially couldn’t risk Lilith sinking her claws into them.
After taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I followed Damon into the house. It was quiet at this hour, the children already in bed. But I knew they would be awake anyway, waiting for us to come home, so I made my way upstairs to the twins‘ room to check on them.
“Ah, just as I suspected,” I cooed as I stepped into the room, folding my arms across my chest and smirking. “Still awake, even past your bedtime.”
I heard a gasp and a little giggle come from beneath the sheet that was propped up on the bottom bunk bed, illuminated by a flashlight. Jane threw the covers back, revealing herself and her brother sitting cross–legged with a picture book between them.
“Mommy!” Jane cried out, leaping up and practically launching herself into my arms. I caught her, laughing, and ruffled her hair. “We missed you!”
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“I missed you too, baby,” I said between kisses. Once I had sufficiently smooched every inch of her sweet little face, I set her down and reached for Max.
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Max was always the more serious of the two, and puffed his chest out as I approached, although I could see the way he was trying to suppress a grin. “I protected everyone while you were gone.”
“Is that so?” I gathered him into my arms and kissed the top of his head. “I can see you did a very good job. The house is still standing and your sister is in one piece.”
Max bristled at the praise, but then sniffed the air twice. When he pulled back to look at me, his nose was wrinkled like he had smelled something foul.
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“You smell funny.”
I frowned and instinctively sniffed my armpit. I had been traveling all day, so maybe I needed a shower–but I didn’t smell anything odd.
Except for…
His scent. Andrei’s. It lingered on my skin where he had touched me earlier, although it was faint.
“Oh,” I said, my pulse spiking slightly, “Mommy… met an old friend today.”
Max tilted his head, dark curls bobbing with the motion, and Jane furrowed her brow. “What sort of friend?” she asked. “Like Uncle Damon?”
I hesitated, chewing my lower lip, and considered how much to tell them. They were far too young to understand the extent of it, and I had always told them that they basically didn’t have a biological father–that Damon was their only true father figure now.
But even then, the thought of lying about seeing Andrei felt wrong. Almost as wrong as lying about having an abortion.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to make a decision before Max sniffed me. Again.
“It smells like…” He wrinkled his nose again and looked up with me with those eyes that were so beyond their four short years. “Daddy?”
Jane gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth. My eyes widened as she practically shrieked with excitement, You saw our real daddy?”
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My throat tightened. Max was always too astute for his age, and even without ever having seen Andrei personally, his wolf must have recognized the scent. Pups could sometimes be even more attuned to it at that age–it was an ancient biological failsafe put in place to ensure that pups knew which pack they belonged to and what rank they
were.
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The weight of the day’s revelations settled heavily on Natalia’s heart, yet in the quiet moments with her children, she found a fragile solace. The innocence of Max and Jane, their unwavering love and trust, reminded her of what truly mattered—their safety and happiness above all else. Despite the lingering doubts and the painful memories of her encounter with Andrei, Natalia’s resolve to protect her family remained unshaken, tethering her to hope amidst the storm.
In these tender exchanges, the complex emotions of loss, love, and protection intertwined, revealing the depth of Natalia’s internal struggle. The scent of Andrei, faint yet unmistakable, was a stark reminder of the past she could neither erase nor fully confront. Yet, surrounded by the warmth of her children and Damon’s steady presence, Natalia embraced the imperfect, messy reality of her life, finding strength in the bonds that truly defined her family.
The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the tangled emotions swirling around Natalia and Damon’s fragile family dynamic. As the twins begin to sense the undercurrents of truth behind their mother’s guarded words, the delicate balance Natalia strives to maintain faces new challenges. The lingering scent of Andrei not only stirs confusion and curiosity in Max and Jane but also hints at the unresolved tensions that could threaten to unravel the sanctuary Natalia has built around her children.
Emotional stakes will rise as Natalia grapples with protecting her twins from the shadows of their past while confronting the unexpected vulnerability Andrei’s reaction revealed. The question of whether Andrei truly harbors a desire for family adds layers of complexity and uncertainty, setting the stage for intimate confrontations and difficult decisions. Readers will find themselves drawn into the quiet but potent battles of trust, loyalty, and love that lie just beneath the surface, eager to see how Natalia will navigate the fragile threads connecting them all.
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.