Maggie Grey #3
“Let her go!” Raven yelled. “He’s not gonna hurt her! She got family right here that will have that mothafucking wolf hanging by a tree in three seconds flat!”
“Mama?!” Bree groaned. “Pleaseee!”
“Maggie!?” My mother yelled. “Come here! Just wait a minute!”
I slowly walked towards Namir, cautious as his chest began to heave. I could see the moon in his eyes, and I always thought…I always thought that’s what he saw when he looked at me but no…It was him. It’s always been him.
“Namir?” I called out.
He licked his lips, eyes darkening for a moment before walking around the car.
He stopped for a second. Only for a second as my eyes began to swell with tears.
Blinking them back, I could hear my mom calling my name, demanding I come back in the house with her, but I felt myself walking towards him because all I saw was this man.
I only ever saw him, and I wasn’t sure if that was now a good or bad thing.
He took one step as I stopped, then another until I was standing before him.
Slowly, I raised on my toes and slid my arms around his neck to hold as his body finally relaxed against mine.
“They’re fine!” Seth shouted. “He’s good with her! Everybody back in the house! Let the love birds be!”
“Maggie?!” My mother yelled but I could hear them trying to force her back inside. “Maggie!?”
“Girl hush! She is a grown woman! What is wrong with you?!” Raven fussed. “Get in the house!”
This is who I wanted to see more than anybody I realize…I felt him snuggle in the crook of my neck as he backed me up against the car and just inhaled.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured against his skin.
Pulling my head back to look up at him, I knew I was crying and of course he just stared at me with those damn puppy eyes and smug expression like I was his hopeless goofy girlfriend.
“I am…so so sooooo…sorry for the things I said. I thought I could do things on my own and get my parents. I said you weren’t enough, but you are more than I could ever ask for. I took you for granted and…”
Namir groaned, almost suspiciously sounding like a growl as he wrapped his arms around my body again and snuggled against my neck.
Only to pull back as he looked down at me before meeting his lips with mine.
Then we kissed…It felt like the very first time, stumbling and trying to find our comfort spot before taking each other in just from the pure feeling of missing one another.
Only for him to suddenly pull back as he looked down at me.
“Come here. We need to talk,” he said, reaching for my hand.
I looked back at the house, seeing all the eyes peeking through the door and window blinds before they jerked closed.
Smiling, I took his arm instead as we began to walk off the property.
Down the empty dirt road where there were no lights, no homes nearby or cars coming.
There was still tension between us but not like before.
I guess neither of us wanted to speak first but just as I cleared my throat, he began.
“I shouldn’t have blamed you for…what happened with my brother or family.
I…I think I just wanted to respond to me not being enough for you and…
It hasn’t sat right with me since.” I didn’t say anything at first because I knew he was trying to sort through his own feelings.
“A lot has happened since you’ve been…gone. ”
“So I heard…You went to break the spell from my parents,” I said. Namir looked ahead; jaw still tight like he was upset at the thought before nodding. “Thank you. I don’t…Souxie said that was your plan all along and you wanted to be the one to do it but then they showed up.”
“Mmmm hmm.”
We continued to walk underneath the night sky as fields stretched across for miles on both sides.
There was no longer a moon in the sky but based on how bright the clouds were against the night; I could tell it was close.
I turned to look at Namir as he continued to look ahead, a little beefier, a little stronger in the face, and more…
I don’t know. He didn’t look the same as before.
Maybe that’s what the girls meant when they saw me.
“I was going to propose to you,” he suddenly admitted. I froze, heart fluttering before nervously pounding in my throat. “My plan was to save your parents, get them involved, and have you as my wife.”
He stopped walking, realizing I hadn’t moved as he looked at me.
“What changed?” I asked, unsure of what he was about to say.
“A lot,” he said. “I’ve changed…You’ve…” His eyes poured over my frame with a heavy inhale and exhale of his chest. “You’re not the same as before and at the time, I believed proposing to you would keep you safe under my protection. That was the true reason I was doing it.”
“To keep me safe?”
He nodded, almost as if he was embarrassed to admit it.
“That shouldn’t have been my only reason, but it was all I was thinking about when it comes to you. How do I, as your man, protect you from this world? Then I met your mom…and my mind…has changed.”
“Oh,” I said, unsure of what that meant. Your mind changed because of my mom? What did she say? What did that mean about us going forward?
“I’ve become Alpha.”
My eyes widened as my mouth slowly fell open at the admission.
I knew he told me if he ever did it, his priorities would change, and things would be different.
He probably wouldn’t be at Drew Collins anymore and he realized some time ago, he didn’t want that.
He enjoyed the quiet laid back life with me but given what I am, that probably wouldn’t be possible.
“That’s…a big change,” I said with a deep swallow. “You always said you didn’t want to do that…”
“Yeah…I know.” We were quiet like two strangers walking along at night on an empty dark street. “I don’t think your mom likes me,” he admitted. I found myself trying to grin back the tears because why did this sound like a breakup coming on? For crying out loud, I was literally gone a day…
“No…She’s just very protective over me,” I said as I looked down at my bare feet. “She’s always been that way and hasn’t really seen me in an actual relationship.”
“Nah,” shaking his head. “It’s not just that. She…I don’t want to be…”
He stopped himself when he saw the look in my eyes so instead, Namir took my hand in his to hold.
“You are mine in this life and next. I pledge my soul, my heart, my fang, my seeds only to you Maggie Grey. There is nobody else I want to be with, not now, not ever.”
I felt my shoulders slowly relax as I nodded because I heard the but, at the end of his declaration.
“I learned some things about myself,” he went on as he brought my hands to his nose to smell.
“I learned things about you, your upbringing and meeting your family…I want nothing more than to take you home, lock you away in our bedroom and never let you see the light as you lay beneath me, taking every…inch of my love, my heart, my aggression, and my affection. I want you by my side always and I always want to have eyes on you…but…. I don’t think that’s right.
I want you to have space to be you, figure you out and learn everything there is to learn about navigating in this life.
I don’t want to hover over you all the time but if and when you need me, I’m right here. ”
I clamped my mouth shut to keep from showing my fangs. I turned my head to the side to silently cry because damn it, that was good! Namir stepped even closer as I looked back at him because everything I was going to attempt to say, he said it for me.
“Damn it, Namir.” I whimpered with a sniff. He grinned.
“That was good, wasn’t it? I wrote some of this down.”
“I can tell. The whole time I’m thinking, shit that’s good,” I said with sincerity in my voice. “Who came up with the words?” Namir sucked his teeth as he pushed my hands away and walked off. “I’m serious! Was it one of those lil skimpy track star girls that sit at the front in your class?”
“Mannn go head on somewhere, Maggie.”
I rushed up towards him, keeping up with his pace as we walked side by side.
“So you’re alpha now,” I said. “What does that make me? Am I just the human girlfriend on the side?”
“Noo…You’re…my mate…I pledged my allegiance and loyalty to you in front of everyone so technically we’re married according to my side of the family.”
“Oh? Ohhhh!” I suddenly let out. “So all of that…Maggie, I want you to learn about yourself and have space to be yourself blah blah blaaaah,” I mocked in a deep voice. “All of that was just a man talking to his damn wife anyway.”
“It’s different–––”
“You’re damn right it’s different. I want a real wedding. The ring. My family, a church or party and I want a honeymoon.”
“I hear you,” Namir said, trying to hide his smile. “I’ll give you all of that and more when you’re ready.”
“I can’t believe you…” I said with a shake of my head. “You just… Are we for life?”
“For life.”
“Ahhh hell nah,” I groaned with my hands in the air, playfully acting distressed. “I bet it was in some random woods just by a rec center or public park too.”
“Maggie?” He called out with his warning tone, letting me know I was teetering on his nerves, but I didn’t care. I’ll dance on them if I have to.
“I’m just trying to figure out how this works because you don’t want to marry me just to protect me but still did it anyway.” I sighed in sudden defeat. “What am I going to do with you, pup?”
“Love on me,” he said with a charming smile, easily realizing he just got away with murder. No wonder my mom probably doesn’t like him!
“Yeaaaa yeaa I’ll love on you alright,” I grumbled with a smirk.