Return Of The Bad Boy Alpha

Naomi

I left the hospital feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Ruby is mad that I didn't say goodnight to Magnus. But she doesn't understand that I am still unsure about accepting him. Sure, he makes me feel things I never thought I would feel. Kissing him makes me fully feel the mate bond. But on the other hand, I have plans. I have a job. Accepting Magnus meant I would have to leave the comfort of what I built behind. I am not ready to give it up.

'You know you like him,' Ruby goaded me.

'Sure, he isn't completely terrible, I mumble back at her. 'But-'

'Quit denying your feelings and accept that he is ours. Why is it so hard for you?' Ruby sighs.

'You live in my mind, Ruby. You should know the answer!

'Do you want to be stuck alone in the Archive for the rest of your life? It's your destiny to be with the one you love to build a life and family! Ruby explains.

'Why is everyone so concerned about me having a family? My brother and sister both have pups. I just want to be left alone.

I hear Ruby huff. 'No, you don't. You are just too scared to confront change. You bury yourself in the Archive to avoid being around others.

'I'm done talking about this,' I snarl at her as we reach the Archive. I am keenly aware that Magnus is following me. But I let him believe I don't notice. I open the door and scramble in and up to my apartment. I turn on the light and sit in a huff on my couch. I start thinking about what I am going to do about Magnus. He has been really good to me. I should give him a genuine chance. "But I don't want to leave the Archive."

'Maybe there is an even better Archive or library at the Royal territory,' Ruby chimes in.

I sit for a few more minutes, just staring into space before getting up to get ready for bed. I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling for a while before falling into a restless sleep. I wake up the next morning feeling like crap. I shower, dress in blue slacks and a plain white blouse, and then pull my hair into a ponytail. I make myself a simple breakfast of cereal and toast.

As I walk down the stairs, I hear someone knocking on the door. I scoff and open it to Magnus, standing there with a big grin on his stupid handsome face. "You asked me to come early. So here I am." He says entirely too cheerful.

I sigh, "Right." I mumble and let him in. "Give me a few minutes to wake up." I walk towards my office, open it up, and turn on all the lights. Magnus saunters in to sit on the chair in front of the desk. He watches my every move, and it annoys me. "Do you have to stare at me like that?"

"Yes," He smirks.

I roll my eyes, slink out of the office and towards the books that need to be sorted. Magnus follows behind me. I point to the pile. "These are books."

"Fascinating," Magnus snorts.

I sigh and pick one up and show him the spine. "Anyways, the numbers here indicate what section and aisle they are supposed to go in. They go alphabetically." I hand him a map with each section of the archive with its corresponding numbers. "The aisle numbers are clearly marked on both ends. Have fun." I say and walk away before he can say anything though I feel his eyes on my back. I go to my office to do some paperwork.

A half-hour later, Magnus walks into my office and sits down. "That was easy. Got anything else for me?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "You are already done? That was a huge pile."

"Yep," He laughs. "I am done."

"That usually takes me an hour and a half for that many books," I get up and look at the counter where unsorted books are put. I walk up and down a few aisles to check his work. He is standing by the front counter whistling. "How did you do that so fast?" Magnus shrugs. "Sorting books isn't exactly rocket science, Naomi."

I sigh. "I guess you can dust," I mumble and walk to the supply closet and open it up. "There are dusters in there. Then if you want, you can clean other things." I head back to my office and sit at the computer. Maximus needs me to polish his speech for tonight. After finishing Maximus's speech, I turn to write up lesson plans for the high school students. I am doing a presentation for them next week, and I want to ensure it's full of the correct information. They are doing a huge project on the great Werewolf versus Vampire War. "Hey, whatcha doing?" Magnus pops his head into my office, making me jump.

"Work," I mumble. He sits in the chair in front of my desk. "I thought you were cleaning."

"All done."

I narrow my eyes at him. "How-"

"Oh please, Naomi. I have been in the military for ten years. Do you know how much cleaning we do in the military? A lot," He laughs. "So, I am really proficient at it."

"Well, then you can go now. I have other stuff to do," I dismiss him, but he stays sitting. "What?"

"I want to spend time with you, and if it means staring at you while you work-"

"Oh gods, please just go, Magnus," I almost whine.

He sighs and gets up. "Fine. But I am coming back at lunch and dragging you out of here to eat with me."

"Whatever," I turn away from him and concentrate on the computer screen. He eventually leaves and I breathe a sigh of relief.

'You know he really wants us.' Ruby says to me.

'Not now, Ruby. I have work to do.'

She growls. 'You always have work to do. My wolf retreats to the back of my mind.

I hunker down and get back to work on my lesson plans and don't notice how much time goes by until there is a knock on the office door, and I look up to see Magnus grinning at me. "What?" "It's lunchtime. Time for a break."

"But-" I try to protest as he saunters towards me, and I am momentarily mesmerized by his scent. I slowly stand up, and he takes my hand. I let him lead me out of the Archive and stare at the stupid motorcycle sitting in front. "Oh, come on," I stomp my foot. "What?" Magnus laughs as he straddles his bike.

"You know I don't like that thing."

"You are hurting Loretta's feelings. Come on. I'm hungry." He says to me, and I just stare at him.

I scoff and hesitantly climb onto Loretta and cling to Magnus. He starts up the bike, and I scream when it starts to move. I bury my face in his back, and his scent comforts me. The ride isn't as long, and we wind up in front of a cafe. He turns off the bike and helps me off. "See, that wasn't so bad?" He grabs my hand.

I just glare at him as he leads me into the café. A hostess greets us and shows us a table. "Can I get you two anything to drink?" She asks.

"Just some water for me," I tell while scanning the menu.

"I'll take a Coke," Magnus replies to her.

There is an awkward silence while we look at the menus. A waitress shows up with our drinks and set them down. "I am Lori, your server. Are you two ready, or do you need another minute?"

"We need another minute," Magnus replies to her, and she walks away. "So, what sounds good to you?"

"A salad, I guess," I mumble.

"Will you be my date tonight for the ceremony?" He blurts out.

"Huh? Oh. You know I have to work at the ceremony." I tell him.

"I mean the after-party. We can dance and have fun and hang out with our families and friends." He explains.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I shrug. "Sure, I guess then."

"Perfect," Magnus smiles, and for a moment, we become lost in each other's eyes.

"Ready?" Lori pipes in, and I shake myself out of my trance.

Magnus smirks and looks at Lori. "I believe we are, Lori. You go first, Naomi."

"I'll have the chicken and avocado salad with ranch," I tell Lori and set my menu down.

"Ooh, I love that salad. Do you want grilled or breaded chicken?"

"Grilled," I reply.

Lori nods and looks at Magnus. "And for you, Alpha Magnus?"

"I'll take the tuna melt with plain chips." He replies to her.

"Cool," Lori finishes writing, grabs the menus, and scurries away.

Magnus and I sit in silence. I look around the restaurant while tapping my fingers on the table. Tingles run through my body when Magnus touches them. I shudder and look at him. "Sorry, was I annoying you?" I ask him. He shakes his head. "No, I just want to know why you are so nervous."

"I'm not nervous. I have anxiety, so I tap on things absentmindedly. It makes people think I am nervous or impatient." I explain.

"Interesting. I know mental illness is not unheard of among werewolves. Not that I am calling you mentally ill," He sighs.

"It's alright. Everyone thinks I am mental. I might have a touch of depression too. My parents don't believe in it. They tell me I have nothing to be depressed about," I tell him.

Magnus lightly brushes my hand. "There are people that don't understand the difference between depression and being depressed," He pauses as I look into his green eyes. "I have studied psychology. It helps me in my work." "Your work is to annihilate packs that break laws," I blurt out, and he chuckles.

"Sort of. We investigate packs for wrongdoing and only annihilate them after. I also do interrogations for the king, and you wouldn't believe how useful psychology is for that," He explains, and I find myself fascinated. "Really? Huh," I nod.

"And as the new leader, I need psychology to help my unit if they need it. Seeing the things we do can do a number on someone's mind. Trauma is widespread among soldiers," He keeps speaking, and I am intently listening. Lori returns with our food, and for a moment, it's ignored. I am too interested in what Magnus has to say. 'See, he isn't the i***t you think he is,' Ruby interjects. 'Hush,' I say to her.

"Having a conversation with Ruby?" Magnus smiles at me. "I really can't wait to see her tonight. And I won't tell you what Kairos wants to do with her." "Ugh," I scoff. "Tell Kairos to keep it sheathed. But yes, Ruby is eager to see Kairos too." I smile as we start eating our food. "This is a good salad."

"This is a good tuna melt," Magnus responds. "Not as good as my mom's, but nothing is as good as what your mom makes."

"I didn't know your mom cooked." I laugh.

He shrugs. "She really doesn't. But she does make good tuna melts."

"My mom is a pretty good cook. I love her lasagna."

"Oh man, I remember," Magnus laughs. "Whenever Bryant told me she was making it, I made sure to invite myself over."

"I remember," I say quietly as my childhood flashed through my mind. I used to avoid Magnus when he came over. "I'm sorry I avoided you so much."

Magnus snorts. "I understand. I was a total asshole back then."

"You were. But I also thought you were cute."

He raises an eyebrow. "Really? You thought I was cute." He sips his Coke. "Do you think I am cute now?"

"Eh, you are alright," I smirk and then laugh.

"Oh, look at that, Naomi has a sense of humor," He laughs, and then we are both laughing. "Why are we laughing so hard?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. We are idiots, I guess."

He touches my hand. "Idiots in love."

I pull my hand back. "I'm not sure about that," I look down.

Magnus sighs heavily. "Sorry, I didn't mean to push it."

We finish our lunch in silence, and then Magnus takes me back to the Archive. He walks me in, and we find ourselves just staring into each other's eyes. He brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear and leans in. I close my eyes as our lips meet. The sparks of our bond make me moan with pleasure as he pushes me against the wall. We deepen the kiss, and this time no images of Josh make me want to stop. I feel the urge to let him take me all the way. I wrap my arms around his neck as he kisses down my neck. "This is where I intend to mark you," He whispers, and I gasp. One of his hands starts to massage my breasts, and my eyes roll into the back of my head as I arch my neck, giving him better access.

We don't hear anyone come into the Archive. "Oh s**t, I have the worst timing." I hear Maximus say.

"Goddammit, Max," Magnus snarls at his twin.

"Sorry, Mag. But I came for my finalized speech and-" He pauses. "Anyways, I'll come back later."

"No," I pull away from Magnus. "It's all ready to go for you." I walk away from my mate without looking back. I ignore Ruby's frustrations in the back of my mind. "I printed it out." I lead Maximus to my office. I pick up the speech and hand it to him. "Tell me if there is anything you want to change."

Maximus reads through it. "This is good. Thank you, Naomi."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight, Alpha," I smile at him.

"I am so nervous," Max says to me.

"You are going to be fine, Max," Magnus says from the doorway of the office. "You got this."

"Thanks, Mag." Max sighs. "Anyways, I'll see you two later."

"Bye," I wave as the brothers have a brief silent conversation. I sit behind my desk and turn on my computer. "I'll see you tonight, Magnus."

He leans across the desk. "I'll pick you up."

"I have to take the dagger and chalice to Elder Flowers and then-"

"And? I will pick you up, silly woman." He leans further and kisses my cheek.

"I don't want to ride the motorcycle to the ceremony," I tell him.

"I can drive other vehicles beside Loretta," He chuckles. "Okay, I will see you later."

"Fine," I concede.

"Can I have one more kiss?" He smiles brightly at me, and like an i***t, I nod. He leans in, and we make out for a minute over the desk before he pulls back. "Damn, it's getting harder to reign in my horny wolf." "Tell me about it," I mumble back.

"See you later. I have some things to do," He flashes that smile before walking out of my office.

I just stare at the door for a moment until I hear the motorcycle start up and drive off. I sit on my chair in a huff and bury my head in my hands. I hate to admit that I am falling for Magnus. 'Stupid mate bond.

'It's not stupid, and you know it,' Ruby snarks. 'Your heart is just leading you to your true path.

I ignore her and get back to work. Hours later, I am putting the last touches on my dress in my apartment. It's a long shimmery blue dress. It's a bit old-fashioned, but I like old-fashioned. I put my hair up and then heard a knock on my apartment door. I open it to my very handsome mate. He is dressed in a fine suit with his hair slicked back. I just stare at him with my mouth hanging open.

"My eyes are up here, babe," He laughs and hooks a finger under my chin. I look into his green eyes, and he leans down to peck my lips. "Are you ready to go?"