Page 25 of Big Bad Wolf: B.B.W
He shifted on his feet, then put the folder that was in his hands behind his back.
“Um, Kai and I had a little girl. I assume she is fine. She moved out of state, and we co-parent my daughter. I haven’t been blessed to find my mate since the one that I thought was mine left without notice.”
My back lifted off the wall, but Elodie didn’t let go of my waist. She knew what it was.
“Dyami, that’s the second time. You’re in the best place for medical assistance or the morgue, which I’m sure is downstairs.”
My baby put her hand on my chest. “Baby, calm down. Dr. Mato, please give my father his discharge papers so my family can get home. Thank you.”
His stare on her was ice cold.I wonder if he’s an Alpha.I learned about black Greek letter organizations from my mother, who was a member of one. Dr. Mato said nothing before he back tracked and stepped into her father’s room.
“I don’t like him. He seems like the kind to poke the fucking horse and get his ass stomped, Ellie. I don’t want smoke with the pack up here,” I expressed.
There was no way that I wanted to come across the country just to get into it with who I would assume was the leader of his pack. Now if the smoke came, I would surely fan it, but I’d rather be cool.
Elodie cupped my cheeks with her hands. “You have nothing to worry about. If I remember Dyami correctly, he’s more bark than bite. His braggadocio attitude has always been a problem for most. The only thing it was good for was getting simple hos to open their legs.”
I heard what she said, but I had a premonition that I would have to get in his ass. I hoped it could be done in our human form. That was wishful thinking. Men like him don’t take defeat easily.
Dinner was amazing. It felt like Mrs. Summerville could do everything. We had barbeque for lunch and soul food for dinner. I loved soul food far more than I did Greek food. Pops, as he told me during dinner it was fine to call him, and I left the women to catch up while we went in their relaxing backyard. The gazebo that they had out there was heated, cooled, and provided a cool mist if you wanted that. The days in Arizona tended to be dry as hell.
“I’m definitely not happy that I fell sick, but I am happy it brought my baby girl home. That girl has one of the strongest spirits that I’ve ever seen.” He said the last part more to himself than me. “Did she tell you that her mother and I were almost fifty when we had her? I don’t know what we were thinking. Well, we weren’t, but the gods surely were.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, she did tell me. I thank the gods for letting you have her so that one day I could meet her and make her my mate. Oh, you’re right about that strong spirit.”
I wasn’t sure if he’d closed his gift, so I wanted to ask my question before he was able to pull out from my mind.
“I wanted to get your blessings for a couple things before we left.”
He stared at me for a moment then nodded. “Just to let you know, my gift is closed. I have no idea what you are about to ask me. I only opened it when we first met to gauge your true intention for my little girl. No matter how old she gets, she will always be my little girl. Hopefully, you get that experience one day.”
The thought of Elodie’s and my future children brought a smile to my face, and a warm feeling roamed throughout my body. I’d have to start therapy before our daughter was born to deter me from the thought that murder would be acceptable in any instance if someone hurt her. If someone’s child tripped mybaby, I would cut their foot off. That might be too drastic, so yeah, I would start therapy early.
“I pray that we do have the opportunity. I wanted to first get your blessing to truly ask Elodie to be my mate and wife. Yes, in heart, mind, and spirit, she is my mate, but I want it to be official.” This was something that I had always planned to do. Our visit here was an unfortunate situation, but I wanted to make the best of it.
He smiled. “Do you already have a ring, or were you waiting to ask me to get one?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ring box. I opened it and stared at it for a moment before I handed it to him.
“On our first date, I took her to my hometown in Greece to meet my father. I wanted some kind of confirmation from him that she was for me, if that makes sense. Well, he gave me the best confirmation when he gave me the engagement ring that belonged to my late mother. She passed three years ago.”
When my father gave me her ring, I cried in his arms like a child. When I was younger, my mother showed me the ring and said that one day she would pass it down to me for my future wife. I never thought when the time came that she would no longer be with us to pass it on to me herself. My father told me that I had chosen an honorable and outstanding mate.
“This ring is beautiful and holds so much meaning to you and your family. Elodie will be honored, and so will I. I know that you are a perfect mate for her because you put her first,” he said before he stared off. “That was the problem with Dyami when they were together, but I didn’t see it then. I think I was so consumed with wanting to make sure she mated someone who could at least financially take care of her that I forgot about her heart. He was no good for her heart, but you are perfect.”
I took a sip from the beer bottle in my hand. This particular brand wasn’t sold in North Carolina, so I would make sure I ordered some to have shipped to me.
“Yes, her heart is safe with me. I am also the man that will take care of her financially. Not sure if you know, but my pockets are a little heavy, Pops.”
He chortled. “Oh, you don’t have to tell me. Wealth whispers, it doesn’t roar. I didn’t miss you saying that you took her to Greece on the first date. My wife also told me that you chartered a jet and hired a car service to get our baby girl here in a hurry. Plus, when Elodie started working for your firm, I did some research on it to make sure she would be working for a reputable company.”
That pulled out a full laugh because he wasn’t too far off from what my father always told me. When I was younger, I went through a flossing stage where I wanted everyone to know that I had money. It was horrible when I was in Florida. That was when I started my locs because I wanted to be a true Florida boy. The only thing my father said was that I would learn, and he hoped the lesson didn’t cost me my life.
Fast-forward to not even six months later, I was robbed and beaten. This event happened prior to my first shift. That was when I learned that it was best to keep wealth quiet. There was no need to advertise wealth in the conventional ways that people were used to seeing it with flashy shit. I learned to show my wealth by way of the properties I acquired, the investments that I made, the business deals I fostered, and the relationships that I nurtured. As far as the niggas that robbed me, yeah, after I got my shifting together, they died a gruesome death. Play with the horse, you get the hooves.
“I’m happy that you know Elodie will be in good hands in every aspect of the concept.” I placed the closed ring box back into my pocket. “Now that that’s out the way, this is probablya bigger ask than the other. Although my beast is a centaur, I am a member of a wolf pack with the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina. My aunt Alexi married into that tribe, so when I moved to the states permanently, they accepted me. To forge my loyalty, I officially joined the pack.”
Surprise washed over his features. “That says a lot about your honor and integrity. I bet that was a sight for them to see when you shifted for them.”
