Archer
The night with Riley couldn’t have gone better.
I brought her home at 11, not wanting to push her parent’s boundaries. She smiles at me as we pull up to her house and says, “I had fun, Archer.”
I nod with a smile, “Me too, Ri, maybe we could do this again soon?”
She gives me a coy smile as she says teasingly, “I think we could arrange that.”
I chuckle and get out of the car to go open her door. I take her hand and start walking with her to the front door, but she stops and looks at me as she says, “You can go ahead and go, Archer, I’m fine.”
My eyebrows furrow and I shake my head no and say, “I’d like to see your parents if they’re still up.”
“Oh, well, they’re probably asleep. You know how the old folks are.” She responds with a nervous chuckle. I nod looking at her curiously, why doesn’t she want me to come to the door?
I take her hand and say, “Come on, Riley.”
She lets out a soft groan that confuses me and she fiddles with her purse as she pulls out the key ring. She says, “I had a good time, Archer.”
I nod, “Me too, Riley… is everything okay?”
“Oh, uh just the house is a mess. It’s embarrassing really.”
I chuckle, “I don’t care, Riley. Just open the door, I’d like to see one of your parents.”
The door opens and I see her dad on the other end. I get a whiff of the scent inside the house and my eyebrows furrow, why does it smell like werewolves live here?
I look at her dad curiously and he looks at me with wide eyes, like he knows I just figured out their secret. But why would they be hiding that they’re wolves?
He looks at Riley and asks, “Did you have a good time?”
She nods with a smile, “Yes daddy.”
He nods, “Good, go to your room, we can talk later.”
She hugs me before she leaves and he takes a step out on the front porch and closes the door behind him. He looks at me and my eyebrows are furrowed in confusion as I ask, “You’re a werewolf?”
He breathes out and nods, “Yeah, I am.”
“Why didn’t you want me to know?”
He groans, “Riley’s adopted and well, packs didn’t agree with us having a human child. We’ve done the best we can for ourselves to still let out our wolves and whatnot. But the whole family knows we have to stay hidden.”
I offer, “You can look at joining my pack if you’d like.”
He smirks, “I appreciate the offer, Archer, but that’s a family decision and we’re pretty set in our ways.”
“Werewolves weren’t meant to live on their own.”
He chuckles, “We’re not on our own, we have each other. It’s like a miniature pack.”
I frown but nod and say, “If you ever change your mind.”
Rich nods, “I know you’re here.”
“Thanks for letting Riley out tonight. She’s a great girl.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, Archer, what’s your intention with her? You’re an Alpha and of age… why would you want to fool around with a human girl?”
I can’t help the smile that appears on my face as I say, “I don’t want to fool around with her, sir. Well… she’s mine.”
His eyes widen because even without me saying the words, he knows she’s my mate. He mutters, “Interesting.”
I say, “If it’s okay with you, I would like to continue to pursue her, as long as she continues to enjoy my company.”
He nods, “Of course, I need to go inside. Have a nice night, Archer.”
I grin and nod, “You too, Mr. Ford.”
He walks in, and the door closes behind him as I walk to my car. I look back at the house and sigh as I feel a wave of contentment wash over me. It’ll take some time, but she’s mine and I can’t wait to be with her.
Riley
When I get upstairs mom is pacing nervously at the thought of us being found out. I sigh as I take a seat on the edge of her bed. I did everything I could to keep Archer away from the front of the house, but the man was adamant.
After five or ten minutes dad walks up, and my mom looks at him with panic in her eyes. He looks over at me and says, “Go to your room, Riley.”
I ask, “Is everything okay?”
He nods, “Everything’s fine, I just need to speak with your mother.”
I roll my lips into my mouth as I resist the urge to argue with him and I walk to my room. I lie down on my bed as I think over my night.
Hanging out with Archer, Brandon, and Caleb was fun. I hope that everything’s okay and that I’ll be allowed to do it again soon.
I’ve never connected well with other girls, maybe it’s because I grew up with two little brothers, but I was able to bond with boys a lot easier. The only girlfriend I had was Zane’s twin sister, Breanne, but I have a feeling that after everything with Zane that we probably aren’t friends anymore.
I sigh, it’s sad to think that way but I know it’s probably true. Maybe there will be some she-wolves at Archer’s pack that I could get along with. I wonder if Brandon and Caleb have mates yet, if they do I hope they won’t be jealous, and we could get close.
Then again, I didn’t notice a mark on either of them and Caleb really seemed like a playboy that I’d be surprised if he was settled down already.
There’s a soft knock on my door and I sit up as my dad walks in. I look at him with one eyebrow raised curiously and he says, “Archer knows what we are. He believes we adopted you and that the reason that we aren’t a part of a pack is that you’re a human and no pack would accept you.”
I nod, “I got it.”
He breathes out, “Good.” Then he heads to the door. I call out, “Dad?”
He looks back at me and I ask, “Will I be allowed to go back over there again?”
He smirks and nods, “Yeah, just stick to the story, Ri.”
I smile, “I will.”