Chapter 7 | Getting To Know You

Riley

Circe Sunbeam made tons of potions in case we ever needed to hide our scents. Normally, it’s just used for me, but now, my foster parents are rushing around the house, trying to disguise its scent and have practically drowned themselves with the potion.

I can almost guarantee that Circe will be here within the next week to give us new supplies.

Even after using so much of the potion, they have reiterated multiple times that we are not going to let Archer inside our home, that the scent is too strong here, and that they aren’t confident the potion can conceal it for long.

I sit on the front porch, watching Todd and Harry throw a football while I listen to their parents, still panicking, as they get ready inside the house.

Tires rolling on gravel meet my ears, and I smile as I sit up and Todd calls out, “Mom, Dad, he’s here!”

The door opens and Dad murmurs, “Damn it.”

Mom puts her hand on his arm as she says, “It’ll be okay. We can handle this.”

I roll my eyes; they’re too nervous for this meetup. I don’t think that Archer will question anything.

He gets out of the car, running his fingers through his dark brown hair before looking straight at me and smiling and waving. Harry scowls at him, and I don’t know why. What is his problem with Archer?

We only met him yesterday, and he saved our lives.

Archer walks towards me, his eyes flickering to my parents before meeting my eyes again as he says, “I’m glad you were free tonight.”

“Me too,” I respond with a smile. I can hear Rich and Dani’s steps on the gravel as they come closer. Rich says, “Hello there, I’m Rich Ford. Thank you for protecting my children.”

Archer grins as he gives him a firm handshake. “It’s my pleasure, sir. I’m just grateful I was there.”

“Hi! I’m Dani; it’s nice to meet you…” She trails off, waiting for him to give her his name. He smiles, “Archer, Archer Hale.”

Dad’s eyes widen in recognition, and Mom suppresses a gasp. That must be an impressive name for them to respond that way. Archer smiles, “It’s nice to meet you. I hope that I’ll be able to spend more time with Riley and will see you both more often. Is there anything you would like to know before we go? We’re just going to my house and playing video games with my friends.”

Mom shakes her head no and, with a small smile, says, “No, I know who you are. I’ve met your mom. Please, tell her that Dani said hello.”

He nods, a small furrow to his brow, probably trying to figure out where his mom and mine would’ve met. He holds his hand out to me as he asks, “Are you ready?”

I nod as I take his hand and wave goodbye to my family. Once we settle in the car and drive off, I ask, “Do you have any siblings, Archer?”

He shakes his head no and says, “Only child. My mom had to have me naturally, and after that, she said never again.”

He chuckles softly, and I smile. I like the sound of his laugh. I ask, “What kind of video games are y’all into?”

“Mainly Halo, sometimes Call of Duty, just depends on the day.”

I nod and ask as innocently as I can, “You’ll teach me and go easy on me?”

He smiles, “Of course!”

Little does he know that I play these games with my brothers every day.  I smirk to myself as he continues to drive. I fully intend to wipe the floor with him and his friends.

Once we get there, my eyes widen at the size of his pack house. It is at least 3 stories and is very wide. I wonder who all lives here.

He answers the question I haven’t asked: “The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma live here, plus guest rooms for when we have visiting packs.”

I nod, and he takes my hand and says, “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

He takes me around the whole first floor, which has the kitchen, the dining room, a large living area, two guest bedrooms, one office, and then the game room. He told me the second floor has the rooms for the Beta and Gamma families, and the top floor is reserved for the Alpha family, which is currently just him. He said that his mom used to be there, but since he took over as Alpha, she moved to a small cottage not too far from the pack house. She still comes over frequently and, most days, has dinner with him.

I feel relieved that the chances of running into her tonight are slim. I’m not sure how I’d feel about meeting her so quickly when Archer and I seem to want different things. The way he acts makes it seem like he wants a hardcore relationship, but I don’t. The only thing I’d be okay with at this moment is like a friends-with-benefits arrangement.

I look him up and down and can’t help but lick my lips. I wonder what he would be like in the sheets.

I rip my eyes away from him because I don’t want him to catch me as I mentally undress him. He opens the door to the game room and says, “Let’s play!”

Brandon and Caleb both look up from their games, and I smirk as I look around, impressed with their setup. Each had their own high-definition TV and gaming console. There were a couple of extras, too, but I noticed one TV that was bigger than the rest, and I would bet that one belonged to Archer.

I wonder if I could get him to give me his spot. It also has the most comfortable-looking chair. I say, “Hi Brandon, hey Caleb!”

They both mutter back to me before shooting and yelling at the TV’s. Archer walks over to them and playfully smacks them both upside the head as he says, “Say hello and be polite! We have a guest.”

Caleb groans, and Brandon looks over at me and says, “Hey Riley, nice shirt.”

I smile, and Caleb says, “Yeah, hey Riley.”

Archer rolls his eyes, looks at me, and asks, “Do you like the band?”

I look down at my shirt and see the AC/DC logo, and I smile, “Yeah, I love the song TNT.”

He nods with an impressed look on his face, and Caleb calls out, “I like this girl, Arch. Is it too late to call dibs?”

Archer growls softly before chucking a pillow at Caleb’s head. I laugh and think maybe hanging with the guys could be fun.