Chapter 8 | Games

Archer

Being around Riley makes me feel a sense of peace that I’ve never had before. Well, I feel at peace unless my annoying friends are flirting with her. Caleb smirks at me or winks at me constantly as he flirts with Riley. He’s trying to get under my skin; he’s trying to see what it would take to make me crack.

But I’m an Alpha, and I will maintain my composure. Even if deep down I want to rip his head off. 

Riley wants to sit in my normal spot. If it were anyone else, I would say no, but with the thought of her sitting there and her scent taking over my space, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I sit beside her, ready to teach her the game. She looks at me with such wide-eyed innocence and excitement that I mind-link the guys: Go easy on her… we don’t want her to hate playing with us after our very first game.

We do a practice round, and she’s not as bad as I would’ve thought, but she’s not very good either. She looks to me for reassurance every time she lands a kill or does something right, and whenever she messes up, I give her reassurance and suggest what else she could do to improve. 

Then we start a real match, and it doesn’t take long to realize she was faking, and now she is wiping the floor with us. Brandon yells out to me, “Arch, I’m not going easy!”

Riley laughs tauntingly, “Come on, Brandon. Is that the best you can do? This is just sad!”

Caleb cackles right before she kills him, and then his laughter abruptly ends. She shakes her head. “Caleb, you’re worse than Brandon!”

Caleb’s eyes narrow as he groans, “How the fuck are we losing to a newb?”

Riley rolls her eyes as she states, “Not a newb. You’re just getting your ass whipped by a girl!”

I chuckle in amusement as we continue the game until it’s finally over, with her obviously being the winner. She tsks as she sets her controller down, “Geez, boys, that was just sad.”

Caleb growls, “I demand a rematch!” 

She looks at him, “Aw, the little loser wants a rematch?”

He is fuming, but I can’t help but smirk. That’s what he gets for hitting on my mate.

We jump back into the game, playing for another hour and a half before I try to get some time alone with her. We only have a couple of hours before I need to bring her back home. There’s so little I know about her.

I hold her hand as I lead her out of the game room, relishing in the tingles that erupt over my skin. 

Is she immune to the mate bond? Can she feel the tingles the same way I can?

I ask, “Would you like to go for a walk? Or we can watch a movie in my room? Or I’m open to any ideas?”

She looks at me, her eyes locking onto mine as she smiles softly and says, “Let’s head to your room.”

I ask, “Would you like a drink or a snack?”

Riley nods, “Yes to both and candy too if you have it!”

I mind-link with an omega to get everything we need, and I lead Riley up to my room. Once we’re situated on my bed, I ask her, “How did you know that guy from the bowling alley?”

Her body tenses and she lets out a slow, controlled breath, “Are you talking about Zane? I assume you know each other since you’re both werewolves.”

I chuckle, “Ri, that’s like assuming all the people of the same color know each other. Just because we’re the same species doesn’t automatically mean we know each other. I’ve heard of Zane, but I’ve never been friends with him. How do you know him?”

She shrugs, trying to seem nonchalant, but I can hear the rapid beat of her heart as she states, “He was my boyfriend.”

“Was?” I question, trying to sound just as nonchalant as she was.

She meets my gaze with a small smile as she clarifies, “Yeah, was, as in past tense. He broke up with me right before summer break.”

My eyebrows raise; that wasn’t that long ago. I ask, “How has that been for you?”

Her lips pinch together before forming a frown, and she states, “I don’t want to talk about him.”

I nod, trying to be understanding. I don’t want her to feel rushed and like I’m a rebound. She’s my mate. I want her forever. Already she has become my very reason for breathing. I don’t want her to doubt me or us because we rushed into this. Her human mind will struggle to process what this means to me.

I nod, “Yeah, I get it, Riley. But-”

She takes me by surprise, suddenly straddling me. She grips my shirt and pulls me to be flush against her, our lips just a breath away, and she states, “No buts. I don’t want to talk about him. I would much rather enjoy this moment with you. Thoughts?”

The corner of my mouth twitches up; I’m amused by her attempt to dominate me. I put my hand on her waist and roll her over so that her back is on the bed, and I am in control. I press my body against hers and relish in the gasp she makes when she feels me press against her core. I take advantage of the moment and put my mouth to hers, slipping my tongue into meet hers.

Her taste is more incredible than her scent. If her mouth tastes this good, I wonder how good other parts would taste. She’s not shy as she locks her legs around my waist and grinds against me causing me to moan into her mouth.

Her fingers tangle in my hair, and she pulls on it, pulling me back slightly. She presses her forehead against mine as she pants for breath. She tells me, “Look, Archer, I need to make sure we’re on the same page. I don’t want anything serious. This is just for fun, okay?”

No, we’re not on the same page at all. My heart cracks with the thought of me just being a fling for her. But my wolf, being a cocky son of a bitch, pushes forward and tells her in a husky voice, “I understand. But, baby, trust me, you’ll change your mind soon enough. I’ll have you begging for more.”

Her eyes seem to spark, excited by the challenge as she pulls my face back to hers and kisses me with everything she’s got. She begins to kiss down my neck, and her hands go under my shirt; she lightly touches my muscles as she pulls my shirt off. She starts kissing her way down, making me groan with her forwardness when there’s a knock on the door and an omega calls out, “Your food’s here, Alpha!”

I clear my throat and call out, “Thank you!”

Riley laughs as she pulls away from me, the moment completely ruined. She looks at me with a mischievous spark in her eyes as she says, “Well, I suppose tonight just wasn’t meant to be.”