“Come on, I’ll cook you dinner,” I said with an exaggerated sigh. “Not because I like you. I feel bad that Miles has to live off takeout,” I clarified.
Archer snorted a laugh, but his eyes lit up like I’d just fucking proposed to him or something. “Sure, little bird. Let’s see what you can do.”
We made a brief stop at the small grocery store just off campus to pick up the ingredients I needed. Since it sounded like it had been awhile since they’d had a decent, home-cooked meal and I wasn’t sure how well stocked their kitchen would be, I’d decided to keep it simple. All wolves liked steak.
Archer insisted on paying for the ingredients, quizzing me on what I liked to drink before tossing a pack of my favorite beer into the cart.
“Miles is going to cry with happiness,” Archer announced, carrying both paper bags of groceries in his arms.
“Just Miles?” I laughed. “Your eyes looked a little glassy when I put the steaks in the basket.”
Archer groaned, the sound setting nerves I didn’t even know I had on fire. He was sex on legs and he kind of knew it, but I don’t think he realized how intense the effect he had on me was. Thank the Fates for that.
“I don’t even remember the last time I had steak. I might orgasm at the table.”
“Please don’t,” I muttered, staring resolutely ahead as my face heated. The house would already reek of his scent, it’d be the ultimate test of my self-control.
Archer turned off the sidewalk, onto a path that led to a small, gray clapboard house. I contemplated mentioning I’d had a puppy power nap in their backyard a week ago, but decided to save that tidbit for later.
"It's not much. The pack bought it so any future pups that attend the college wouldn’t have to stay on campus,” Archer explained.
He let us in to the front door to a small open living room, dining room and kitchen. Miles stood as we entered, giving us a respectful nod.
“Hey Miles,” I said, giving him a genuine smile. My wolf had taken an instant liking to him, seeing the respectful, almost deferential, way he treated me. Miles acted like I was already his future Luna, which was both weird and an excellent ego boost.
“Wren, this is a pleasant surprise. And groceries,” he added, looking at the bags Archer was unpacking on the counter. “An even bigger surprise.”
“Yes, yes. We live on takeout,” Archer drawled, flicking his hand dismissively. “Wren has taken pity on our sorry asses and has decided to make us dinner.”
“Not just dinner. Steak.” I giggled as Miles flopped dramatically back on the couch, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Do you need any help?” he asked as Archer uncapped three beers and distributed them between us.
“That’s very sweet of you, but I’m fine. Watch sports or do homework, or whatever students do,” I called back, already digging through the cupboards for supplies.
Miles turned the TV on low, letting an old sitcom play in the background.
“Don’t call him ‘sweet’,” Archer grumbled, propping his hip against the counter.
“He is sweet,” I replied amiably, shoving him lightly with my shoulder to move him out of the way. My wolf practically rolled onto her back at the small amount of contact combined with the overwhelming presence of Archer’s scent.
Within half an hour, the three of us were crowded around the tiny table in their open-plan kitchen and living area, tucking into steak with garlic butter, mashed potatoes and green beans.
“Do you like it?” I asked them, failing to hide my amusement at the way they’d both fell onto their plates like they’d never eat again.
“Can’t talk, eating,” Archer mumbled at the same time as Miles managed a quick “amazing” between mouthfuls.
I still had half a plate of food left by the time they finished, and I picked up my pace as they both eyed the rest of my dinner covetously.
“Shit,” Archer cursed under his breath, pulling his ringing phone out of his pocket. “It’s my dad.”
“You should probably answer it,” I replied, nodding at the phone in his hand. “Don’t want to piss off the Alpha.”
Archer grimaced, picking up the phone as he let himself out the back door onto the dark porch. Miles’ eyes followed his departure, with a considerate look on his face. They were clearly close friends, but there was an underlying tension between them I couldn’t figure out.
“What’s Alpha Ellery like?” I asked quietly. Archer must have moved into the backyard because I could no longer hear his voice. Hopefully he, and therefore his dad, couldn’t hear mine.
“Amazing,” Miles replied instantly, without a hint of hesitation. “Strong, fair, kind. He knows every wolf in their pack — their strengths, weaknesses, the things that trouble them.”
“All excellent traits for an Alpha,” I agreed, my gaze flicking to the door Archer had just exited.
Miles hummed, following my gaze.
“You’re annoyed at him,” I stated.
Miles gave me a long searching look. “I’m not as annoyed at him as I like to think I am. Just like you’re not as mad at him as you think you are.”
That made me pause. Miles scrubbed a hand tiredly down his face. “You’ve gotten to know him a little now. You know he’s not just an asshole for the sake of being an asshole.”
I nodded slowly. That was a fair assessment.
“And if he’d just gotten out of his own damn way, he’d have realized straight away that his mate would be his greatest asset, not his greatest burden.”
Ouch.
“Your silence is making me nervous,” Miles said, glancing at me warily.
“I’m just processing,” I assured him, choosing my words carefully. “He pissed me off. And pissed my wolf off. She feels like he has something to prove.”
“His worth,” Miles replied, giving me an understanding nod. “Either he will or he won’t. I can’t vouch for him on that front.”
I was glad he didn’t try to. Miles would make a good Beta someday. Loyal, but unerringly fair.
Archer let himself back in, looking less relaxed than he had before he’d talked to his dad.
“All good?” Miles asked quietly, raising a brow.
“The usual,” Archer said with a shrug. “The stars look amazing tonight, little bird. Want to sit outside for a bit? I’ll bring a blanket.”
“I should clean up—”
“Definitely not,” Miles interrupted. “I’ll clean up. You kids have fun, now.” He winked subtly. Interfering bastard.
“I should really get going,” I protested, though Miles’ words had given me pause. If I expected Archer to prove his worth, I suppose I had to at least spend some time with him. “I suppose I can spare a few minutes,” I added, wanting him to know I’d chosen to stay, not caved to his demands.
Archer pulled a throw off the back of the couch before leading me outside to the small covered porch. The two-person bench looked worryingly cozy, especially considering how much room Archer’s tank of a body would take up.
I sat myself in the furthest corner, rolling my eyes when he made himself comfortable in the middle, manspreading all over the place. He gave me a smug grin, throwing the blanket over both of our legs.
I ignored him in favor of looking up at the stars. They weren’t as clear as they would be from the countryside, but they were beautiful. I’d always found the night sky a reassuring constant. No matter where I’d lived, how dire things had been, the stars were always there.
“Do you see Gemini?” Archer asked, interrupting the silence.
“Hm?”
“Gemini, the constellation,” he said, giving me a curious look.
“I don’t know much about constellations,” I admitted. Actually I knew nothing, but I didn’t want to tell him that. I was glad he was distracted with talking about the stars so he didn’t pick up my nerves at being in his all-too-familiar backyard.
“Gemini means ‘twins’, my grandparents always told us about h
ow Gemini represented the brothers, Romulus and Remus,” Archer explained, still looking at me a little oddly, but thankfully not dwelling on my lack of expertise in astronomy.
“Your childhood pack didn’t use the constellations to teach you shifter origin stories?” Archer asked after I’d been silent for a few moments.
“We celebrated the feasts and learned about the Fates, but we didn’t really have any origin stories,” I replied thoughtfully, straining my memory. We attended school on packlands, but our lessons were more focused on doing what was best for the pack in the future, rather than where we’d come from.
“Why? What kind of origin stories did you learn?” I asked curiously, glancing at Archer out of the corner of my eye.
“The, uh, more well-known origin story is that the brothers Romulus and Remus were the first known wolf shifters, gifted their wolves by the Fates to help protect them when their mother was imprisoned and they were sent down the River Tiber in a basket. Eventually, the Fates blessed others with the gift of a wolf too, because wolves are pack animals and shouldn’t be alone. They started creating each soul in pairs — fated mates.”
“I’ve never heard that before,” I mused. “We didn’t hear stories like that in my pack.”
“My grandma said there was a wolf somewhere along the line who refused his fated mate because she was poor and mated with a wealthy Alpha’s daughter instead. When he became Alpha, he insisted that his way was the right way and all of his pack mated accordingly. It caught on.”
“Not the ‘right’ way, the ‘paradigm’. Packs who follow the paradigm mate in accordance to the pack’s needs, putting aside our own base and selfish desires,” I recited, the words drilled into my head from childhood.
“Fuck that,” Archer muttered. “The Fates don’t get it wrong. No one could ever be more perfect for my pack than you.”
I scowled at him, unsure how to respond to that and annoyed he’d caught me off-guard.
“Maybe one day, we’ll make the trip to Rome to visit the Lupercal — it’s where most wolf shifters try to go in their lifetime to pay tribute to our ancestors.”
“So you all really buy into the Roman origin story then?”
“I mean, the Latin pack names and surnames kind of support that theory, but I suppose we’ll never know,” Archer replied wryly, sounding like he very much did know.
“You’re being uncharacteristically diplomatic,” I said, my lips twitching.
“I feel bad that you grew up in a brainwashy cult pack,” Archer admitted. I laughed, his candor taking me by surprise. He shot me a boyish grin that cracked the icy wall I’d erected around my heart. He was infuriatingly hard to be mad at.
“I should go,” I announced, shoving the blanket to the side and standing up before my resolve weakened any further.
“I’ll walk you home,” Archer replied instantly, pushing to his feet.
“That’s highly unnecessary.”
“But I’m going to do it anyway,” Archer replied, holding the back door open for me to enter ahead of him.
Miles looked up from the table where he’d spread his books out in front of him.
“You heading out?” he asked.
“Yeah, I need to get back.”
“Thanks again for dinner, Wren.”
I scooped up my purse and led Archer out the front door, onto the dimly lit street.
“Remember when I was at your work the other day and I said the only way you’d believe you were it for me would be to see it for yourself?”
“I can’t wait to hear where you’re going with this,” I drawled. Did he always have to stand so close? I could hardly think with his intoxicating scent clouding my senses.
“Some classmates who are fond of me, and hanging around Carson, are having a holiday party tomorrow night. We should go.”
“So I can meet all the girls who’ve had the pleasure of boning you? No thanks,” I shot back acerbically.
“Just so you know, I would absolutely make sure it was pleasurable for you.” He gave me a cheeky grin and my eyes rolled so far back in my head, they were at serious risk of getting permanently stuck there. “I’ve only ever slept with one human, and yeah, she’ll be there.”
Rage ripped through me like a tornado and I knew my eyes were glowing wolf as I tried to hold her back. For once we were on the same page when it came to Archer. If he thought he was going to rub his conquests in our face, we’d claw his fucking skin off.
“Little bird,” Archer sighed.
“My name is Wren,” I gritted out, even though I kind of liked the nickname.
“This isn’t about me trying to rub something in your face. It was a casual hookup when my need for touch got too bad. You can’t say you never did the same.”
No, I couldn’t say that, but it was entirely besides the point.
“And yet, I’m not suggesting you meet any of my former hookups,” I snarked.
Archer made a low, growling sound that was all jealous wolf and I scoffed irritably.
“You’ll never believe that I’m serious about you until we spend some time together in public, Wren. Fight it all you want, but you know that me staking a public claim is important to you and your wolf.”
“You have no claim to stake,” I retorted, flipping my hair over my shoulder. “But fine, let’s see how committed to this whole mating thing you are when a bunch of drunk human girls are throwing themselves at you.”
Chapter 15
Archer
Even as we were walking through the door, I was still half in awe that Wren had agreed to come with me to this party. I got the impression she needed me to prove something to her as much as I had something I needed to prove.
Tonight was about showing everyone that Wren was mine, and I was hers.
She looked beautiful when Miles and I went to pick her up, even with only half her face visible under the mountain of warm clothes she had on. We’d parked back at our place since the party was a couple of houses down the street. Once we got inside and Wren stripped off the thick down jacket I’d gotten her, and removed the scarf and beanie that hid her beautiful face, she was fucking mouthwatering.
Her black skinny jeans, fitted dark green top and dark brown boots were far less revealing than what most of the girls here had on but it was like a personal siren song to me. I didn’t notice the covered up skin. I noticed the swell of her breasts, the hourglass at her waist, the ripe curve of her ass and her long toned legs. Wren’s long black hair hung straight and loose, covering most of her back.
What I would give to see it fanned out over my pillow.
Down, boy. Not the plan for tonight.
Wren’s nose twitched as she scented my arousal and I noted the faint tint to her cheeks as her own body responded to her other half’s. My chest rumbled in appreciation, her need smelled fucking divine.
Wren shook her head as if to clear her thoughts and her gaze flicked down to the bulge in my now uncomfortably tight jeans.
“That better be in my honor,” she grumbled. “If you dragged me here so I could watch you get your rocks off over other girls, I’m out and please never contact me again.”
Miles made a choked sound from my other side which he unsuccessfully tried to cover with a cough. I was fairly confident he’d never heard a female talk to me like that before. And he’d never hear one talk to me like that again. Wren didn’t understand how much power she wielded over me.
“All for you,” I assured Wren, reaching out to rest my palm on the small of her back so I could guide her through to the kitchen to get a drink.
“Good,” she huffed. “Don’t expect me to do anything about it.” But she didn’t move away from my touch either.
“I’m so glad you’re not wearing the dog deodorant tonight.” I inhaled Wren’s scent like it was oxygen and groaned appreciatively.
“I suppose it’s a little redundant now, you already know I’m here.” She shrugged like it didn’t much matter, but she’d been relying on
that shit for ages and it must have felt weird for her not to wear it.
“You’re not worried about your old pack tracking you?”
“To be clear, I only used it before because I couldn’t be bothered dealing with the endless conflict — not because I was afraid of it. If those assholes think they can come for me, let them. I’ll handle it.”
My fearless, vindictive little hellion. Be still, my beating heart.
“Dog deodorant?” Miles muttered, shaking his head.
As we moved through the overcrowded living and dining room to get to the keg, Wren had more than a few hostile stares directed her way. None of the girls had been meaningful for me, they were fun make out buddies at parties, and I’d been upfront about that, but plenty of them had angled for more, driven by their instinct to be the Luna to my Alpha.
I’d never walked into a party with a girl before like I was doing with Wren right now. My plan had been to make a statement, and it was working.
It would get worse before it got better, I realized with a grimace as I picked up Camille’s sickly cupcake perfume. I’d slept with Camille a couple of times since I’d started at college when the touch cravings got painful. Camille had fought hard against her instinctive urge to angle for Luna, but I knew it had been a point of pride that she’d got me into bed when no other female on campus had managed it.
Miles filled three solo cups from the keg and gave the first one to Wren, which she accepted with a grateful smile. I hid my grin behind my cup. He was already deferring to her as he would for a future Luna.
“Aren’t you popular?” Wren murmured, scanning the room. I shrugged. She’d smell the lie if I denied it, and I wasn’t about to lie to her, anyway. It didn’t matter if I was popular here at college, the only opinions I cared about were those of my pack and my mate.
Camille’s approach from the adjacent room had started out confident, but by the time she made it into the kitchen where we were standing, her eyes were downcast and her jaw was tight. Humans didn’t know why they found it difficult to make eye contact with us and it never failed to frustrate them.
Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1) Page 17