Chapter 5 | Bowling

Archer

I never thought I’d meet my mate so soon after shifting. I also never thought there would be so much drama that she is wrapped up in.

But after getting past that, things seem to run smoothly. Her brothers, Harry and Todd, are enjoying hanging out with Brandon and Caleb, which leaves me with one-on-one time with Riley.

She sits with her legs crossed and leans forward as she watches her brothers with a protective intensity only an older sibling could have. She’s worried about them, even though there’s no one else here besides the owners. But after the situation with Zane, I understand her apprehension.

She’s not scared of me, though, and that’s all that matters for me. I ask, “Are you alright, Riley?”

She looks at me, startled by the interruption to her thoughts. She nods, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I was just thinking.”

Riley pulls her hair from its ponytail and nervously begins to braid it. I press my lips together and say, “This must’ve been overwhelming for you.”

She shrugs her shoulders, dismissing my comment. I tell her, “You seem to be taking the knowledge of the existence of werewolves pretty well.”

Her lips twitch up in a smile, and she explains, “Well, I dated Zane for a while. I didn’t know he was a werewolf, but there were a few things that I didn’t think were normal. It all aligned with some werewolf stereotypes, so it seemed possible.”

Riley gives a soft laugh, and I wish I could put the sound in a bottle where I could listen to it whenever I want. She shakes her head, her brown hair tousling around her shoulders. She says, “I must sound ridiculous. But I’ve always been intrigued by supernatural creatures, and seeing that my suspicions about him were correct, it just seems normal.”

I nod slowly and ask, “What do you think about me?”

She looks to me, one eyebrow raised as she says, “Archer, I don’t know you. But, apparently, you’re an Alpha, whatever that means. I agreed to stay here, so, obviously, I don’t think that you being a werewolf is a bad thing.”

I smile, ready to respond when her brother Todd calls out, “Ri, you’re up!”

She smirks as she gets up and walks away. I smile as I lean back, taking a moment to watch her. Her curves are perfect, and I have to force myself to turn away so I don’t freak her out or her brothers.

When I turn away, I see her other brother, Harry, has sat beside me, and he is glaring daggers at me.

I nod at him with a smile, “Hey Harry, you alright?”

His voice is low as he says, “Don’t hurt her.”

His expression and crossed arms show that he’s attempting to intimidate me. I want to laugh, but I don’t want to get on his bad side so early.

My eyebrows knit together as I ask him, “What makes you think I would hurt her?”

He looks back toward his sister as he tells me in a soft tone so she can’t hear, “She is fragile right now. Just don’t hurt her.”

I nod in understanding as I state, “I have no plans to.”

He nods as I look back at Riley as she jumps up, smiling as she cheers, “Booyah! Beat that!”

Caleb and Brandon laugh at her response, and she says, “Come on, Mr. Alpha man, let’s see what you’re made of.”

I smirk at her comment as I stand up. She’s cute; if only she really knew what it meant to me being an ‘alpha’.

Riley 

It’s kind of fun getting to pretend like I’m some human that’s fascinated by the supernatural. I can tell that Archer is interested in me, which makes this so much more fun.

There are benefits to me from being friends with Archer, who is the Alpha of a nearby pack. I’ll get to learn more about my people. I’ll get to see inside the werewolf world and what areas need the Luna Queen’s help.

It’s entertaining knowing I can taunt Archer and treat him the way I want to treat stuck-up Alphas. He doesn’t get mad at me because he thinks I’m some clueless human.

He rolls a spare, and he sits beside me as he says, “Tell me about you, Riley.”

I shrug, “I doubt I’m as interesting as you.” I give him my most awestruck face as I lean forward, acting completely infatuated with him as I say, “Tell me about you, Alpha.”

Red creeps up his neck and towards his face. I smirk, noticing how flustered he is. He suggests, “How about we take turns? Then we both learn about the other.”

I nod, “Sure, sounds fair.”

He smiles, “So, me being an Alpha means I’m in charge of my entire pack, and a pack’s just like a group of people or, well, werewolves who all live on the same land and work together as a unit.”

“Ah, so you’re the boss man!” I exclaim, making him laugh as he looks at me with amusement and says, “Exactly.”

I offer some information about me: “I’m 17, I just finished my junior year of high school, um, and I really like art.”

His smile gets wider just because he heard some things about me. I look at him curiously; he seems to be entertained by me easily. It’s kind of weird. He says, “I’m 18.”

I nod and ask, “And? What else? Like, how did you become Alpha? Isn’t 18 a little young to run a whole pack?”

“Well-”

He gets cut off by Todd calling me over again, and I give him an apologetic look as I get up. I look over at Caleb and Brandon and notice their eyes glaze over. They must be talking to their Alpha about me. I take my turn, and when I walk back, Harry looks at me and says, “We need to go. Mom and Dad heard about the incident here and want us home now.”

I nod as I grab my bag, and Archer says, “Wait, we can escort you home!”

I dangle my keys and say, “Not necessary. It was nice meeting you.”

“Could I have your number?” He asks quickly. I look him up and down; he’s attractive, and this does give me an inside look at what’s going on in the packs.

I can feel that Harry is frustrated by my interaction with Archer, but I ignore him. I say, “Give me your phone.”

He hands it to me, and I enter my number quickly before passing it back: “Text me sometime.”

I wave at Caleb and Brandon and say, “Nice meeting you guys. And thanks for protecting us.”

“Anytime,” Caleb says with a big smile as he flips his hair back. I resist the urge to laugh at him; he’s definitely used to catching every girl’s attention. I bet he’s a bit of a playboy.

As we go out to the parking lot, Harry murmurs, “Mom and Dad aren’t going to be happy.”

I sigh, “I’ll handle them, Harry.”