Page 10 of Red River

By then, I had grown to 6’4", had been practicing martial arts for two years, and looked more like a young man than a boy, thanks to my family genetics, which made it easy for me to build muscle.

My alpha traits were emerging very strongly. As I walked into the room, River’s eyes bulged in surprise, and a deep blush spread across his pale cheeks as I towered over him like a tree.

He was just as beautiful as I remembered. Despite being thirty or thirty-one at the time, he looked no older than twenty-two.

As the child of a True Mate couple, he had strong biological advantages that made him age much slower. His eyes were still that mesmerizing mix of dark blue and deep green, like a forest river. His features were so perfect that it was hard to imagine anyone more stunning.

I felt a pang of sadness, knowing we were… an impossibility.

Sam jumped up with a grin.

"Well, look who crawled out of his cave! Archer… your childhood crush, River, is here in the flesh!"

Did Sam even realize how silly that sounded? Of course, River turned crimson.

But I wasn’t about to show any shyness—that wasn’t in my nature anymore. The awkward period in my life was over, and I had begun to show the character I was destined to have.

I extended my hand with a diplomatic smile. "Of course, I remember. I’ve always had good taste." My grin deepened as River blushed even more. The thought crossed my mind that ‘Red River’ would be the perfect nickname—for more than one reason.

The moment our hands touched, an electrifying jolt ran through me, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine. I couldn’t tell if he felt it too.

"Nice to see you, Archer," River said softly. "You were right from the start—indeed, you’ve grown into an alpha!"

I straightened my posture with pride. "But of course. Some things you just know. I’ve felt it in every cell of my body since I was a kid."

River’s lips curved into a sweet smile. "I agree. I’ve always known I was an omega."

There was a super short moment when our gazes met—a strangely intense one.

Sam, ever the skeptic, scoffed. "And I had no clue. Honestly, I thought I’d end up a beta. You two are just freaks," he said, laughing sheepishly.

In fact, Sam was right. It was rare for people to know their secondary gender so early in life—most got it wrong. But for me, and apparently for River, that understanding had been as natural as breathing.

The longer I stared at him, the stronger the pull of the magic was—the same magic that had sparked my childhood infatuation.

There was something extraordinary about River that drew me in, something almost magnetic. I noticed his shy glances, the way his gaze darted away but returned quickly, and I was certain he felt my presence as keenly as I felt his.

Just then, Stephen, Sam’s husband, appeared in the doorway. "The notary’s on the phone, wants to talk to you," he said.

"Sorry, guys, I’ve got to take this." Sam stood up, a bit unsteady because of his heavily pregnant belly. He was also expecting—his first child—and looked like he could pop any day. "Excuse me for a moment."

When Sam left, it was just River and me, standing awkwardly by the table. His hands twisted together in a nervous, fidgety rhythm, and he bit his lip like he was trying to avoid saying the wrong thing.

The silence stretched between us as I studied his face, feeling that same uncanny attraction as always.

"You're nervous. Why?"

River chuckled shyly. "It's just who I am. I'm a walking, talking ball of nerves."

"So chill out," I shrugged.

"It's not that simple. It's who I am, kind of…" he murmured.

His long lashes cast dark shadows over his delicate cheeks as they fluttered slightly. I was tempted to raise my hand and place it over his thin neck.

"You still have that long braid," I said after a moment.

River’s fingers instinctively grabbed it, his gaze lowering to the end of it. "Yeah… but I’ve been thinking about cutting it off. I’m thirty—it might look weird at my age."

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