Page 22 of Red River

"What about our rooms? Do we get our own too?" Aiden asked, practically bouncing with excitement.

Archer darted him a glance. "Of course. Each of you has one."

He waved toward two doors, and the boys took off, squealing as they ran to see their new spaces.

"This one’s yours, Aiden." Archer opened the first door.

"Superman curtains?!" Aiden shouted, brimming with pure joy. "This is so awesome!"

"Sam told me you’re a big fan."

Lake couldn’t wait any longer and bolted to the next room. His eyes sparkled as he spotted the OmegaCat-themed curtains and matching bedspread. He let out a high-pitched squeal before jumping onto the bed, bouncing like a hyper little rabbit.

"Amazing!" he shouted. Aiden quickly joined him, both of them giggling as they bounced together.

I turned to Archer, feeling my chest tighten with gratitude. "You really went all out to make these rooms perfect for them. Thank you so much, Archer."

"It’s nothing," Archer replied shortly. "Now, let’s go check out your room."

I followed him down the hall to a door right next to his bedroom, which I recognized immediately, seeing a large bed through the slightly open door.

Archer let me in first.

"Wow, it’s beautiful."

My face must have shown how bewildered I felt because Archer smiled slyly. Did I look like a kid who felt undeserving of too many presents?

"You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble. A small corner would have been fine," I muttered, utterly embarrassed.

"River, that’s really nothing. My house has ten bedrooms, not even counting the living room and my office," he said calmly, as if it were no big deal.

Something caught my eye. "Is that a new laptop?"

"Yes, it's a welcome gift." His face remained unbothered.

I bit my lip. Overwhelmed didn't even begin to cover it. "I thought it was the phone."

"Well, a second one."

Rubbing my cheeks nervously, I muttered, "My laptop broke a month ago, and I've been using Igor's. This is really… useful."

He didn’t respond.

Feeling anxious, I turned toward him. Something needed to be said.

"Thank you so much, Archer. You've done so much for us… probably too much. How can I ever repay you?" I whispered.

But before he could suggest ways I could repay him, I quickly added, "And I'm sorry about Igor's behavior downstairs. I can't stop thinking about it. He's not a bad kid; he was always a good son. But this whole 'alpha coup' thing just got to him, and failing at it hurt and humiliated him even more."

Archer’s face remained calm. "River, I know how Igor feels. But now he's going to be living under another alpha's roof, and that means following some of my rules. But I promise you, I'll treat him fairly." His voice was calm, his eyes locked on mine.

I swallowed hard and gave a slow nod.

ARCHER

River's deep blue-green eyes stayed on my face, but his features were tight with stress.

He hadn’t changed much—not for me. He still looked ten years younger than his actual age, maybe twenty-seven at most. His beautiful face was smooth, his lips sweet and full, his eyelashes incredibly long, and his hair as red and lush as I remembered from the first day we met.

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