Page 85 of Red River

So I let those anxieties out. "Do you even want me?"

Archer rubbed his jaw slowly.

"I do want you, River. But I also doSEEyou."

"I don’t understand…" I croaked out shakily. "Any other alpha—if an omega walked into his room like this, he’d take it as an open invitation. But not you."

"My instincts don’t control me. If they did, we would’ve had sex the first day you presented yourself to me on that bed, and it wouldn’t be healthy for our relationship. I once explained to you exactly why I think we should wait. Do you need me to say it again?"

I dropped my head. "Yeah. Say it again. Because every day, this gets harder for me. I don’t know where we stand. Today, I didn’t even know if we’re actually in a relationship."

Archer gave me a sad smile and slowly nodded.

"And that’s the problem, River. Youdon’t knowif we’re in a relationship. The day you do—the day you don’t have to ask—that’s when everything will move forward."

Wow. Once again, Archer surprised me—with how well he understood this whole situation, my own messy mental state. He cared for me, even when I didn’t. This guy was something else.

As I stood there, staring at his chiseled, manly face, something unexpected sank in. A strange, tingling feeling in my heart. Was it possible I was starting to fall for him? For real?

Sam said omegas could control an alpha’s sexual urges, but he clearly didn’t know his own brother. There was no way to steer Archer with this—he was like a monolith.

I remembered what he’d told me in the beginning—to trust him, I had to know he could control himself. And he did. For my sake. Seeing my mental struggle, he didn’t want to take advantage of my desperation.

And now, I finally understood too.

My respect for him grew even more.

"You’re dope, you know?" I muttered, blushing hard.

Archer reached out and took my hand in his, his gaze landing on my thin fingers. My hand was barely half the size of his.

"Play for me again, River. I liked listening to your music."

For a moment, I held my breath, just feeling happy, and then nodded.

I brought my violin and sat on his bed.

"I guess soundproof walls would be useful at last!" Archer snickered, leaning back comfortably in his chair, resting his arms behind his head as he watched me.

And I started playing.

It felt… so good. The energy between us was different—lighter, more natural. I almost forgot about the world, losing myself in what I loved, playing for Archer. He gave me the space to enjoy it without stress, to appreciate this slow moment between us.

Where there were no expectations, no hurrying up, and no tension—just a pleasant time spent together.

I could get addicted to this.

***

Sadly, the next day didn’t bring the relief I’d been hoping for. If anything, Fate seemed to take some twisted pleasure in messing with me.

Around 11 am, I got a call from the school. What I heard sent a chill down my spine.

I bolted straight to Archer’s room, bursting in without knocking.

"Igor got into another fight!"

Archer stood up slowly, his face as calm and unreadable as ever.

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