Page 86 of Red River

"This time, it played out differently than before," I continued, my voice shaking. "Igor was the one who beat up the other kid. He’s the one in the nurse’s office now."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "Well, so much for people saying you can’t learn basic combat skills in 72 hours."

I stared at him, blinking like a wind-up toy.

A week ago—I would’ve been pissed at that reaction. After all, Igor had let his newfound confidence drag him into another fight… and fights? They could get dangerous.

But today… I don’t know. Something in me had permanently shifted. Maybe I was a terrible parent, but suddenly, I saw this whole situationthe wayArcher did!

And more than that—I wasn’t even remotely mad at Archer. That realization alone shocked me.

Archer studied my reaction, then gave me a small, knowing smile before grabbing his jacket.

"Come on. I’m sure Principal Vernon is eagerly waiting for us."

As we walked toward the car, I had a strange impulse. I grabbed Archer’s forearm, and he stopped in his tracks.

Our eyes met, and… I pressed myself against his hard, warm body, hiding my face in his chest.

"Alpha…" I murmured.

A sound escaped my throat—one expressing my… absolute submissiveness. Yes, AO language had this too. Me, willingly giving myself under his lead, felt so fucking good that I let out a breath of relief.

Then I raised my head, to look at his face again.

"Alpha, lead me."

Archer slowly nodded in acknowledgment.

"I will. Let’s go, River."

When we got to the school, we found quite a different scene. This time, Igor was sitting outside the nurse’s office.

To my surprise, Milo perched next to him. He quickly stood when he saw us, a wide grin on his face.

Igor, also looked… pleased with himself. Almost too pleased. And when he spotted Archer, something even crazier happened—he smirked.

I actually rubbed my eyes, thinking I was imagining it.

"It’s just like you said," Igor told Archer, his tone triumphant. "The tables have turned. Now that idiot’s the one lying in there."

Archer walked up and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Was there any way to avoid that fight?" he asked seriously.

"Not really," Igor admitted. "They cornered me in the locker room. Both of them were gonna jump me. Lucky for me, Josef’s a coward. The second I landed an uppercut on Philip, and he hit the ground like a stupid rag doll, Josef ran away."

Archer gave a small nod, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"Good. You didn’t start it. Never start it. Always do everything you can to avoid a fight. Until you… can’t."

Igor nodded back. And that’s when it hit me—the energy in the room. The way Igor was looking at him.

My son had given in to Archer’s energy. I could feel it in their interaction. The people who said stable alpha energy shaped teen alpha energy… they were onto something. I could sense it, almost palpable between them.

The latentMusthwas… truly over! Because of that, Igor was calmer. More grounded.

Before I could process it any further, the nurse’s office door opened.

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