Page 24 of Arch
After all these years, the loyalty I’ve bled for, someone’s selling us out? I
t shakes me, makes me question the system I’ve been pushing on Keegan—the same damn system I’ve built my life on.
I show him the message, my jaw tight.
“This is the life, Keegan,” I say, feeling deflated. “Trust is everything, and now it’s cracked. You still think you can handle it?”
Keegan reads it, his expression shifting—not to fear, but to something steadier.
“One bad apple doesn’t mean the whole tree’s rotten,” Keegan says, his voice quiet but sure. “The Wolf Riders are still a family. You, Clay, Jace—you’re worth fighting for.”
I stare at him, caught off guard.
This kid, this reckless wildfire, is seeing something I’m too shaken to see.
The boy’s words ground me, and for the first time, I feel like he’s not just a challenge but a partner.
“Thanks,” I say, my voice softer than I mean it to be. “But now it’s time to show you why I’m the strategic mastermind of this club.”
Keegan smirks, that spark back in his eyes.
“Bring it on, Daddy,” Keegan says, excitement in his voice. “Bring it on!”
I lean back, my mind already spinning, mapping out moves to smoke out the traitor and crush the Vipers.
Keegan’s with me, for now, and I’m not letting him slip away.
I’ve got a war to win, a traitor to expose, and a boy to tame… and I’m ready for it all.
Chapter 8
Keegan
I’m still reeling from what went down at Arch’s place, the way his hands claimed me, his voice grounding me even as it set me ablaze and he gave me the kind of mind-blowing fuck that only a Daddy can deliver.
His words after we made love echo in my head, a challenge I can’t ignore. Arch made it clear… if I want more of him, I have to commit the whole way.
There’s no middle ground with Arch—and that’s just the way things are with me too.
Except now I know that I need to make a decision…
I’ve spent my life running from rules, from anything that felt like a cage, but Arch’s different. He’s not just demanding submission… he’s offering a place to belong, a purpose I haven’t had since the Army spit me out.
And damn it, I want to prove I’m worth it—to him, to the club, to myself.
I pull up to the Wolf Riders’ clubhouse, the gravel crunching under my bike’s tires, the chain-link fence and razor wire ever present.
The place is quieter than usual, but the air’s heavy with tension, like a storm’s brewing.
The Vipers’ ambush on the shipment and Clay’s text about a traitor have everyone on edge. This is a tricky time for the Wolf Riders, and I can see why Arch is demanding so much from me. He needs to know that I’m not some dumb kid who will cut and run the second things get tough.
And I’m going to show him that I’m not. In fact, I’m going to move to Arch—Daddy—that I can be everything he needs and a whole lot more.
I cut the engine, my heart pounding, not just from the ride but from what I’m about to do. I’m not a Wolf, not even close, but I’m done sitting on the sidelines. If I want Arch’s respect, I’ve got to earn it.
Inside, the clubhouse is abuzz with activity.
Clay’s at the pool table, talking low with Jace, while Dylan and Caleb linger nearby, their ease with each other a reminder of what I could have with Arch if I stop fighting him.
