Page 20 of Arch
I saved the shipment, proved I could handle myself, but Arch’s lecture, his grip, his spanking—it’s too much right now.
The Wolf Riders are a family, a purpose, but they come with him, and I don’t know if I can handle his hold over me.
Dylan and Caleb seem happy with Clay and Jace, but that trust, that surrender—it’s a leap I’m not sure I can make.
I’m not like Dylan and Caleb—I can’t obey another man like that. Not after the Army, not after losing everything I thought I was.
I pull over at the bluffs, the same spot I stopped at after The Ring, and light a cigarette, the flame flickering in the dark.
Arch’s world is dangerous, not just because of the Vipers but because of what he’s asking of me…
To belong, to obey, to be his.
I want it, more than I’ve wanted anything in a long time, but it scares the shit out of me.
What if I can’t do it?
What if I fuck it up like everything else?
The cigarette burns down, and I flick it away, watching the ember fade.
I’m not running, not yet, but I need to figure out if I’m strong enough for this—for the club, for the fight, forhim.
My ass is on fire, my pride is all over the place, and after storming out like that, I don’t even know what would happen if I showed up at the Wolf Rider clubhouse again...
Chapter 7
Arch
I can’t believe the boy ran like that.
Well, I say that but…
Keegan’s a wildfire I can’t control, and it’s burning me up from the inside. Pinning him against the clubhouse wall, spanking his bare ass while the men watched, his voice breaking as he counted each strike—it’s seared into me already.
The way he whispered“Daddy,”surrendering for just a moment before his pride kicked in and he stormed off, it’s got me questioning everything.
I’m forty-three, the Wolf Riders’ strategist, the one who keeps this club alive, but Keegan’s got me second-guessing my own moves. He’s reckless, a liability, but I want him—body, soul, and that defiant spark that makes him impossible to tame.
He wanted to submit fully. I know he did. But the boy’s got a spirit that just won’t quit, won’t allow him to drop his guard fully. Some bad shit went down in the army, I’m sure of it. Certainly bad enough to bring an already rebellious streak to the fore.
Keegan’s got so much potential, and I know I could be the Daddy to bring it out of him. But he needs to trust me, and that trust needs to happen fast…
I’m in the clubhouse now, the tension high.
The Vipers’ ambush on the Route 17 shipment was a wake-up call—they’re not just testing us anymore. They’re gunning for our territory.
The Vipers have clashed with us numerous times in the past, but this one feels different. I know they’ve had a restructuring in their hierarchy, and it seems like the new men in charge are hell bent on making their big play.
And I have to be ready for it.
Clay called a meeting to plan a counterstrike, and the boys are restless, their voices a rumble of anger and half-baked plans. I’m at the head of the table, the snarling wolf emblem under my elbows, but my mind’s not on the Vipers. It’s on Keegan, on the way his green eyes burned with defiance and want, on the feel of his juicy ass under my hands.
“Arch, you with us?” Clay’s voice cuts through my haze, his brow furrowed.
I turn and see that Clay is leaning forward, his arm around Dylan, who’s watching me with a curious tilt of his head.
“Yeah,” I grunt, forcing my focus back. “Vipers hit us from the west, not the east like we expected. They’re getting bold, and they’ve got someone feeding them intel or they wouldn’t have known our route. This shit doesn’t happen by chance. The Vipers aren’t tactical geniuses. Someone is feeding themthis intel. We need to hit back, but smart. No bar fights, no bloodbaths. We findtheirsupply line and choke it.”
