Her Savior Alpha
Chapter 41

I couldn’t get the the scorching feeling of Archer’s lips on mine out of my head.

The kiss had etched itself into my neurons, the memory playing back over and over as we made our way across acres of land. We traveled by wolf to get as far from the Mount Hunter Pack territory as possible, and fast. Every night, we made camp after a brief hunt, turning back into human to clean ourselves up and sleep. We’d passed by many a towns, steering clear of them if they sounded familiar. Staying close to the mountain range was essential to navigate, going east through the trees. Rolling plains sometimes interrupted the woodlands, and at times we came a cross a large farmland with fields of corn or wheat, and had to take wayward paths along the mountains.

On the fourth night after running away, I couldn’t bring my eyes to close even after a day of nonstop travel.

We stopped at a save, and this time, we chose to eat our game cooked rather than dig into it raw in our wolf forms. The night was cool and misty, especially in the small save that rounded around us like we were taking shelter in the belly of a beast.

Otherwise, I felt safe, far from the Mount Hunter pack, sitting across from Archer on a pile of rocks. He was watching the hare roast in its skewer over the open fore we’d started, gaze shadowed, expression signaling he was deep in thought. Strands of his hair fell around his face and across his forehead messily, form the nonstop lashing wind as we ran. Shadows hugged his face intimately, and he looked like a beautiful prince of shadows. Soft lips and rough hands cradling the sides of my head came to mind.

After tearing into the unseasoned but juicy meat, we cleaned up and slept on thin blankets we’d packed on to cave floor. A few feet came between us, but I felt Archer’s presence so strongly, as though his aura surrounded every atom around me. On my side, I faced him, watching the pale moonlight from just outside the cave highlight his chiseled side profile. He laid on his back, eyes closed and chest falling with every breath he took; but I couldn’t be sure he was asleep. My fingertips reached up to touch my still tingling lips. Even when I tried to close my eyes to sleep, his resting silhouette was tattooed against the backs of my eyelids.

I sighed, my hand falling to the ground, giving up on sleep. It would come when it came. I realized my arm had fallen in such a way that it looked like I was stretching it out towards Archer, yearning. Snapping it back close to my body, I turned to the other side to remove any distractions from my reality. I’m glad I did because soon after, I heard quiet shifting behind me and prayed he didn’t know I had been watching him for a good chunk of time.

Several days later, we felt the sense of unease had lifting. Knowing we were out of distance of any pack towns affiliated with Mount Hunter and far out of Beantown’s way, we decided to stop a human town bustling with more activity than the usual remote settlements one saw around here. The sign denoting the territory read “Welcome to Cianwood.”

“This looks like a nice little place,”

“A hole in the middle of nowhere,” Archer murmured looking around. “At least this one’s actually has inhabitants.”

He was right. The town was relatively bustling compared to previous places we had passed by on our way. Upon entering deeper into the town square, streets were lined with shops: a barber, a candy shop, a tiny grocery store, a hat store, bookstore. Further down the street, we could see a marketplaces, with vendors bellowing their wares, souvenirs for sale sat out on wooden carts or spilling out on the streets upon a spread of tarp. It all looked very interesting, but I was dead tired, my feet swollen from the days of travel. While he didn’t show his fatigue, Archer did look a little ruffled, with a 5 o’clock shadow dusting his jaw. A shower would be a luxurious treat in of itself.

“Should we look for the nearest motel?” I wondered, eyeing the shops with shining eyes. I was never allowed to explore beyond our town, and being in the same place all one’s life was a limiting prospect. While I still felt nervous, being on the run and all, I couldn’t help but feel excited to see new things, have new experiences, and of course, try some candy.

“Let’s ask around,” Archer said, scanning the human civilians for someone who looked safe. We approached an old lady draped in a woven indigo scarf. Eyes wrinkling into a smile, she directed us a few blocks down where a lovely little townhouse stood. Unfortunately, the middle aged lady at the reception area in the small entrance hall told us the inn was all booked out. However, around the corner, there was a guy who allowed people to rent an apartment temporarily.

Following her directions, we found ourselves in a more desolate looking area, the apartment building that she’d mentioned looking dilapidated.

“It looks cheap,” Archer said, sounding like even he wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

“Well, she did say it was furnished,” I said, trying to put a positive spin to things.

As we went up the steps to the entrance, an old man with a barret and half moon glasses was coming out, surprised to see people outside the doorstep.

“Hello,” he said in an aged voice. He might have been taller when young, but now he was hunched and came barely up to my shoulder.

“Hi,” I smiled amicably. “We’re looking for a quick place to stay. The town inn told you rented your apartments out for temporary stays, is that right?”

“Oh yes!” he said cheerily. “That Darla’s always bringing people my way. I have some time now, so let’s take a look at the third floor.”

As a wolf, running was like breathing, but something about stairs in human form simple hit differently. I was winded by the time we reached the third landing, trying to catch my breathe before the old man, Jerry as he’d introduced, could open the door. The doorknob was loose and falling out of place, but somehow the key still kept the door shut.

“Here it is,” the owner said, waved vaguely at the interior.

Indeed, the apartment did come with furniture, albeit scarce and looking like it came straight from the alleyway or a thrift shop. Nothing matched, everything was scratched or had something broken; the rickety table tipped back and forth, one leg shorter than the others. The two chairs around it were mismatched, one wooden with a back frame, the other a barstool. The middle of the couch was dented in the middle. A small side table with a broken lamp and an old newspaper on it stood by the bare windows that let in a stream of sunlight - at least it wasn’t in a dark, dank place. I was sick of those. The apartment was small, the living room the size of my attic space back at Dane’s. There was a single bedroom, with only a mattress covered in a sheet, and a dresser. The kitchen was bare, with a rack of a couple mugs and plates that needed washing. It was the bare minimum, so I didn’t have many qualms. We could think about long-term living later.

Archer paid the landlord with a sum of money, the source of which I had no clue. As soon as Jerry left, I threw my pack onto the floor, pouncing onto the couch. A cloud of dust puffed out and I coughed.

“If it was any other situation, I would clean first,” I said between coughs. “But right now, I could not care less. I need some serious shut-eye.” Archer chuckled as he looked around,

Laying back against the back of the upholstery and closing my eyes, I let out a long sigh.

When I woke from my nap, I found Archer staring right at me, eyes hooded. Blinking, I shot up. How did he get so close? Then I realized that I had either slumped down or someone had maneuvered me so that I laid across the couch, on my side. Archer had moved to sit on the floor, back leaning against the couch, and his face perfectly aligned with mine.

He coughed. “I moved so you’d have more space, you know, after you fell asleep drooling on me.” Giving me a pointed look, I blushed.

“I do not drool,” I insisted. Things felt a bit awkward between us still even though we’d had some closer than friends moment (let’s not mention the kiss or the frequent unnecessary touches). However it was never too uncomfortable for him not to tease me. Actually, thinking about it, we were balanced precariously on a tightrope of emotion and longing, one that neither of us were ready to discuss.

“So how are you feeling?” He asked, as I sat up to stretch. I didn’t realize a blanket had covered me until it slipped from around my shoulders.

“Pretty okay,” I said, but answering the question in its entirety was out of my expertise.

“I mean about Reilly that piece of trash. And leaving.”

I nodded, feeling stomach acid bubble at the mention. “Well, I guess I still feel out if sorts...like I bared too much of me. Id rather do nothing more than hide away in a cave forever.”

“We could go back to the one from a couple night back,” he suggested with a grin.

Frowning, I forced the memories of lying awake next to him out. “Only if you’re not there.”

He let out a laugh. “Wow Vera after all I’ve done for you?”

I giggled a little. Then sobering up i finished replying to his question, “and to be honest, i dont really miss Mount Hunter. It took me a long time to realize it but I never had anything for me there...other than Thelma of course.”

Archer was silent, as if deciding on something. Then, he begin speaking, “Vera, what if we went somewhere else? Somewhere safe, where you can be a part of a pack that actually accepts you.”

“Like where, for example?”

“The truth is, and now just hear me out first - I’ve heard that Beartown is very welcoming to anyone but it’s enemies, of course. Even though the alpha is power hungry, his own is his own. It’s just a thought, but we could go there and have protection from Mount Hunter, rather than roaming around waiting to be found.”

I stared at him, jaw dropping. “Are you serious right now?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I know, I know its a wild idea-”

“Wild? Beartown killed my parents. They control other innocent animals. Wild is putting matters lightly.” I crossed my arms, looking away from him. I heard shifting as he smoothly moved to come near me, sitting on the couch.

“I’m sorry, I know,” remorse lingered in his words. “It might be a ridiculous idea, but it’s an option. If Dane starts looking for you…well, it may be the only place you’ll be safe, unless we keep on going to the ends of the earth, in which case, I think he’d still want you considering your Lycan.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Archer. Its really hard to trust anyone right now, especially a pack that has been my enemy for my entire life. They did kinda start this whole mess. For now, I just want to lay low and not think about any pack crap.”

Mouth in a thin line, he nodded. “Alright, Vera. I understand.” Then a slow smile spread on his face. “So tell me more about that cave idea.”

I huffed. “It was a joke. I hated sleeping there, if I had a wink of sleep at all.”

“Why? Was my presence too enticing and irresistible?” Archer smirked, leaned forward to prop his elbow behind me.

I gave him a deadpan look. “Seriously, get over yourself.” But a reluctant smile was tugging at my lips.

***

“Archer, I’m hungry,” I moaned from my place on the small, dusty, patched-up red couch, where I’d read and re-read the same town newspaper all morning. It was the Cianwood Gazette, and it really seemed to be a compilation of the latest gossip around here, meant for those who knew everything and everyone. At first, it was pretty interesting, but by page three, Archer had gotten come back from his early morning run. I’d woken up at the crack of dawn to his leaving, thanks to the blaring squeaks of the rusty front door hinges. At first, a fear that he would leave me suddenly gripped my heart, but I got a handle on myself. Archer would never do such a thing.

Unfortunately, he did have the audacity to slip his t-shirt over his head, revealing his sculpted, lean torso, glistening with sweat. Pearls of it slid slowly across perfect pectorals and abs chipped out of marble by a master designer. Without sparing me a glance, which I had to admit, annoyed me a little, he dashed right into the bathroom. A couple of seconds later, I heard the shower switch on.

By the time I started looking through the paper again, this time solely for the pictures, Archer came out, a towel slung low on his hips. He ruffled his hair with another smaller towel, and I stared at him over the newspaper in my hands.

“Good morning to you too,” I started, my first words to him all day. He looked up from his job, perking up a brow.

“Uh, morning. What are you doing?” he asked slinging the towel over a shoulder and going to search through his backpack. I eyed the muscles in his back that moved with effortless grace, like an ocean’s waves, as he pulled out some items of clothing.

“Oh, you know. Just reading,” I said, wondering if his towel might slip and fall. Archer rose back up, pulling a back sleeveless shirt over his head, He surprised me with a glance back and I had to quickly pretend I was staring.

“Cool,” he said. “Sleep well last night?”

If by sleep well he meant swatting an incessantly buzzing fly that whirred by my ear all night, then sure. “Yep, except for all your snoring.”

“Just like you drool?” He shot back.

“I do not...ugh, whatever.”

Chuckling, he went into the small bedroom, presumably to change and get himself together. When he got out, he proceeded to make himself coffee and sit at the table, reading a random book he’d procured out of nowhere. I really didn’t know much about him at all. At first, I didn’t want to bother him, but after a while, I realized I’d been staring at him more often than at the newspaper in my hands, distracted both by his rugged good look that seemed more and more attractive every day, and my growling stomach. Hence my desperate complaint of hunger.

He looked up at me coolly. “I think we have protein bars packed.”

“I’m sick of protein bars. I need real food.” He flipped a page, nodding but not saying anything. “And what the hell are you reading anyway?”

Archer laughed. “Its just a wolf lore history book.”

“You’re such a nerd,” I grumbled, throwing the newspaper to the side and getting up to stomp to him. Grabbing his wrist, I tugged lightly, pleading, “Please let’s go shopping and buy groceries. And maybe some better reading material, hmm?”