Chapter 17 Gabriel #2
Archer tilted his head slightly as if he was considering my father’s words. “That so? Cuz it looks to me like you’re trying to tear his fangs out. I’m not sure that’s what the Dean had in mind when she decided to host a family day.”
My father’s grip tightened minutely, just enough to remind me he still held me in his grasp, and he knew it.
“Careful,” he said, his voice dropping to something colder. “You’re speaking on matters that don’t concern you.”
Archer’s grin didn’t falter, though his hand dropped to his side. “Pretty sure ripping someone’s teeth out in public makes it the concern of anyone who sees. That feels like a universal rule to me.”
A flicker of something dark crossed my father’s obsession.
“You overstep, wolf.”
“Maybe”, Archer shrugged. “But I’m pretty sure I’m still in the right here.”
The casual arrogance in his tone should have made things worse. Should have caused my father to escalate, to lash out violently at the wolf shifter. Instead, my father simply studied him for a moment before turning his attention back to me.
“Is this what you’ve lowered yourself to?” he asked, voice low enough for only me to hear his words. “Associating with creatures who mistake recklessness for strength?”
My jaw throbbed where he held me, pain pulsing in time with my heartbeat, but something steadier pushed through it. I tugged on his wrist where my hands still wrapped around it, my face smoothing into a mask of determination. My father snarled.
“Enough, boy. You will accept your punishment. If this wolf refuses to leave us to our business, so be it.”
“Yeah, we’re not doing that,” Archer said, his voice losing some of its lightness as he moved to shove his body between us.
My father’s hand fell away from my jaw, his fingers releasing my fang as the wolf’s bulk forced him back.
“You got about two seconds before I make a scene big enough to turn this whole thing into a spectacle, and something tells me that you don’t want that to happen. ”
My father’s face mottled with rage, but he forced himself to straighten as he smoothed invisible wrinkles from the front of his suit jacket like nothing had happened. His eyes bore into me where I stood pressed between Archer’s back and the wall behind me.
“Be mindful, Gabriel,” he said, his voice returning to that controlled, measured tone I’d learned to fear far more than his anger.
“Defiance is a habit that won’t be tolerated.
It will be corrected.” His gaze flicked briefly to Archer, something colder settling behind it.
“And the company you keep will determine how painful that correction becomes.”
Archer didn’t flinch. Instead, he snorted a laugh. “Good talk, old man.”
For a moment, I thought my father would react.
But no, he only held Archer’s gaze a second longer before turning away.
I watched his back as he strolled off as if he hadn’t lost control of the situation.
Like he hadn’t lost control of me . I didn’t move until he vanished into the crowd completely.
The second he was out of sight, air rushed into my lungs, uneven and sharp as the pain in my jaw, and my body sagged forward into Archer’s back.
My eyes fell closed as I allowed my weight to rest against him while I worked to steady my nerves.
I felt the wolf shift until I was pressed against his chest instead of his back.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Hold still.”
My body tensed automatically, every instinct snapping to attention as I felt one of his hands shift to my face.
“Relax,” he added under his breath. “I just want to check.”
His fingers brushed along my jaw, light but deliberate, tilting my chin slightly.
I crack my eyes open, watching him carefully.
His face was twisted in concern, and the combination of his fingers on my skin and that look caused my breath to hitch.
Not from pain. From something else. Something that made my entire body go rigid in a completely different way.
I jerked out of his hold, abruptly breaking the contact as I put my hands against his chest to push him back.
“I’m fine,” I said, the words clipped.
Archer’s hand dropped slowly, his gaze sharpening as he studied me. “Yeah,” he said after a second. “You keep telling yourself that.”
Something in my chest tightened, leaving me uncomfortable, feeling exposed. I pushed past him before he could see more than he already had.
“I didn’t need your interference,” I snapped, latching on to the argument like it was something solid.
“Sure,” Archer replied easily. “And having your dad rip your fangs out is just good ol’ family bonding.”
My jaw clenched, causing pain to lance through it. “That’s not–”
“Don’t,” Archer interjected. “It’s fine if you want to pretend what was about to happen wasn’t about to happen, but don’t try to lie to me about what I just saw.”
I ignored him, starting toward Magus House again. Archer fell into step beside me, his arm brushing mine and sending a shiver up my spine that caused me to grit my teeth. I winced, regretting the action instantly, as pain shot through my jaw and mouth again.
“I get it now,” Archer said, his tone returning to its normal lightness. “With a dad like that, it’s no wonder you don’t know proper mate care.” He slung his arm over my shoulder, and for some reason, I didn’t shake it off. “Don’t worry, Pretty Boy, I’ll make sure I take care of both of you.”