Then it hit me like a sledgehammer. “No wonder you thought I was a mistake. You made a vow.”
I stood and paced to a tree, realizing the danger I’d put him in. After finding out, Noah had come for me. But what if he’d taken out his rage on Archer, who’d had no idea of my relationship status when we first met? What if Noah had done something heinous to Archer as a way to punish me?
“What have I done?” I breathed. When I turned around, Archer was gone.
I searched the darkness and spotted him in the yard.
Stumbling on the uneven ground like a blind horse, I made my way into the yard, where lights on the porch flicked on at our movement. My pace slowed when I realized he was going into the heat house.
At the entrance, I switched on the kitchen light and shut the door. Archer had tracked clumps of dried mud through the kitchen to the grey chaise where he was sitting.
After removing my boots by the door, I crossed the room and knelt before him. I took my time loosening his laces so I couldeasily pull his boots off without getting more dirt everywhere. Putting his shoes aside, I remained on the floor, engulfed by the silence.
Archer sniffed, his eyes red and cheeks wet. His emotional wound was beyond anything I could heal with consoling words. All this time, the man guiding me through the darkness was a victim himself.
“Even after it healed, it was painful—like stabbing electrical impulses. The Relic called it phantom pain. Sometimes it felt like my arm and hand were still there, and they itched.” Archer glanced to the left and looked at where his arm used to be. “The alpha took my arm because everyone knew I was an archer—everyone knew how important that was in my life. I know people move on, but it wasn’t just my arm that was severed that day—it was my identity.”
I took his hand in mine and kissed it.
“My Packmaster kicked me out shortly after that. My friends cut me loose,” he went on, his tone despondent. “They could have stuck around and cracked some jokes. Maybe I would have gotten over it. But they scattered faster than marbles down a hill.”
“Was Krys in your pack?”
Archer cleared his throat. “No. I drifted for a while, and when he found me, I was in a bad way.”
Watching Archer rub his temple forced me to my feet to fetch a glass of water. While in the kitchen, I took one of the sleeping pills from the bottle Salem had given me and returned to the couch.
“Here.” I offered him the water and pill. “It made me a little sleepy, but it didn’t knock me out. Since you’re probably twice my weight, it won’t be as strong, but it might help you relax.”
Archer popped the pill, grimaced, and chugged the water. “That’s awful.”
I gave a rueful smile before taking the glass into the kitchen and then returning.
“Krys saved my life, you know.” Archer turned his gaze down and furrowed his brow. He lifted the torn fabric of my dress. “Did that wolf bite you?”
“No. I had on my boots.” I ran my fingers through Archer’s blond hair. “You keep calling those packmates your friends, but they weren’t your friends. They knew the risky games they played. I would never put anyone I cared about in that situation.”
“Yeah, but it was all me. I did it. They didn’t get the punishment they deserved, but I’m over it.”
I sat on his lap and wrapped my arm around him, my head resting against his left shoulder. “I’m glad you have someone like Krys in your life. Maybe I don’t understand his belligerence, but if he saved you, that elevates him in my eyes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth when we met. You deserved to know what you were walking into.”
Silence had never felt so obtrusive as Archer heaved a sigh and wiped his face.
“Does Tak know your story?”
“Hell no. Do you think I’m crazy? The arm thing made it hard enough to prove myself, but what do you think he would do if he found out I seduced a Packmaster’s mate on a bet? He’d never trust me around Hope. Packmasters don’t take chances on people like me.”
Of course.The pack meant everything to him, and having people who loved him must have filled an empty place inside his soul. Archer would never want to jeopardize that, and neither would I.
“I regret everything,” he said, his voice quavering. “My life became twice as hard, and people were twice as cruel. Nobody admired me anymore. No one had sympathy either. And nobodyhelped me through it until Krys found me. I thought about killing myself.”
I cradled his neck and eased back to meet his eyes.
“I don’t feel that way anymore,” he assured me. “But there was a moment when it was just… so damn hard. Krys gave me the kick in the ass I needed. He didn’t give two shits about my situation, and maybe that helped me see the light so I could get on with my life. It took a long time to get used to not having an arm. Everything was an extra step, but Krys kept pushing me. I quit wearing laces and button-ups to make life easier. People take the little things for granted. Opening a jar takes effort, and I usually spill everything anyhow.”
“I can’t open a jar, and I have no excuse.”
He wiped his eye, and exhaustion bled through in his demeanor, voice, and body language. “When I was younger, I wanted to be special. I wanted to be extraordinary. That’s what archery did for me. Now I wish I could be like everyone else. It took a while before I felt like myself again. I started working out a lot, and that helped build up my confidence. You can’t live in this world without knowing how to defend yourself. Finding a pack became a priority, but none of the locals wanted me because of my reputation. I tried to join a few in neighboring cities, but when they saw my arm, the door closed. Then one day, I saw Tak’s ad online.”
