An angry Archie was the last person you wanted to cross paths with, what with him being over six foot four, with a build that needed tailored clothing, and from generations of full-blooded Alphas.
“No, he didn’t. He didn’t doanything, actually.” I blew out some air from my burning lungs. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath.
“Then why do you look so miserable?”
“It’s the future Alpha of Dark Diamond and?—”
“Wait, what?” His deep laugh boomed. “That Terminator guy? Does Lach know?”
Archie seemed extremely impressed, and I frowned at his reaction.
“I met the dude once,” he admitted.
I screwed up my nose. “Really?”
“Yup.”
It seemed he didn’t want to continue.
“And…? Come on, Chie! Tell me!”
“Are you sure, Vy?”
“Yes!” I said, exasperated, but with a smile.
“Do you want my honest opinion?”
“Yes!”
He was teasing me, and I was not patient.
“Fine. He was a jerk, but I liked him a little. He had…strong opinions about everything, and lots of confidence.”
Oh.
I knew that in the world of wereball, my mate was loved and hated. However, Archie wasn’t part of it, and if he had this idea about my mate after only meeting him once…
“But why a jerk?” The corners of my mouth dropped. Archie’s opinion mattered a lot to me.
He propped one large hand under his chin. “Do you remember that summer when Mom, my sister, Uncle Marco, and I all came to visit?”
“For our sixteenth birthday?”
Fun times.
“When you and the girls went on that road trip, Lach, his friends, and I hit the town for a party.”
Oh, I remembered. Lachlan coming home smelling like a distillery. Dad’s lectures. Archie’s father’s threats over the phone from Italy.
“Well,” Archie went on, “the Terminator douche—I mean, your mate—stole the girl Lach was with that night, then ditched her to hit on the one who was with Lach’s friend. On top of that, he dumped an entire bucket of punch on Lachlan’s head.” Archie chuckled. “Gotta admit, the guy had balls.”
I gasped, remembering the sticky red stains on Lach’s clothes.
“There were strong words and a couple of punches until the owner—one of your mate’s relatives—kicked us all out.”
I huffed out a laugh. “You were all teenagers! What happened next?”
“We found another party, Lach found another girl. Fun birthday.”
