#8 The Archer and her Wolf

Thea

We were back in the car and on our way to Virgina, where we would stop at a hotel for the night. We only had about five more hours to go, but I was sure I would throw myself out the window before then. I had never endured such an awkwardly silent car ride in my life, and I knew it was probably all my fault. After a while, Xaiver cleared his throat,

“How about a game?” He suggested and I turned towards him, cocking an eyebrow.

“A game?”

“Yeah, you know, a fun activity?” He mocked me and I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I know what a game is.” I mumbled.

“Just checking.” He shrugged.

“What sort of game?” I asked hesitantly, not sure that I really wanted to know.

“Twenty questions.” He declared.

“Twenty….” I started, but Xaiver interrupted me,

“Twenty questions, yes. Haven’t you played before?” He asked, glancing at me quickly before returning his gaze to the road.

We were on a major, four lane highway speeding along with the rest of the traffic. It was past midday now, on a Tuesday, so the highway was congested and, according to all the red lines on the GPS, it was only going to get worse. I sighed,

“No, I haven’t heard of it.” I confessed.

“Well, it’s rather self explanatory. We each ask the other person twenty questions, taking turns. We have to answer honestly.” He explained.

“What if I don’t want to answer a question?” I asked and he shot me a cocky crooked grin,

“Not an option. You have to answer. Those are the rules.” He said,

“Oh? And who will officiate these rules?” I huffed in annoyance.

“Me, of course.”

“But, between the two of us, I’m the only one certified to make decisions on behalf of the royal family.” I smirked at him with my chin pointed proudly in the air.

His arrogance disappeared for a fraction of a second before his stupid grin returned.

“True. But, here, in this car, I’m the expert on the game and, therefore, the authority.” He pretended to fix his imaginary tie with a snobby expression. I stifled a laugh, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

“Fine, whatever. You start.” I grumbled, crossing my arms in defeat. Xaiver laughed out loud at his victory.

“I’ll start with an easy one, then. What’s your favorite book?” He asked and I glanced over at him again.

“There’s not much time for reading.” I said and Xaiver frowned.

“That’s not an answer.” He said and I grumbled at him under my breath.

“Fine, I have read a few. I suppose I rather liked The Three Musketeers.” I replied. Xaiver looked at me with a strange expression.

“The Three Musketeers?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?” I snapped defensively and he quickly shook his head.

“Nothing, my dear.” He said, “It’s your turn to ask a question.” I leaned back in my seat and thought for a moment before asking,

“Okay. What do you like to do besides running a pack and tormenting innocent Archers?” I sneered. Xaiver laughed at me again, unfazed by my jab.

“Well, there’s the obvious. I like to train and let Cain out for a run. Besides that, I like poetry.” His answer surprised me.

“Poetry?”

“Mhm.” He hummed, “My turn again.” He said before I could say anything else.

“Go ahead.” I said,

He had another question prepared for me in a second, leaving me to believe that he’s been banking his questions for a time like this.

“Did you go to school with the humans?” He asked. I blinked at him, a little surprised by his question.

“No, we have private tutors at Satin Moon.” I said, “We’re a small, independent pack. My fathers don’t like to venture out into the human world more often than they have to. And by fathers I mean Papa Archer.” I added with a chuckle.

“Left lots of time for training then, I assume.” He said and I nodded. He motioned for me to ask my next question,

“How did you meet Frankie and Lion?” I asked.

“Oh, we’ve known each other since we were babies. Their fathers were my father’s Beta and Gamma. None of us have any biological siblings so we were raised as brothers. We all lived in the packhouse together, had the same nannies, same schooling, same trainings.” Xaiver answered, smiling as he thought about his childhood, “We met Shay and Yaya in school and all became fast friends.”

“And Summer.” I added. Xaiver shot me a look before nodding,

“Yes, and Summer.” His tone was weary. I just nodded in response and waited for his next question.

“What about you? Who were your childhood friends?” He asked with a soft smile.

“I don’t have any.” I answered simply.

“What?” His smile disappeared.

“Everyone was still pretty hesitant around Papa, Alpha Archer that is, when I was a child. Not many people wanted their children around his prize fighter who also happened to be his daughter. They kept their distance. I was too busy training to really be bothered anyway. Then, I left for Alpha Sal’s pack and the Archers shortly after that. I guess you could say I’ve made friends with the Archers, but not in the traditional sense.” I felt my face scrunch up as I tried to explain it.

“That’s sad.” Xaiver frowned. I shook my head,

“Not to me. I wasn’t bothered by it,” I said again, “It just made me a better candidate. Archers are supposed to be void of attachments.” Xaiver looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn’t.

“Where are you parents?” I asked, realizing that I hadn’t seen them around the packhouse once. Xaiver sighed, a hint of irritation on his face.

“In the werewolf realm, I think. I’m not sure, really. After I took over the pack, they went off to enjoy their retirement,” he used air quotes around the word retirement and spoke in a mocking tone, “They’ve only been home a handful of times in the last ten years. They handed over the pack to me when I was 16 and that was that.” He shrugged.

“That’s….different.” I said, thinking about my very hands on parents who refuse to hand over the pack until my brothers are good and ready.

“Yeah, I have very distant parents. Especially compared to yours.” He chuckled humorlessly, “Annie and Ned are their names. They were good parents, don’t get me wrong. But, they wanted me as an heir, not a son. Raised me up good and proper, trained me to take over as Alpha, and then, when I was ready, left me to handle things on my own. Same with Frankie and Lion’s parents.” Xaiver said.

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled. Xaiver’s face changed when he looked at me.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” He smirked, “My turn.” He declared.

Before his next question, he reached across the car to snatch up my hand. I let him, finding that I liked the feeling of our fingers snaking together so perfectly.

“Did you have any boyfriends?” My head snapped up towards him at his next question, my eyes pinching together.

“Boyfriends?”

“Yeah, you know, male companions?” He clarified but I just glared at him.

“Why?”

“Don’t answer a question with a question.” He chastised.

“No, I haven’t had any boyfriends. What part of ‘no attachments’ screams boyfriends to you?” I dared him to answer.

“Just checking.” Xaiver shrugged lazily, like he didn’t have a million alternative motives for asking that question.

“Fine, and what about you?” I asked bitterly, wanting him to get a taste of his own medicine. Instead, he just casually shook his head,

“No one besides Summer.” He said, then he dove right into his next question, “No boyfriends doesn’t mean you haven’t had any dalliances.”

“What does that even mean?” I was afraid to ask.

“You know, casual relationships with the opposite gender.” He waved his hand around like that was supposed to clarify things.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I said, feeling a bit stupid. Xaiver sighed in frustration,

“I’m talking about sex, Thea. I’m asking if you’ve had sex with anyone.” He deadpanned.