By Your Side. (Sequel to Art Girl and Wolf Boy)

By Your Side. (6)

Archer's POV:

It took me three days to wake up.  

A week to fully recover.  

And finally, two weeks to work up the courage to go and see Phoebe. My mom refused to speak to me because I being such a coward, but my dad gave me updates.

She has nightmares, every night.  

Tony wants to murder you.  

You need to go to her, Archer Jack Connor. I didn't raise a coward.  

That was my mother. And that stung the most.

I looked in the mirror at my reflection, leaning on the bathroom sink. My hair flopped in my eyes. I didn't bother to brush it back. Usually, Phoebe would do that for me.

I was wearing a white tank top and jeans, barefoot. The mirror was a little dusty, because I hardly ever used my bathroom. I used the one in the hallway.  

I raised a hand to my face, staring at it. 

Instead of the pale, slightly tanned skin that everyone else saw, I saw the blood of another man. I tore him apart. My father and two of his most trusted friends, men who I consider my uncles, found the pieces scattered across the forest. They won't look at me the same way, I already know they won't. Whether they chose to look at me in a good light or bad, that was their choice.  

Someone knocked on the door. "Dude, it shouldn't take twenty minutes."

"I'll be out in a minute mom!" I yelled back.   "Five....four...three....two...."

I sighed and opened the door, stepping out. She had an eyebrow raised at me, arms folded and resting on her stomach.

"Thank you. Now let's go, it's time you snapped out of the whole 'caveman' thing."

"Okay..."

I followed her out of my bedroom, towards the kitchen.

"Dinner's being served early cause' your dad has to go in about an hour," she rolled her eyes and we said simultaneously, "Pack meeting."

"I'm not coming to this one?" Not that I was complaining.  

"No. Have you seen yourself? There's dark circles under your eyes."

I shrugged and pushed the door to the dining room open.  

All chatter stopped and everyone stared at me. I was getting ready to duck out when a hand clapped on my shoulder.

"You, my friend, look like death warmed over."  

I smothered a chuckle and said back to Max, "That's because I haven't been sleeping well. What's your excuse?"  

He smacked me on the back of the head--lightly--and guided me over to the table, forcing me to sit with my friends.

"Arch man, you've got to check out the food being served, a cook just joined the pack and she is MAGNIFICENT. I swear she could make something edible with pig fat and salt in three minutes."   Everyone at the table laughed and started joking around. The kitchen was filled with laughter. And I felt almost normal.  

But there was someone missing.  

I stood up and walked out quietly, trying my best to be inconspicuous. I'd thought I had it made when I turned around and bumped into someone.  

I was promptly shoved into the far wall, hard. Courtesy of Tony.  

The room fell silent.  

As I stood up, all of the wounds that had been reduced to a dull ache came alive. Wincing slightly, I stood up.  

Tony glared at me from where my dad had created a one-man barrier between me and him.  

"You're not going to be seeing her anymore, Archer. As her father, I command you to stay away from my daughter."  

"I'd rather die." I snapped.  

"That could be arranged."

"Tony," My dad growled in a low voice. Only the people who had shifted in the room heard him. And right now that was me, him, Tony, and a few other people who's heads were bowed under the force of the alpha's voice. They weren't paying attention.  

His head bowed and with a growl of fury, he stomped off. I glared at his back as he left, fully prepared to grab him by his throat and demand that we battle it out in the front yard.   

I wanted to kill him. But that would hurt Phoebe, and she already had every right to be mad at me. I didn't want to make it worse.  

I was shaking, my entire body battling with my mind to keep control, to not shift and scare the crap out of my family. My friends, they hadn't shifted yet. They wouldn't understand.  

"Archer, go for a run." My dad commanded in a crisp voice. He looked sad for some reason.   He didn't have to tell me twice. I ran into the kitchen, passing a woman and flinging open the back door.

I barely made it to the edge of the woods before I burst out of my clothes.  

Unknown POV:

"Nix has been gone for quite a while now, hasn't he?"

I turned toward my best friend, the one who made all of this possible. Gold rings covered all of his fingers, clanking together with small sounds as he drummed his fingers on the tabletop. He loved those rings as if they were his own children.  

My partner merely shrugged, as if this were concern to him. "Nix can take care of himself, Professor. We both know that. And besides, has he not been gone for up to five years before? It has only been two weeks. The father may have caused some trouble."

I frowned. "But the benefits of coming to the academy surely outweigh the cons."

"The father is close to Phoebe. And plus, there's that boy to consider."

"Ah, yes." I nodded. "The boy. But he has not shifted yet. He couldn't have imprinted on her."

"They are close, still though. But give Nix time. He will come through. We trained him well here at the academy."

"True." I said. "True."   There was a knock at the door. I turned. "Come in." I called.

The door opened and one of my teachers came in, holding two small boys in the air. Jackob and Therrel Smith, twins.  

"Fighting again?" I raised my eyebrows.

She nodded and released them from the hold she had them in, the blue sphere of energy disappearing from around them. They plopped into the black leather cushioned seats of my office.

"They were throwing green spheres of energy at each other and hit a young shape shifter. She is currently in the infirmary. Healers are working at her, so she should be fine."

I nodded at the report and made a gesture with my hand. "You may leave now."

She bowed slightly and exited the room.

"Now, for you two..."