Page 6 of Red River (Eden’s Omegaverse #4)

When the car stopped in front of Archer’s house, my heart was pounding like crazy. I glanced at my kids, still asleep, worn out from the long journey. The truck driver, a gray-haired beta, looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but I put my finger to my lips, signaling that I didn’t want to wake the boys just yet.

Archer’s residence was even bigger than I had imagined. It was a massive modern mansion, the kind you’d see in an architectural magazine.

His uncle, a former head of research at Malden Pharmaceuticals and a shareholder in a network of profitable plastic surgery clinics, had built this house for retirement, but he hadn’t lived long enough to enjoy it. The property eventually passed to Archer.

The front of the house was surrounded by a sprawling lawn dotted with a few elegant ornamental plants. The driveway was wide enough to accommodate the truck, which fit entirely on it. The engine noise must have alerted Archer because, moments later, the front door opened, and a massive figure stepped outside.

Before I could think twice, I practically launched myself out of the truck cabin. My heart was racing fast, as I headed toward Archer, nervously wiping my sweaty hands on my pants.

Wow—he’d grown even more since I last saw him as a teen.

The young man stood an impressive seven feet tall, towering over me like a skyscraper.

I hadn’t inherited height from my parents. My paternal grandfather was short, and clearly, I took after him with my measly 5’4". Next to Archer, I felt like a dwarf.

He’d transformed into an intimidating alpha. I knew he was a martial artist, and my God, it showed. His enormous muscles strained against the fabric of his tight T-shirt, making it clear just how powerful he was. His face was sharp and masculine, and there was something about him I hadn’t quite noticed before—a certain resemblance to a… young Thomas!

Wow. I’d read about the concept of imprints—people who bore a striking similarity to a person’s True Mate. They were often High or Half Mates. I knew my father had once had another husband who resembled my dad.

Thomas had been manly and very handsome in his prime, before his health had started to fail. Like him, Archer had dark blonde hair, cut short, and strikingly intense blue eyes. But Archer was significantly taller—Thomas had been 6’5", a good height, but still no match for Archer’s towering frame.

My knees felt like jelly as I walked toward him.

Still, I forced myself to look presentable. I plastered on a strained smile and said, "Hey, Archer."

"Hey, River," he replied, and his voice was sooo low! Oh my God—it sounded even more sensual than it had over the phone.

His gaze swept over me, and I felt a sharp pang of anxiety. He must have noticed how much I’d aged.

"You probably barely recognize me," I blurted, nervously biting my lip. "It’s been so many years. I’ve changed a lot."

Dammit, silly me. Why I decided to lead with my insecurities was beyond me.

As I said this, I extended my hand toward him, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he did something alphas traditionally did when greeting their submissive omegas: he reached out and placed his hand on my neck.

A shiver ran through me, like a wave of chills spreading across my skin—I immediately bowed my head, and… my dick stirred in my pants.

My pelvis instinctively began to tilt back, as a good submissive omega should do, offering him my ass. It was stronger than my will, written in my DNA. It was also one of the reasons omegas didn’t want to be greeted that way nowadays, since it evoked this uncomfortable reaction.

But… I didn’t mind.

Fortunately, before it started to look awkward, Archer withdrew his hand, his expression calm and neutral, as if what he’d done was completely normal—just the equivalent of a handshake. But we both knew it wasn’t.

In the ancient, unspoken language between alphas and omegas, this gesture carried a much deeper meaning. It wasn't just a greeting or a way of forcing sexual servitude; it was a deliberate act to assert dominance over the submissive one.

"To me, you look the same as when I first saw you, River. You look like my omega," he said.

Gosh, his voice was way too deep, resonant, and far too commanding—I didn’t have a chance. It sent a wave of heat through me, more blood flowing down to my dick, and my hole clenched too, the traitor. I looked like his omega? And he looked like my alpha. But, of course, I didn’t dare say that dream out loud.

Instead, I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to say. But before I could, the passenger door clicked open, and Aiden climbed out of the truck cab, followed by Van and Lake.

All three of them looked around curiously.

But one person was noticeably absent: Igor.

It was almost hard to believe. Igor should’ve been the first one out, trying to assert himself. But he wasn’t. He’d been silent and sullen for the entire trip and hadn’t said a word since the driver started the engine a few hours ago.

Stephen had practically had to shove him into the truck. The idea of being forced into another alpha's household was almost unbearable to my son. He knew well he’d have to follow Archer’s rules—and worse, that Archer would now be his official guardian.

This transition was doomed to be a challenge from the start—Igor’s rebellion only grew stronger as the move approached. He had fits of rage, tried to fight Stephen on multiple occasions, screamed at me and Sam, and, when locked in his room, pounded his fists against the walls. But… his attempts to take control of the family were shut down by our joint effort.

I had no idea what he was planning now or what game he intended to play.

But at least my other sons had gotten out of the truck, which was a relief. They approached Archer slowly, their faces a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

Aiden led the rest, walking with some confidence, while Van followed more hesitantly. Lake trailed behind, looking shy but also cautiously curious.

"This is Aiden. He’s almost ten," I introduced my fourth son. "My youngest but one."

Aiden extended his hand, looking around, quite excited. He didn’t show any fear or reluctance, just a bit of pent-up energy after so many hours cramped in the truck cab.

"A strong handshake!" Archer said with a subtle smirk, and Aiden cracked a smile.

Van was more cautious, though still open enough. He had mostly resisted Igor’s influence, likely because the two didn’t always get along smoothly, though Igor had still managed to plant some doubts with his constant ranting and complaints about the move.

Thankfully, Van remained neutral. He hesitated for a moment, but eventually stepped forward, studying Archer intently before offering his hand for a handshake.

"Great T-shirt. Is that the Matterhorn?" Archer asked, pointing at Van’s shirt, which featured the iconic mountain. Van nodded shyly.

Then Archer noticed Lake, who was standing quietly off to the side, and walked over to him. Crouching down, he smiled warmly and said, "Hi, I’m Archer."

Lake blushed, but extended his hand, his small palm nearly disappearing in Archer’s much larger one. Despite being seven, Lake looked closer to five and was often treated as such.

"How was the trip? Did you see anything interesting on the way?" Archer asked, his voice noticeably gentler, which made my heart flutter unexpectedly. Was he making an effort to connect with my boys in a friendly way?

Lake nodded seriously. "Yeah, a big white bridge—really long!"

"That must’ve been something. You’ll have to show me online later. I’m curious where you crossed such a bridge!"

Lake nodded again. "Okay. I’ll show you."

Archer ruffled his golden hair, then stood up and turned to Aiden and Van. "How was the trip for you two?"

Aiden spoke first. "It was so boring!"

Van looked like he disagreed, but didn’t say anything.

"I hope what you see next will be more fun," Archer added with a smirk.

Then he turned toward the truck cab, as if looking for Igor, but only the driver and his assistant emerged.

"Good evening, we’re from MoveOn Company. Where should we unload the luggage?" the driver asked.

"Good evening. Please put everything here on the driveway first. We’ll bring it inside afterward," Archer instructed.

The workers nodded and moved to the back of the truck to open it.

Igor still hadn’t come out of the cab, which was now dark. I couldn’t tell if he was watching us or not.

"Van, is Igor still sleeping?" I asked nervously.

Van shook his head, his expression uncomfortable as he glanced at me and then at Archer, who was watching us closely.

"No, but I don’t think he wants to get out," Van mumbled.

An awkward silence hung in the air.

"Go to him now and tell him to come out immediately, or he’ll be in trouble," I hissed at Van, who quickly ran to the cab.

I turned back to Archer, who was studying me with an unreadable expression.

"Sam probably told you about the situation. Igor tried to establish himself as the dominant alpha—"

"I’m aware," Archer said tersely. "Did he return your phone yet?"

I blinked. "Stephen finally forced him to give it back. He knew I could just use Sam’s cell, so he figured it wasn’t worth keeping."

Archer pulled a phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. "Just in case, I got a backup for you."

I stared at it, stunned. "Oh. Thank you… but I already have one—"

"Take it. It’s got plenty of storage. Sam mentioned you’ve been running out of space for photos and videos of the boys. This one will be harder to fill up."

My heart tightened with a mix of excitement and gratitude. Archer had clearly reached out to Sam and learned about my… needs. I wasn’t someone who swooned easily, but this gesture felt personal. He’d thought about me.

"That’s very… kind. Thank you," I mumbled, feeling silly.

I glanced at the phone, realizing it was the latest model with a massive storage capacity—a pricey gadget, to say the least.

Just then, Van returned, looking dejected. "Igor doesn’t want to come out yet," he muttered, avoiding Archer’s gaze.

Shame and anger ran through me, but Archer seemed to ignore the update about Igor entirely.

"Well, let’s go on a tour of the house. I’ll show you your rooms; everything’s ready for you," Archer said, his tone steady.

I hesitated, opening my mouth to say something about Igor, but the unfazed look on Archer’s face made me close it.

I had to admit, I was impressed. With that simple move, Archer turned Igor’s defiance into a non-issue, asserting his dominance in a subtle but effective way. Igor was now excluded from an activity all my kids were excited about.

The vast house would still feel like Archer's domain—an unexplored territory for Igor.

During the trip, my other sons had talked endlessly about finally having their own rooms. Until now, they’d shared—Van with Igor and Lake with Aiden. The idea of separate rooms was thrilling for them.

Instead of leading us to the front door, Archer took us around the house to a spacious yard that extended into a large, meticulously maintained garden. I noticed a chicken coop and a greenhouse—both reminding me of the ones my dad had maintained back home.

But the kids’ attention was immediately drawn to the pool.

"Wow!" Aiden shouted, running to the edge. "I didn’t know you had a pool!"

"Of course, I do. Hope you all know how to swim?"

"We do! Dad taught us!" Aiden said proudly.

Archer glanced briefly at me before replying. "Since you know how to swim, you can use it anytime—but only when an adult is around. And one rule: always take a shower before getting in the water. Got it?"

Aiden nodded eagerly, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the pool’s surface.

Lake also stepped closer to the edge and asked shyly, "Can I swim here too?"

"Of course. The pool is for all of us now."

Van stayed quiet, though I could tell he was also curious about the pool. His real passion was bouldering, and he was probably already wondering if there were good climbing spots nearby. But he was still a kid, and the prospect of having a pool made his face involuntarily light up.

"And over here is my chicken coop," Archer pointed to it. "I only recently got chickens—five of them. They started laying eggs about a week ago. I haven’t named them yet, so maybe you guys can help me with that."

"Why aren’t the chickens outside?" Lake looked around as if searching for the birds.

"They’re already asleep. It’s too dark for them now. You can check them out tomorrow; they’re pretty cool," Archer explained.

"Five chickens isn’t much. I eat two eggs just for breakfast," Aiden declared gleefully.

"If you help me, we can get more chickens." Archer patted Aiden on the shoulder. "But you’ll have to care for them. We can also easily expand the coop. Do you know anything about DIY?"

"I do! And we’ll help!" Aiden exclaimed, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Great. And over here is my little greenhouse." Archer gestured toward it. "Honestly, I kept it because my uncle built it, but I have no idea what to plant in there."

"Dad likes to plant things. We had a tiny garden at our old house, and it was always full of vegetables," Lake said shyly. "I helped him weed a little."

"Then the greenhouse will be your dad's," Archer concluded firmly, giving Lake a wink. "And maybe you’ll help him here too?"

Lake nodded with a happy smile.

Archer’s natural way of interacting with my boys caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him, with his authoritative personality, to connect so easily with small kids—after all, he didn’t have children of his own. But here he was, engaging with the younger two like it was second nature.

Sam once told me that Archer wanted to have a big family, wanted to be a father. Maybe he knew something about himself that wasn’t so obvious to outsiders?

A small spark of hope flickered in my chest—perhaps this move wouldn’t be the total disaster I’d feared?

"Let’s head inside through the patio. I’ll show you the living room." Archer motioned for us to follow.

"Whoa, cool patio!" Aiden’s eyes widened as he took in the space. "And look at the grill! And that table—it’s huge!"

I couldn’t help but smile. Aiden’s bright, outgoing personality was exactly what we needed to smooth over the awkwardness of this transition. He always managed to bring some lightness into any situation, and I was grateful for it now more than ever.

"We can have meals out here when the weather's nice." Archer gestured toward the edge of the patio. "And there’s a view of the lake."

"Can we see it from here?" Aiden seemed eager to check everything at once.

"Yep. Turn around—there!" Archer pointed toward the silver surface visible not too far away. The patio was slightly elevated, offering a clear view of the lake below the slope.

"It’s only about two hundred yards away—a small path leads to it. But it’s too late to go down to the beach now. We’ll check it out tomorrow," Archer assured him as he slid open the glass doors.

"Okay, come on inside."

We all walked in, with Van trailing behind. He still seemed reserved, but at least not as hostile as Igor.

"This is the living room, connected to the kitchen. It’s pretty spacious. Oliver—he’s my helper—prepared dinner for you before he left. All we need to do is heat it up."

"What’s in the basement?" Aiden asked.

"We can check." Archer led the way downstairs, and we followed.

"Here’s my gym." He opened a door on the right. "It’s more of a mix between a gym and a training room."

Van peeked inside, and I did the same.

The space was spacious but slightly rugged, filled with some intimidating heavy-weight equipment. A treadmill stood near the wall, alongside machines I couldn’t even name. Several punching bags hung from the ceiling, and a few well-used mats were laid out on the floor.

"I set this part up soon after getting the keys to the house, toward the end of my sophomore year. My friend Gabriel used to come over on weekends, and we’d spar here. But later, he got into trouble with the law, and, well… now it’s just me."

"Do you still train?"

I was surprised to hear Van ask the question. Archer turned his head toward him and nodded.

"Yep. There’s a small club in Darton. I go there three times a week. Interested in joining me?"

Van looked a bit abashed, as if he wanted to explain something, but decided against it and lowered his head, his fingers briefly curling at his sides.

Meanwhile, Aiden tested a few punches on the nearest bag, making it swing slightly with each strike.

Archer, still standing in the doorway, motioned toward the hall. "Over here on the left is the laundry room, and down there"—he pointed—"are some utility rooms. Nothing too exciting."

Then he moved toward the stairs. "Now, let’s head to the second floor. I’m sure you’re eager to see your places."

The kids were practically buzzing with excitement as we climbed up. I tried to take it all in, feeling a little overwhelmed. This house felt so… grand, so far removed from the life we’d just left behind. I couldn’t shake the impression that there had to be some kind of catch to all of this. Nothing this good came without a cost. But I pushed those thoughts aside for now; there were more pressing issues to deal with. Like… Igor’s absence.

The first stop upstairs was Van’s room.

My third son stepped inside cautiously, his eyes widening as he took in the spacious room. It was larger than I expected, with clean, modern furniture and a huge poster of a famous climber on the wall. Van stared at it for a long moment before speaking.

"How did you know I love Harry Dowell?"

"Sam was my source."

"I’ve never had my own room before. I always had to share with Igor," he said quietly, glancing at Archer, almost like he was testing the waters.

"It’s a… nice room."

"I’m glad you like it," Archer replied simply. "By the way, I found out there’s a small climbing center in Darton. Maybe we can check it out on the weekends?"

Van’s dark blue eyes lit up, the joy on his face almost making me tear up. "Really? Do you know much about climbing?"

"Not much," Archer admitted, tilting his head. "I’m into martial arts. Though, as a teenager, I used to go rock climbing with friends from time to time, just for fun. But if you’re willing to teach me some techniques, I’d love to give it another shot."

Van’s cheeks flushed as he nodded. "Su—sure."

Meanwhile, Aiden and Lake were starting to get impatient.

"What about our rooms? Do we get our own too?" Aiden asked, practically bouncing with excitement.

Archer darted him a glance. "Of course. Each of you has one."

He waved toward two doors, and the boys took off, squealing as they ran to see their new spaces.

"This one’s yours, Aiden." Archer opened the first door.

"Superman curtains?!" Aiden shouted, brimming with pure joy. "This is so awesome!"

"Sam told me you’re a big fan."

Lake couldn’t wait any longer and bolted to the next room. His eyes sparkled as he spotted the OmegaCat-themed curtains and matching bedspread. He let out a high-pitched squeal before jumping onto the bed, bouncing like a hyper little rabbit.

"Amazing!" he shouted. Aiden quickly joined him, both of them giggling as they bounced together.

I turned to Archer, feeling my chest tighten with gratitude. "You really went all out to make these rooms perfect for them. Thank you so much, Archer."

"It’s nothing," Archer replied shortly. "Now, let’s go check out your room."

I followed him down the hall to a door right next to his bedroom, which I recognized immediately, seeing a large bed through the slightly open door.

Archer let me in first.

"Wow, it’s beautiful."

My face must have shown how bewildered I felt because Archer smiled slyly. Did I look like a kid who felt undeserving of too many presents?

"You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble. A small corner would have been fine," I muttered, utterly embarrassed.

"River, that’s really nothing. My house has ten bedrooms, not even counting the living room and my office," he said calmly, as if it were no big deal.

Something caught my eye. "Is that a new laptop?"

"Yes, it's a welcome gift." His face remained unbothered.

I bit my lip. Overwhelmed didn't even begin to cover it. "I thought it was the phone."

"Well, a second one."

Rubbing my cheeks nervously, I muttered, "My laptop broke a month ago, and I've been using Igor's. This is really… useful."

He didn’t respond.

Feeling anxious, I turned toward him. Something needed to be said.

"Thank you so much, Archer. You've done so much for us… probably too much. How can I ever repay you?" I whispered.

But before he could suggest ways I could repay him, I quickly added, "And I'm sorry about Igor's behavior downstairs. I can't stop thinking about it. He's not a bad kid; he was always a good son. But this whole 'alpha coup' thing just got to him, and failing at it hurt and humiliated him even more."

Archer’s face remained calm. "River, I know how Igor feels. But now he's going to be living under another alpha's roof, and that means following some of my rules. But I promise you, I'll treat him fairly." His voice was calm, his eyes locked on mine.

I swallowed hard and gave a slow nod.