Out of Bounds

20

Shiloh suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and pushed Archer away, breathing heavily.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Shiloh said firmly.

Without waiting for a response, he quickly walked out of the restroom, leaving Archer standing there alone. Archer ran a hand through his hair and cursed under his breath, frustration written all over his face.

Meanwhile, Shiloh returned to their table. He sat down and clasped his hands together tightly, trying to steady himself. His heart was still beating faster than usual, and he kept his head lowered as if deep in thought.

Vincent immediately noticed the change in his demeanor. He gently tapped Shiloh’s shoulder.

"Did you fight with Archer?" Vincent asked. He had actually seen Archer enter the restroom earlier and had been about to follow them out of curiosity, but he stopped himself, deciding it was none of his business.

"N-No," Shiloh replied quickly. He avoided Vincent’s gaze for a moment before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, Vincent, but can we go now? I promise to make it up to you," he added. Vincent frowned slightly.

"What happened?" he asked, studying Shiloh’s pale face.

"I don't feel well," Shiloh replied. He didn’t want Vincent to get caught in this situation. Archer had clearly released his pheromones back there, and even now the lingering effect was making Shiloh feel weak and unsettled.

Vincent, however, was a Beta—a neutral one. The pheromones barely affected him at all. But for Shiloh, it was different.

The lingering scent was making his body feel warm and his strength slowly drain away. Vincent looked at him for another moment before nodding.

"Alright, let's go," Vincent said. He stood up and offered his hand to Shiloh.

Shiloh gratefully took it and stood, trying his best to steady himself as they prepared to leave Groove.

"Can you drive?" Vincent asked as they stepped outside the bar. "Gabe's place is near here. I can call him to pick me up so you can go straight home," he added.

"I can drive," Shiloh replied. "Thanks, Vince… and I'm sorry," he added. Vincent waved it off casually.

"Alright, keep safe!" he said.

Shiloh nodded before heading toward his car. He got inside, closed the door, and leaned back for a second before starting the engine.

Soon, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove away.

But instead of taking the road that led back to his house, he turned toward another direction. His mind was still restless.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at a small convenience store that he and Archer both frequented. The place was quiet at this hour, the dim lights from the store sign reflecting faintly on the windshield.

Shiloh parked the car and turned off the engine. He leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

His body still felt warm from earlier, and the memory of what happened in the restroom kept replaying in his mind.

Shiloh closed his eyes. Suddenly, a faint knocked has his eyes snapped open. Someone was tapping on the window of his car.

Shiloh turned his head and was immediately surprised to see Archer standing outside, waiting for him to open the door. His irritation instantly returned.

Glaring, Shiloh reached over and unlocked the door. The moment the lock clicked, Archer opened it.

"Asshole!" Shiloh snapped as he grabbed his wallet and threw it at him. Archer caught it easily.

"Why would you f*****g do that?" Shiloh asked angrily, glaring at him. "Do you want everyone to know that I'm an omega, huh?" he added, his voice tense with frustration. Archer held the wallet in his hand and sighed.

"I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean it," Archer said. Shiloh scoffed loudly.

"Yeah, f*****g liar," he snapped. "Why the f**k are you even here?" he added, his glare sharp and unforgiving.

"The moment you drove off, I followed you," Archer replied honestly. "Then I saw you change direction and come here," he added. Shiloh clenched his jaw.

"Leave. I don't want to see you right now," he said coldly. Archer hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"But… you're in heat," he said quietly. Shiloh let out a bitter laugh.

"Which you f*****g triggered," he shot back immediately. "And I'm not your exclusive f**k toy, so leave me alone. I can handle my heat," he added, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

"Alexii…" Archer started.

The name made Shiloh’s expression darken even more.

"No, Archer," Shiloh cut him off sharply. "I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense," he added. His fingers tightened around the wheel as he stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him.

Archer stood there silently for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. Realizing Shiloh wasn’t going to listen, he slowly stepped back and closed the car door. Without another word, he walked away from the car.

The moment Archer moved away, Shiloh immediately started the engine. The car roared to life, and he drove off from the store parking lot.

"f*****g Archer," Shiloh muttered under his breath as he sped down the road, still cursing his name.

"Way to go, Archer. You just ruined everything you had with him," Archer muttered to himself as he ruffled his hair in frustration.

He leaned against his car for a moment, staring at the empty road where Shiloh had just driven off. Letting out a long breath, he cursed quietly under his breath.

It hadn’t been his intention to release his pheromones back there in the restroom. But the moment he saw Shiloh sitting with another man—laughing, drinking, acting like everything was fine—it stirred something ugly inside him.

He hated it. Hated seeing Shiloh with anyone else.

His phone suddenly rang, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Archer pulled it out of his pocket and saw Dmitri’s name flashing on the screen. He answered the call as he opened the door to his car and slid into the driver’s seat.

"Where are you?" Dmitri asked from the other end of the line.

Archer pinched the bridge of his nose, already anticipating Dmitri’s reaction. He hadn’t even told him he was leaving earlier. He had just stormed out of the bar to follow Shiloh without saying a word.

"I left," Archer said flatly.

"What the f**k?" Dmitri’s voice immediately rose in disbelief. "The omegas are here and you just left me alone?" he added. He sounded genuinely annoyed.

Dmitri had arranged for a few omegas to come hang out with them that night, and now Archer had completely ditched him.

"Make them leave and I'll come back," Archer said, starting the engine. "I'm not in the mood."

"You're f*****g serious?" Dmitri asked. Archer didn’t answer. There was a short silence on the line before Dmitri groaned loudly.

"Alright, fine," Dmitri said reluctantly. "I'll pay them and let them leave. Just come back here," he added.

Archer didn’t bother replying. He ended the call, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and started driving. A few minutes later, he turned the car around and headed back toward Groove.