Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Theo

It’s dusk by the time we roll back into the six-pack territory, the sky darkening as I pull up to the gate of the squad complex to drop Brooke off.

“Need help with your bags or anything?” I ask as I throw the Jeep in park.

“Nah, I’m good,” she sighs as she drags her bare feet off of the dashboard, slipping them into her sneakers on the floor below and unbuckling her seatbelt.

I don’t know why I even asked, like I’m trying to be a gentleman or some shit.

Brooke hops out of the Jeep and opens the back door to haul her bags out. I turn over my shoulder to watch her as she slings her backpack over one shoulder, duffel over the other.

“Coming out tonight?”

“Not sure,” she breathes, holding onto the back door of the Jeep. “Gotta see what my friends are up to.”

If I know anything about the squad, it’s that the newbies never miss a night out.

“In that case, I’ll see you there,” I grin, tossing her a wink.

Brooke rolls her eyes, pushing the door closed.

I wait a few seconds before I pull away, watching her reposition her bags on her shoulders and start for the gate. Once she passes through, I pull back on the road, heading to Gray’s to drop off his Jeep.

Even though I’m tired from the drive and staying up too late last night, I’m not about to miss a Saturday night out at the Goldenleaf bar, either. The place is always packed, the alcohol flowing, the patrons ready to let loose and get a little wild. It’s the highlight of my week.

I feel like I need a reality check, too, and a night out is just the ticket. I stayed in Brooke’s room last night until two in the morning and we didn’t even get naked. Instead, I had her put more clothes on when I got there, and then we just talked and listened to music. I hope she doesn’t tell anyone about it because it’ll make me sound like a total pussy.

Though it was kinda nice. I mean, I would’ve rather been fucking her till 2 a.m., but just hanging out with her was actually cool. I never thought I’d enjoy a late-night hangout with a girl where we kept our clothes on, but Brooke’s not like other girls. She’s… different.

I let myself into the Goldenleaf packhouse without knocking, twirling the keys to the Jeep around a finger and loudly calling out for Gray. He jogs down the stairs moments later, holding a finger to his lips to hush me.

“Holly’s trying to get Mason to bed,” he explains quietly, stabbing his fingers through his hair. It’s damp, like he recently got out of the shower.

Holly is his beta’s mate and Mason is their young son. They live at the packhouse, too.

I nod in understanding, tossing the keys to him. He snatches them out of the air and slides them in his pocket.

“How was Denver?”

“Good,” I mumble, trying to keep my voice down. “Come out for a beer, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Yeah, sure,” Gray replies, approaching and clapping me on the shoulder. “I was about to head over to the bar anyways.”

We leave the packhouse, start down the front walkway. The bar isn’t far from his place- only a few blocks’ walk.

“So what’d you think of Cole?” Gray asks as we hit the end of the driveway and step onto the street.

“That guy’s all business, man,” I chuckle. “Kinda reminds me of Brock.”

“Yeah,” Gray agrees. “I’m sure he has to be, though, to run a pack that size.”

“Guess so. Dude!” I slap Gray’s chest with the back of my hand. “You didn’t tell me that he has a hot sister!”

“What?” he laughs. “I didn’t even know he had a sister. Never met her.”

Gray peers over at me, narrowing his eyes. “Wait a minute, you didn’t…”

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “Nah, I didn’t hook up with her. Not this time, at least.” I wink.

I leave out the part about how I didn’t even try because I was too busy not hooking up with his own mate’s sister. It’s so uncharacteristic that he probably wouldn’t believe me, anyways.

Gray chuckles. “That’s probably for the best. Don’t want them pulling out of our alliance because you screwed over the alpha’s sister.”

“Please,” I scoff. “I wouldn’t screw her over. Just screw her.”

I waggle my eyebrows and Gray gives me a playful shove.

I miss this. Gray and I used to be thick as thieves, but most of his free time lately has been occupied by his mate. We’ve always had this connection, this understanding between us given what we’ve both been through. I lost my mom at a young age, he lost both of his parents. That kind of loss changes you. Gray just ‘gets’ me in ways that other people don’t.

Even though it’s still pretty early when we get to the bar, it’s already busy; music thumping, drinks flowing. We head straight for our usual high-top table in the back corner where Jax and Reid are posted up having a beer.

“Hey guys,” Jax greets as we approach and slide into our usual seats. “Wasn’t sure if you’d make it tonight.”

Reid sets his beer bottle down. “How was Denver?”

“Good,” I say, looking over my shoulder for the waitress before turning back to Jax and Reid. “They have a hell of a setup there. Did you know they have video feeds of their borders? It’s pretty slick. We should look into doing something like that.”

“No shit?” Jax asks, running a hand through his hair. It’s on the longer side, dirty blonde and wavy like a California surfer. He’s reminiscent of a young Matthew McConaughey, but Jax’s body is way more jacked from spending hours in the gym each day. “Dude, if it’ll get me out of running patrol then we should totally do it.”

I chuckle, throwing up my hands. “That’s what I’m sayin’!”

“Hi, Alpha!” Kelly chirps brightly to Gray, approaching our table with a tray of beers. She sets one in front of each of us, then tucks the tray under an arm and sets a hand on his shoulder. “How’s it going?”

Kelly’s part of Gray’s pack and has always had a thing for him. That didn’t stop her from hooking up with me a few months back, though. She probably pretended I was him the entire time.

“Good,” Gray murmurs, reaching for his beer. “Has Fallon come in yet?”

Kelly picks up on his hint, sliding her hand off of his shoulder and resting it on her hip instead. “Haven’t seen her yet. But when she does, I’ll send her your way.”

Gray nods. “Thanks.” He lifts the beer bottle to his lips, taking a swig.

Kelly’s cheeks flush. “Can I get you guys anything else?” she asks, looking around at us.

Reid lifts his beer. “Just keep em’ comin’,” he drawls.

She nods, scurrying away to help other customers.

“Anything else to report from Denver?” Gray asks, picking at the label on his beer bottle.

I shrug. “Just the security stuff they’ve got that we can apply here. I’ll work on getting something together for our meeting next week.”

I take a long swig of my beer, emptying half of it before I set it down again, raking a hand through my hair. “All of their geeks were really excited about Brooke’s program.”

“You didn’t give her too much trouble, did you?” Gray asks, side-eying me.

I smirk, shaking my head. “Nah. Not for lack of trying, though. Turns out she’s impervious to my charms.”

“Smart girl,” Gray teases, picking up his beer again.

I finish my own, waving Kelly over to bring another round. She delivers it quickly and doesn’t linger this time.

“Where’s Brock at?” I ask, looking around. The bar’s filling up fast, growing louder with the dull roar of the crowd and the thump of the music.

Reid finishes his beer, grabbing a fresh one off of the table. “He said he was gonna try to make it out.”

I nod. “Cool.”

Brock and I may not see eye to eye on many things, but I still like the guy well enough. Our group doesn’t really feel complete without him.

“You guys want a whiskey shot?” I ask.

“Oh, so it’s that kinda night?” Jax chuckles.

I shrug. “Why not?”

I rise to my feet, looking around to Jax, Reid, and Gray. “Any takers?”

Gray and Reid exchange glances- but before they can offer any excuses, I wave a hand dismissively and turn to head to the bar. “I’ll just bring em’.”

I thread my way through the crowd, bellying up to the bar and signaling to the bartender. I order four shots of whiskey, leaning my elbows onto the bar top as I wait for him to pour them.

My nose twitches as a deliciously familiar scent hits it- coconut and rain. I straighten, craning my neck to see Brooke entering the bar with her sister and a handful of friends.

She’s all dressed up again- her long blonde hair is pulled back into a bun, she’s ditched the nerd glasses, and she’s wearing a short black dress and black pumps. The dress has a high neckline and long sleeves, but those long, gorgeous legs are on full display. My eyes are immediately drawn to them, my heart beating faster in my chest with every step she takes in my direction.

My wolf perks up as my eyes travel from her legs to her waist- the fabric of the dress tight across her flat stomach- to her round little tits, the curve of her neck, the flutter of her macara-slicked eyelashes. Damn, she looks good. Those big blue eyes of hers meet mine; locking, lingering, questioning.

I flash her a smile and give a little flick of my head, beckoning her over. Brooke bites her bottom lip softly, looks around at her friends. Hesitates.

Then she leans in toward her sister, whispers something, and starts walking my way. My eyes traverse the length of her body again as she approaches, lock with hers when she stops in front of me.

“Hey kid.”

She cocks a hip, resting a hand on it. “What’s up?”

“You look good. You should ditch the glasses and t-shirts more often.”

Brooke rolls her eyes, folding her arms. “Look, I’m here with my friends, so if you’re just gonna hassle me…”

The bartender delivers the whiskey shots, setting them down and sliding them toward me.

“On Gray?” he asks, and I nod. I always drink on Gray’s tab here and toss him cash later because they barely charge him for a thing. Perks of being the alpha of Goldenleaf pack.

I pick up one of the shots, holding it out to Brooke. “Shot?”

She wrinkles her nose, shaking her head. “No thanks.”

“You don’t like whiskey?”

She shakes her head again.

I turn at the waist, setting the shot back down with the others, then swivel to face Brooke again. “Well what do you like? I’ll buy you a drink.”

She arches a brow. “On Gray’s tab?”

“Yeah, so?”

“That’s not really you buying me a drink then, is it?”

I roll my eyes. “Do you want one or not, kid?”

She bites her lip again, eyes fluttering to the floor. “No thanks, I’ll buy my own.”

Brooke’s friend Carly creeps up beside her, flashing me a toothy grin. “Hi, Theo!”

Girl is enthusiastic.

“Hey,” I breathe, eyes still locked on Brooke.

Carly turns to Brooke, touching her arm. “Connor’s looking for you. He got you a vodka soda.”

Fucking Connor. I forgot about him.

“Apparently Brooke doesn’t accept drinks from guys,” I grumble, leaning an elbow on the bar.

Her eyes fly up to meet mine, an annoyed glare slicing through me.

“Huh?” Carly asks, looking from Brooke to me.

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Nothing. You want a drink, Carly?”

Brooke scowls while Carly’s face lights up in delight.

“Yeah, that would be great!” Carly gushes. “A strawberry daquiri? Thank you!”

“No problem.” I toss her a wink, throwing up an arm to wave down the bartender again.

Brooke heaves a sigh. “I’m gonna go find Connor,” she mumbles, setting a hand on Carly’s shoulder and turning around.

Oh damn. The dress she’s wearing has a completely open back- my breath catches in my throat as I take in the shape of her shoulder blades, the curve of her spine, the expanse of smooth, unblemished skin visible from her neck to the small of her back.

“What can I get ya?” the bartender asks, and it’s fucking painful to tear my eyes away from Brooke’s retreating form to respond to him.

“Uh… what did you want?” I ask, side-eyeing Carly.

“Strawberry daquiri,” she grins.

“Right.” I turn back to the bartender and throw a thumb over my shoulder to Carly. “What she said. Gray’s tab.”

The bartender nods, walking away to make Carly’s drink while I collect the whiskey shots off of the bar, carrying two in each hand.

“Thank you!” Carly beams as I spin around with them.

“No problem,” I mutter, forcing a wry smile as I head back to my table with the shots.

The whiskey splashes my palms as I carry the shots to the table and set them down. Gray’s missing- he must’ve gone off to find Fallon- but Brock showed up and is sitting in his usual seat. The guys groan when I arrive, eyeing the shots reluctantly.

“C’mon,” I urge, doling them out. I raise mine, looking from Jax, to Reid, to Brock. “To having a good fucking night.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jax chuckles, lifting his whiskey shot.

We all tap them on the table, drink them down. The whiskey burns, but it’s a good burn.

I slam my empty glass on the table, slide back into my seat. Take a swig of my beer. Try to ignore the fact that Brooke’s standing at the bar flirting with Connor.

What does she see in that guy, anyways?

I’m annoyed every time he makes her laugh, every time she touches his arm. My wolf gets agitated when their group hits the dance floor and the two of them start dancing together.

I chat with the guys, try not to look over my shoulder every two fucking minutes to see if they’re still dancing. I don’t know why it irritates me so much; why I can’t just ignore them. My wolf keeps pushing forward, thrashing around in my chest.

After awhile, I see Brooke and Carly break away from their little group, heading back up to the bar.

“More shots?” I ask the guys, rising to my feet. Again, I don’t give them a chance to protest- I just turn around, make my way through the crowd to the bar. My eyes are glued on the exposed skin of Brooke’s back the whole way there.

I prowl up behind her, leaning down to speak in her ear. “Hey,” I say, my voice low, fingertips grazing the exposed skin of her back. I feel a weird zing like static electricity and yank my hand away. She must feel it too because she jumps a little, startled, whipping around.

“Wha… oh, hi,” she breathes, eyelashes fluttering as she looks up at me.

Carly grins over at me from her spot beside Brooke as the bartender sets down two drinks, sliding them toward the girls.

“Twelve fifty.”

“I’ve got it,” I say quickly, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket.

“You… don’t have to do that,” Brooke mutters, shifting uncomfortably.

I retrieve a twenty, slapping it down on the bar top. “I want to.”

We just stare at each other for a moment- the sounds around us seem to fade as I look into her big blue eyes, sparkling with the silver shimmers of her wolf.

“Thanks, Theo!” Carly chirps, and the moment’s lost.

Brooke’s eyes dart away.

Carly grabs for the daquiri, starts sipping it greedily.

Brooke reaches for her drink, raising it to her lips as her cheeks flush pink. “Thanks.”

I nod, watching her take a sip. “Wanna dance?”

I’m not much of a dancer, but I’m also not about to sit on the sidelines and watch her dance with fucking Connor again.

She swallows, eyeing me suspiciously. I waggle my eyebrows.

Brooke takes another sip, swallows.

“Can’t, sorry. I’m dancing with Connor.”

I look around exaggeratedly. “You are? Right now? I don’t see him anywhere!”

She sighs, rolling her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Fucking Connor.

I’m annoyed.

I look over Brooke’s shoulder, to Carly. “What about you? Wanna dance?”

Carly smiles so big that she looks like she’s gonna burst. “Yeah!”

Carly’s too skinny. Too eager. I’m not attracted to her, but it fucking bugs me that Brooke has turned me down twice tonight in favor of Connor. I hate the feeling of competing for her attention- and you know what? Two can play that game.

I glance back at Brooke to gauge her reaction, but she just presses her lips together in a tight line.

Fuck it.

I’ve never competed for a girl before and I’m not about to start now. Especially with fucking Connor. Clearly, I’ll never be good enough for little miss perfect- so mister ‘nice guy’ can fucking have her.

I beckon Carly over and slide an arm around her narrow shoulders to lead her out to the dance floor.

I’ll dance with her, make her fucking night. Maybe I’ll let her blow me afterwards so I get something out of this, too.

Because that’s who I am.

Because that’s who people expect me to be.

Because everyone knows I’m not a ‘nice guy’.