Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Theo

“Keep em closed!”

“Theo, I swear if you’re taking me to a hotel or something, I’m gonna kill you.”

“C’mon, don’t you trust me?”

“Not even a little.”

I laugh, turning onto the road that leads out of the six-pack territory. I should be paying Gray rent for how much I’ve been borrowing his Jeep lately, but it was necessary for this non-date with Brooke. I racked my brain for a full day before I came up with a plan of where to take her, and now that we’re almost there, I’m actually a little nervous.

Which is crazy, right? I don’t get nervous. Then again, I don’t take girls on dates, either. But this isn’t a date, Brooke made that very clear. Even so, my palms are clammy, my heart’s beating fast in my chest.

I pull into the parking lot of Cedar Ridge, the ski resort that sits right on the edge of the six-pack territory. The packs work together to run it and it’s a great source of income for us during the winter months, but in the summer it basically sits dormant. I had to pull some serious strings to execute this plan- I even roped my sister Quinn in on it, though I didn’t tell her who or what it was for. One of her friends works here in the winters, so she had to call in a favor. Now I owe her one.

I’ve never been here in the summertime and it’s a little eerie to see the big lodge and the parking lot completely empty. I glance over at Brooke to make sure she still has her eyes closed, slowing to pull into a parking spot in front of the lodge.

“Alright, kid,” I murmur, putting the Jeep in park and looking over at her. She’s effortlessly beautiful in a simple white t-shirt, a tight pair of jeans, and her chuck taylor sneakers. “You can open them now.”

Brooke blinks her eyes open behind her glasses, looking around. I watch as she takes in her surroundings then whips her head around to face me, her jaw going slack.

She looks… pissed.

Brooke slaps my chest with the back of her hand. “The lodge?! What did I just say about taking me to a hotel?!”

“What?” I laugh, shaking my head. “No, no, we’re not going in the lodge… will you just trust me?”

Brooke blows out a breath, eyeing me suspiciously.

I reach over to unbuckle her seatbelt. “C’mon. I think you’re gonna like it.”

She heaves a sigh, opening her door and climbing out of the Jeep. I do the same, stepping onto the sidewalk and beckoning for her to follow.

I shove my hands in my pockets as we walk side by side around the front of the lodge, toward the ski area.

Fuck, I hope Quinn’s friend came through. This whole plan could fall apart if they dropped the ball.

“What are we doing here, Theo?” Brooke asks cautiously.

I hold my breath as we turn the corner, release it when I see the movement of the ski-lift. All the friend had to do was come here and turn on the lift for me, and they delivered. The little metal benches descend on one side, twirl around at the bottom, ascend on the other.

I point to the lift, glancing down at Brooke and waggling my eyebrows. “We’re going for a ride.”

Her blue eyes widen, taking in the ski-lift, then fly up to meet mine.

“Hold on…” she takes a step backwards. “You’re kidding, right?”

I grin, shaking my head.

Brooke points at the ski-lift. “I can’t get on that… thing!”

“Why not?” I laugh.

She stares at me incredulously. “Because look at it! It looks dangerous!” She folds her arms across her chest, furrowing her brow. “Nope, no way. I’m not getting on that rickety thing.”

I roll my eyes. “C’mon, kid. It’s perfectly safe. And you can’t see the view from the top if you don’t ride up.”

She shakes her head again, looking apprehensively to the ski-lift.

Well this certainly isn’t going as planned.

I blow out a breath, bringing a hand up behind my head and pinching the base of my neck. “You gotta get out of your comfort zone. Live a little, have some fun now and then.”

Those big blue eyes lock on mine again. In her gaze, I can see that she wants to give in, let go- she’s just holding herself back.

“I promise I won’t let you fall.”

Brooke sighs, wringing her hands in front of her. An excruciatingly long pause stretches between us as she looks nervously from me to the ski-lift before she mumbles “okay”.

My eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah?”

She swallows hard, nodding. “Yeah. I’ll try it.”

I flash her a smile, starting for the ski-lift, waving for her to follow me.

Hesitantly, she does.

We’re back on track.

“Are you sure this thing’s safe?” Brooke asks as we make our way over to the loading zone.

I roll my eyes. “Of course. Skiers ride it all winter long.”

I slow as we approach the bottom of the lift, glancing over at her. “You ready?”

Brooke looks up at me anxiously, wringing her hands again. “Aren’t you going to stop it?”

“That’s not how this works,” I chuckle. “You just gotta step on the line, wait, and lean back into the bench when it comes up.”

Her eyes go wide again.

I laugh, reaching out to take her hand. It feels so small in mine, so delicate. I feel that damn static again when I touch her- like sparks between our skin. But they don’t burn; they’re strangely… pleasurable.

Brooke’s body stiffens a little, like she’s uncomfortable that I’m holding her hand. I don’t drop it, though- I wait a moment for a bench to circle, then pull her toward the lift before she can hesitate again.

When we reach the line, I let go of her hand, turning to look over my shoulder. “Just sit down when it comes up,” I instruct. “Grab onto the side of it if you want.”

Brooke’s got this adorable deer-in-the-headlights look. She just swallows hard, nods her head. Holds her position beside me.

In my peripheral vision, I can see the bench approaching. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” she breathes. Fuck, it sounds like a moan- I’m suddenly picturing her lying underneath me, blonde hair pooled around her head like a halo as she stares up at me with those big blue eyes, saying that word over and over as I give it to her hard, dirty…

The bench hits the backs of my calves, knocking me back into reality.

I quickly sit down and reach an arm over across Brooke’s abdomen to slide her all the way back on the bench beside me. She panics a little, grabbing for the bottom of the seat on either side of her knees and holding on, her knuckles turning white. Our feet leave the ground as the lift ascends.

“Where’s the…” Brooke trails off, looking around. “Is there a lap bar or something to hold us in?”

I chuckle, reaching up to release the safety bar, bringing it down in front of us. “There. Now just lean back.” I demonstrate, bringing my arms up behind my head and lacing my fingers together, reclining back on them. “Enjoy the ride.”

I glance over at her, flashing a smile.

She still looks pretty freaked out. She’s white-knuckling the safety bar now, pressing her back against the bench, her body completely rigid. It’s pretty ridiculous, considering how slow-moving this thing is. For some reason I’m finding it pretty damn cute, too.

“Will you relax, kid?” I laugh.

Brooke furrows her brow, letting out a little puff of air.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” I arch a brow, an amused smile on my lips.

“I get out plenty,” she huffs. “I just prefer to have my feet on the ground.”

Slowly, she looks around and starts swinging her legs underneath her, kicking her feet back and forth.

I grin. “So this was a total bust, then? You’re not having any fun?”

She turns to face me as a smile creeps across her lips. She kicks her legs again. “Maybe a little.”

Fuck yeah. Warmth spreads in my chest. That smile is all the validation I need- I totally nailed this.

“How far up does this go?” Brooke asks, glancing down nervously. The gap between the lift and the ground below has grown considerably during our climb.

“All the way to the top, kid.” I crane my neck to look behind us, pointing. “Check it out, you can see Riverton’s territory over there.”

She turns around cautiously, still gripping the lap bar in front of her. “Oh! Yeah, I can see it!” She swivels back around, then starts turning her head from side to side, taking in the view.

I’m sure it’s nice, but my gaze is focused on Brooke beside me. Those big eyes blinking behind her black-framed glasses. That long blonde hair draped over the front of her shoulders. Those pouty pink lips that are just begging to be kissed by someone who knows what they’re doing.

“What?” Brooke asks, arching a brow as her eyes lock with mine.

Fuck, she totally caught me staring at her. I play it off, raking a hand through my hair, chuckling.

“Nothing. Just glad you’re having fun.”

I lean sideways, stuffing my hand in the pocket of my jeans to fish out my phone.

“Can’t forget the soundtrack.” I wink.

I can feel Brooke’s eyes on me as I unlock my phone, scrolling to my Spotify app. I pull up her playlist and hit shuffle. ‘Learn to Fly’ by the Foo Fighters starts playing as I slide my phone back in my pocket, upside-down so the speaker is sticking out the top.

My eyes meet hers again, silver shimmers swirling in her irises. Her wolf’s showing- and I feel my own wolf surge forward in response.

Mine.

Brooke

Theo’s eyes sparkle with the coppery glow of his wolf as I try desperately to shove my own back down. She’s all about Theo- sitting beside him on this bench has her in a damn frenzy.

As nervous as I was to get on this ski-lift, now that we’re up here I have to admit I’m having a good time. A great time, even- views of the whole territory while one of my favorite songs plays? Epic.

There’s something exhilarating about being up here above the trees. Something wild, dangerous- and it isn’t just the big bad wolf sitting beside me. I never do things like this, and Theo’s right, I need to get out of my comfort zone and start letting myself live a little. For once, I’m not thinking about work or coding or my program. I’m just in the moment, feeling alive, free.

It’s not a date. I have to keep telling myself that, because some tiny part of me wishes that it was. I never expected Theo to come up with something like this- he keeps surprising me at every turn. There’s so much more to him than what other people see. I don’t know why he hides so much of himself from the rest of the world.

I’m having such conflicting feelings right now. On one hand, the thought of being with someone like Theo disgusts me. He’s been with so many women, and I’d just be another in a long line of his conquests. He’s not a ‘relationship’ guy, and I’m not a ‘one-night-stand’ girl. But then on the other hand…

He flashes me that charming smile again and my belly does somersaults. He’s devastatingly handsome, with those hazel eyes and that square, stubbly jaw. The fabric of his black t-shirt is straining against his muscular biceps, my fingers itching to touch them. I’ll bet he’s a good kisser. He’s certainly had enough practice.

I turn away, take in the view again. This is not a date.

The song ends and another one plays as the lift takes us higher up the mountain. I check out the view, hum along to the music. I catch Theo humming along at one point too, which is super endearing.

Not a date.

“You ready to jump off?”

I whip around to look at Theo, wide-eyed. “What?!”

He throws his head back laughing.

“Lighten up, kid. I mean at the top!”

I roll my eyes, give a little shake of my head. He knew damn well how that would sound- he just wanted to get a reaction from me. Typical Theo.

I look ahead to see where the lift ends and the benches spin around to go down the other side. All that nervous energy I had at the beginning of the ride comes surging back.

“We have to jump?” My voice sounds pinched, strained.

Theo grabs for the lap bar, pulling it off of us and securing it overhead. “Yep.”

I wring my hands in my lap, staring at the spot where we’re supposed to land. Even though the speed of the ski-lift is a slow crawl, it suddenly feels like the top is coming up so fast.

“You got this?” Theo asks, looking over at me.

I take a deep breath. “I think so…”

“Jump on three,” he says. “One… two…”

He must sense I’m nervous, because he reaches for my hand. It feels strange- and not only because my skin tingles where it comes into contact with his.

“Three.”

I let out a little scream as I push off, hopping onto the ground and finding my footing. Theo’s legs are so long that he basically just steps off the lift. He’s still got a hold on my hand and he tugs me forward, away from the lift, so we’re not whacked by the bench as it circles. My heart’s beating so fast.

As soon as we’re out of reach he lets go, shoving his hands in his pockets. He takes another step back and looks around.

“Well… whaddya think?”

I blink, steady my racing heart. Spin around to look at the view from the top of the mountain.

It’s breathtaking. I can see for miles- thick green trees, rocky cliffs. The peaks of snow-capped mountains in the distance with fluffy clouds wrapping around them. I grew up in Summervale, lived in the six-pack territory for my whole life, but I’ve never seen it like this before. The forest is sprawling, wild, beautiful.

I turn back to Theo, back to that intense hazel-eyed stare.

“It’s amazing,” I gush.

He chuckles, raking a hand through his hair again. “See? I told ya the ride would be worth it.”

I spin back around to take in the view. Theo moves closer to me- I can feel him looming over my left shoulder, smell his woodsy, masculine scent. He leans his head down beside mine and extends a hand, pointing. “See that break in the trees over there? That’s Summervale.”

My eyes follow where he points. “Yeah! I see it. It looks so… small from up here.”

He chuckles, and my breath catches in my throat as the deep sound of it vibrates beside my ear.

“It’s not so big from down there either, kid.”

“True,” I sigh.

I turn to glance at him over my shoulder and our faces are so close- inches apart. My eyes linger on his lips, then travel up to meet his. They’re alight with the coppery flecks of his wolf again. My own tries to push forward and I whip my head back around to look out at the view, drawing shallow breaths as I get my dang wolf under control.

Theo extends his arm and points again, this time to a rocky peak in the distance. “See where the rocks come above the trees over there?”

I nod.

“That’s pine mountain,” he murmurs. “I wanted to take you there, but you wouldn’t get on my bike.”

I spin around to face him, rolling my eyes.

A teasing smile tugs at his lips.

“Again with the motorcycle thing?” I ask, heaving a sigh. “I don’t know who in their right mind would get on the back of that bike with you, Theo.”

“Please,” he scoffs. “Plenty of girls would jump at the chance.”

And just like that, I’m anchored back in reality.

I wonder how many other girls he’s brought up here.

The walls I was letting down for him slam back up.

“I bet they would,” I say, folding my arms over my chest protectively and taking a step backwards. “Why don’t you take one of them, then?”

He smirks, rolls his eyes. Folds his arms over his chest to mirror my stance.

“Because I’d rather take you.”

Theo rakes his eyes over my body slowly, like he’s undressing me with them. I shuffle uncomfortably until his eyes meet mine again, his stare intense, penetrating. As unnerving as the deviant look in them is, it also makes me feel kinda… sexy. I swear that no guy has ever looked at me the way Theo does. Like he really sees me.

“Whatever,” I breathe, tucking my hair behind my ears and spinning back around to look at the view of the territory.

We stay at the top for a little longer, Theo pointing out a few more landmarks and the rest of the six-pack towns below. Then we get back on the lift- and even though I’ve still got my guard up, I let him take my hand to help me on. It’s strange, Theo holding my hand- every time he does, I get those funny little tingles on my palm.  And even though it’s a friendly gesture, it feels oddly… intimate.

Theo slides me backwards on the bench with an arm again, securing the safety bar over our laps. I swish my feet back and forth underneath me as they leave the ground, actually relaxing and enjoying the ride this time.

“So I thought of something for the borders,” Theo says after a few minutes, scooching a little closer to me on the bench.

“Yeah?”

He nods. “Thermal cameras.”

I arch a brow.

Theo holds up his hands. “Just hear me out. Shifters run hot, right? If we could dial in the cameras to alert at a certain temperature, it could be like an early warning system for a border breach.”

“Wow, that’s actually really smart,” I muse. “You could have it trigger something when it goes off, too, like a floodlight or something.”

Theo’s mouth spreads into a grin. “Exactly! Something to scare them off. I’ve been thinking about it since Denver.”

I can’t help but smile. This is the Theo that I like- the one that takes initiative rather than hiding behind that detached, aloof exterior.

“You should take it to Gray, see what he thinks,” I say encouragingly.

He blows out a breath. “Yeah. I think I’m going to.”

I swing my feet beneath me again, take in the view. Cast another side-eyed glance in Theo’s direction.

He catches me.

“So how’d I do?”

“What?” I ask, turning to face him.

He sweeps his arms in front of himself, gesturing. “The anti-date. What’d you think? Better than some stuffy dinner?”

I giggle, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, it was pretty good.”

Even though this wasn’t technically a ‘date’, there’s no comparing it to Connor’s. The whole night with him was awkward, tense. Unnatural. This non-date was everything that Connor’s date wasn’t- it was actually fun. Unexpected. It’s easy to be with Connor, but it’s exciting to be with Theo. Even if we’re just friends. Even if this isn’t a date.

He arches a brow. “Pretty good?”

I reach over, giving him a playful little shove.

Theo grips the lap bar exaggeratedly.

“Careful, kid! You tryin’ to knock me off of this thing?”

I roll my eyes again.

This feels good. A little too good.

Crap, I think I like him. Like him, like him.

Which is insane, right?! It’s Theo. Nothing good could come from getting involved with a guy like him. It’s a recipe for disaster.

I scooch a little farther away from him on the bench, look out at the trees as we pass them. Try to bury my nagging thoughts deep in the recesses of my mind. Try to just be present, enjoy the ride. Stop overthinking.

“Ready?” Theo asks as we approach the bottom of the lift.

“Yep.”

He lifts the lap bar, and I’m more prepared this time when we reach the ground. It’s less intimidating disembarking at the bottom of the mountain.

Even so, Theo takes my hand, counts us down. We hop off and he pulls us away from the lift. I’m laughing as I spin around, right into his chest. I let out a little gasp in surprise, looking up at him. He peers down at me, those hazel eyes so intense, piercing. I hold my breath.

For a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. We’re standing so close, eyes locked. Hearts racing.

Then he lets go of my hand.

I take a shaky step back, looking down at the ground and tucking my hair behind my ears. I glance back up at Theo, straightening my glasses.

There’s a flash of something in his eyes- like the vulnerability I saw in the packhouse that night. I can’t tell what it is, though, because he quickly hides it.

His lips curl into a smirk as he throws a thumb over his shoulder, waggling his eyebrows. “Wanna go again?”

I smile, shaking my head. “Not today. I’ve gotta get back and get some work done.”

He shrugs his shoulders, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Okay.”

His smirk returns. “Code-a-holic.”

I blush at his reference to the embarrassing joke I made through text message, slapping at his hard chest with the back of my hand.

We both laugh and start heading for the parking lot.

I slide into the passenger seat and buckle my seatbelt, casting Theo a sideways glance.

“Can you try not to drive like a maniac?”

He looks over at me as he starts the Jeep, eyes mischievous, a playful grin on his lips.

“No promises, kid.”