Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Theo

My muscles are burning after Thursday morning’s training session with the squad. It’s a hot one today- the sun is beating down on the practice field, sweat soaking through my cutoff t-shirt. I’ve been skipping out on too many of these sessions lately, so it felt really good to get one in, burn off some energy.

I spot Gray across the practice field and start making my way over to him. Big surprise- Fallon’s by his side, and he’s got an arm slung over her shoulders as he pulls up the hem of his t-shirt to wipe sweat from his brow. When I approach, he’s leaning down next to her ear, talking to his mate in a low murmur.

“Hey, Gray, you got a minute?” I ask, looking from him to Fallon.

It’s a little fucking weird to see Fallon after spending so much time with Brooke lately. They’re physically identical, but I’m not attracted to Fallon in the least- while her twin has recently been the star of all of my depraved fantasies.

Gray straightens, tucking Fallon in closer to his side. “Sure, what’s up?”

“I, uh… wanted to talk to you about some border security stuff.”

“Yeah?” Gray arches a brow curiously. “I’ve got some time. Wanna head up to my office?”

I nod. “Sure.”

I give Fallon a sideways glance, wondering if she’s going to be in on this conversation, too. It’d be nice to get five fucking minutes with my friend without her hanging around.

As if she’s reading my mind, Fallon ducks out from under Gray’s arm, spinning to face him.

“You guys go ahead,” she coos, pressing her palms against his chest. “I’m gonna catch up with my friends. Come grab me when you’re done.”

Gray smiles down at her, pulling her in for a kiss.

I look away, grimacing. The guy’s so fucking whipped.

Fallon jogs off and Gray waves an arm, beckoning me to follow him. We head inside the complex, the blast of air conditioning hitting us as we walk through the double doors. I’m grateful for it on scorchers like today. The two of us wind the hallways to the wing of the squad complex that houses the offices, stepping into Gray’s and closing the door behind us.

“So what’s up?” he asks as he walks around his desk, sliding out his big leather desk chair and sinking down into it.

I grab for one of the chairs in front of the desk, taking a seat and leaning back, getting comfortable.

“I’ve been thinking about border security since we got back from Denver,” I begin, propping an elbow on the arm of the chair and resting my chin on my hand. “We kinda talked about the cameras before, but I was wondering how we could take that a step further in using it as an early warning system or a deterrent for anyone breaching the border.”

Gray leans forward, resting his forearms on the desk, his interest piqued. “Go on…”

I blow out a breath, straightening in my chair. “So, shifters run hot, right? Rather than just putting up regular cameras, I was thinking we could use thermal imaging cameras. Have some sort of system tripped if they read a certain heat signature. Like a floodlight or an alarm.”

I watch Gray to gauge his reaction and he just furrows his brow in concentration, nodding.

“Interesting.” He pauses. “I like it, like where your head’s at.”

My mouth spreads into a smile. “Yeah?”

Gray gives me another nod. “Definitely. We could start with a few as a test, see how things go. And if it works, we can add them to all of our borders.”

“I can take the lead on that,” I offer. “Get some help from the IT unit in finding the right equipment and getting things up and running.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Gray pauses again, studying me for a moment. “Why the sudden interest in heightened security? Did something happen in Denver that you’re not telling me about?”

Yes, but it had nothing to do with security.

I shake my head. “Nah, man. Just trying to help out more around here. Do my part.”

Gray chuckles. “You’re just trying to get out of running patrols, aren’t you?”

“Well I mean, that’s an added perk.” I waggle my eyebrows and laugh along with him.

Gray shuffles some papers around on his desk. It’s cluttered- the guy has a lot of responsibilities around here that he juggles in addition to running his own pack. He never complains about it, though. He’s a workhorse.

“I’m glad you’re stepping up more lately,” he mumbles, shoving a stack of papers into his desk drawer.

I fold my arms across my chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask defensively.

“Nothing,” he growls. “Just…” Gray stops rifling through his papers and looks up at me again. “You’ve been kinda M.I.A. for the last year, man. I know you’ve been dealing with a lot of shit back at home, but we still need you here. You helped build this squad.”

I scowl, heaving a sigh. We both know how fucking right he is. I haven’t been motivated to lead at the squad for a while now, until…

Brooke.

I guess spending time with someone who works so hard is rubbing off on me; makes me want to work hard, too. I’m starting to realize that my mission to sleep with her is evolving into something else entirely.

Most people don’t take me seriously- and why would they? I fuck around a lot, don’t put a whole lot of effort into things. Brooke seems to take me seriously, though, like she sees past all the bullshit. I’ve never had someone listen to me and encourage me the way she does.

She’s too nice for her own good. If she gets too close to me, I’ll fucking ruin her.

“I’m just sayin’,” he continues, lowering his gaze back to his paperwork. “It’s good to see you working so well with the IT unit and getting involved with border security. You’ve really been stepping it up lately and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

His dark eyes flicker up to meet mine. “I don’t know what lit a fire under your ass these past few weeks, but keep it going.”

Fuck, what would Gray think if I told him that his mate’s sister was the one with the match?

He’d probably get all protective for Fallon’s sake, warn me to stay away. And I wouldn’t blame him one bit. I know I’m no good for her, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting her.

“You know…” Gray muses, glancing over at me again. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you keep this going, show your dad what kind of effort you’re putting in, maybe he’d finally see that you have what it takes to be Alpha of your pack.”

I scrub a hand over my face. “He’s too much of a fucking control freak to step down and hand it over to me,” I mutter.

Gray shrugs. “You never know. I think you’ll make a hell of an alpha. He doesn’t get to see what I do, though… doesn’t see how much you do for the squad. Maybe he’s just waiting for you to show him something.”

I appreciate Gray’s vote of confidence, but he doesn’t know my dad.

“The guy’s getting old, he can’t stay Alpha forever,” he adds.

I grunt in response.

Gray returns to flipping through a stack of papers. “Well either way, keep it up.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m workin’ on it.” I press my hands to the arms of the chair, start to rise to stand.

“You get that bike of yours fixed yet?” Gray grumbles, shoving more paperwork into his drawer.

“Huh?” I sink back down.

Gray looks over at me, narrowing his eyes. “Isn’t that why you’ve been borrowing the Jeep?”

Busted.

“Oh, yeah,” I breathe, raking a hand through my hair. “I’m, uh… working on that, too.”

He stops shuffling his papers, pressing his lips into a tight line. “Theo, if money’s the issue…”

I wave him off, shaking my head. “It’s not.”

“I keep telling you that you should take a salary. We pay the other squad members…”

“It’s not about the money,” I grumble, scowling. “And anyways, you and the other alphas don’t take a salary. It wouldn’t feel right.”

Gray sighs, his expression serious, sympathetic. “Yeah, but we all have access to our pack’s coffers.”

“It’s not about the money.”

I wish he’d just fucking drop it.

“Why don’t you take it over to Brady’s shop in Goldenleaf, then? He can get it fixed up for you within a day or two.”

I shrug, trying to come off as nonchalant. “I like working on it myself. It’s therapeutic.”

Gray rolls his eyes, blowing out a breath. “Whatever, man. Just think about it. Tell Brady to bill me, it’ll save you a buck.”

“I’ll do that,” I mumble.

I press my palms to the arms of the chair again, rising to my feet.

“Let me know how it goes with getting those cameras ordered and set up,” Gray says.

I nod, turning to leave. “Will do. Later, bro.”

“See ya.”

I pull the door open, step out of Gray’s office. Close it behind me.

I get about halfway down the hallway when Fallon rounds the corner, striding toward me as her long blonde ponytail bounces behind her head. I shove my hands in my pockets, staring down at the floor. I have every intention of just ignoring and walking past her, but she speaks up.

“Hey Theo.”

Begrudgingly, I look up at her. “Hey,” I grunt.

She stops, folding her arms across her chest. And yeah, my eyes go straight to her perky little boobs spilling over the top of her sports bra.

“So you’re friends with my sister now?”

I slow as I approach her. “Where’d you hear that?”

“Brooke.”

Fuck.

I stop, eyeing Fallon hesitantly. I have no idea how much she knows, but I should’ve guessed that Brooke told her something. Fucking females and the way they gossip.

“Yeah, so?”

Fallon furrows her brow, ocean blue eyes slicing through me. “Since when are you friends with girls?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Why do you care?”

“Because Brooke’s my sister.”

I roll my eyes. “She can make her own fucking decisions, can’t she?”

Fallon’s jaw drops like I’ve just offended her. Not gonna lie, it’s a little satisfying.

Her pretty little face twists into a scowl and she points a finger at my chest. “You’d better not try anything with her, Theo. I’m warning you.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “Jesus, lighten up, Fallon. We’re just hanging out.”

I’m a little irritated that I’m getting the third degree here. What the fuck has Brooke told her?!

Fallon heaves a sigh, shaking her head. “Just… be careful with her, Theo. Brooke’s a good girl, and you’re…”

She trails off, but I get her meaning. I’m not a good guy. Still, I challenge her.

“I’m what?” I ask, arching a brow.

“I just don’t like the idea of you two hanging out,” she grumbles, kicking at the floor. “I know how you are with girls.”

I want to disagree- tell her that she doesn’t fucking know anything about me- but I can’t, because she’s not wrong. I’ve been with a lot of females and never wanted or expected anything more than a sleazy hookup.

I want to tell her that Brooke’s different- that I actually fucking care about her. That I haven’t been able to get her off my mind since Denver and it’s driving me and my wolf insane.

I don’t though. I just stare back at her, into those eyes that look so much like her sister’s.

“We’re just friends,” I grind out. “Brooke’s a big girl, I’m sure she can decide on her own who she wants to hang out with.”

Fallon frowns. “Whatever.”

She pushes past me, continuing down the hall toward Gray’s office.

Fuck, I hope she doesn’t go in there and tell Gray that I was being a dick to her. He’s crazy protective of his mate and the last thing I need right now is for her to stir up trouble between us. I guess I didn’t do myself any favors on that front.

I don’t stick around to find out. I start back down the hallway, clearing out of there before Fallon can get to Gray’s office and tattle on me.

I should probably get over to the IT unit and get everyone’s daily report, but I need to clear my head. I leave the complex instead, get on my bike, and head for Pine Mountain.