Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Brooke

“Are you okay?!” Fallon asks, pulling open the door of the packhouse.

I’m standing on the front stoop, looking like hell, feeling worse. After Theo stranded me on the side of the road, I had to walk all the way to Goldenleaf- several miles. I stuck to the road, half expecting him to come back for me once he calmed down. He never did.

My feet ache in my sneakers- the backs of my heels are rubbed raw from my walk of shame. My hair’s all windblown and tangled and I’m sure my mascara is running from the tears of frustration I shed after Theo drove off.  Judging by the look of concern in Fallon’s eyes, I must look like a mess.

My sister steps outside, throws her arms around me, and I immediately burst into tears. Fallon rubs my back and rocks me from side to side, trying to soothe me as I sob into her hair.

“Come on,” she coos, pulling back and sliding an arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go inside.”

She leads me into the packhouse, brings me over to a couch. Helps me take my shoes off as I settle down onto it. Brings me a glass of water and some tissues. Then she sinks down beside me, taking my hands in hers, her eyes clouded with worry.

“What happened, Brookie?” she asks gently.

This is strange- it’s a total role reversal. I’m usually the one calming Fallon down when she’s upset, drying her tears and brainstorming solutions to her problems. I can’t remember the last time she had to do it for me- not since we were younger and my wolf first manifested.

“I…” my voice trails off as my eyes well up with tears again. “I’ve been so stupid, Fallon. So, so stupid.”

I start sobbing again and Fallon slides an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in. “Hey…”

“I don’t even want to tell you!” I choke.

I’m so embarrassed. I knew Theo was a jerk, but I let him in anyways. Let myself think that we could be together somehow. I feel like such an idiot.

Fallon pulls back, looking me in the eye. “Come on, sis. I’ve done a million stupid things. If anyone can understand bad decisions, it’s me.”

I nod, laughing through my tears, wiping at my cheeks with the back of a hand. I take a deep breath.

“So you know how I told you how Theo and I were friends?”

Fallon’s eyes darken, the silver of her wolf flickering in her irises. “What did he do to you, Brooke? I’ll fucking kill him…”

I shake my head, sniffling. “Just listen.”

And I tell her everything. I tell her about seeing him naked in the woods, about the dinner with his dad that turned ugly, and about that night in Denver. I tell her about the ‘anti-date’ at the ski resort and our late night hike, and even about how we took a shower together afterwards. I tell her about the jacket and the ride and being abandoned on the side of the road. I tell her the whole sordid tale, not leaving anything out. At some point, I stop crying- and it feels so good to get it off my chest, to finally be honest with my sister.

Even though I can tell it’s hard for her not to interject, she doesn’t- she just listens, lets me spill my guts on the living room sofa. Once I bring her up to speed, she sighs, taking my hand and stroking a finger over the back of it.

“I’m so sorry, Brookie,” Fallon whispers, tracing a heart on the back of my hand. “I promise when I find that asshole, I’m gonna knock some sense into him.”

I swallow hard, my throat still raw from crying. “I freaked out on him, Fal,” I say hoarsely. “I’ve never laid into anyone like that. I was just so mad…”

It suddenly dawns on me that I’m not just mad at Theo, I’m also mad at myself- at the person I let myself become in that moment with him. I was so nasty, so cruel. Took it beyond what the fight was even about, said things just to hurt him. Everything I had bottled up spilled out. I don’t regret what I said- he does need to step up, do better- but my delivery was all wrong. As mad as I am at Theo, I’m also ashamed of myself for stooping so low.

Fallon shakes her head firmly. “Nuh uh, don’t you dare take any of the blame for this, Brooke. He left you in the middle of nowhere! No matter what you said, that was just fucking wrong.” Her eyes narrow. “Screw that guy. Just wait till I get my hands on him, I’m gonna punch him right in the dick for what he did.”

I shake my head, chuckling. “Don’t bother,” I sigh. “It doesn’t matter, anyways. I don’t plan on speaking to him again.”

Fallon nods solemnly. “I’ll ask Gray if he can remove him from the IT unit,” she grumbles. “So you don’t have to see him every day.”

My chest aches at the thought of not seeing Theo every day. Of never again looking up from my computer to see that charming smile in the doorway. Of never hearing that chair screech across the floor again or seeing those big boots up on the corner of my desk as he reclines back. It’s for the best, though. I let him in, and he hurt me. I’m not sure I could ever forgive him for leaving me on the side of the road. The way I see it, when he drove away tonight, he drove out of my life.

“Good,” I mutter. “He can take those big dumb boots and those sparky hands and go torment someone else.”

Fallon furrows her brow, tilting her head. “Sparky?”

“Yeah,” I snort. “It’s like the guy stuck his fingers in an electric socket or something.”

My sister stares at me, chewing her bottom lip like she wants to say something.

“What?” I ask.

She just shakes her head. “Nothing, I just…” she pauses, shakes her head again. “Nevermind.”

I heave a sigh. “I just wish I could stop thinking about the kiss.”

Fallon smiles sympathetically. “Was it that good?”

“Frickin’ fireworks.”

She shoots me that strange look again. Pauses. Considers.

“I’m sure it’s just because he’s had so much practice,” I grumble.

“Maybe,” she replies quietly. She still has that funny look on her face. “I mean… is the door completely closed?”

“What?” I choke. “What happened to you wanting to punch the guy?”

She chuckles softly, leaning in and draping an arm over my shoulders. “I mean, I still wanna punch him. Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it.” She winks, pauses again. “But if you really like him, if you wanna give him another chance… well, I’d support you.”

Okay, this is totally out of left field. I just stare at Fallon incredulously, trying to figure out what her angle is here. She’s never been a fan of Theo. Is she just trying to play the supportive sister because I already said there’s no way in hell I’m speaking to him again? Or has being with Gray turned her into some sort of hopeless romantic?

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. The guy stranded me twice. As far as I’m concerned, this was his second chance, and he blew it.”

My sister presses her lips together, nodding. “Got it.” She scoots forward, pushing up to stand. “Listen, why don’t you stay here tonight? You were going home this weekend for the run anyways, weren’t you? I can drive you tomorrow morning.”

Dang, I totally forgot about the full moon run. Our pack gets together every month to run under the full moon together- it promotes pack bonding, and if you’re over eighteen, the full moon’s the only chance to find your fated mate. My wolf won’t abide being kept in during the full moon- I have to let her run. I haven’t missed a full moon run with my pack since I was old enough to start participating. Even after I joined the squad and moved to the complex, I’ve gone back home for every run.

I heave a sigh. “I appreciate the offer, Fal, but all I wanna do right now is lock myself in my room and work on my program. Get my mind off of everything.” I stare down at my lap, fiddling with the silver zipper pull on the jacket that Theo bought me. I feel the sting of tears forming behind my eyes again and I force them back, looking up at my sister. “Dad’s picking me up in the morning anyways.”

At least I’ll be able to get away, even if it’s only for a couple of days. The squad members that don’t return to their own packs for the run join Gray’s in Goldenleaf. That’s where Theo will be- he never goes back to Summervale to run with our pack- so in going home for the weekend, I’ll be able to get far away from him, too.

“You sure?” she asks.

I nod, scooching forward and reaching out for her. She extends an arm and I take it, pulling up off of the couch to stand. Fallon immediately wraps her arms around me again.

“I love you, Brookie.”

I swallow hard, winding my arms around Fallon to squeeze her back. “No matter what.”

She offers to drive me back to the complex and I take her up on it. I hop out of the Jeep at the gate, waving goodbye over my shoulder and heading inside. Then I go straight to the barracks, passing Theo’s room on the way to my own. I stop in front of his door, shrugging off the jacket he gifted me and hanging it on his doorknob. As beautiful as it is, I can’t keep the jacket- not when such a painful memory is now attached to it.

I’m still so angry, so hurt- all I want to do is forget about this horrible night, lose myself in lines of code. I lock myself in my room, pull out my laptop, and flop down on my bed. Start combing through my program code.

Hours pass, and my mind gets a much-needed reprieve from obsessively replaying that nasty fight with Theo. I get to the point where I’m no longer angry, no longer sad- I’m just numb. I finally start to get drowsy and head off to the locker room to brush my teeth and wash my face before bed.

I’m walking back to my room when my world is rocked off its axis again. Theo’s staggering into the dorms on the other end of the hallway, slapping a palm up against the wall to steady himself. Even from a distance, I can tell just by looking at him how drunk he is. I stop in my tracks, staring at the beautiful man who so cruelly left me on the side of the road earlier tonight.

Then someone comes up behind him- a beautiful brunette that I recognize as Sutton, a female squad member. She’s smiling, winding an arm around his waist, pressing herself against him as she says something that I can’t hear from this end of the hallway.

Theo and I lock eyes.

It feels like my heart is splintering apart inside my chest. Even though I’ve gazed into those gorgeous hazel eyes so many times, it’s like I’m looking at a stranger. I can’t bear it.

I dart my eyes away. Jog the last few steps to my room. Duck inside and slam the door closed behind me, locking it.

I sag back against the door, drawing ragged breaths. I didn’t think I had any tears left to cry, but more come- slipping out of my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. I sink to the ground, my throat raw, my chest aching.

I’ve never felt so devastated. And it’s not even his fault- it’s all my own. Theo showed me who he really was from the beginning. I was the one that was foolish enough to think he was different, to think he could change. To think there was something special blooming between us. I curse myself for being so naïve.

For someone known as the ‘smart girl’, I’ve never felt so stupid.