Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Theo

“Wanna trade partners?” Fallon asks, panting as she approaches Gray and me. It’s another hot one out on the practice field for morning training, and we’re about to call it and break for lunch when she walks up.

“Sure,” I shrug, looking toward Davis. Fallon has been partnered with him most of the morning and she’s been giving him a run for his money- the guy looks whooped. I start to walk toward him when Fallon speaks again.

“Nope, Gray gets Davis,” she says, folding her arms and arching her brow. “You’re mine.”

Fuck. This girl just wants an opportunity to kick my ass for what I did to her sister. Not that I blame her, but surely Gray won’t agree…

I look to him, and he just smiles, shaking his head. “Good luck,” he teases, clapping me on the shoulder and striding away to join Davis. I watch after him for a moment, then turn back to Fallon. She’s already circling me, getting in position to spar, a devilish grin on her face.

Guess this is happening. I swivel to face her, sinking down into a crouch. I’m definitely going to be on defense in this matchup.

Fallon launches toward me, ready to strike. We’ve been working on several particular offensive maneuvers this morning, but she doesn’t employ any of them- she clearly doesn’t want me anticipating her movements. When she’s right up on me, Fallon jukes left, reaching to grab for my arm and kicking in an attempt to sweep my feet.

I react fast, spinning away and trying to wind my other arm around her body to take her down to the ground that way. Fallon’s speed has always been her greatest advantage in sparring- she’s too quick for me. She sees my maneuver coming and dodges it, ducking just in time. As she does, she juts a shoulder into my ribcage, popping back up and landing a punch to my abdomen. I’ve got enough muscle there that the blow barely registers, but she follows that up with a cheap shot- she grabs onto one of my shoulders, bringing her knee up sharply into my groin.

The pain is blinding and nauseating and mind-numbing. I groan, doubling over and falling down on my hands. My junk throbs and my stomach aches- I spit at the ground, mouth watering like I’m gonna puke.

Fallon stands over me, throwing her hands on her hips as a smug smile spreads across her face. “That’s for my sister,” she says with satisfaction, turning on a heel and walking away.

I rise up on my knees, pressing my eyes closed and drawing deep breaths as the pain in my groin slowly starts to subside.

Fucking women, man. This is a prime example of why I’ve never gotten involved with one.

“Alright, that’s enough for this morning,” I hear Gray call out.

I blow out a breath, laboriously rising to my feet. Ordinarily I’d shoot the shit with Gray after practice, but I spot Fallon beside him and decide to steer clear of her for my balls’ sake. There’s no telling how much retribution she’s got planned for me, but I won’t easily agree to a matchup with her again any time soon. I swivel around, start to leave the practice field.

And then I see her. Standing outside of the door of the squad barracks, peering over at me from behind her black-framed glasses.

My wolf perks up. Mate.

I’ve been giving her space for the last two days, waiting for her to tell me she’s ready to talk. It has been fucking excruciating to hold myself back from texting her, from trying to see her. And now here she is, dressed in a Journey t-shirt and black skinny jeans, shuffling her chuck taylor sneakers around in the dirt. Does this mean she’s ready?

I stare at Brooke from across the practice field, unsure if I should approach. Then she lifts a hand, crooking a finger.

Oh hell yes. I don’t waste another second- I take off in a jog toward Brooke, skidding to a stop in front of her. Her sweet scent of coconut and rain immediately overwhelms me.

Fuck, I nearly forgot how effortlessly beautiful she is. Her long blonde hair is tucked behind her ears, hanging down in silky strands over her shoulders. Her ocean blue eyes are wide behind her glasses, her pouty pink lips pursed to speak.

“Hi,” Brooke breathes, staring up at me.

The corner of my mouth ticks up. “Hi.”

“I, uh…” she looks down, wringing her hands. “I think we should probably talk.”

“Yeah,” I agree, a little too enthusiastically.

She glances back up at me, a coy smile tugging at her lips.

I feel like my body’s being drawn to hers like a magnet. I shuffle closer, invading her space.

“I’m so sorry, Brooke, about everything,” I murmur, reaching out to stroke my hand down her arm. Sparks ignite between our skin.

“I know,” she sighs. She doesn’t shrug my hand away. I let it linger on her arm, relishing in the feeling of being close to her, of touching her.

Then I say “hold on”- taking a step back and putting up a finger. “Stay right there.”

I dart away, jogging to the side of the building where I dropped my phone and water bottle before practice. I pick up my phone and start unwinding my headphones from around it as I jog back to Brooke.

“Here,” I pant, holding the headphones out to her. “When you asked me that question the other night, I didn’t have a great answer. I’m not good with words, so I thought…”

“What question?” Brooke interrupts, furrowing her brown in confusion.

“Why you.”

Brooke slowly nods, eyeing the headphones skeptically. Then she takes them from me, putting the earpieces in one at a time.

I unlock my phone, scroll to my Spotify app. Pull up her playlist and find the song I’ve had on repeat for the past couple of days. Hit play.

I study her face as ‘Something’ by the Beatles starts to play through the headphones.

I stumbled upon this song during one of my many cycles through Brooke’s playlist over the past few days and all I’ve wanted to do since is play it for her. I’m not great with words, but music is her language. I know how much it means to her, how it speaks to her. Maybe the song can tell her how I feel better than I can.

Her eyes go wide at first, then her expression softens. She just gazes up at me as the song plays and my heart swells in response to the look on her face. It’s like I can see her walls coming down ever so slightly, inviting me back in.

When the song ends, she pulls the headphones out of her ears, handing them back to me with a funny look on her face.

“So there’s my answer,” I sigh as I take them from her and start winding them around my phone again. “There’s just something about you, Brooke… something different, special. I don’t know where this is gonna go, but I know I don’t wanna lose you.”

I shove my phone in my pocket and step closer. The pull is so strong- I’m itchy to touch her again. I reach out for her arm as I look into her eyes, trying to read her expression. Then her lips spread into a sly smile.

“The song was a nice touch,” she says.

Then she looks past me and I turn my head, following her gaze. A few of the squad members on the field are glancing over at the two of us curiously. When I look back at Brooke, her smile is gone, replaced by a look of apprehension.

“Can we talk somewhere else?” she asks, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

“Yeah, of course. C’mon.” I turn, moving my hand to the small of Brooke’s back to guide her with me across the field toward the gate of the complex. She steps away from my hand and picks up her pace, like she can’t get off of the practice field and away from prying eyes fast enough.

Fuck, is she embarrassed to be seen with me? Ashamed to be associated with me? Is that why Gray said Brooke wanted us to keep quiet about the mate bond?

We pass through the complex gate and head for the nearest path into the forest. She doesn’t say anything, just hustles down the path in front of me. When I look back to see the complex is no longer in view through the trees, I clear my throat, slowing to a stop. Brooke picks up on my signal, stopping and turning around to face me. I take a step closer, but she holds up a hand to prevent me from invading her space again.

“I’m sorry,” I grumble. “It’s…”

“I know,” she breathes. “I feel it too. The pull.”

I nod solemnly.

I never imagined that it would be this strong, this overpowering- everything in my body is screaming for me to be near Brooke, to hold her, protect her, provide for her. I could chalk it all up to biology, but I know there’s something else there, too- something that existed before the bond snapped into place. Like I somehow knew that she was the one for me all along.

“I’ve really been struggling with this,” Brooke sighs, clasping her hands together in front of her. “And I’m sorry for shutting you out, I just needed some space to come to terms with everything.”

My heart sinks. Her tone is so serious, almost sad. Is she about to reject me as her mate? I steady my expression, but inside I’m absolutely fucking panicking.

She parts her lips to speak again, but I interrupt, heading off her rejection. “I didn’t mean to scare you on my bike, Brooke. You’ve gotta believe me. I wasn’t thinking straight, I was just so jacked to have you on the back that all common sense flew out the window.” I scrub a hand over my face, sighing. “And I never should’ve left like that, I know it was a shitty thing to do. And everything you said was true, I just…”

Brooke interrupts me, shaking her head. “Theo, I shouldn’t have said those things. Yeah, I was mad that you scared the crap out of me on your motorcycle, but you didn’t deserve a character assassination like that. I was wrong for flipping out like I did.”

“No you weren’t,” I rasp, staring at her earnestly. “I fucked up, Brooke, you had every right to put me in my place…”

“No I didn’t!” she says exasperatedly. “That’s not how people should behave, Theo! That’s part of the reason I have doubts about this whole thing, because I hate the person I turned into on the side of that road. Mates are supposed to bring out the best in each other, not the worst…”

I feel that pinching in my chest again, that panic that she’s going to walk away from me.

“You do bring out the best in me,” I say quickly. I step closer and reach out, setting my hands on her shoulders and staring down into her eyes. “If you hadn’t said those things, I wouldn’t have realized how childish I’ve been about the whole Cory thing. I wouldn’t have gone back home. And if it were anyone else who said it, I probably wouldn’t have listened, but because it was you…”

I trail off, swallowing hard. Brooke blinks up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes.

“It made me actually want to man up and be better,” I finish.

Brooke’s lips part to speak, her voice coming out in a whisper. “Why?”

“Because I like you.”

She sighs, shaking her head. “That’s just the mate bond,” she mutters.

“No it’s not,” I say defensively. “I felt this before the bond. And whether or not you want to admit it, I know you did too.”

Brooke pauses, her eyes trained on mine. “Yeah,” she breathes. “You’re right, I did. But…”

“But what?” I interrupt.

She shrugs my hands off of her shoulders, shakes her head.

The loss of her contact agitates my wolf. I raise my voice, frustrated with her continued hesitation after I’ve put it all out there. “Why are you fighting this so hard? Can’t you see that I’m trying? Why can’t you just admit that you like me too, say you’ll give this thing a shot?”

“Because I’m scared!” Brooke shouts.

I snap my mouth closed, taken aback by her outburst.

Then she draws a breath, lowering her voice. “I’m scared, alright? I like you, Theo. I know there’s a good person in you, but I’m afraid of you. I’m afraid of your reputation with women, of how you’ve hurt me in the past… I’m afraid that if I let my walls down and let you in completely, you’ll destroy me.”

The truth of her words cuts deep. My instinct is to get the fuck out of here rather than show any vulnerability, to just fucking bail like I always do. But that’s how I screwed this whole thing up in the first place- so for once, I don’t. I draw a breath, steady my expression. I stay.

“You don’t think I’m afraid of that too?” I ask, my voice gravelly. “I know what people say about me, Brooke. I know I’m a fuck up, that I ruin everything I touch. But I’ve never wanted so badly to get things right for once. I know I can’t promise that I won’t hurt you, but damnit, can’t you let me at least try?”

She stares at me silently and I can see the hesitation in her eyes, battling against something else- an urge to give in, let go, just like when she saw the ski-lift. I’m not sure which is going to win over until she suddenly takes a step toward me, closing the distance between us. Her wolf shows in her irises as she places her palms on my chest, slides them up to my shoulders. Lifts up on her tiptoes. Presses her lips against mine.

I’m so shocked that it takes me a moment to realize what’s even happening, but my body responds on its own accord while my brain catches up. It feels like an electric current is zipping through me as I kiss her back, moving my hands to her waist and sliding them up under her t-shirt to feel her skin against my palms. It’s so smooth, so soft. Her lips pout and move against mine; her kiss is tender, sweet. Romantic.

And then it becomes something else. Hungry, urgent, desperate. Her lips part, her tongue finding mine. She tilts her head, nips at my bottom lip. Winds her arms tightly around my neck, pressing her hot little body against my chest. I grip her waist, and before I even start to lift her it’s like her body knows exactly how to respond to mine- she springs off of her tiptoes, wrapping her legs around my waist as she continues devouring my mouth. I slide one arm under her ass, bring my other hand up to tangle in the back of her hair. She claws at my own with her fingers, her tongue lapping against mine.

My dick is rock hard in my gym shorts. When the tip of it brushes against her ass, all rationality goes out the window. A growl starts in my chest as I kiss her hard, kiss her like I mean it. Brooke moans into my mouth, returning it with equal fervor- she wants this as badly as I do. For someone so shy, so reserved, her kiss is anything but. It’s carnal, wild, driven by her animalistic nature. She drags my bottom lip between her teeth, coming up for air, pulling back and looking at me with lust-filled eyes. We just stare at each other for a moment, both breathing hard, the connection of the mate bond stretching between us, the strength of it palpable.

“So is that a yes?” I murmur, a smirk creeping across my lips. I’ve still got a hand on her ass and I give it a little squeeze.

Brooke’s cheeks flush and she lowers her legs from around my waist, loosens her arms around my neck. I set her down, my dick jerking in my shorts as her body drags down over it before she finds her footing and takes a shaky step back.

A faint blush remains on her cheeks as her lips spread into a gorgeous smile. That smile tells me all I need to know. I can’t help it- I have to reach out for her again, kiss her again. I can’t get enough. I wind an arm around her waist, pull her back in. Stamp my mouth down over hers. She kisses me back greedily, presses her body tighter to mine. I grunt as her abdomen crushes against my boner- she must feel it, because she pulls away from the kiss, the cutest little gasp escaping her lip as she moves back and her eyes fly to my crotch.

“Sorry,” I breathe, reaching down to adjust myself in my shorts.

Brooke blushes again, smoothing her hair. Her lips are swollen from our feverish kisses. “Listen… if we’re gonna do this, I want to do it right,” she breathes.

I swear my heart stops beating for a second. Did she just say we’re gonna do this?! My dick twitches again, painfully hard as my mind drifts to the image of her naked in the shower. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? Are we about to fu…

“I mean I think we should try to get to know each other more, see if this can work. I think we should date,” Brooke finishes.

Oh. Right.

I nod, adjusting my hard-on again, trying to hide it. I don’t want to freak Brooke out with my boner for a second time.

“Yeah,” I choke, struggling to pick my mind up out of the gutter. “That works for me.”

Brooke arches a brow. “It does?”

“Yeah,” I laugh. “Why not?”

She shrugs, that coy smile tugging at her lips again. “I don’t know. Just wasn’t sure if you’d be up for dating.”

She’s alluding to my checkered past; the fact that I’ve never actually dated anyone.

“Listen, kid, just because I haven’t done it before doesn’t mean I won’t kick ass at it.”

She rolls her eyes at my arrogance, giving me a little shove. “Ohhhkay, mister, don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ve still got some things to figure out here.”

I blow out a breath, raking a hand through my hair. “Yeah, I know.” I knew she was gonna make me work for it.

Brooke points a finger at me, narrowing her eyes. “And let’s get one thing straight right now, if you ever leave me stranded again, there won’t be another chance.”

I shake my head adamantly, holding up my hands. “I won’t. I swear. I’ll never leave you again.”

And as I say it, I mean it with every fiber of my being. The bond won’t let me leave her- the mere thought of it is unbearable.

She gives a curt nod. “Okay. I’m gonna hold you to that.”

A smile creeps across my face. “Can we start now?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows.

“Start what?”

“Dating. Let’s go for a walk to Goldenleaf, grab some ice cream or something.”

Brooke giggles, shaking her head. “Oh, so dinner dates are lame but ice cream dates are okay?”

I grin. “Well yeah, duh. Everybody loves ice cream.”

She rolls her eyes, sighing- but a smile tugs at her lips. “Okay.”

I reach out to take her hand in mine and she actually lets me. I turn around, tugging her beside me and starting down the trail back to the complex so we can pick up the well-worn path to Goldenleaf instead.

I can hardly believe this is happening. Somehow, I got another shot, and now I’ve got less than a month to figure this thing out and prove to Brooke that I’m worthy of being her mate. Less than a month to seal the bond and make her mine.

No pressure.