Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Brooke
“You ready?” Theo asks, twirling the keys to the Jeep around a finger.
My eyes trace up his inked arm to his handsome face. “Yeah!” I chirp, leaning down to grab my duffel. Before I can straighten and toss it on my shoulder, Theo’s taking it from my hands, hauling it onto his shoulder instead.
“Thanks,” I breathe, a smile creeping across my lips. It’s little gestures like this that have me believing this thing with Theo really could work out- little ways he shows me that he cares; that he’ll take care of me.
My instinct is to show my appreciation by planting a kiss on those delicious lips of his- but I quickly remember where we are and think better of it. I step out of my room into the hallway of the squad dorms, pulling the door closed behind me and locking it.
I adjust my backpack on my shoulders as I spin back around to Theo and we start down the hall, out of the complex and to Gray’s Jeep parked at the gate. We deposit my bags in the back and Theo slides into the drivers’ seat, me taking my place beside him on the passenger side.
It’s odd that we’re both being so quiet. Usually, Theo’s talking my ear off, but not this morning. It’s like we can both feel that a lot is riding on this trip- on this chance for us to get away together.
“Got any tunes?” I ask, buckling my seatbelt and glancing over at Theo.
He doesn’t respond- instead, he leans over, grabbing my chin with a hand and pressing his lips to mine. My little yelp of surprise is muffled by his mouth as sparks ignite between our lips, my eyes sliding closed. I give into the sensations, allowing my lips to part, our tongues to intertwine. Then he slowly pulls back, his eyes alight with the coppery glow of his wolf as he strokes along my jawline with his thumb.
“I’ve been dying to do that again since I dropped you off Saturday night,” Theo murmurs, staring at me intently.
My body goes molten, the memory of our little tryst at the swimming hole flooding back.
His lips tip up into a smirk as he withdraws his hand, putting the key in the ignition and starting the Jeep.
I feel like I need a cold shower to douse the fire that he’s started in my belly. I lean back in my seat, catching my breath as Theo puts the Jeep in drive and pulls out onto the road.
“I wanna tell people about us,” he says after a few moments, giving me a sideways glance. “Fuck sneaking around.”
“Theo…” I say cautiously, pulling a leg up underneath me and turning to look at him.
“We don’t have to tell people we’re bonded yet if you don’t want to,” he mutters. “But what’s the harm in them knowing that you’re my girl? Then I could at least kiss you when I want to.”
The way he says ‘my girl’ makes my heart melt. This guy has such a rough, prickly exterior, but he’s got such a soft side, too- and in moments like this, I feel like it’s reserved only for me. How can I possibly say no to him when he asks me like that?
And then the realization hits me that this is what I want, too- I don’t want to be a secret that he keeps, I want to see what he’s like in an actual relationship, to see whether he can handle it. Whether both of us can.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” I ask, blinking at him. Some part of me knows that he’s sure, like I can feel it in my bones, but damnit if my doubts don’t keep lingering and making me second guess everything.
He flickers his eyes from the road to meet mine, and they’re filled with so much sincerity. “Yeah,” he breathes. “Don’t you?”
It’s a loaded question. Part of me doesn’t want to feel the pressure of being in a public relationship with someone of Theo’s position, like it’d be opening myself up to other people’s judgement and scrutiny. But another part of me wants everyone to know that we’re together so that other women back off of what’s mine- the growly, possessive part of me that’s fueled by the mate bond.
I must be taking too long to respond, because Theo blows out a breath, shaking his head. “Look, kid, I get why you wouldn’t want to be linked to someone like me. With my history and everything.”
“What?” I tilt my head questioningly.
He heaves a sigh, cranking the wheel to turn onto the road that leads out to the highway. “I’m not an idiot, I know what people say about me,” he mutters. “You’ve got the whole good girl thing going on and I’m just this fuck-up who can’t get his shit together.”
I shake my head adamantly. “No, Theo. It’s not that. And that’s not even true.” I reach over to touch his arm, tracing my fingers over the black ink of his tribal tattoos. “You might not let a lot of people see it, but I know who you are. And you’re not a fuck-up.”
He looks over at me, his lips curling into an amused smile at my use of the ‘f-word’. “I’m not a what?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “I’m not saying it again.”
Theo grins mischievously, flicking on the blinker to merge onto the on-ramp of the highway.
“I just…” I sigh, trying to choose my words carefully. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to be with me because we’re mates.”
And there it is, the crux of my indecision. This gorgeous alpha could have anyone he wants, and I feel like an imposter, like people will think one of two things if they see us together- either that I’m not good enough for him, or that I’m just another bimbo he’s trying to take to bed. It isn’t any fault of his, it’s my own stupid insecurities.
“Is that really want you think?” Theo asks, and he sounds almost offended. “I’ve been trying to show you that I’m in this thing, what else can I…”
“I know,” I interrupt, giving his bicep a squeeze. The muscle is rock-hard under my fingertips. “I know you have. Honestly, it’s not you, it’s me and my own things I have to work through.”
He turns to glance at me again, those hazel eyes pinning me down. “Then let’s work through them.”
Aaaaand I’m putty in his hands again. Damn, when did this guy become so sweet?
“Okay,” I say, and I can’t keep from smiling.
We ride in silence for a few minutes as I fiddle with connecting my phone to the cord in the Jeep and get a playlist queued up.
“Any requests?” I ask, thumbing through the songs on the list.
“Yeah… play Caught Up In You.” He grins slyly, side-eyeing me.
That song must be attached to a memory for him, too- the same one that it is for me, of us riding in this Jeep together for the first time. My heart swells as I scroll through my playlist for the song.
I hit play and immediately start bopping along to the catchy beat- I can’t help it, it’s one of my favorites. Then I look over at Theo to find that he’s singing along to the words as the song rolls into the first chorus. I start singing along too, shimmying my shoulders and doing a little dance in the passenger seat. Our eyes meet and the moment feels so surreal, the lyrics so poignant.
I turn the volume down as the second verse starts, my eyes trained on Theo. “Okay,” I say, unable to stop a grin from spreading across my face.
“Okay, what?” he asks, arching a brow.
“We can tell people we’re dating, if you’re sure that’s what you want.”
He snaps his head to look at me, his grin matching mine. “Yeah? I mean, yeah, that’s what I want.”
I nod, and I can feel my cheeks heating in a blush. “Me too.”
I reach forward to turn the volume up again as the second chorus starts playing, and I sing along louder, losing myself in the song. My heart feels so full, like it could burst.
~
The whole ride to Denver is great. We chat and joke and laugh and sing and every moment with Theo feels so natural, like we’ve been together for ages instead of just a few weeks. I’m almost sad when the road trip ends and we arrive at the gate of the neighborhood on the outskirts of Denver that belongs to their pack.
When we pull into the driveway of the packhouse, we’re greeted once again by two burly bouncer types who escort us inside. They bring us straight to the guest rooms we stayed in last time, depositing our belongings before walking us back to the foyer where Alpha Cole and his sister are waiting to receive us.
“Nice to see you two again,” Cole booms as he strides across the foyer. He shakes Theo’s hand first, then mine. “You remember my sister, Astrid?”
“Of course,” Theo smiles, and my wolf is immediately on high alert. I remember the way Theo looked at Astrid the last time he was here.
Astrid looks from Theo to me, grinning. She’s gorgeous- petite, suntanned skin, dark eyes and light brown curls. Curves in all the right places. I feel that ugly jealousy inside of me rising up again.
“So glad you’re both here,” Astrid breathes, and her voice is so light and smooth, almost like a song. “Brooke, wanna head to the hive with me while the guys talk pack business?”
“Uh, sure,” I mumble, flicking a nervous glance at Theo beside me and adjusting my backpack on my shoulders. Even though I met several of the Denver IT team last time I was here, they’re still strangers. Theo’s my comfort zone right now, and it never occurred to me that we wouldn’t be sticking together.
“C’mon,” Astrid coos, coming up beside me and linking her arm with mine.
Theo gives me a little nod and begrudgingly, I begin to walk away with Astrid, allowing her to lead me to the door and out of the packhouse. Once we’re outside, she unwinds her arm from mine, smoothing her bouncing curls.
“So how was your trip?” Astrid asks as we make our way down the front walk. The hive isn’t far from the packhouse, and when we hit the end of the driveway, I can already see the large building down the street from our vantage point.
“Good,” I breathe.
“Hit much traffic?”
I shake my head. “No, hardly any.”
I know she’s making an effort at polite conversation, but I despise small talk. I’m a little socially awkward as it is, so I suck at it.
“Okay, I have to ask,” Astrid gushes, skidding to a stop and touching my arm. “You and Theo. Are you…?”
She doesn’t finish her sentence, but I know what she’s insinuating. I nod quickly. “Yeah. We’re dating.”
It feels strange to say it out loud for the first time. Strange, but satisfying. A polite way of saying ‘he’s mine, back off’.
Astrid’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I knew it!”
I’m taken aback by her reaction. She seems almost excited, which doesn’t really track with how she behaved toward Theo the last time we were here. It was like she was undressing him with her eyes.
She must read the confusion in my face because she lets out a light laugh that’s carried away on the breeze. “Sorry, I suppose you don’t know me very well yet,” she says.
I’m still confused. I furrow my brow, tilting my head, trying to decipher the meaning behind her words.
Astrid takes my hand in hers. “I’m an intuitive,” she admits. “Sometimes I just know things and I can’t explain why or how I know them. It’s a family trait, my grandmother was the same way. And when I met you two last time you were here, I had a feeling there was something between you. And now it’s even stronger… you’re bonded, aren’t you?”
My jaw goes slack, stunned by Astrid’s admission. I’ve heard that some shifters possess special abilities, but I’ve never actually met one that did. It’s absolutely fascinating. I blink at her, staring as if I’m seeing her for the first time.
“Oh gosh, now I’ve freaked you out, haven’t I?” she asks, her lovely dark eyes glittering as she relinquishes her grasp on my hand.
“No,” I sputter, laughing uncomfortably. “You just caught me off guard, I guess. It’s still really new and we’ve been keeping it quiet.”
“Ahh,” she says, understanding washing over her features. “No worries, your secret’s safe with me.” She winks, starting down the sidewalk again.
I walk beside her, my mind spinning. I have so many questions. Before I can stop them, they start spilling out. “So can you see the future, then? Do you have visions or something?” Maybe she can tell me how the mate bond with Theo pans out…
Astrid giggles. “No, it’s not like that. I wish it was! I just read people really well, pick up on little feelings about people and situations,” she explains. “It’s completely random, I can’t turn it on or off. And sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what it’s trying to tell me. Like the last time you were here, it took me a few minutes. I was worried you’d get the wrong idea about me because I was kinda staring at your guy as I was trying to work through it.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, chuckling softly. I’d thought the worst of Astrid after our last visit, and now it turns out that I couldn’t have been more wrong. She didn’t have nefarious intentions. And now she’s being so kind, so open. That should teach me to make assumptions.
The rest of our chat on the way to the hive only further proves that I pegged this girl all wrong. She’s intricately involved with their security team- she oversees a lot of their operations. Even though her demure, giggly demeanor makes her seem like an airhead, she’s anything but. I really like her.
When we approach the doors to the hive, Astrid touches the door handle and gets a funny look on her face, wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brow. “Something’s wrong,” she says quietly.
She pulls open the door and we’re met with absolute chaos- people are running around, shouting, panicking.
My eyes fly wide and I turn to Astrid. “What is it?!” I ask, my voice strained.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know, I…” her voice trails off as she takes in the chaotic scene unfolding before us, the same stunned, confused expression etched on her face.
Rico, the head of the Denver IT team, spots us at the door, charging over in our direction.
“What’s happening?” Astrid asks when he’s within earshot.
Rico’s face is pale. “The shadow pack,” he chokes out. “They found us.”
