Alpha Theo by C.J. Primer

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Theo

“Wake up,” comes the sweetest voice, reaching into my mind, pulling me from sleep. The voice of an angel. I feel the weight of Brooke on the mattress beside me, shifting to move closer. Then I feel her fingertips stroking my hair gently. “Wake up, handsome…”

I blink my eyes open, meeting the ocean blue of Brooke’s eyes. She’s so fucking beautiful.

“Mmm,” I hum, leaning my head into her hand as she gently scratches my scalp. “That feels good.”

Her pouty pink lips tip up into a smile as she traces her fingernails in a circle.

“What time is it?” I squint, furrowing my brow.

“Six.”

“Six?!” I throw my eyes wide.

Brooke giggles, sliding the covers off of her body and sitting up.

“Why the hell are we awake?” I groan, scrubbing a hand over my face. “We don’t have to get up for at least another two hours, let’s go back to sleep…”

Brooke smirks at me over her shoulder, then moves to crawl on top of me. She straddles me, pressing her palms to my chest.

Okay, if this is what we’re doing, I’m totally okay with being woken up at six in the morning…

“I was hoping we could get outta here for a little bit before we start our day,” she coos, raking her fingernails down my chest gently. “Go somewhere to talk.”

Right. After yesterday, that’s probably a good call. I mean we sorta made up last night, but we’ve still got some shit to figure out.

I blow out a breath, reaching out to grasp her hips. I slide my hands up underneath her shirt onto her waist, and then I can’t help but keep going, cruising up higher to cup those perky little tits that fit my hands so perfectly.

“How about breakfast on pine mountain?” I ask, kneading her boobs gently. Her nipples harden under my touch and I flick my thumbs across them.

“Mmm.” She presses forward into my hands and the humming sound she makes goes straight to my dick. “That sounds perfect.”

Brooke grins, pushing off my chest with her palms and climbing off of me, out of bed.

Blue balls it is.

“I’m gonna brush my teeth, put in my contacts, get dressed…” she mumbles, taking her glasses off of the nightstand and sliding them onto her face. “And I’ll meet you outside in like fifteen minutes?”

“Sounds good to me,” I grumble, sitting up. The faster she gets outta here, the better- she’s fucking torturing me in those skimpy little sleep shorts and tiny tank top.

“Okay,” she breathes, leaning over to steal a quick kiss. Then she sweeps her hair over one shoulder, gazing into my eyes devilishly. “See you soon.”

Fifteen minutes later, I’m pulling up to the gate of the squad complex on my bike. Brooke’s there waiting, looking sexy as hell in ripped denim and her leather jacket. She trots over and I hand her the helmet- and once it’s fastened securely, she climbs on the back of my bike like she’s been doing it her whole life, settling in behind me and wrapping her arms around my waist.

I maintain a steady speed as we travel up to Pine Mountain, staying attuned to Brooke’s body language the whole way. When I go a little too fast, her grip around my waist tightens, signaling me to slow down. When she’s relaxed, I test my speed, pushing a little faster. By the time we get to the top and climb off, she’s smiling- so I must’ve done an okay job of getting us there.

I reach into one of the saddlebags on the side of my bike, pulling out a few granola bars. “The dining hall wasn’t open yet, so this is the best I could do for breakfast…”

Brooke smile widens- that gorgeous smile that lights up her whole face. “It’s perfect,” she says, reaching out to take one from me.

We head over to the cliff’s edge and I stoop down to sit, waving Brooke closer. As soon as she’s near, I reach out for her, pulling her down into my lap. I spread my knees for her body to nestle between them and she leans her back against my chest, peeling open the wrapper of the granola bar.

I wolf down two of them quickly, shoving the wrappers in the pocket of my jeans. Then I wind my arms around Brooke’s waist, hold her while she finishes her own. Look out at the view and listen to the peaceful sounds of the forest in the morning.

“I came up here yesterday after we argued,” I grumble, hooking my chin over her shoulder. “It wasn’t the same without you.”

“I’m sorry, again,” she says softly, leaning her head back onto my chest.

“Me too.”

I push up her jacket sleeve and stroke her forearm with my thumb, turning my face to her hair to breathe her in. Coconut.

“I’m not perfect, you know…” she murmurs, covering my hand with her own.

I chuckle. “That’s a lie.”

“It’s not.” Brooke pauses and I feel her body tense up a little bit in my arms. “Wanna know my deepest, darkest secret?”

“Of course,” I murmur, nuzzling her neck. “You can tell me anything, babe.”

Brooke’s a fucking angel. I’ll bet she’s gonna tell me she swiped a pack of gum once and the guilt has been torturing her since.

She draws a breath like she’s pausing for dramatic effect, then blurts out “I almost killed Fallon once.”

“What?” I laugh, leaning forward to gaze at her over her over her shoulder. “Siblings fight, Brooke, that’s hardly a deep, dark secret.”

She turns to face me, biting her bottom lip. “No, it wasn’t like that,” she says, her expression stoic. “Remember how I told you my wolf’s hard to control?”

I nod, waiting for her to go on.

She sucks in a breath. “When she first manifested, I was scared of how wily she was. I tried to hold her back, never let her out to run or practiced controlling her. And then one day I was fighting with Fallon over a magazine, of all things, and she tore through. Attacked her. I couldn’t stop it…”

Brooke’s voice trails off and she turns away, peering out at the view of the forest from our perch on the mountain. “My parents heard her screams and rushed to step in, and I hurt them, too. There was so much blood… I think I scared them half to death. And after that, I was even more afraid to let my wolf out. My parents worked with me, helped me get a better handle on her, but… I never trusted her after that.”

I swallow hard, combing over Brooke’s story in my mind. I don’t even know what to say, so all I do is try to comfort her. I lean in, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I mean what kind of a shifter doesn’t trust her own wolf?” she scoffs. “It’s always made me feel… defective, somehow. I think that’s why I’ve always been wound so tight, so cautious about everything- because even though I’ve got more control now, in the back of my mind, that fear’s still there.”

So much about Brooke’s personality makes sense in light of her admission. Her aversion to risky activities- the types of things that would make her wolf rise to the surface. Her need to control every aspect of her life stemming from her inability to control her inner animal.

A pause settles between us before she turns to look at me again. “So, see? I’m not perfect. Far from it. I just keep my demons hidden better than some.”

I pull her tighter to my chest, her soft body meeting every hard line of mine. “I had trouble with my wolf in the beginning too. That’s how my mom…” I stop short. Brooke’s already heard this story. No need to rehash the ugly details.

“It wasn’t your fault any more than my wolf’s attack on Fallon was mine.”

I sigh. “Yeah. I guess what I’m saying is that it doesn’t make you a bad person. Some shifters integrate easier than others.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes, listen to the birds chirping. I start forming a plan in my mind of how I might be able to help Brooke integrate her wolf better. Since I struggled with my own back in the day, I’m willing to bet that I might have some pointers and techniques she hasn’t yet tried.

“I think I’ve always tried to project a different version of myself to the world,” Brooke says quietly. “So they’d think I was perfect. But I’ve always been wound too tight, afraid of my own shadow. Crippled by my insecurities.”

“What do you have to be insecure about?” I ask dubiously. “You’re amazing, Brooke. You’re gorgeous, you’re the smartest person I know…”

“That comment I made yesterday, it came from a place of insecurity,” Brooke interrupts, shaking her head. “About the girls you’ve been with.”

I press my lips into a tight line. I wish I could take it all back- every single one of those nameless, faceless she-wolves that I fucked before Brooke.

“None of them meant anything to me,” I mutter. “They just wanted to have sex with an alpha. They didn’t like me, didn’t want to be with me… they just wanted a quick lay, and that’s all I ever wanted, too. They meant nothing to me, and you mean everything. So you have nothing to be insecure about.”

Brooke heaves a sigh. “I guess I just keep getting in my own head about your… experience. Trying to measure up. Afraid that I never will.”

I shake my head. “There’s nothing to measure up to. I might’ve been your first when it comes to sex, but you were my first for everything else. My first female friend, my first date. The first girl I’ve ever actually cared about or respected. You know you’re the first girl I’ve ever spent the night with?” I ask, hooking my chin over her shoulder again. “And last night was the first time I’ve ever spent the night with someone without having sex.”

I hate being this vulnerable, spilling my guts. But this is what we need- to put it all out there, so we stop having these stupid arguments about things that don’t matter. Then even if it does go down in flames, I’ll know I gave it everything I had.

“Really?” she asks, craning her neck to look at me, blinking those bright blue eyes.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Like I said last night, you’re it for me, Brooke. If anyone should be insecure, it’s me. I mean, you’re amazing, and I’m…” I swallow hard, struggling to find the words. Afraid to say them. “I feel like I’ll never be able to measure up, be the guy that you deserve. I know how much of a fuck-up I am, I’ve heard it my whole life.”

“You’re not, though,” Brooke says quickly, reaching back to stroke my stubbly jawline. “You’ve gotta stop believing what your dad says. He doesn’t know you, not like I do. You’re amazing, too.”

I sigh. “I just wish he’d believe in me like you do. That he’d believe that I’ve got what it takes to be alpha based on my own merit, that he’d realize I’m trying.” I squeeze her a little tighter. “So see? We’ve both got shit to work through.”

Brooke turns around in my arms so she’s facing me, draping her legs over my thighs. “Theo…” she whispers, looping her arms around my neck. “You’re it for me, too.” She pauses, drawing a breath. “And I’m all in, if you’ll give me another chance. We can work through our stuff together.”

The corner of my mouth ticks up into a half-smile. “Make each other stronger? Isn’t that what they say about the mate bond?”

She grins. “Exactly. So whaddya say, kid?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows, imitating me. “Can I get another chance or what?”

I let out a laugh, scooping my arms around her waist. She’s so fucking cute when she does that.

I yank her into my chest, crushing my lips against hers, answering her question with my kiss. I kiss her hard, like I mean it, bruising her lips, tangling our tongues.

The kiss escalates quickly. Suddenly she has her legs wrapped around my waist, her chest pressed against mine, grinding her core over my lap as my dick strains against the zipper of my jeans. We claw at each other’s clothes, her pushing my jacket off of my shoulders, yanking it down around my arms. I take my hands off of her momentarily to shrug out of it, let it fall to the dirt, and then I’m pulling hers off and tossing it aside.

Without missing a beat, I reach for the hem of her shirt, drag it off overhead. She’s wearing one of those sexy little bralettes again, and after taking a moment to appreciate how hot she looks in it, I tug that off, too, lifting her by the hips and attaching my mouth to one of her peach-tipped nipples. I suck and nip at it gently, squeezing her other boob roughly with my hand- then switch and do the same thing on the other side while Brooke tosses her head back, breath catching on a sigh.

I gaze up at Brooke, start kneading her tits with both hands. “Have I told you how much I love these?”

She giggles, tangling her fingers in my hair. “Once or twice.”

Then her mouth’s on mine again, her hands clawing at my t-shirt. I yank it off, toss it aside, and pull her in roughly, her soft chest slamming against mine. I love the feeling of her bare skin up against my chest, under my hands.

“You gotta take these jeans off, baby,” I growl. “I gotta have you, right here, right now.”

She scoots back on my lap, her eyes clouded with desire as she starts unfastening her jeans. Then I help her pull them off- it’s clumsy, frantic, and then she’s scooting back up in nothing but her panties, fumbling with the button on my jeans, sliding down the zipper. Pulling my boxers down far enough for my cock to spring free, standing at attention for her.

I immediately grab her by the waist, pull her into my chest again. Position her over my dick. I tease her a little bit first, though- I cruise a hand down into her panties, find her hard little clit and rub it gently as I kiss her neck. Run my fingers along her slick entrance, drive myself crazy feeling how wet she is for me. Slide her panties to the side before I lower her onto my throbbing cock.

My eyes roll back in my head as I push all the way in, her internal walls gripping my dick like a tight fist. So wet, so warm, so… “Ughn,” I moan. “You’re so fucking tight.”

Heaven. Her pussy is heaven on earth, and I never wanna leave.

Brooke undulates her hips as I move her up and down over my length, the sexiest little moans and cries falling from her lips.

Fuck. She feels incredible. I can’t do much from this position though, and I want to rail hard, rough, make her scream.

I slide my arms behind her back, cradling her as I lean forward and rise up on my knees. She wraps her legs around my waist- and fuck yeah, it’s on. She threads her fingers together behind my neck to hang on and I go to town, fingers digging into her hips as I slam into her sweet little pussy, pounding her with all I’ve got. My jeans slide down, bunching around my knees as I give it to my girl harder, rougher.

She’s dangling off my neck by her arms, giving me a perfect view of her little tits jigging and bouncing with each thrust. A scream of pleasure tears from her mouth.

Damnit. I’m not gonna last, not when I’m fucking her bare like this. She’s too fucking sexy, feels too good.

Gotta get her there with me.

I release her hips, sliding one arm around her waist to hold her up, bringing the other hand down to pinch that sensitive little clit between my knuckles.

“Theo!” Brooke cries out, her head falling back.

“Yeah baby?” murmur, tracing circles around her clit with my thumb, giving it a little flick as I keep plunging my cock in and out of her wet heat.

“Feels… so… good…” she pants, digging her fingernails into the backs of my shoulders. “Don’t… stop…”

I don’t. I keep slamming my dick into her pussy, rubbing her clit with my fingers. Her keening cries are driving me crazy, right to the edge.

My balls tighten, the telltale sign that I’m about to come. I rub her clit harder as I thrust hard, burying my dick in her to the hilt, blowing my load. It’s like her body’s one with mine- she starts coming too, moaning loudly as her climax rocks her body, her inner walls milking my cock.

It’s fucking intense. My vision tunnels and I rock back to sit on my heels, sliding both arms around Brooke’s waist, squeezing her tightly into my chest with my dick still inside her.

She sweeps her disheveled hair out of her face, then sets her hands on my shoulders and gazes into my eyes dreamily. “We should do breakfast like this more often,” she smirks.

I let out a throaty laugh. “Every fuckin’ day, kid.”

I press a kiss to her mouth, dick still seated inside her. Yeah, I could get used to this.