Page 105 of Reckless: Collision

“You think I wanted this?” His laugh is harsh. “You think I wanted some beta hacker disrupting everything I’ve built? Everything I’ve tried to protect?”

The words should hurt, but there’s something raw beneath them. Something real.

“Then why am I here?” I shoot back. “Why not just hand me over to Quinn?”

“Because Jinx claimed you before we even knew what danger you were in.” His hands fist at his sides. “One look at you and something in him just... clicked. Do you have any idea what that did to him? To all of us?”

I try to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I didn’t ask?—”

“For Theo to start nesting with your clothes?” The question hits like a punch to the gut. “Yeah, I noticed you haven’t gone looking for them. Haven’t ventured near his room where he’s building a nest with every piece of clothing he can steal from you.”

“Stop.” Because he’s right. I’ve been avoiding it. Avoiding the evidence of how deep this goes.

“Why?” He pushes off the wall, stalking toward me. “Because if you see it, it becomes real? Because if you acknowledge what he’s doing—what we’re all doing—you can’t pretend this is temporary?”

“You don’t understand?—”

“Then go look.” His voice drops to a dare. “Go see what he’s building. Go face the fact that you’re already pack, whether you wanted it or not.”

“I can’t.” The words scratch out of my throat.

“Can’t or won’t?” His eyes search mine. “Because I see how you and Finn work together. The way your minds sync. Do youknow what he could do with someone like you by his side? What you both could accomplish?” He runs a hand down his face. “God help me, but you two could burn the world down or save it, and I’m not sure which terrifies me more.”

The truth of it hangs between us. Because he’s right. Finn and I together would be unstoppable. Just like Jinx’s chaos calls to mine. Just like Theo’s music touches something in my soul I didn’t know existed.

“There are things you don’t know.” The USB drive weighs heavy in my mind. “Things I haven’t told you.”

“Of course there are.” Bitterness edges his words. “There always are. But here’s what I do know—you’re going to run. You’re going to take whatever secrets you’re keeping and disappear. And my pack? The one younever wanted? They’re going to break.”

“You don’t think I will?” The question slips out before I can stop it.

His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see past the Alpha exterior to something wounded beneath. “No. Because I never wanted you here either. And now?” He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Now I’m standing here trying to convince you to stay.”

“You want to know the real reason you’re here?” His voice drops lower, dangerous. “Because PCA thinks you need protection, and we need back on the books. That’s the official story.”

“And the unofficial one?”

“The unofficial one is that three members of my pack caught your scent and their whole world shifted.” He moves closer, towering over me. “Do you understand what that means? Really understand?”

I stay silent, because no, I don’t. I’m a beta. We don’t have scent bonds, don’t have that primal pull.

“One scent.” His words come out like gravel. “That’s all it takes for alphas and omegas. One breath and their entire existence realigns. No choice. No hesitation. Just absolute, irreversible certainty.”

“That’s—”

“Terrifying? Unfair?” His laugh is sharp. “Welcome to our world. Where Jinx can meet you in a bathroom and suddenly need to protect you with every fiber of his being. Where Theo can catch your scent on a hoodie and need it so badly he’ll steal every piece of clothing you own. Where Finn—” He cuts himself off, jaw working.

“But I’m a beta,” I whisper, like that changes anything. Like that makes this less real.

“Exactly.” His eyes lock with mine. “You’re a beta. You get to choose. Get to decide how many partners you want, if you want any at all. Get to walk away without your entire biology screaming in protest.”

The weight of what he’s saying settles over me. “They don’t get that choice?”

“No. They caught your scent and that was it. Game over. But you?” His fingers grip my chin, forcing me to hold his gaze. “You get to decide whether to break them or not.”

“That’s not fair.” But even I hear the weakness in my protest.

“Life isn’t fair.” He releases me, stepping back. “If it was, I wouldn’t be standing here warning you about what happens if you run. If you betray them.”

---