Page 107 of Reckless: Collision

“It’s simple.” But his voice says it’s anything but. “We’re yours. Whether you want us or not. Whether you stay or run. The only choice here is yours.”

“That’s not fair.” The words sound childish even to my ears.

“No,” he agrees, something softening in his expression. “It’s not. But that’s how it works. Alphas and omegas don’t get to choose who their soul recognizes. We just have to live with it.” He takes a step closer, and his scent—cedar laced with mountain air and something uniquely him—wraps around me. “But you? You get to choose whether to break us or complete us.”

“And if I choose wrong?”

“Then I do what I have to.” His hand comes up, hesitating near my face before dropping. “Because that’s my job. To protect them. Even from you.”

“Think about what I said.” His voice is low, intimate in the shadowed hallway. Each word feels like a physical touch in the charged space between us. “About the unpacked bags. About what you’re really running from.”

He moves closer, and my back hits the wall—I hadn’t even realized I was retreating. His scent surrounds me, cedar with undercurrents of steel and warmth threaded through with something darker, something that makes my pulse spike. The USB drive hidden in his own home feels like a damning reminder of every secret I’m keeping.

“Because tonight—” He braces one hand on the wall beside my head, his body curving over mine without touching. The heat of him sinks into my bones, makes me want to arch into that dangerous space between us. “Tonight we’re trusting you with everything.”

His other hand comes up, knuckles grazing my cheek in a touch so gentle it hurts. The contrast of it—his lethal strength and this butterfly-soft caress—steals my breath. His pupils dilate as he catches my reaction, nostrils flaring at whatever cocktail of desire and guilt my scent is broadcasting.

“And you need to decide.” His thumb traces my bottom lip, the touch sending electricity down my spine. This close, I can see the alpha red threading through his steel-gray eyes, feel the barely leashed power vibrating through him. “If you’re truly part of this pack?—”

He leans closer, until his lips brush my ear, until his next words shape themselves against my skin: “Or just passing through.”

The moment hangs suspended, heavy with everything unsaid. My hands have found their way to his chest without mypermission, feeling his heart thunder under my palms. His scent spikes with possession, with need, with something that calls to parts of me I didn’t know existed until this pack crashed into my life.

“Choose wisely, little beta.” He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, and the raw hunger there makes me gasp. “Because once you’re truly pack—” His hand slides into my hair, grip firm but gentle. “There’s no running far enough to escape what we could be.”

He steps back suddenly, leaving me cold and shaking against the wall. The loss of his heat is physical thing, an ache that settles deep in my chest. His eyes rake over me one last time, taking in my flushed cheeks, my unsteady breathing, the way my hands clench against the urge to pull him back.

“Tonight changes everything.” The words carry down the hallway as he walks away, each step looking like it costs him. “Make sure you’re ready for what comes after.”

I stay there long after he’s gone, trying to steady my breathing, trying to ignore how my body hums with remembered touch.

Because he’s right—tonight changes everything.

Tonight I get my tech back. Tonight I help them infiltrate Sterling Labs.

Tonight I have to decide if finding the truth about what Sterling’s doing to betas is worth losing the first place that’s ever felt like home. Worth losingthem.

And the worst part? There’s no right choice. No path that doesn’t end in betrayal.

I just have to decide who I’m betraying—them, or myself.

Chapter 24

Ryker

The city blurspast my window, nothing more than neon and shadows. Behind me, Jinx repeatedly checks his tactical gear—a nervous habit that fills the SUV with soft clicks and rustles. Finn sits shotgun, tablet glowing as he reviews building schematics one last time. Through the rearview mirror, I can see Quinn’s unmarked van following us, carrying our secret weapon.

Cayenne’s voice crackles through the comm, “Security rotation in three minutes.” She sounds different with technology back in her hands. More confident. More herself. More dangerous. “You’re still clear for the western approach.”

I adjust my grip on the steering wheel, hyperaware of how this feels like a beginning and an ending all at once. Twelve hours ago, I was warning her about running. Now we’re trusting her to guide us through Sterling Labs’ security from a van full of equipment that Quinnborrowedfrom PCA.

“Copy that.” Finn’s voice is steady, professional. No hint of the beta who spends hours playing chess with her, teaching her strategy while she teaches him chaos.

The streets get darker as we approach the industrial district. Fewer lights, fewer witnesses. Perfect for what we’re about to do. Not so perfect for the thoughts circling in my head.

I can’t stop thinking about that damn snowball fight. How she read us all so quickly—Jinx’s aggressive charges, Theo’s artistic dodges, Finn’s calculated strikes. How she adapted to each of our styles, complementing our strengths, covering our weaknesses. Like she was made to fit with us.

Like she was made to destroy us.

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