Page 15 of Reckless: Chaos

When I gather her closer, she comes willingly, all that brilliant chaos in her nature temporarily settling into something softer. Something that makes me want to forget about pack duties and search parties and just stay here, learning every way we fit together.

“We should head back.” Her words lack conviction, especially as she burrows closer.

“Mmm.” I let my hands wander, memorizing the feel of her. “We have approximately seventeen minutes before they notice we’re gone.”

“And how long before they figure out what we’ve been doing?”

I breathe her in one more time, committing this moment to memory. “Based on observation? About two seconds.”

Her smile curves against my chest. “Worth it?”

“Worth everything,” I murmur into her hair. And for once, that’s the only calculation that matters.

And for once, no further analysis is required.

Chapter 4

Cayenne

We’re so screwed.

The thought hits as Finn pulls up to the mansion’s gate, where Ryker stands like an avenging angel in grey sweats and a thunderous expression. No Marcus in the guard booth—smart move, clearing civilians from the blast radius.

“Well,” Finn’s accent thickens with false cheer, “this should be interesting.”

I’m still riding the high of everything—the jump, the barn, Finn—but reality crashes back as Ryker stalks toward the car. His movements remind me of a predator, all contained violence and barely leashed power.

The driver’s window slides down with a soft whir.

“Have a nice morning?” Ryker’s voice could freeze hell. His nostrils flare, and I know he can smell everything—the hay, the sweat, the sex. The way Finn and I crash together like binary becoming whole.

“Lovely, thanks for asking.” Finn’s smile carries an edge I’ve never seen before. Challenge, maybe. Or protection. “The sunrise was particularly spectacular from 10,000 feet.”

Something dangerous flashes in Ryker’s eyes. “Get inside. Both of you. Now.”

We pull through the gate, and I catch movement at the mansion’s windows—Theo watching with worried eyes, Jinx prowling like a caged animal. The pack bonds I’m not supposed to be part of stretch thin with tension.

“I can handle this,” Finn says quietly as we park, his hand finding mine. “You don’t have to?—”

“Yes, she does.” Ryker’s voice carries across the driveway, alpha power rolling off him in waves. “Because apparently my orders mean nothing to either of you.”

I step out of the car, legs still a little shaky from everything that’s happened. “The quarantine order came after Finn planned this. We were careful. We?—”

“Careful?” Ryker advances on us, and even Finn takes half a step back. “You broke every protocol we have. Exposed yourselves to god knows what. All for what? A joyride?”

“For life.” The words burst out before I can stop them. “For one moment of actually living instead of just surviving.”

Something shifts in Ryker’s expression—pain maybe, or understanding—before the mask slams back down. “Inside. Now.”

We follow him into the mansion like condemned prisoners, the weight of four very different sets of eyes tracking our walk of shame. And suddenly I’m drowning in it—in pack dynamics I don’t understand, in feelings I can’t control, in the way each of them pulls at something different inside me.

Finn’s intellectual fire still burns on my skin. But there’s also Jinx’s feral grace as he watches from the shadows. Theo’s artistic soul calling to something wild in my chest. And Ryker... Ryker’s authority that should mean nothing to a beta but somehow means everything.

I’m not enough for any of them.

I’m too much for all of them.

I’m caught between competing gravities, and I’m starting to forget how to breathe.

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