Page 2 of Reckless: Chaos

He leans against the bookshelf behind his desk, arms crossed over a chest still damp from a shower, his long-sleeved green shirt clinging in ways that would be distracting if not for the steel in his gaze. The grey sweats he wears should look soft, comfortable. Instead, they add to the predatory air that fills the room.

This isn’t a debriefing.

This is a reckoning.

Fuck me, I’m busted.

My shoulders sag as the last traces of mission high evaporate. I drop into a chair, staring at the ceiling because I can’t bear to meet their eyes. Can’t bear to see disappointment replace the trust they’ve started showing me. “Alright. Lay into me.”

“Look at me.” Ryker’s voice carries the weight of command, of alpha power that should slide right off my beta nature but somehow finds purchase anyway.

I keep my eyes fixed upward, gathering courage. Because they deserve the truth—about the beta virus, about what Sterling Labs is really doing. But truth is a weapon that cuts both ways, and I’m not sure I’m ready to bleed.

“Cayenne.” The rumble in his voice reaches into my chest and tugs. “Look. At. Me.”

“Rude,” I mutter, but I straighten, finally meeting his gaze. The intensity there makes me wish I hadn’t.

“During our mission, you went off course.” Each word falls like a stone in still water, ripples of accusation spreading outward. “You were supposed to keep your concentration on usat all times. The mission was to get in and get out, and you left a trail of chaos in your wake.”

He leans over the desk, nostrils flaring as he scents my guilt, my fear, my need to protect them from what I know. “I have to debrief Quinn in thirty minutes, and you are going to do so with me. But first, you are going to talk.”

I let my eyes drift around the room, hoping for... what? Support? Understanding? They’re all watching with varying degrees of concern and disappointment. Even Theo, who minutes ago was inviting me to his nest, looks troubled.

The silence stretches, heavy with expectations. With secrets. With truth I’m not sure how to voice.

“Ok.” The word comes out hollow, defeated. I stand, moving to the drink cart like it’s a lifeline. The amber liquid splashes into the tumbler, and I watch it swirl, catching light like binary code through fiber optic cables. Like truth through firewalls.

I throw back the first drink, letting it burn away my hesitation. The crystal makes a soft sound as I trace its rim, gathering courage.

“Sterling Labs isn’t targeting omegas.” The words fall into the silence like the first drops of rain before a storm.

“Explain.” Ryker’s command carries less alpha now, more dread.

I pour another drink, because some truths require armor, even if that armor comes in liquid form. “I found a file, buried.” My finger traces patterns in the condensation on the glass, drawing connections only I can see. “I’m sure you’ve seen on the news that there’s a rise in a virus.”

“Beta.” Finn sits up straighter, fingers flying across his keyboard with renewed purpose. The word hangs between us—both designation and death sentence.

“When the sniper took out my screen, I caught one thing.” My laugh comes out bitter, scraping against my throat likebroken glass. “Beta virus. It’s manufactured. Created by Sterling Labs.”

The silence that follows feels like a living thing, pressing against my skin, making it hard to breathe.

“Why?” Finn’s question carries the weight of our shared designation, of a threat that targets us specifically.

“I can only guess it’s to reduce our population.” I shrug, but the movement feels mechanical, disconnected. My fingers tighten around the glass until my knuckles go white. “I haven’t been able to dive into the drive to have a look.”

“And tonight?” Ryker pushes, always pushing, like he can force the truth out through sheer alpha will.

“I needed proof.” The words start spilling out, whiskey and guilt loosening my tongue. “I can’t look at the USB drive here because you guys have me in the dark. I needed to fucking know if it’s just a conspiracy. If I made it all up. If I really saw what I saw, or if it’s real.” The last word breaks, betraying everything I’ve tried to hide. “You gave me an opportunity. Hacking through their own systems, no one to catch but themselves.”

“And?” Theo’s voice carries concern that cuts deeper than Ryker’s accusations.

“I found the backdoor and was trying to get through when they caught me.” The admission comes out small, defeated. “Looks like they learned from last time.”

“They caught you!” Ryker’s explosion makes me flinch. “You put my pack in danger?”

There it is. That line in the sand.

My. Pack.

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