Page 39 of Reckless: Chaos

That pulls me up short. I study his face—the shadows under his eyes, the tension in his jaw, the way he’s still trembling slightly with the effort of restraint.

“Okay,” I whisper, reaching up to touch his face. “Okay.”

He turns into my palm, pressing a kiss there that feels like a confession. “I’ll get your meds. And those shepherd’s cupcakes, if you’re still hungry.”

“Stay?” The word slips out before I can catch it, more vulnerable than I meant it to be. The medical monitors betray my spike of anxiety with a series of soft beeps. “After?”

Something raw and tender flashes across his face. “Try to make me leave. Though Finn’s got us all on a rotation—two hours on watch, then switch. Says we need to rest too, but...” He glances at the tablet displaying my vitals, jaw tight. “None of us are really sleeping anyway.”

As if summoned by his words, Finn appears in the doorway, glasses reflecting the blue glow of medical screens. “Your next dose is due in twenty minutes. Temperature’s slightly elevated—we’ll need to watch that.” His clinical tone doesn’t quite hide the worry underneath. “Theo’s making soup. Something about proper nutrition promoting healing.”

The pack’s coordinated care feels like the most sophisticated security system I’ve ever encountered—multiple layers of protection, each member playing their role. Finn with his medical expertise, Theo with his nurturing, Ryker coordinating security, and Jinx... Jinx holding me together with hands that only shake when he thinks I’m not looking.

He helps me settle back against the pillows, every touch still charged but gentler now. As he moves to stand, I catch his wrist.

“Hey Jinx?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for punching that orderly.”

His laugh is closer to normal, some of that manic light returning to his eyes. “Two orderlies. And a vending machine.”

“My hero.”

“Shut up and rest, Glitch.” But his smile is soft as he tucks the blankets around me. “Let me take care of you.”

For once, I do exactly as I’m told. The mansion settles around us into its nighttime rhythms—Ryker’s patrol route, Theo’s quiet humming from the kitchen, Finn’s fingers tapping on his tablet as he monitors everything from vitals to security feeds.

The pack moves like a perfectly synchronized program, each member executing their role in my recovery. Even now, I can smell fresh bread and herbs wafting up from the kitchen—Theo’s way of showing love when he can’t be in the room. The security panels chirp softly as Ryker checks each zone, his alpha instincts demanding constant vigilance while one of his is injured.

My medical bracelet blinks steadily, transmitting data to Finn’s complex monitoring system. In the hallway, feet shuffle as watch shifts change—no one sleeping properly, everyone keeping guard in their own way. It should feel suffocating, this multi-layered protection protocol.

Instead, it feels like the most sophisticated firewall I’ve ever encountered. A security system built of flesh and blood and fierce devotion.

My pack.

Then I feel it—a low rumble against my neck where Jinx has settled beside me. Not his usual growl, but something deeper, softer. A purr. The sound vibrates through me, soothing raw nerves and easing tension I didn’t even know I was carrying. He stiffens for a moment, like he’s surprised by his own response, then relaxes as I melt into the comfort he’s offering.

I file this moment away for later analysis—a feral alpha purring for a beta who isn’t even his. But that’s tomorrow’s code to crack. For now, I let the unexpected sound lull me toward sleep, wondering if he even realizes what it means.

Chapter 9

Jinx

Everythinginside me is a live wire, sparking and dangerous.

The walls of the mansion press in, too close, too tight after watching Cayenne sleep. After remembering her blood on my hands. The scent of gunpowder and hospital antiseptic clings to my throat like a noose.

Get out. Need to get out.

She’s okay,I tell myself.She’s healing. She’s safe.

But the thoughts spin and spiral, a hurricane of images I can’t control. Her body falling. The sound of the bullet. The way her blood looked, so bright against the club floor.

“Theo.” His name tears from my throat before I realize I’m at his door. The rich scent of omega comfort bleeds through the wood, promising safety. Sanctuary.

I don’t remember getting here. Don’t remember the journey through darkened halls. Time slips through my fingers like water, like blood, like?—

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