Page 61 of Reckless: Chaos

“That’s what makes it worse.” My voice cracks, genuinely this time. “I handed you the perfect opportunity, didn’t I? Poor little beta, so desperate for pack bonds she’ll walk right into the trap.”

“It wasn’t?—”

“A trap?” I yank the door open, letting them all see exactly what their protection has wrought. “Then what would you call it? Because from where I’m standing, you took my moment of weakness and turned it into a tactical advantage.”

The hit lands—I see it in their faces. Even Jinx looks away, his hands working at his hoodie collar.

“Give me the drive.” My voice steadies, turns reasonable. “Let me do what needs to be done.”

They exchange looks—guilty, uncertain. Breaking. I watch them silently communicate, cataloging tells I’ve learned over weeks of observation. The way Finn adjusts his glasses when he’s about to compromise. How Jinx’s fingers twitch toward his hoodie when he’s conflicted. The slight softening around Ryker’s eyes that means he’s about to give in.

“Please.” I layer just enough desperation into my tone. Let them see their beta learning her lesson about running headlong into danger. “I’ll work with you. All of you. We’ll do it together, as a pack. Just... trust me.”

The moment stretches like a tripwire, waiting to snap.

“We need time to think about it,” Ryker finally says, ever the cautious alpha. “This isn’t just about the drive anymore. There are... complications.”

Like the hostage they’re probably keeping somewhere. Like the burned facility. Like all the bodies they’re leaving in their wake while claiming to protect me.

“Of course.” I nod, the perfect picture of understanding. “I just... I need you to know I get it now. Why you did it. Even if it hurts.”

Theo makes a soft sound, reaching for me. This time I let him pull me close, breathe in his sweet omega scent. Let them all see what they expect—their beta, properly chastised and ready to fall in line.

This is the moment before everything ignites into flames, because they don’t know me. Not really. They never bothered to look past what they wanted to see.

That’s going to cost them everything.

Chapter 14

Cayenne

Sometimes the hardestfights aren’t the ones that need code and cunning. They’re the ones that require you to move when your body feels like lead, when every thought spirals into darker corners of what-ifs and should-haves.

I sit beside my bed, legs stretched out toward the door that leads to a yard I can barely see through stacks of boxes and totes. All my belongings, still unpacked, still waiting for a decision I thought I’d made. The emerald beanie clutched in my hands feels like it’s mocking me—another choice I got spectacularly wrong.

Voices filter down from upstairs, but I can’t bring myself to care. Let them plan their next move. Let them think I’m down here processing, accepting, falling in line like a good little beta.

The crash of what sounds like the front door being kicked open barely registers. Neither does the sudden increase in volume, multiple female voices talking over each other.

“Where is she?”

“I swear to god, if you alpha assholes hurt her?—”

“Down there? What do you mean down there? In a basement?”

“Oh hell no?—”

The familiar cadence of those voices cuts through my fog like a knife. But it’s not until I hear the distinctive sound of Ginger threatening bodily harm that I really process what I’m hearing.

“I will literally cut off your knot and feed it to you if you try to stop me?—”

“Ginger!” Willow’s voice carries that particular mix of exasperation and fondness. “Let’s not threaten the alphas until we know what’s going on.”

“Speak for yourself,” Aria mutters. “I’m keeping castration on the table as an option.”

Footsteps thunder down the stairs, and suddenly my dark little corner of isolation is invaded by the three people I need most in the world.

“Oh, honey.” Willow takes one look at me and drops to her knees, pulling me into a hug that smells like home and safety.

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