5. Theo
Chapter 5
Theo
I despise not knowing what’s going on. I understand why they wanted me to remain home. That doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Especially when home looks like two alphas and a beta had a fight with every possession we own. And lost. Spectacularly.
I eye the disaster that is our living room—Jinx’s weapons scattered across the coffee table, Finn’s books forming precarious towers on every surface, Ryker’s tactical gear thrown over chairs like the world’s most paranoid decoration scheme. The news plays quietly in the background, another report about beta hospitalizations in the financial district. Sterling Labs’ logo flashes across the screen as they announce another breakthrough in treatment.
Even my sheet music has somehow migrated from the piano to... is that a pizza box from last week?
Dio Mio.
The pack bonds pulse with tension. Ryker’s anger, sharp and controlled. Finn’s worry, a steady thrum beneath thoughts about the beta illness patterns he’s been tracking. And Jinx?—
I freeze, fingers stilling on the piano wire I’ve been absently playing with.
Jinx’s bond is too quiet. The kind of quiet that comes before an explosion. The kind that usually ends with property damage and me having to talk him down from whatever ledge he’s found himself on.
My phone buzzes.
Finn : Incoming. With package. Jinx unstable.
Well, shit.
Looks like we’re getting a houseguest. One that’s apparently pushed my most volatile alpha to the edge.
This should be interesting.
I hear the car before I see it, our sleek black SUV purring up the drive. The pack bonds are practically vibrating now—Ryker’s rage-tinged possession, Finn’s weary acceptance, and Jinx’s... well.
Let’s just say if arousal had a color, he’d be painting pornographic murals.
Then I see her through the windshield, and oh, everything makes sense.
Fierce little beta with wild red hair, wearing unicorn pajamas like battle armor. But it’s not just her appearance that makes me pause—it’s the way both alphas’ scents spike with recognition. The way Finn’s shoulders have gone tight with borrowed instinct through our pack bond.
I’ve felt this before, through our bonds. This instant, primal recognition.
Interesting. Very interesting.
I push off the doorframe, unable to resist poking at their dynamics. “So, this is our new houseguest?”
The moment she steps out of the car, I know we’re keeping her. Not just because she’s clearly gotten under both alphas’ skin, but because there’s a sharp intelligence in her eyes that matches the defiance in her stance. Like recognizes like, after all.
When I link my arm through hers, I catch it—Jinx’s scent, yes, but underneath that, something dangerous. My pupils dilate instantly, goosebumps racing up my arms as my omega glands behind my ears grow hot, releasing a response I can’t control. Bright lemon and electric ozone, the scent crawls into my lungs and spreads through my veins like liquid silver. My fingers actually tremble against her arm, my composer’s mind instantly recognizing what my body already knows—she’s the missing harmony in a chord I’ve been trying to complete for years.
No wonder both alphas are trying so hard to hide their reactions. No wonder Finn looks like he’s solving the most complex puzzle of his life.
She’s not just any beta. She’s ours .
“Let me show you around while these alphas posture and growl at each other,” I say, feeling Ryker’s disapproval radiate through our bond. “I have questions about why you smell like Jinx’s bathroom hookup, and I’m betting that story goes well with espresso.”
Ryker stiffens behind us, his possessiveness spiking. Jinx just laughs, that wild sound that usually means he’s found a new obsession.
“You,” she tells me, “Are dangerous.”
I can’t help but grin. If she thinks I’m dangerous, wait until she sees what this pack is really capable of. “Oh honey,” I lead her toward the door, “you have no idea. Though I have to say—starting a war between my alphas? That’s exactly what I would have done.”
And I would have. In fact, I think I’m going to enjoy helping her do exactly that.
“Back off, omega,” Jinx growls, but there’s a playful edge to his threat. “This one’s mine.”
I arch an eyebrow at his claim. “Yours?” I can feel Ryker’s tension spike at the word. “Since when do you stake claims, chaos demon?”
“Mine.” Jinx stalks closer, all predatory grace. “Sweetheart, you gave me ownership rights when you begged so prettily in that bathroom.”
Cayenne’s pulse jumps under my fingers. Anger? Arousal? Both, probably.
“Funny,” she says, voice sharp as glass. “I don’t remember signing any contracts between orgasms.”
The bonds explode—Ryker’s rage, Jinx’s possession, Finn’s quiet oh shit all hitting me at once. I barely catch Jinx’s movement before he’s there, inches from us, alpha pheromones thick enough to choke on.
“Want me to remind you?” His voice promises sinful things. “I bet you’re still wet from?—”
“Enough.” I don’t raise my voice—I lower it. The word emerges as barely more than a whisper, yet it vibrates through the air like a tuning fork struck against bone. The omega timbre cuts through alpha posturing, and I watch as both men’s pupils contract sharply, their shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch as if weights have been placed on them. The very molecules between us seem to rearrange themselves, bending toward my command.
Jinx’s eyes snap to mine, pupils blown wide. I know that look. Know exactly what he needs.
“Cayenne,” I say smoothly, unwinding our arms. “Finn will show you inside. I need to... handle something.”
“Handle?” She looks between us, understanding dawning. “Oh. Oh .”
Jinx’s hands are already on me, pulling me away from her. His hunger bleeds through the bond, desperate and demanding.
“Try not to break anything!” I call over my shoulder to Ryker as Jinx practically drags me toward the east wing. “And Cayenne? Fair warning—the walls aren’t soundproof!”
Her startled laugh follows us inside, along with Ryker’s long-suffering sigh.
I turn toward my chaos demon, my broken alpha.
Jinx’s eyes are wild, his grip bruising as he pushes me against the wall. I can feel the turmoil roiling through our bond—lust and possessiveness warring with a desperate need to submit.
“Theo,” he growls, burying his face in my neck. “I can’t—she’s?—”
“Shh,” I soothe, running my fingers through his hair. “I know, love. I’ve got you.”
He whines, a sound no alpha would ever make in public. But here, with me, he can let go. Can be the beautiful, broken thing I adore.
I push him back, just enough to meet his gaze. “Color?” I question already knowing his answer.
“Green,” he pants. “So fucking green.”
Thank the gods.
I spin us, slamming him against the wall with omega strength that still surprises him. His breath leaves him in a rush, pupils dilating further.
“Mi amor pericoloso,” I trace his jaw with my fingertips, feeling his pulse race beneath my touch. “Always dancing on the edge of chaos. Was taking her in that bathroom worth this?” My voice drops to that omega timbre that makes him tremble. “Worth knowing you’d have to face me after marking what isn’t yours?”
He shivers, fighting his alpha nature to bare his throat. The gesture costs him—I can feel it in the way his muscles tremble with the effort of submission.
“I couldn’t stop myself,” he whispers, voice fracturing like broken glass. “The beast wanted out.”
“You couldn’t? Or didn’t want to.” I drag my nails down his chest, reveling in his gasp. “I think you very much knew what you were doing. I think you liked it. Liked making Ryker angry.”
I lean in close, my lips brushing his ear. “You wanted him to smell you on her, didn’t you? Wanted to provoke him?”
Jinx’s breath hitches, his body trembling against mine. “Yes,” he admits, voice ragged. “I wanted?—”
“Wanted what?” I press, sliding my hand down to cup him through his jeans. He’s already hard, straining against the fabric. “Tell me, alpha.”
“Wanted him to challenge me,” Jinx groans, hips bucking into my touch. “Wanted to fight him for her.”
I tsk, squeezing just shy of painful. “Greedy boy. You already have an omega. You have Finn. What makes you think you deserve her too?”
He whimpers, a needy sound that goes straight to my core. “I don’t—I’m not?—”
“Use your words, love,” I murmur, nipping at his collarbone. “Tell me what you need.”
“Punishment,” he gasps, finally meeting my eyes. The vulnerability there takes my breath away. “I need you to hurt me, Theo. Please.”
I smile, slow and predatory. This is why I love him—this beautiful, broken alpha who trusts me enough to fall apart.
“As you wish,” I purr, stepping back. “Strip.”
He obeys without hesitation, clothes hitting the floor as he strips down to nothing.
The scent of Cayenne on Jinx’s throbbing cock hits me like the first chord of a dangerous symphony. My eyes lock on the evidence of their joining—no condom, no barrier, nothing between them—and my heart pounds against my ribs in a rhythm that’s neither anger nor jealousy but something far more primal.
My tongue darts out to wet suddenly dry lips as I imagine them together, her female curves against his hardness, a dynamic our pack hasn’t experienced in years. My fingers tremble against his thigh, not with rage but with a hunger so intense it borders on reverence.
Not just want. Need .
I drop to my knees in front of Jinx, drinking in the sight of him. He’s beautiful like this—trembling, vulnerable, entirely at my mercy. The way his body quivers slightly, filled with anticipation, adds to his allure. His eyes, wide and expressive, reflect a mix of desire and trepidation, drawing me in deeper. His cock stands proud, still glistening with traces of Cayenne’s arousal, a testament to the intensity of what has just transpired.
I can’t help but admire the delicate curve of his body, how it seems to radiate a certain light, the way his skin glows with excitement. In this moment, he is not just a lover before me; he is a canvas of raw emotion, provoking a primal urge within me to savor every inch of him.
“Look at you,” I murmur, running my hands up his thighs. “So desperate. So needy. Did she make you feel this way? Or is it just me?”
Jinx whimpers, hips jerking as I ghost my breath over his length. “Both,” he admits, voice cracking. “But only you can give me what I need.”
“And what’s that, alpha?” I tease, nipping at his hip bone. “What do you need that she couldn’t provide?”
His hands clench at his sides, fighting the urge to touch me. Good boy. He knows better than to move without permission.
“Control,” he gasps as I lick a stripe up his cock, tasting Cayenne’s lingering essence intertwined with his own unique flavor. The heat of the Cayenne adds a spicy warmth that dances on my tongue, igniting my senses. It’s a heady combination—rich, salty, and impossibly inviting. “Need you to take control. Please, Theo.”
I hum, considering. He’s vibrating with need, the bond between us pulsing with desperation and arousal. But there’s guilt there too, shame at his own desires.
“You feel guilty,” I observe, pulling back to meet his gaze. “Why?”
Jinx swallows hard, Adam’s apple bobbing. “I shouldn’t want her. I have you, have the pack. But I can’t stop thinking about her.”
I stand, cupping his face in my hands. “Oh, my beautiful disaster. When will you learn? Your desires don’t make you weak. They make you human.”
His eyes shine with unshed tears. “But Ryker?—”
“Ryker can deal with his own jealousy,” I interrupt, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “You’re allowed to want, Jinx. You’re allowed to need .”
He shudders against me, tension bleeding out of his muscles. “What about you?” he whispers. “Aren’t you angry?”
I laugh, soft and low. “Angry? No. Intrigued? Absolutely.” I trail my fingers down his chest, relishing his sharp intake of breath. “I want to taste her on you. Want to feel what she felt when you fucked her in that bathroom.”
Jinx groans, head falling back against the wall. “Fuck, Theo. You can’t just say things like that.”
“Can’t I?” I smirk, dropping back to my knees. “I thought I could do whatever I wanted with my alpha.”
Before he can respond, I take him into my mouth, moaning at the combined flavors of Jinx and Cayenne on my tongue. He curses, hands flying to my hair but not quite touching. Always so careful, even when he’s falling apart.
I work him with lips and tongue, savoring every gasp and moan. His pleasure floods our bond, mingling with my own arousal until it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins.
“Theo,” he pants, hips twitching as he fights to stay still. “Please, I need?—”
I pull off with a wet pop, looking up at him through my lashes. “What do you need, alpha? Tell me.”
His eyes are wild, desperate. “Need you to hurt me. Make me feel it.”
I smile, slow and wicked. “As you wish.”
In one fluid motion, I stand and spin him, pressing him face-first against the wall. He goes willingly, bracing his hands against the smooth surface.
“Count,” I command, voice dropping into that omega timbre that makes alphas weak.
The first strike of my hand against his ass echoes through the hallway. Jinx gasps, body jerking.
“One,” he grits out.
I alternate cheeks, building a steady rhythm. By five, he’s panting, a mix of pleasure and pain evident in his breath.
“What was it like to fuck her?” I ask, my voice strained as I try to control my own arousal. I land another hit, watching how the impact deepens his breath.
“Six,” he moans, hips rocking into the wall as his body adapts to the sting. “It was... different. Wild. She was so?—”
“Specific, Jinx. Did she feel better than me?” The words are tainted with a challenge, the urge to push his limits shimmering in the air between us. Another slap.
“Seven!” he gasps, trembling. “No! I mean, yes! I-I don’t know!” Each impact sends sparks of heat coursing through him, yet there’s a desperate need for clarity in his eyes—a wish to strip away the confusion and carve out the truth. For him to understand that pleasure didn’t mean betrayal.
I lean down, brushing my lips against his shoulder. “You don’t have to choose, you know. You can want her while still needing me.” I give him another sharp smack, a little harder this time.
“E-eighth!” His voice tightens, a plea wrapped in pureness, a plea to go deeper, to unravel the complexity of his desires layer by layer. “God, Theo... I don’t want to?—”
“Do you enjoy it, Jinx? Tell me. Whose pleasure are you craving right now?” I whisper hotly into his ear, reckoning our dominance.
“Y-yours! Mine! Both!” His honesty hangs taut in the air, almost too heavy to bear. “I don’t want to share! But it’s not?—”
“Not what?” I prompt, the anticipation singing through me, mingling with the intoxicating scent of adrenaline and lust.
“Not an option,” he whispers, undulating against the wall. “I need this.”
“Then have it, alpha.” A final smack resonates with a satisfying crack, and I watch as his skin flushes a delightful shade of red. “But her taste?” I ghost my hands down over his ass, feeling him quiver against me. “Her arousal is still on you.”
“I want to feel you and her,” he moans, granting permission through wave upon wave of craving. “I want to touch you and feel her on my skin.”
The admission rolls through me like an electric shock, awakening every possessive fiber of my being. “You’re so greedy—” I breathe, pressing my body against his, tauntingly, challenging him.
I give him a bonus smack, now he’s whimpering, his eyes slightly glazed.
“Tell me what made you lose control,” I demand, tracing the marks I’ve left on his skin like musical notes. “What was it about her that called to your beast?” Another strike, this one making him arch like a bow string.
“She wasn’t afraid,” he gasps, the words tumbling out between ragged breaths. “Looked right into the darkness and smiled. Like you do. Like she understood the monster beneath my skin.”
That… Makes me pause and hope blooms in my belly for a moment before I get control of myself. We’ve never been able to bring home a woman because… I smack his ass again purposely distracting myself.
At fifteen, I can see he’s lost in the sensations, his curiosity mingling with the thrill.
“Color?” I check in, running a soothing hand down his spine, feeling the tremors beneath his skin.
“Green,” he gasps, voice cracking with need. “So fucking green. Please don’t stop. Need this. Need you.”
I press my lips between his shoulder blades, tasting the salt of his desperation. “As if I could ever deny you anything, my beautiful disaster.”
Each strike that follows tells its own story—of submission, of trust, of power freely given. Jinx’s counting dissolves into a symphony of gasps and pleas, his body writing against the wall. By twenty-five, he’s transformed—no longer the unstable alpha, but my creature of pure need.
“Good boy,” the words emerge as a purr that makes the air between us vibrate with omega satisfaction. My fingertips trace the heat blooming across his skin, the raised welts pulsing beneath my touch as if they have heartbeats of their own. Red handprints mark my territory, each one a declaration more powerful than teeth could ever leave. “Taking your punishment so beautifully,” I murmur, watching how his alpha glands at the back of his neck swell and then soften under my praise—a biological response he can’t fake or control. “Have you learned what happens when you mark others without permission?”
Jinx presses back into my touch, a whimper escaping that would make other alphas mock him. But here, with me, he’s free to break. “Yes. No. I don’t—I can’t think.”
I smile against the curve of his shoulder, where tension meets surrender. “That’s exactly where I want you.” My fingers trace lower, a promise of pleasure to come. “Ready for more?”
His whole-body shudders. “Please,” he breathes.
I slide two fingers into him without warning, earning a sound that’s half growl, half whimper. His body yields immediately—he’s ready, has been ready. Preparing himself like a confession of need.
“Always so prepared,” I murmur against his shoulder blade, feeling his muscles quiver around my fingers. “Did you think of this while you were with her? Think about how you’d come home to me, still carrying her scent, begging for punishment and absolution?”
Jinx nods frantically, fucking himself back on my fingers. “Needed it. Needed you.”
I add a third finger, crooking them to hit that spot that makes him see stars. He keens, high and desperate.
“Theo,” he gasps. “Please, I can’t—I need?—”
I pull my fingers out, using my hands I spread his ass cheeks watching as he clenches and unclenches for me.
I quickly unbuttoned my jeans; I knew I shouldn’t have put pants on.
I line myself up, the head of my cock pressing against his entrance. “Tell me what you need, alpha,” I demand, voice husky with desire.
Jinx shudders, pressing back against me. “You,” he groans. “Need you inside me. Need you to fuck me hard and fast.”
With one smooth thrust, I bury myself to the hilt. Jinx cries out, head falling forward against the wall. The tight heat of him is exquisite, familiar yet always thrilling.
“Mine,” I growl, setting a punishing pace. Each thrust pushes him deeper against the wall, the wet slap of skin on skin reverberating through the hallway. “Say it.”
“Yours,” Jinx gasps, meeting me thrust for thrust. “Always yours, Theo. Only yours.”
I reach around, wrapping my hand around his neglected cock. He whimpers, hips jerking between my hand and my cock.
“That’s right,” I purr, stroking him in time with my thrusts. “My beautiful disaster. My perfect alpha.”
Jinx is babbling now, a stream of pleas and curses and my name. I can feel him tightening around me, know he’s close. But I’m not done playing with him yet. Not done reminding him who he belongs to.
So, I pause letting him feel my cock buried deep inside of him.
I lean in close, my breath hot against his ear. “But you want her too, don’t you? Want to feel her tight heat around you again?”
Jinx shudders, a low moan escaping him. “Yes,” he admits, voice cracking. “God, yes.”
“Tell me your darkest thoughts about her,” I demand, knowing how Jinx’s mind splinters when pushed. “Let me see the chaos she stirs in you.”
His words spill out like broken glass. “Want to—want to show her how beautiful destruction can be. Want to break with her, fall apart while you keep us together. Want her to understand what it’s like to lose control and find peace in the madness.”
The raw honesty of his confession hits me like a crescendo. I drive into him harder, matching the erratic rhythm of his thoughts.
“My beautiful disaster,” I murmur in Italian, the words flowing like music. “Always wanting what might shatter you. What might shatter us all.”
“No,” he gasps, trembling beneath me. “But I want it anyway. Please, Theo, I’m so close?—”
I can feel his orgasm building, the bond between us pulsing with need. “Come for me,” I command, omega timbre lacing my words. “Come thinking about her pussy and my cock.”
With a broken cry, Jinx obeys. He spills over my hand, body clenching around me as he shudders through his release. The intensity of his pleasure floods our bond, pushing me over the edge. I bury myself deep inside him, groaning as I fill him with my seed.
For a long moment, we stay like that, panting and trembling against each other. I press gentle kisses along Jinx’s shoulders, murmuring praise and endearments. Slowly, the tension bleeds out of him, replaced by a languid contentment that thrums through our bond.
“Thank you for catching me,” he whispers, the words raw like fresh wounds. His scent shifts—gunpowder and cherry tobacco mellowing into something softer, safer.
I press my lips to the pulse in his neck, where alpha meets submission. “I’ll always be your safety net, il mio guerriero spezzato. Even when you fall into madness, I’ll catch you. Build you back up note by note.”
Carefully, I pull out, both of us hissing at the sensitivity. Jinx turns, pulling me into a tender kiss that speaks volumes. When we part, his eyes are clear, the wild desperation replaced by warm affection.
“We should probably clean up,” I muse, glancing at the mess we’ve made. “And check on our guest. I’m sure Ryker is being his usual charming self.”
Jinx chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Poor Finn. He’s probably trying to mediate.”
I grin, already imagining the chaos unfolding in the living room. “Well then, let’s go rescue our beta. And maybe stir up a little more trouble while we’re at it.”
Jinx’s eyes light up with mischief. “I can’t wait.”
Oh, I just bet you can’t.