JEOPARDY: The Cursed Soldier.

19. Earned it - Part 1

"The council meetings start tomorrow. Is anyone excited? I'm praying for some sort of mission or assignment—anything to save me from those torturous meetings." Eliezer whined between mouthful bites of his food.

Alex grinned and shook his head. Eliezer always said whatever was on his mind, no matter what he was doing. And at that moment, they could all see the crumbles of food in his mouth and he wasn't bothered by it, at all.

"Eew! Els, chew, swallow, then speak. Didn't Mama Markwell teach you any manners?" Jiwon, ever the harsh-truth police bit.

Alex ran an amused gaze between the on-and-off couple: They must be off again, because otherwise, Eliezer would have already countered Jinny's words with some dirty joke about swallowing and manners. But the fact that he was just scowling and chewing meant that they were on the outs. Again.

No one knew if Eliezer and Jinny loved each other or if they just dated out of boredom and the limited options in their dating pool.

She is here.

His wolf, Gale, rustled through their bond as Markos nudged him on the foot. He didn't need to ask who 'she' was. His wolf only ever used that reverent tone when talking about Kayla.

Alex's head snapped up and there she was: her face void of any emotion, posture rigid, and signature black uniform in place. Alex noticed the several heads that swiveled to look at her as she scanned the room looking for their table.

They're trying to scent her. Gale growled, already pushing Alex onto his feet.

Since the day Alex's eyes first landed on Kayla, Gale was enamored by Kayla, always yapping his ear off about her: 'Talk to her', 'Look for her', 'Take care of her', 'Protect her'. 

Alex had such a great connection with his wolf that he always followed his lead. That was until Kayla rejected them without a second thought. And Alex had enough pride and dignity to move on. But Gale, Gale insisted that Kayla was just scared and trying to adjust to the pack life.

Gale had neither been hurt nor offended by her rejection. Instead, he pressed up on Alex that he just wanted Kayla well and protected. And that Alex didn't have to date her to do that.

With Gale growling in him, Alex took off his blue jacket and strode to Kayla. Her blank, blue eyes met his as he covered her shoulders with his jacket and engulfed her scentless but strawberry-smelling form with his potent Crawford scent.

Alex kinda expected her to shrug it off. So when she pulled it tighter around her and started walking to their table—head high and shoulders pushed back—Gale puffed up within him and Alex grinned as he followed behind her.

"What's she doing here?" Jinny ran a displeased eye along Kayla's form with a crunched-up nose. "I thought she dumped you."

"There was no dumbing involved. She was just busy." Alex made sure to level Jinny with a warning glare as Kayla pulled back a chair and sat down. Next to Markos and across Jinny. Alex swept a confident but threatening steel-blue gaze throughout the room to make sure everyone understood that Kayla, scentless or not, was under his protection. And part of his group.

"What does being busy have to do with her changing her Saturday training group?" Jinny glared at Kayla, ignoring Alex's, and now, all their friends' warning glares.

Kayla looked up at Jinny and glowered right back at her, before she turned to Alex. "I can leave if it makes Ji-won uncomfortable."

Alex shook his head and scowled at Jinny. "If Ji-won's uncomfortable with your presence here, she can leave."