Underdogs

FORTY-THREE

❝It takes a lot of courage to become who you really are.❞

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CHAPTER FORTY-THREE:

CONFLICTION AND SECRETS

Whispers had accompanied her the whole time she had been in the dining room, yet Galene wasn't bothered. As she sipped from her mug of black coffee, she closed her eyes and ignored the constant gossiping behind her. It was the youngest soldiers; those who only knew her name and whose curiosity could never be kept at bay.

However, Galene wasn't the sharing time. Nor did she feel like satisfying their greedy minds, especially after the conversation she had had mere hours before. The meeting kept repeating behind closed eyelids, if only to make sure she didn't forget about those important bits she had yet to deal with.

Like Levi keeping some of the files to himself. Unfortunately, the man had seemingly disappeared into thin air and Galene hadn't bothered to look for his elusive ass.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?"

Lifting her head, she inwardly sighed upon catching sight of the angry frown drawn on the face of Jack. Galene knew that argument was around the corner, but she would lie if she said she was looking forward to it.

"Why did you give your files to him?" Jack insisted while placing both hands on the table she was sitting at.

Unable to hide her irritation, she clicked her tongue and narrowed her eyes. "You, of all people, should know why."

Jack laughed mirthlessly. "After all this time that I've followed and helped you, you never let me read them. Hell, I was lucky you explained why you were going up against the former king, because that's all I knew. You forced me to believe in yo—"

The mug of coffee made a clattering noise as it was dropped on the small plate. With fire in her eyes, Galene glared at the man and forced herself to keep her voice down. She had noticed how the gossiping had stopped, and that only meant those idiots were listening in on their conversation.

"I never forced you to do shit, Jack. You chose to follow me, and I let you because I happen to know the situation your sister is in."

He gritted his teeth. "I feel like you've only used me to your benefit, and I was stupid enough to believe your words. Those files... You were adamant when I asked you to let me see them, so I could understand more. You said it was not the right time, that it was too personal. And yet, you gave them to Levi without a second thought!"

A burst of anger filled her veins in that exact moment, and she stood up. "Aren't you old enough to know when to quit demanding answers? You're acting like a jealous brat, and it's pissing me off. If you can't understand why I did that, then that's your own fucking problem."

"Oh, I understand perfectly," Jack snarled and clenched his hands. "You can't get over the fact that your feelings are unrequited, yet you're doing everything you can to make that chan—"

His head snapped to the side as her fist slammed into his face, making him stumble back. Galene grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked at it, forcing him to lean to her eye-level. It took every fibre in her bones to not punch him again as pure rage set her blood on fire.

"If you're not careful, I'll make you eat the shit that keeps coming from your mouth. Don't make the mistake of forgetting what I'm capable of. I've killed for less."

A flicker of fear twisted his face for a fleeting second, before a mask of indignation took over. Something in her seemed to break as the man shook his head and walked away. When the door closed, Galene took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. But as his last accusation echoed in her head one more time, she glowered and punched the table.