3-7 Lil and I couldn’t hide our laughter.
“Anything you want Alpha.”
“Lil, don’t be an ass. Alpha or not this little douche canoe is going to learn respect and how to ask questions with respect.”
“I was hoping you could say ‘Alpha’ a couple more times. I don’t think you got a round half dozen.” I add on. We clearly stopped paying attention the minute he questioned a female being an Alpha.
“The problem now is observation. Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be. See the objective and follow it, everything else is fluff.” Cam starts ignoring us.. “Who has the flag?” “Beta Sky got it down, she brought it over the line.” A girl smiles at me.
“No. I don’t have it. I got to it first so I retrieved it. Beyond that it doesn’t matter who gets it over the finish line. There was no need to keep it when many of you made the assumption that I touched it so I have it, I passed it off almost immediately.”
Lil smiles. “Then we both split, you had to choose who to follow. Most followed Beta Sky.” She looks at me with a smirk. “We divided your ranks.”
“We crossed paths about a dozen times before we crossed the finish line. All three of us connected each time.” Jena fills in the rest. We speak as one person because we act as a unit.
“There’s no way you switched off that big flag without any of us noticing.” Another boy from the back.
“And yet we did. I had it at least three times. Warrior Lil, you?”
“Four, I think, unless you count when Beta Sky gave it to me on the rope climb.”
“None of us had it for more than a few seconds. In a real fight we all would have gone in completely different directions leading pursuers to warriors who could ambush them and assist us. That is how a team works. We are all important. We have team leads and assigned tasks so nothing is missed. It’s not about being in charge or being the hero, it’s about completing the task or assignment.” I finish “There’s your takeaway today. Go get cleaned up, you all have a couple more hours of classes and Principal Duncan is expecting you in ten.” All the kids scatter like ants.
“So which one of you really has it?” Sam asks, laughing again. “I saw it change a couple times, but lost it.”
“Well, you should maybe go to Sky training too, since you can’t seem to pay attention.” Lil laughs back at him. “Seriously, though. Who has it? None of you look like you have it stuffed anywhere fun at least.”
Now we all just laugh, even Oliver cracks a smile.
“Alright mom just asked that we get you back to the packhouse for an early dinner and wants me to let all three of you know she’s disappointed that you didn’t rest after your ordeal last night.” Cam interrupts and ushers us out.
“And don’t try to run off either Tiny, you three are riding inside the truck.”
“Why do they have to keep reminding you to ride in the truck, like you don’t know it’s there?”
“Because the packhouse is five minutes from here and I like to walk. They forget that I walked to the training grounds for literal years before they decided I was good enough to ride with them.” I let out a huff and opened the passenger door to take my seat before someone threw me in like a doll.
“Will you stop calling me that? I’m not trying to be macho, Alpha. It’s respect, you are a guest and my sister’s friend. Just get in the damn truck.” Mateo says loudly, putting effort into not yelling.
“Why are you so bossy? Is he always this bossy?” Jena climbs in looking at me with a shit-eating grin on her face. She knows what she is doing.
“I’m probably not the best person to ask. He’s not really bossy to me, he’s more overprotective to a suffocating fault.”
“Get your ass in that middle seat. I’m hungry. The Luna promised dinner and I love the food at the compound, but Luna Ava looks like a mama who knows how to feed her warriors. Let’s go!!” Lil shouts, shoving Jena in as Mateo climbs in on the other side, basically throwing her in his lap. I turned to the front and fought the laugh. This is going to be interesting.
I did notice that Oliver volunteered to sit in the bed of the truck. I need to get Oliver alone. He’s clearly got something on his mind and he’s keeping his distance from me and it hurts.
The ride to the packhouse was uneventful and yet amusing. My brother and Jena seem to have this ‘need to have the last word’ situation going on and I can feel the tension Lil was talking about this morning. I don’t know how though, because she has her partial brand like I do, so the fact that she can flirt the way she does baffles me.
I leaned my head on the seat back, the weariness hit all of a sudden as the truck rumbled down the road. Kota and Cam are holding my hands again, like they can’t get enough contact. Their cocoon of warmth is hard to fight, but I do, just watching the town go by.
When we get there we head inside and up the stairs like old times, not really saying much after a hard training session. Jena and Lil head to their rooms and we plan to meet them on our way back down. The guys and I head to the third floor stairs.
“Have you guys been training all this time? I missed you back at school. I feel like I don’t see you anymore. I wish you would come and have lunch with us at least.”
Cam still has my hand still, Dakota has his hand on my lower back and none of us are trying to hide me this time, but they do all move in closer.
“Kaley, we have explained before, we are busy and we have obligations that keep us outside of the school. Our training and education has changed. I’m not sure what other ways we can tell you that. Excuse us, we have to get ready for dinner.”
He pulls me along next to him and for the first time I don’t feel like hiding my eyes from her, but I don’t make a point to stare her down either. I’m not going to incite a fight, but I won’t cower anymore. This is why I left to get stronger, to be better, I need to quit falling into old habits.
“Why is she going upstairs? Luna Ava said no guests on the third floor, that all the rooms were taken and only you guys were allowed up there.”
“Kaley, enough. You know I have a room here. I have for a very long time. Also ranked members are allowed on the third floor. I am a Beta, you are not. Stop trying to dig your claws into the guys. If you are their mate you will find out when everyone turns 18, until then back off. You are exhausting.”
