14 Alarming Schemes

<p>"Kill Abram Winters?" Keith looked like he was chocking. Alaric couldn't blame him. Much as he hated his father, even Alaric was shocked by the suggestion. <br/> "That's what I said," Lou replied, a smirk spreading across her lips. <br/> "Are you insane?" Keith exclaimed. "I can't kill Abram!" <br/> "Are you that weak?" Lou quirked a brow. "Here I thought you were better than him." <br/> "That's not the issue here!" Keith growled. "It's not that simple! One does not simply KILL an alpha! Especially another alpha!" <br/> "Sure they do," Lou replied while picking dirt from under her nails. "Or hadn't you heard about how I became alpha after the previous asshole took the position from my father?" <br/> "That's different!" Keith protested. <br/> "Not really," Lou stated. Alaric decided he should probably step in. <br/> "Lou, it would be one thing if a pack member were to challenge and dispatch my father, but for anyone else to do so would sow tons of unnecessary discord," Alaric stated. <br/> "That bastard Winters 'sows tons of unnecessary discord,' as you put it," Lou growled, smirk falling. <br/> Apparently he had annoyed her, which was annoying him in turn. Even so, he had a strong urge to grab and kiss her. Was this how his mother felt every time his father upset her? Alaric doubted it. Was there something wrong with him?<br/> "I get that, but you need to understand, if an outsider were to take control of the pack it could bring about a civil war, especially if the pack members don't feel the interloper is worthy of the position. Then there is the council to take into consideration, if Alpha Keith were to challenge Abram it would be an act of war between the two packs and could lead to additional wars with the other packs in the city." Alaric felt silly for spelling this all out, especially since he had grown up far away from all the drama and politics of the city. To his frustration, Lou merely rolled her eyes at the information. <br/> "Damn you guys over complicate shit. Just leave the pack to someone else then," she shrugged. <br/> "Only the person who killed the alpha can take his place," Keith argued. "That's not an option!" <br/> "Old man Joe didn't seemed too concerned with any of that shit when he threatened to tear his head off in the meeting," Lou scoffed. Alaric wondered how she could talk so casually about death, as though discussing a simple strategy for winning a child's sport. <br/> "That was a unique circumstance," Keith argued. "Had Joe actually killed him there, it would have been considered an execution and control of the pack would have shifted to one of his sons." <br/> "Shit, I hadn't thought about that," Lou frowned, and for one glorious second Alaric believed they might actually be talking sense into her. "If that's the case, we'll need to kill those six bastards as well." <br/> "That's what you took from it?!" Keith exclaimed. "Just how blood thirsty are you?!"<br/> "Do you really want to know?" Lou questioned with a sinister smile, her topaz eyes flashing. The pressure she exerted intensified to a smothering degree. <br/> Alaric wasn't quite sure how he felt in that moment. His instincts should have been screaming at him for self preservation, but instead he felt calm. No, that wasn't quite right, there was an underlying excitement, but not of the fearful sort. Was he actually turned on by her murderous aura?<br/> "Lou, stop harassing our guest," Alaric scolded. She glanced his way curiously with an unreadable expression.<br/> "In any case," she looked back to Keith, "You could also just leave your pack to your son and then kill Abram."<br/> "That's not an option either!" Keith shook his head. "By stepping down I forfeit all rights to lead! If I were to-"<br/> "Shut up with the fucking excuses!" Lou snapped. "Goddess, do you actually want this woman, or are you hell bent on wasting away in tragic misery while she continues to suffer? If you genuinely cared about her, you'd find a way!" <br/> Alaric stared at Lou with some surprise. He hadn't realized she had such a romantic streak under all that rough and tumble exterior. His heart throbbed in his chest and he felt his cheeks warm up. What else would he find beneath Lou's many layers? <br/> "Fine," Lou blew out an angry breath after a long awkward silence. "If you're going to be such a weenie about it, then maybe Cadence is the best option here." <br/> "Strong as my sister is, she doesn't have the fighting experience she needs to take out my father," Alaric objected. "My brothers, yes, but not Abram." <br/> "Very well then, have Keith's other son kill your father and marry your sister. All problems solved," Lou stated. "And before you feed me more bullshit, don't think I didn't know that he was very much single and available during that shit show at the harvest moon council. I also happy to know that he and your sister get along quite well." <br/> Both males stared at her in complete shock. Alaric had suspected there were some feelings occurring between Cadence and Keith's son Silas based on the way they flirted with each other across the room when they thought no one was looking, but she hadn't confided that to him. How could Lou know?<br/> "You knew Silas was single?" Keith choked. <br/> "Oh I knew there were several single options in my pool that you assholes were flat out lying to me about," Lou replied. "Why do you think I was kicking up such a fucking fuss?"<br/> Alaric felt a possessive growl rumble in his throat. He shouldn't feel this way, mates or not. They barely knew each other, and the wedding had been—more or less—arranged. For that matter, no one else had attempted to stake any sort of claim on Lou, so it wasn't as though he had to contend with rivals. <br/> "Anyway, great as this has been, I really have shit to do," Lou said while making a shooing gesture with her hand. "Pretty sure you do too. You wanna chew the fat with my mate? Try doing it at a time he is not busy." <br/> "Lou," Alaric frowned. "We should be polite…"<br/> "No, she's right," Keith sighed. "You guys just had your territory restored. There's a lot of work ahead of you. I am the one being rude." <br/> "If you insist…" Alaric forced a smile. </p>