Alaric stared at the bits of sky peaking through the rotting boards that acted as a ceiling in the small hut where he currently resided. It had been two days since he came to the pack, and the experience had been... in a word...enlightening. During his initial tour of the grounds with Lou, he had asked any and every question he could about the pack, their beliefs and practices, and their history. He had been hoping to learn more about Lou herself, but she hadn' been forthcoming with any information that wasn't related to the pack as a whole.
As it turned out, the Sanguine Syndicate had not been the villains the rest of the packs were determined to make them out to be. This didn't surprise Alaric, Truth always tended to be more complicated than people liked to acknowledge. Each pack within the city had a role, and the Syndicate's was that of a sort of disciplinary committee. In short, they were responsible for making sure werewolf law was upheld within the city. Naturally, the other packs didn't take kindly to the kind of power this offered the Syndicate, and grew resentful until they eventually lead a 8 on one war against the syndicate where the other 4 packs opted to remain neutral.
The reigning Alpha of the time had perished in the conflict, though his mate and heir—16 at the time—had managed to slip away thanks to his sacrifice. From there, the pack had dwindled as members perished or disbanded because of the continued persecution from the other packs. Unfortunately, the next Alpha had met an untimely demise as well and the pack was then left to Lou's father. Initially, he'd proven to be quite an effective leader, and for a time the pack saw improvement… until the Omega mate he had taken finally became pregnant. When the pregnancy had occurred, most of the pack had become convinced she was infertile because of how long they had been trying to conceive a pup. As it turned out, bearing that child, Lou, had come at the cost of her life. Heartbroken to the point of madness, Lou's father had spiraled downward into insanity until he was eventually challenged and killed by another wolf known as Kane.
Kane had clearly not been popular with the pack. None Alaric had talked to would call him by the alpha title, and most were content to describe him in vague terms, "that man" being the kindest. Broken as it was, Kane very nearly put an end to the syndicate through his cruel and negligent behavior, that was until Lou returned from exile—apparently she had been banished after her father's death—to challenge him for her father's title. Alaric hadn't been offered much in detail about the rest of the story beyond the fact that Lou had won the duel and things had taken a turn for the better from there.
"Luna, are you up? It is time for training," Draven knocked on the side of the wall. He stopped as the walls started to wobble precariously. "I still can't believe you decided to stay here of all places."
"I'm up," Alaric sighed, rolling to his side and up onto his feet. He felt stiff and sore from the lumpy ground he'd slept on, but he wasn't about to complain. Lou's pack--his pack--had be forced to sleep like this for countless nights. One of many faucets of daily life he hoped to improve.
Groggily, he slipped out of his pajamas and into a tank top and basketball shorts. Once dressed, he tied his hair back in a low, messy ponytail to keep it out of his face. He stifled a laugh to find Draven was dressed the same way, right down to the brand.
"Lou's going to kill me," Draven sighed as Alaric ducked out of the building sporting dark bags under his eyes.
"It was generous of you to host me the first night, but the only home I intend to share from here on out is with my mate," Alaric stated. "If she will not host me, then my only option is to live independantly until she agrees to take me in."
"You are both impossibly stubborn," Draven sighed. "I can only hope you start working things out. It puts me in a real bind when Lou gives me one order, then you turn around and contradict that order with one of your own which I also have to obey because of her order to follow your orders. Just the thought of it gives me a headache..."
"Just think of it as the price you have to pay for all that quality time you're able to spend with the gallardo," Alaric replied.
"Ah yes... the gallardo..." Draven instantly assumed a dreamy look. "Dragostea mea."
"What language is that?" Alaric wondered for what felt like the hundredth time. "I've heard French, Spanish, Welsch, Swedish, Swiss, and a slew of other languages, but I don't recognize yours. There are words that sound almost familiar but..."
"Don't worry about it champ," Draven patted his shoulder. "All you need to know about that is I'm an all American man. So American, in fact, I took part in civil war."
"Really?" Alaric questioned. "Which army did you join?"
"Does it matter? I didn't notice much of a difference. They were both American." Draven shrugged. "In any case this all American man needs to get you to the training field before his all American alpha kicks his ass from sea to shining sea, so let's get a move on."
"The more you say 'American' the less convinced I become," Alaric chuckled. "But I suppose I'll play along for now. Let's get going. Fun as it would be to watch Lou kick your ass from coast to coast, there are more important matters we need to attend to."
"Indeed," Draven nodded. "So let us attend to them."
Alaric followed the vampire through the rubble and filth to a wooded area at the furthest most boundaries of the supernatural city. Among the woods, Alaric found each and every one of the people who had been gathered around trashcan fires the night before, laughing, dancing, and playing games, paired off and locked in intense combat.
When he had first met the pack two days prior, Alaric had wondered how a group of such impoverished people could be considered formidable to the point every single one of the rest of the packs had agreed to relinquish the parts of the territory they had claimed over the years back to Lou.
Sure, Lou was a formidable Alpha, but she alone wasn't enough of a threat to catch the attention of the the other alphas. The welcoming group of cheery people Alaric had been introduced to yesterday hadn't seemed to kind to be fighters, but watching them go at it now her realized he had taken their carefree demeanor for granted. Even the lowest of omegas were on that field training.
"Lou believes everyone should be taught how defend themselves," Draven stated as he noticed Alaric staring at a young girl in a wheelchair who was shooting at a target with a crossbow.
"Not many would agree," Alaric replied with a sad smile as he thought back on his own past. Naturally, he had learned to fight—his survival had depended on it—but it wasn't something his father had gone out of way to prepare him for. Initially, Alaric had been utterly defenseless against the bullying he'd been subjected to the moment his father had turned his back on him.
"They are within their right, but from what I have witnessed of the world I would call them foolish," Draven shrugged. "To each their own though, I suppose."
Their heads turned at the sound of catcalls and even a few whistles. Apparently, a group of women, deltas from the looks of them, were openly appreciating Draven's good looks while also making fun of his glistening white vampiric complexion.
"Well, Mr. all American man, it seems like you've got yourself a fan club," Alaric chuckled.
"Indeed," Draven smirked then glanced over at the group of giggling girls. "Unfortunately for them, however I still have an obligation to see you to Lou."
"Did you say Lou?" One of the girls stepped forward, hands on her hips and looking unduly sassy.
"I did indeed," Draven replied. "Is there a problem Pru?"
"Lou's busy," Pru stated through clenched teeth as she eyed Alaric through narrowed eyes.
"Lou ordered him to take me to her," Alaric snapped coldly. He could feel his hackles raise as the shewolf growled at him. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Lou is my alpha, and anything that could hold her back is totally my business," Pru snarled.
"If anything is 'holding Lou back' it's you and your unnecessary meddling," Alaric pointed out. "Lou is a big girl and she can handle herself. Now if you'll excuse me-"
"You don't get to go to Lou until you get through us," Pru spat. Upon this declaration, the rest of her little posse stopped giggling and stepped up to the plate. Alaric sensed that any further attempts at discussion would only prove futile, so he didn't waste his breath.
Before any of them could register the fact he was moving, Alaric systematically took each one of them out, using a combination of speed, agility, and skill born of years and years of practice under the thumb of the merciless Roxanne Le Fay. Within seconds, each and every she wolf was on the ground, moaning in agony while clutching sore extremities. Women or not, Alaric was not about to let himself be disrespected, let alone bullied.
"You're almost as terrifying as Lou," Draven stated with a low whistle and a chuckle.
"Let's get going," Alaric replied, stepping over the girls to return to Draven's side. "I don't want to waste any more time than they already have with their pointless power play."
Alaric felt chills erupt down his spine as he sensed someone staring. Slowly, he glanced around to see Lou approaching, a group of curios onlookers following at a distance. He was relieved to see that she was dressed… more or less.
"Did you learn something?" Lou called to Pru who was struggling to get to her feet. The alpha's tone sounded pleasant and playful, but everything about her body language from her aggressive posture to her twitching lips indicated she was ready to knock the head clean off the first idiot who was dumb enough to cross her.
"Alpha?" Pru cowered before Lou and her intense bloodlust as Lou loomed over her trembling form.
"I chose him for my mate for a reason," Lou stated, patting the side of Pru's face and causing her to wince. "You would do well to remember that."
"But Lou-" Pru opened her mouth in protest only to be slapped for her efforts.
"You are lucky, Pru," Lou growled, all signs of her former playful pretense gone. "Alaric would have been well within his rights to kill you for your insubordination. Many other Alphas and their Lunas would have. Now keep your mouth shut or I will kill you on his behalf."
Pru seemed shocked and even hurt by Lou's behavior. Alaric watched as Lou jerked away, hiding her own pain at having to admonish the girl. Taking a breath, Alaric walked over to her, took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Good morning," he smiled at her. Now that he was actually paying proper attention to her, Alaric felt his cheeks heat up. Lou wore an open sided tank and basketball shorts. Boyish as the outfit may have been, it accentuated her curves in all the right ways. And it also put her nicely toned muscles on display.
"Good morning yourself," she replied with an awkward smile. She hesitated for a moment, then cupped his cheek and gave him a quick but tender kiss that left him reeling. Just as quickly, she put some distance between them and turned her head. Alaric was vaguely aware of her burning cheeks as he came back down to earth.
"You wanted to see me?" He questioned.
"Yes," Lou cleared her throat and dawned a competitive grin. "Show me what you've got."