"As you wish."
Lou tried not to let her nerves show as she offered Alaric an arm and guided him to an open area. It was hard to gauge exactly where they stood in regards to their relationship, but she took the fact that he had least allowed her to kiss him as a good sign.
Around them, she felt the eyes of the rest of her pack. Her first instinct was to snap at them to get back to work, but she held herself in check. It was only natural they be curious. He was new to the pack, and his skill and strength was largely unknown. Yes, he had just succeeded in taking out a group of delta females with relative ease, but that was only to be expected of a wolf bearing the blood of an alpha.
"Don't hold back," Lou instructed as she fell into a defensive stance.
"I won't if you don't," Alaric replied with a smirk. A thrill went through Lou at his devilish expression.
"Fair enough," Lou smiled. "Come at me!"
Lou braced for his first attack. It didn't come. For a few moments, he circled her, likely observing her posture and defense, searching for an opening. She wouldn't give it to him.
After a few moments, Alaric made a sudden lunge forward followed by a series of jabs. Lou was startled slightly by the speed of his swings, but blocked each blow with relative ease regardless. He quickly stepped back, circled around, then tried again.
"Come on Lou!" Came a shout from the crowd. "Stop playing around already! Lay the kid out flat!"
"Yeah Lou, show him what you're made of!" Another chimed in.
Soon there was a series of shouts from her pack sharing a similar theme. She ignored it, however. She had a feeling that by going onto the offensive at this point she would be falling right into his trap.
Alaric gradually started increasing his attack. Lou maintained her defensive position and observed his movements. She could tell he was testing her just as much as she was testing him. It only made sense, they both bore the blood of Alphas, and they were required to work in tandem if the pack was to have any hope of continuing on it's track of success. They each had to learn and make up for the other's shortcomings and weaknesses.
Eventually, Lou decided that it was her turn to go on the offensive. She waited until the right moment, then parried a blow and followed up with a jab of her own. He narrowly managed to dodge her blow and started backing off to put some distance between them. Lou had no interest in letting him regroup, so she chased him back.
"You're pretty quick," Alaric commented between dodging her attacks. He seemed pleased.
"So are you," she acknowledged with a smirk.
They fought back and forth like this for what felt like ages. Finally, just as Lou thought her lungs would burst from exertion, she managed to hook one of Alaric's legs with her own and take him down. Both landed with a grunt as they hit the ground with her on top. For a moment, all they could do was pant as they stared into each other's eyes.
"Not bad for a blue blood," Lou chuckled. "I'm betting you didn't learn all that fancy footwork from your dear old dad."
"I'm glad you are pleased," Alaric replied with a smile, a faint blush gracing his cheeks. "And you are correct. Everything that I have learned I was either taught by my mother, my best friend, or I learned on my own."
Lou struggled as she became more and more aware of their position and the fact the only thing between them was a few layers of cloth. Everywhere their skin was in contact felt like a live wire, and she was anxious to explore those sensations along with the rest of his body.
To make matters worse, Lou realized that her own desire seemed to be reflected in his eyes. He had allowed her to kiss him that morning, and even seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps he might let her go father this time. For a painfully long time, Lou was torn with the idea of leaning down and kissing him then letting things escalate from there.
"Lou?" Alaric gasped in a soft voice.
Lou was jarred back to reality as the memory of her first failed attempt at bedding him flashed through her mind. At the same time, she became aware of the gossip and giggles going on around her. While she honestly didn't care about it, Alaric seemed uncomfortable with nakedness in front of other people, and she had a nagging suspicion he'd have extremely strong objections against having sex with an audience.
"Sorry," Lou forced a smile as she clamped down her libido and rocked back onto her feet. "I think I got lost in those pretty blue eyes of your for a second there."
She offered a hand to help him up. He took it and pulled himself to his feet with a grunt. She might've been fooling herself, but she thought for a split second that he looked disappointed. With a blink it was gone though.
"I think your eyes are much more captivating," Alaric stated, catching her off guard. Was he being polite, or flirting? She couldn't tell.
"Thank you," Lou replied. She realized that he hadn't let go of her hand yet.
"Do you want to go another round, or are we done for the day?" Alaric questioned.
He wore an innocent yet hopeful expression, but his words were laced with innuendo. Lou wasn't sure how to answer, or what he was truly after for that matter.
"Boss," Azreal materialized unexpectedly in front of them, causing her to jump. She hated it when he did that.
"What is it?" She snapped. Secretly, part of her was relieved by the excuse not to answer Alaric, but she still hated being interrupted.
"Alpha Keith and a few delegates from the other packs have arrived on the border of our territory and are requesting an audience."