That was just too easy, I thought as I sat eating my breakfast the morning after the fight. All it took was a little booze to loosen them up and a few encouraging words, and Cade and Aiden did the rest themselves. Well, Becca did help things along. It was freaking fantastic! At first, I thought things were going a little too well at the party, that Cade and Aiden were being too civil, but as soon as Becca opened her big mouth, everything fell into place.
“Morning,” I said as Brian came in the room. I couldn’t read his expression, but I knew something was up because he didn’t seem too happy about last night.
“Quite the party, I heard,” Brian replied as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“It was perfect. I wish someone would have caught it on video because it was freakin’ hilarious!” I said, smiling at the memory of those two douche bags ripping into each other. If only Luke hadn’t stepped in and ended the brawl.
“Well Marcus is furious!” Brian snapped.
“I bet he is.”
“He’s called a meeting. We need to get going pretty soon. Is Scarlett up yet?” he asked.
I got up to throw my trash away and place my plate in the sink. “Don’t know. Haven’t seen her. I do know that she helped patch Luke up last night after he got scratched,” I told him, hoping the news might ease the tension in the air.
“She needs to get up. You and Scarlett need to be prepared to take some of the heat from last night. Marcus is mostly upset about the fight, but he was also pissed about the alcohol at the party. Of course, I couldn’t tell him that I had purchased it, so naturally he assumed that you did,” he explained.
As I washed my hands, I shrugged my shoulders. “Is Marcus blind? Hell, there’s more underage drinking going on here than back home. What the hell does he think they’re all doing down by the lake all the time? Anyway, I don’t care. I’ll take the heat. It’s a small price to pay. The faster this pack crumbles, the faster we can go home. I’m already tired of being here.”
Brian didn’t respond. He glanced down at his watch, took another sip of his coffee, and then looked at his watch again. Message received. I headed upstairs to go wake up Scarlett.
*****
Ten minutes later, Brian and I were getting in the car. Scarlett needed more time, so she said that she would meet us there, but Brian wanted to be early. As soon as we were out of the driveway, I gave Brian a play-by-play of the night before, mostly because he needed to know what Luke was capable of.
“Luke is no joke. I knew he was strong, but seriously, I’ve never seen anything like it. He ended the fight in seconds. He grabbed Cade by the back of the neck and tossed him aside like he was nothing. Shit, all he had to do was look at Aiden, and he backed off immediately.”
“What happened then?” he asked.
“Nothing. All three turned back and just stood there. Cade looked at Luke and then left the party without another word. Aiden took a few steps toward him, but Luke put his hand up to stop him. Aiden got the hint and walked away too. That was it. Party over. I tell you, people either are afraid of Luke or they really respect him and his position.”
“That is exactly why we should get rid of his father. We go for straight for the jugular and Luke will be such a mess that we won’t have to worry about him…or his father.”
“How is that going, by the way? Did you speak to my dad about it yet?” I asked. Brian had vaguely mentioned something about taking out their enforcer a couple of days ago. Get rid of the muscle, less to worry about. But that was the last I’d heard of it until now.
“I did, and he agrees with me. We came up with a plan, and it’s in place as we speak.” “Okay…is that all I get to know?”
“Afraid so. For now the fewer who know, the better. And please remember that Scarlett should know nothing about this,” he warned as he kept his eyes trained on the road. “She’s far too sensitive to be okay with this part of the mission. I’m beginning to regret ever letting her get involved in this.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. It was obvious that Scarlett wasn’t acting when she was with Luke. She really did like him. Maybe she didn’t at first, but there was no denying it now. I didn’t plan on letting her father know that though. He would shut it down immediately, and Scarlett’s feelings for Luke were a good thing, in my opinion; it made it all more believable, more real. She would of course be devastated when Luke finally found out the truth about her, but that would be her problem. She knew what she was signing up for.
“Back to Luke—should we be concerned about him?” I asked.
“No, we need him to back Aiden. Let’s just stay with our plan regarding Luke. It’s the best way to cause more distress within the pack. Actually, this might work to our advantage. Let’s convince Luke to train Aiden. Aiden needs to learn a little about fighting, so the fight between him and Cade seems fair; plus Luke and Aiden spending time together would help them to build a friendship too, which will piss Cade off.”
“I’ll mention it to Aiden,” I replied.
As soon as we entered the lodge, Marcus was focused on me. It was a good thing Scarlett wasn’t here yet. I think she might have cracked under his heated glare. Luckily I’d lived with an alpha my entire life, so this was nothing new to me. I knew how to best handle this. Plead guilty and apologize.
I walked up to Marcus. “Sir, please accept my apologies. It was completely inappropriate for me have alcohol on the estate. This was entirely my fault. I guess I just wanted everyone to have fun,” I admitted with as much sincerity as I could muster.
Marcus seemed stunned by my voluntary and immediate apology, and apparently it worked because he put his hand on my shoulder and firmly stated, “Never again, understand?”
After I nodded and vowed to make better decisions from here on out, he turned back to what was really bothering him: his two sons. Cade and Aiden were sitting in the front on opposite sides of the stage with their families. None of them looked happy about being here, especially Cade.
Tension filled the air, and I could only assume that Brian and I had missed something. Maybe Marcus had already said his piece because both boys looked ready to blow…again. Marcus took his seat at the front of the lodge, his arms crossed over his chest while he waited for the rest of the pack to take their seats. It was eerily quiet as Marcus stood and walked to the podium. “I would like to thank you all for coming on such short notice.”
Just then, Scarlett landed in the seat next to me. Just to piss her off, I threw my arm over her shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “Took you long enough, but you look so hot, I guess it was worth the wait.”
As expected, she swiped my hand away and told me to screw off. I loved that little temper of hers. It would probably get her in trouble one day, but it wasn’t like it was any concern of mine. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her scanning the room for Luke and I wondered what exactly went on between them last night. I’d have to bug her about it later.
“I allowed a New Year’s Eve party to take place last night here on the estate. It has come to my attention that there was underage drinking going on, which led to a fight between my sons,” Marcus announced.
There were a few whispers from the pack, but they were quickly quieted when Marcus cleared his throat. “I can’t begin to express how disappointed I am in their behavior and total lack of respect for this pack and our laws.”
For several minutes, he raged on and on about disrespectful teenagers and how they take for granted all that is bestowed upon them. Blah, blah, blah. But then suddenly Marcus’s face turned beet red and his voice grew louder as he worked himself into a frenzy. One of the elders stood and started to walk toward the podium but stopped in his tracks when Marcus held up his hand to stop him and began to outright shout.
“I blame all of you!” Marcus yelled as he pointed at the elder walking up the aisle and then at the rest of them seated at the front. “All of you!”
The whole pack was clearly stunned by Marcus’s outburst, but not a word was spoken. Silence filled the room as the look on Marcus’s red face grew even more intense; the veins in his neck were bulging, and he was squeezing the podium so hard his knuckles were white.
“I told you all what I wanted! I was very clear. All of this could have been avoided. I am the alpha of this pack and you should have backed my decision to make Aiden the next alpha. But no! You went against me. You turned against me, turned against your alpha! You were all disobedient! Disobedient, just like Cade!” As he concluded his rant, Marcus panted for breath and drops of sweat slid down his inflamed face.
More elders stood and watched in horror as their alpha swayed on his feet. Clinging to the podium, he nearly collapsed in front of everyone. Lucky for Marcus, the “disobedient” Cade was able to get to him before he fell to the floor. Cade helped Marcus to a chair and ordered a man I didn’t know to get him some water. Cade didn’t go to the podium. He didn’t need a microphone to make his announcement. With a booming voice he declared, “This meeting is over!”