A Love Like War

Alastor could tell by the look on Manea's face as he began to rattle off the names and shortcomings of each of Elysium's warriors that she knew he was right in his response, but that she loathed the fact that he was right. The lackluster state of their forces was a sore spot for the demon brute as well, though he would never undermine the pack's integrity by voicing it out loud to anyone but her in their private conversations. After seeing just how easily their pack could be rolled in a raid, Alastor knew the wolves needed to buckle down and hone their skills to mastery in they intended to keep their home a permanent fixture. Manea's expression remained mostly neutral, some disappointment, but it didn't turn into outright hostility until he mentioned Relm. Alastor's brow furrowed, dark eyes narrowing a bit while he listened to her mutter out some response with barely contained ire. He didn't understand his mate's dislike of the young woman; Relm was an acquired taste, sure, but he couldn't think of a single thing she would have done to provoke the hate of Manea.

Manea huffed and lamented leaving the Generalis rank open and unfilled. He didn't like the notion any more than she did, but he would have rather left it vacant than fill it with a warm body wildly unprepared to handle the responsibilities of the role. "You and I both know that sharpening skills takes time. There's no set amount of time for someone to become a master of their craft. It could be days, weeks, hell even months. But we'd be weaker for putting someone ill-prepared in the rank than if we just leave it vacant until we find a worthy wolf." He knew Manea wouldn't be happy to hear it, but he had vowed to always be honest with her—even if that honesty hurt sometimes. "You know you can count on me to manage the pack in your steady, my love. I don't mind the work. So if this is about me, I assure you, I'm fine." As Manea shifted to recline back against him, Alastor once more accepted her into his arms, draping a thick muscled foreleg over her side to rest protectively over her belly, paw pads caressing her warm skin and soft fur while he soothed her and their growing pups. "Why exactly do you dislike Relm so much?" he asked after a moment, genuinely curious. Were it not for whatever vendetta Manea held against her, she would be their frontrunner option for Generalis instead of being without one.

"Alastor Mendacium"