Fox Fate by Robin Roseau Read Free Book Online

carefully. "Why?"
    "Politics," Lara said.
    "I hate that word," I muttered.
    Elisabeth gazed at Lara for a moment, then slid the invitation across the table to Serena. No one said anything while she read it, then we passed it down to Portia.
    "I've tried to keep us out of the affairs of the other packs," Lara said. "Frankly, I've had my hands full here. We'd talk to the council before making a final decision, but I wanted to hear what all of you thought."
    Elisabeth turned to me, but I stopped her before she could say a thing. "I will absolutely behave."
    "Actually," she said, "That's not what I was going to say. But I know you will. I was going to ask how long you've had this before letting Lara see it."
    "It arrived yesterday."
    She reached across the table and took the invitation back from Portia, reading it again, then looked at the envelope. "Very formal, but it doesn't specify the important details."
    "I believe Carissa would happily accept a reasonable security force," I said. "I also believe she would have security well in hand." I paused. "She might like to meet Rebecca and Celeste."
    "If we're going to actually consider that, then Emanuel needs to be here," Serena said immediately.
    Lara turned to look at me intently. "You would bring them?"
    "I don't know," I said. "I wanted everything out there so we had as much of the picture as we could have." I paused. "I don't think we should bring them. But I think we should invite Carissa here to meet them. If, you know, we're actually establishing relations with her."
    "I don't want a vampire on the compound," Lara said firmly. "But maybe we could arrange something else." She turned to Elisabeth. "Do you hate the idea?"
    "Of having a vampire here? Yes."
    Lara smiled. "Of accepting her invitation. I think it would be the six of us plus perhaps one or two members from the council."
    "More politics?"
    Lara nodded.
    "Alpha?" Serena said. "Something I should understand?"
    "Probably," Lara said. "I can't speak about specifics." Karen and Portia weren't on the council, so we had to be careful talking in front of them. "We've been taking over the council, a little at a time, but it has added up. It used to be just David and me, and then Elisabeth and me, and twelve of them. Then Michaela began attending meetings and is now a full voting member of the council."
    "And then I replaced Mr. West," Serena said.
    "Yes. Not only are we heavily represented now, but we edged out Michaela's biggest detractor and silenced the others. When I was first alpha, they got away with bullying me. I was new at the job and didn't have the confidence I do now, and they got used to that. Now they don't dare bully anyone or my mate has a chat with them."
    I grinned. "Are they afraid of me?" I asked.
    There were smiles. "They have respect for your silver," Elisabeth clarified.
    "To make it worse, there are a few more I want to replace," Lara said. "They are very old school, and I don't find their involvement helpful. I would love to get Michele Lassiter on the council, but she'd never survive a challenge. I'm leaving two or three in place simply because I don't have replacements lined up."
    "So inviting one or two council members to join us would play well with the rest," Serena summarized.
    "Yes, and it can't be Vivian or Ron," Lara said. "They're deemed too close to us, especially Vivian."
    "I don't want Albert Stein along," I said.
    "He's one I'd replace," Lara said. "He was a good council member under Father, but he's completely out of touch these days, and he hasn't had an original thought in a decade."
    "He asks questions," I said. "It's good to have diverse opinions."
    "When was the last time he asked a question that mattered?" Lara asked. "Or said another way, would Michele ask better questions?"
    That question wasn't even worth answering, and so I moved on. "So, six of us and two council members?" I asked.
    "And their spouses."
    "Ten total," I said. "You're proposing we entirely descend on