Witch's Marsh Running with blood on my paws

He wasn't sure what emotion churned through his belly at her words. Pity was chief among them, but there were undercurrents of guilt about the unnamed woman, and worry about what Steady would say to yet another pup that wasn't his own.

And he realized then that he meant to keep her, because what else could he do?

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he said, but the words didn't carry the weight they should have. There was too much going on in his own mind. "Well... I'm not letting you stay here alone. Let's go," he murmured, his voice soft but unyielding. He stepped back and straightened up, waiting for her to follow.