"I know not who you are, Shadow. I know nothing of you. That may be what you wish, but for cooperation to be held, for a pack to have faith in a leader, trust must be a factor in the family."

Family. His heart lurched at the thought-yes he had a heart-thoughts of his brother Flame, or Arcadius as he liked to tease his younger brother with. His little sister Ice or Aelia with the pelt as white as snow and yellow as eyes bright as the sun. His family he thought sadly before a familiar crimson healer with bright copper eyes leapt into the photo containing his siblings. His coniunx was now part of the few wolves he considered his blood family.

His features remained cold, eyes icy as he swallowed the last bit of rabbit. Nothing betrayed his internal turmoil. He had a family here in the pack, Flash, Crëyr, Farkas, Tiberius, Paarthurnax, Enya, Leila. Those that he trusted, that never left his side, -yes he trusted the slave-for she had performed her duties well and did what he said without protest. But Adair had questioned him, tried to correct his ways, disrespected him in the eyes of the Roman and he hated himself for still caring-however faint it was-for the old brute. Vector was new and he did not trust his new slave at all when he hadn't even demonstrated anything for him to begin trusting the dark autumn touched wolf.

His blood family he knew would soon expand, soon it would not only contain his siblings and his wife but his other family, the family not bound by blood, the wolves he considered his brothers, sisters, sons, daughters were a lot. And most of his packmates he considered his family. No matter how harsh he might be to them, he still loved them in different ways and he always cared for them no matter what they thought, for he would always be harsher, crueler to outsiders and strangers. What he did always had a purpose.

But as a Roman, his pride kept him from admitting things like this, he didn't like getting too sentimental. He liked to appear strong, warrior-like, a leader. He knew he appeared a sly, arrogant liar in front of Scimitar and Bazi and some other wolves, and he did that often, smirking because it was something that he learnt when he was a child. Only the wolves he trusted could see a bit of the real him, (only Paarthurnax and his siblings had ever known and seen all of the real him).

"She has a companion? Another has joined her chains?" he resisted the urge to smirk again, instead remained indifferent. "Yes, a barbarian named Vector. But she will not have a companion slave for long for I might be freeing her soon." he said softly, bright silver orbs soughting out Adair's amber ones. The maniatic glint in his eyes slowly dying down.

His silver eyes narrowed in suspicion-an act for he was actually rather amused at the thought. "Adair, are you becoming close to my slave, Enya? Friends? Lovers?" the indifferent look on his face remained the same without twitching a slightest bit.

"She and I had met quite a while ago, months before she had stepped forth to receive her acceptance into this pack. And with the conversation we had, common interest was made, forming a friendship. Not more, nothing less, that a friendship."

Silver eyes looked at Adair with concealed curiosity, although his face remained as indifferent as ever. "So you knew Enya before she arrived at the borders and you didn't bother to tell me? I'm not totally heartless you know, I understand why you would've been nice to her but then you would be nice to every stranger at the borders wouldn't you?" his tone was not biting or sharp, just tired and weary. "I have a friend, one that I met and grew close to in my former pack and because she liked our Alphess, she got kicked out and when I confronted the Alphess about it, she found fit to kick me out too." he laughed although it held no humor, only a painful note.

He gazed at his subordinate with tired weary platinum eyes, "I suppose you don't trust me, believe me anymore do you, Adair? I can't say I blame you, although I can say I never usually lie." He was tired of the world, if only the Fates would grant him a peaceful future. He laughed bitterly at that thought, knowing that the gods would never give him one. He shook his head as he looked at Adair, "The gods are laughing at me now,"

"I wonder how is she doing now, she deserves a better life than me." that made him laugh again, a bitter and painful one. "No, the gods have already decided I am to have the worst life possible on this world." he felt like he was talking to himself now.

"But I can't blame you if you never trust me again, I suppose my ways are different, much different than yours. I suppose I was harsh when you didn't know the rules. But my life is terrible, always have been." he smiled crookedly. "But nobody ever knows, I hid it too well." Now he was becoming too sentimental.