Horizon Ridge anathema [j]

She thought she was being chased? Akhlut brows rose as he considered the girl's words and demeanor. She was frightened enough, certainly, that he didn't need to intimidate her further; he maintained a stiff carriage but a merely serious expression, not a menacing one. The few hairs along his back that stood on end did so not because he wished to aggress the girl but because he didn't know what manner of beast might be in hot pursuit.

"I don't make a habit of harming women seeking aid in the middle of the night, " Akhlut reassured her, his outward surliness belied by the gentleness in his voice. There were all manner of evils in the world that might prey on a female travelling alone, and while he had been raised by two fiery and independent mothers he still felt protective of and was perhaps more lenient on what some would call the fairer sex. "We all have our baggage. As long as yours isn't going to create havok or harm for our pack, you might find shelter here on the Ridge, if that is what you seek. "

A part of Akhlut wanted to sweep her immediately into the pack, regardless of the consequences, for they needed members to pad their border patrols and stock their caches and raise theirs next generation. Yet he had to be careful that doing so would not undo all the hard work they'd done to make Horizon Ridge a haven and a home.