Tormented Tarns cool enough

She didn't seem ready to accept his vague explanation without further details. They didn't, he thought with an inward sneer. I made them leave... this world. Of course, he couldn't tell her that, not if he wanted to earn her trust and a chance to run as part of her pack. But the yearling was no threat to these new wolves. They had never done anything wrong by him. Maybe he could even build a real life and future here among them.

He didn't dare hope just yet. He appeared to weigh her question before readily answering, "My uncles ruled the pack. They never liked me. I don't know why they didn't kick me out sooner than they did. But when my mother died a few months ago, I really wore out my welcome." Even though the exile was a fabrication, the rest was true. He had always wondered why the brothers let him live and grow up in their pack if they resented his presence so much. It was clear they held his father's sins against him. Of course, it hadn't helped that Isabella had named him after his infamous father... but the young male would never blame his mother. She was the only blameless one in all this.

He shifted his weight, feeling a bit cramped in his submissive posture. "If you have room for me, you'll have my sworn loyalty, I... swear." He coughed out a light laugh at the redundancy. He was usually much better with his words, though to be fair, he had never been in this situation before.