Redhawk Caldera [j] set honour in one eye and death in the other

It pleased him when both wolves submitted and some of the tension left his body. He drew in a deep breath as he listened to the male's introduction. The name he gave sounded foreign to Peregrine's black ears, though he offered an alias: Theseus. He wasn't sure of the stranger's native language, yet the nickname sounded Greek. Peregrine only knew this because of the naming conventions in his own family, particularly his father's contributions.

"I am Peregrine, the Alpha, and this is Ashton," the swarthy leader introduced when Theseus finished. "Why do you wish to join my pack?" he asked. It seemed a simple question but it was a loaded one as well. Why had Theseus left his previous establishment? What prompted him to join a foreign pack? Why had he chosen Redhawk Caldera in particular? Peregrine hoped he would intuit at least some of these subtexts.

"And what are your skills?" he added after a beat, deciding to go ahead and put all of his queries on the table. Theseus seemed a promising candidate and Peregrine was almost positive he would accept him, a judgment based purely on his first impression. He still had to vet the guy, though, and the faster the process went, the sooner the Alpha male could return to his mate.