Ouroboros Spine you were the only one

Sidewinder watched, trotting alongside his Alpha as he made his decision in so many words. Pulling the family card had worked, and Winder stored this information away for future use. It seemed that Mordecai was a respectable, upstanding family man, which was something that Winder could use to his advantage. It was no surprise that Mordecai would have done the same for his own brother, if put into Sidewinder's shoes. Or rather, the fictional shoes he had invented. How easy this was turning out to be.

There was a catch, of course. Mordecai wanted something in return. “The knowledge that your sister-in-law’s attacker is under control,” Winder replied, the answer coming to him quicker than he had expected. It sounded as though Mordecai had wanted to look for the attacker, at least on some level, but his responsibilities as a leader had not allowed him to travel as he wished to do.

Sidewinder had a feeling that he would not get his answer now, nor did he think that continuing to present his case would help him, so he offered Mordecai an easy out. “Take your time in making your decision,” Winder suggested, “It is not as if Viper is going to get much further once winter settles in.” If no more attacks had been reported, there was probably little to worry about.