There are footsteps outside the cave. They hold their breath in unison. She can’t help but notice how he is still holding her arm. A gust of wind loops into the cave and so does the person’s scent. She sighs. 

“Walter?”

“Tessa!” He ducks his head in, face pinched like a constipated goat. “What’s going on here? What are you doing to her?” Walter’s upper lip is curled to reveal his teeth. “Tessa are you alright?” 

Rye lets go of her arm, balancing on the balls of his feet he inches out of the cave, every movement slow and deliberate. He’s sizing Walter up. Preparing for a fight. Following him out she stands between them, she won’t let that happen. 

“We thought you were a human, she couldn’t stop her transformation.” He sounds exhausted. The kind of exhaustion which comes with experiencing too many emotions at once. It cuts through Tessa and makes her stop laughing so abruptly she chokes. 

“Tessa?” 

“It’s the truth. He helped me.” Walter’s shoulders sag a little, but he keeps sharp eyes on Rye. She dusts off the pine needles stuck to her bum. “Did they find the camera yet?”

“No,” He looks offended as if she could possibly even suggest he would let that happen. “I did.” He jabs a finger at Rye. “You're welcome by the way.” 

“You're a lifesaver, literally.” She bumped his shoulder trying to make him stop looking at Rye like he is a snake which he is trying to decide how to kill. 

“The Council of Lycanthropy is very clear on what we need to do with lone wolves.” Walter begins. “We either have to subdue him so he cannot be a threat to the humans, to our pack, or the secret… even if he stopped you from transforming.”

Subdue. He missed a bit there. Subdue and kill. That’s the only way he can’t be a threat. 

“Or,” She glances at Rye, but she doesn’t really see him. Instead she sees his complicated, jumbled scent, feels the way her wolf wriggles beneath her skin at it, hears his words I’m alone. She needs this wolf if she ever wants to be the alpha. “We invite him to join the pack.”