The alpha allowed his suggestion to gather inside of Nari's head so that she could think about it. The next steps they took to ensure their success would be of the utmost importance. He knew that things would be changing soon, especially with his partner's new outlook on their situation and attitude about it. Eventually, she made her way over to him, making it much more obvious that their offer opposition was over. They were once again working companions. Unfortunately, his idea didn't seem to have as much appeal to her as it did to him. Her suggestion made sense, if it weren't for the fact that no wolf had tried to join their pack for the past several months. At least, not anyone who hadn't had a past with them before. His tail flicked behind him in agitation at the thought of this. It was not that their members were not loyal, it was that Ash certainly did not trust them yet. The pack was filled with wolves who were of great skill set but Ash certainly didn't trust them enough to do as they pleased. Whisper Caverns was still recovering from the past mishap. That couldn't happen again.

Realizing quickly that Narimé was still waiting for a response, he snapped back into present time, his mossy green eyes searching for her beautiful blue ones. She was still so pure after everything had happened to her, and Ash was once again reminded of how unlucky he had been to be sinning since he was born. With this in mind, he replied softly, almost detached from the conversation, "That could work. We might just have to wait awhile before another loner comes along." His tail flicked above his back, out of habit and in comfort for himself. Things were going to have to change, once again, but this time he would have someone who he led beside, who would help him and not disappear in the middle of something important.

He was glad that had found a solution, for the most part. They were certainly getting along much better now and Ash found that to be a relief. She shifted closer to him and did something that he never would have expected her to do. His muscles tensed uneasily beneath him at the physical contact, his breath catching in his throat. The brute restrained himself from shoving her away from him, not wanting to scare her because of his own demons. The occasional nudge that he would receive was enough for him to be comfortable, but as he curled his neck protectively around hers and relaxed he knew that something had changed. Closing his eyes to bring himself some peace, the dark brown male inhaled his partner's scent, that of which was now intermingled with his. She had grown quite strong since she had returned and regained leadership. Ash had been there every step of the way and he would continue to be there for her, for as long as she needed him. Their relationship was probably one of the most stable that the Hervok man had ever had. His soul was a dark one, but when he looked at the blue-eyed beauty, he felt some sort of pull for life, and he clung onto her because of that.

His peace was short-lived, but still appreciated, at the mention of Rory. The alpha knew that he should probably get back to her. He was, after all, her guardian, along with the help of Nari. The man had appreciated how much help Narimé had offered towards the child, it made him...care for her even more. She was a good mother, despite what her sons might have told her. Often when he trained Yuka, he would be reminded of the brief times he had seen him interact with his mother. It wasn't a healthy relationship, but Ash was positive that it also had something to do with her son's gained deformity. The Thorben had acted much differently in the past months since his accident, and Ash could only hope that no permanent mental damage had been made to the boy. With this in mind, he whispered a soft farewell to his companion, knowing that Rory would need tending to and protecting.