<span style="font-size: 26px"><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Lobster Two'"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(153, 0, 204)">Preston</span></span></u></b></span><br/><br/>There was a lot that Preston felt he needed to apologize for, but the words wouldn't leave his tongue.  He was only grateful that he hadn't outright challenged the alpha in his own effort to protect his mate.  His mate despised his very existence.  How was he even going to explain any of this?<br/><br/>He wanted to yell.  He wanted to scream.  He wanted to fall to his knees and cry, burying his face into his mate's fur but he stood strong.  His hand clenching into fists was the only sign of his irritation.<br/><br/>"They're all supposed to be dead.   If there had been any of them left I.." he trails off.  He couldn't explain it out loud but he knew Cyrus would understand.  If there was even a chance that one of them had been alive, Preston should have looked for them.  It had been his duty as alpha to look for them.  To rebuild.<br/><br/>"She's in a holding cell in the basement," he says, visibly shaking off his emotions.  "I took her out, but I didn't kill her.  It'll give us a chance to question her.  She's not an alpha, she's not the one calling the shots.  I would have smelled it on her."  Preston didn't apologize for how he acted.  Cy and Victoria would have done the same thing had it been their mate.  He glances at Jaymus briefly as Victoria leaves.<br/><br/>"I think we should talk more later?"  Preston asks, turning back to Cy.  "She didn't leave me unscathed.  With your permission, I'd like to go get cleaned up?"<br/><br/><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Bad Script', 'cursive'"><span style="font-size: 26px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:rgb(184, 49, 47)">Mika</span></span></span></u></b><br/><br/>Sounds.  Scents.  She was taking it all in.  She could smell the wolf at the end of the hallway.  She could smell the mildew clinging to the walls.  She'd had worse.<br/><br/>Unwillingly, her thoughts went back to the fight that put her into this predicament.  She'd had the she-wolf, at least she liked to think so.  The woman fought dirtier than she expected.  She'd fought like she'd spent every moment of her childhood fighting for survival.  Mika would respect that if it didn't put a kink into her plans, but she had her until that other wolf jumped in.  Not just any wolf either, her former alpha and childhood best friend.  Preston<i>Grey.</i><br/><br/>If they didn't figure it out, surely he would tell them.  Why did this pack let another alpha join -<br/><br/>She sat up straight, gasping as cold water splashed over.  She growled, upper lip pulled back over her teeth until she realized<i>who </i>it was.<br/><br/>"Oh, it's you," she says sarcastically, moving gracefully to her feet.  She walks closer to the bars, head cocked to the side like a confused dog as she looks the other woman up and down.<br/><br/>"Oh, you got patched up nicely.  Did you do that yourself or do you have someone waiting on you hand and foot?"