He sipped home-brewed ale from a copper mug delivered to him by Sigri, his gaze intense as he watched Ylva devour her food. Wolves were not known for their impeccable table manners, but the female's voracity didn't convey to him impropriety. She consumed the meat like a starving animal, desperate, swallowing without savoring. Valko let his eyes roam along the the sharp lines of her body. Perhaps Ylva had once been soft, a bit of good, healthy fat covering her bones. She was thin, particularly for an alpha female, and he wondered now if Antony had made her that way, denying her proper nourishment in a pathetic effort to keep her weak and compliant. The possibility left a bitter taste in his mouth. His lips curled into a small snarl as his new pack member finished and remembered her manners, though Valko cared little if her lips were stained with grease.<br/><br/>Hermod returned and placed the requested items in front of Valko, leaving with a curt nod as the alpha politely gave him leave. Typically, Valko asked little of his wolves, not preferring to treat them as servants or inferiors and instead members of a rich and complicated extended family he just happened to head. But taking Ylva in and then disappearing quickly on her, leaving her alone in a feasting hall with unfamiliar wolves seemed narrow minded at best and grossly negligent at worst. Though he sympathized with her plight, he knew little of her or her intentions. Keeping her close seemed like the best course of action until they became better acquainted, until he knew her mind.<br/><br/>“Antony is a fool if he thinks offering stronger alphas a fertile female is going to placate them.” He took a bit of aloe gel and spread a thin layer over the wounds on her wrists. “Does Evergreen use aloe?” he probed, finding her gaze and holding it. “There is a roaming pack we barter with filled with foreign wolves of all kinds. They come through Kriki territory every few months carrying a wealth of rare plants and materials. It costs us dearly to get in a supply, but the aloe plant's restorative properties are worth it, I feel.” The alpha continued, wrapping Ylva's wrists in thin, breathable cloth strips. “You'll keep these on for a brief while,” he explained, “allow the aloe to do its work. Don't get antsy and tear them off.”<br/><br/>The alpha wiped the excess gel from his fingers and took a long drink from his mug, finishing off the last drops of ale. He wiped at his lips with the back of his hand and looked out over the hall, watching as groups of wolves finished off their meals and began slowly flowing from the room back to their homes or out into the forests for a post dinner run. “I want you to forget about Antony, at least for now,” he whispered gruffly. “You're a stranger here. I have good wolves, but they can be wary, and your circumstances are unusual.” He paused, leaning close so his lips brushed against the curve of her ear. His words were lost for a brief moment as he inhaled. There was a sweetness to her buried underneath a layer of dirt and sweat. He was close now, unable to ignore the dirt smudges on her skin. If Antony abused her, that was reason enough to hate him, but he couldn't even let Ylva bathe?<br/><br/>“You are... I want you to feel at home here,” he finished, pulling away. “You've come a long way. Do you... We can heat up some water for you, if you like.”