Gunter stood up and straightened, offering them both a heavy look before he turned his focus to Ylva.  His eyes were on her, even though his words were intended for Valko.<br/><br/>"She should return with me.  There are many that would migrate to my pack, if they knew that she was a member of it.  The Evergreen wolves that wish to escape Antony would have a chance to do that, if they wished to.  They could have a home with<i>us</i>in the north..."  The offer was more than he was saying.  Ylva knew it.  He was asking her to come home with him, to see if the bond that had started to form with Valko could be instead shared with Gunter.  The idea of saving some of her pack, some of her family, was not one she could reject lightly...but her wolf snarled at the idea, growling within her.<br/><br/>Ylva looked back at Valko and she immediately knew what her answer had to be.  In a way, Gunter had almost forced her hand to choose what the path forward for her life would be.<i>Who </i>it would be.  She shifted up from where she sat and moved closer to Valko, extending one of her hands and taking one of his.<br/><br/>"Gunter, you know I can't do that." She said.  It was a soft rejection, a kind one, but she knew she had likely just broken the heart of a man she knew since childhood.  Though she was certain he cared for her, if Ylva had agreed to go with him, his pack had a chance of growing and surviving beyond the current generation.  Now he would have to search for a suitable mate, which would be difficult in times such as these.<br/><br/>"You should return to your people.  Valko is right, I am safe here and it gives me a chance to gain my strength once again.  Even if I felt free to go with you, I am weak...starved and beaten.  It will take me time to recover from the wounds Antony left me with, but for now..."  She squeezed Valko's hand and looked back to Gunter.  "My place is here."<br/><br/>The disappointment was clear in his features.  He offered them a single nod and made his way to the door, accepting the choice that had been made for him.  He stopped in the doorway and turned back to them.  "You still have my loyalty...Both of you...Should you ever need it.  We cannot abandon our own in times like these."  He said, before he exited and Valko and Ylva were left alone once more.  She was silent, waiting to see what his reaction would be.