It was clear nothing he could say tonight would dampen the fire in her eyes. Valko didn't bemoan this quality in her. Strong wolves were often stubborn and passionate; their lovemaking had proved she was both of those things. Thankfully, she seemed to understand the alpha's concerns, admitting that walking into Antony's territory alone was akin to suicide. Reluctant to forget the terrors of her past, Ylva was still smart, driven but not yet consumed by her desire to avenge her parents and defend the Evergreen pack. Perhaps, with time, her fury would transform into something more manageable. But that was not a suggestion to bring up tonight, and as the she-wolf pressed her lips against his, Valko's thoughts shifted. He closed his eyes, tasting her, hands running down the curve of her ass appreciatively.<br/><br/>"I'm not wary of the hunger," he assured her, smiling as she whispered against his mouth. "This is new, but new things are exciting, aren't they?" Exciting seemed a good enough word for it. Ylva was certainly exciting. Valko was quickly coming to realize perhaps this she-wolf was many things, and the more adjectives he discovered to describe her various complexities, the more he seemed to ache for her. Even now, buried inside of her, knot slowly subsiding, Valko found he could not resist the urge to feel her. Smell her. Rub his fingertips down the smooth lines of her body. This craving inside of him seemed powerful enough... to know it would grow into something stronger, perhaps something irresistible...<br/><br/>Yes, it all sounded exceptionally exciting.<br/><br/>"I admire your grandparents," he said gently, tilting his head back as he thought on Ylva's story. "It must have taken wonderfully powerful wills to defy their packs for one another. And then to bring their wolves together and create something anew..." It was a becoming clearer now how heinous Antony's betrayal truly was. Kriki had been in Valko's family line for generations. The Evergreen pack, in comparison, was relatively new, but it had to be fought for and constructed, a labor of passionate, unbreakable love. And now it was in the hands of a slimy, unworthy cur.<br/><br/>"You're right. Perhaps we should rest," Valko conceded. Though the desire to mate with her again pricked at him each time she nipped at his mouth, they needed time to rest on this. During their talk, Valko's knot had shrunken enough that he could pull out of her without too much discomfort. He shifted slightly beneath her, holding onto her hips and carefully easing her off. His half-erect cock slipped from her, and Valko was hit with the abrupt cold that hit him once he had left her body. He wished to be inside of her again, but he quieted this urge, instead turning on his side and pulling her do him so that they may lay close to one another, breath intermingling.<br/><br/>"Good night," he whispered, kissing her gently and draping an arm across her hips.<br/><br/><br/><br/>It was late morning by the time Valko's eyes fluttered open. Sunlight found its way through the thatched roof, peeking in and gracing the wolf's body in a soft, dusty glow. He groaned as he stretched is long torso, vertebrae popping along his spine. Warmth enveloped him as he recalled the night prior. He smiled, reaching for her.