If Luc had snapped at him about anything else, if his response had been about anything but his respect for Hannah Grayson would have lost it.  As it was it helped to settle him more.  Even his wolf settled, the hair on the back of his neck smoothing out as his pacing came to a halt.  His fists loosened at his sides as he studied the other Alpha with two sets of eyes and found a man he could come to respect someday, assuming they didn't kill each other first.<br/><br/>"If we both live through this... we'll be friends one day, you and I.  For now I trust your word.  I warn you though, I have no control over that woman. She has a mind of her own, and I will not cage her simply to give you that day.  If she seeks you out you will be forced to speak to her, but I will try to keep her occupied taking care of the other stranger," he refused to say Sonora's name and make her familiar.  Not yet.<br/><br/>With a nod he turned and left Luc there with his thoughts.  Now that he no longer wanted to rip the man's throat out he wanted... no he<em>needed</em>to see Sonora, to assure himself that she was alright.  I took him nearly a half hour to get back to the den, but he knew the moment he walked in that something was wrong, different.  He recieved a number of knowing looks, most of them pleased but cautious, but it wasn't until he ran into one of his enforcers on his way to Hannah's rooms that he cornered one of them.<br/><br/>"What the hell is going on?"<br/><br/>The man held up his hands and took a step back, a smile on his face.  "Nothing.  Just... happy to see a female take up residence in your rooms, that's all."<br/><br/>"A female..." he growled low as he turned and made his way down another hall only to find a guard on his door.  The other wolf nodded and turned to leave before he even reached the door, but he felt a moment of intense relief when he realized that his people had been guarding Sonora in his stead.  That relief became a heady sensation as he closed the door to his rooms behind him and followed her scent to his bedroom, his eyes glinting slightly in the faint light from the clock on the night stand.<br/><br/>He stood there for a long moment, torn between relief and a sinking feeling that he was in over his head, but eventually he stripped and crawled into bed with her, replacing the pillow she clutched so tightly.<br/>