Grayson not only listened to the words she said, but noted her tone and body language as well.  She was frightened, though she went to great lengths to hide it.  If he had to guess her challenge and bravado were born of that fear.  In the end it was the depth of longing he heard in her voice that decided her fate, at least for the moment.  He would let her live for now, and see what happened in the days to come.  She would have to earn his trust in order to meet the rest of the pack.  He would not endanger those he claimed to sooth her loneliness, no matter how much he found himself sympathizing with her.<br/><br/>He leaned into her a little more, forcing the air from her lungs in a display of dominance as he got within an inch of her face and bared his teeth, his eyes still the deep amber of his wolf.  “First lesson.  Always ask permission before entering a packs territory.  Had you the scent of others on your skin I would have considered this an act of aggression and killed you outright.  The other pack Alphas would have done the same without question.”<br/><br/>"Second lesson.  Control your tongue even when you are afraid. Only the fact that we are alone allows me to ignore the insult you have given.  You are on my land, endangering my people.  Keep that in mind,” he said as he finally released her and let her feet touch the ground once more, though he was still well within her personal space.<br/><br/>“I want to believe you, but there are things you are not telling me. I’m not fool enough to believe you, but I do believe that you’ve been alone.  You haven’t been taught how to survive among your own, and for that I will let you stay for now if you can follow my rules.  Do you think you can do that…?” he paused and tilted his head to the side in question, realizing that he still did not know her name.<br/><br/><div align="center">~~*~~*~~*~~</div><br/>Hannah was just starting to lay the carcass on the porch for him to find when she heard the faint whispers of a growl a moment before she was knocked off the porch by a wolf twice her size.  She rolled across the hard packed ground and came to stop against the trunk of a tree with a yelp of pain.  She lay still for a moment, sure that he was going to finish her off, but the strike never came.<br/><br/>She slowly rolled and stood, her tail tucked between her legs, her nose almost touching the ground as she watched him.  She stood still for a long moment, still waiting for him to attack.  Only when she was sure he wasn’t going to hurt her did she finally move, limping slightly as she sniffed out the rabbit carcass and picked it up gingerly.<br/><br/>She never took her eyes off of him as she approached with the offering between her teeth and the faint tasted of the creatures blood on her tongue.  She was careful never to fully meet his gaze, not wanting to give him any reason to believe she was challenging him in any way.  It was a relief when she stopped a few feet away and dropped the carcass at her feet before she backed up just as slowly, leaving no question that it was for him.