Rarely, Grimoire came upon with another with as powerful of observation skills as she. Zharko, though young, showed exceptional promise. He let little escape his attention, as was apparent by his intense stare and flexed facial features. His answer did not exactly surprise her, for he had managed on his own for so long. It was logical for him to maintain distance from her and ensure freedom of movement and travel - it was what he was used to. However it did… sting a bit. She wanted her pupil close, and he was determined to study from afar. Unfortunately, there was little Grimoire could do to change that; she would force Zharko into nothing, for doing so would damage his training. If she wanted him to accept the Demon Code, then it was far better if he chose to integrate it. Loyalty by choice was far more solid than those who were coerced or bought.

Then his face contorted. From the careful control before, Grimoire was stumped on the emotion. She predicted that perhaps, Zharko hadn’t meant “No,” but perhaps felt he should refuse. Did the idea of a home scare him? Was he unwilling to experience something as foreign as a home? Both were concerning, and her eyes became slits of thoughts while she wondered how to correct the fear or dishonesty. Because he seemed distracted by the emotion, though, she remained silent - perhaps he would choose to voice his thoughts and she would not have to go digging for them… And he did. It was not what she expected.

Her ears peaked and her eyes relaxed. Protection. He’d caught her undoubtable interest. Zafira. Wren. The poor boy was tied to two little females. Grimoire was fascinated about imprinting. Nakki had told her of the strange event, and Grimoire wondered every so often if she would ever find a wolf to share her soul with. The idea disturbed her; Wraith already had enough pull on her being. She could hardly imagine what an imprint would do to her.

More interesting was the amount of importance he was trusting her with. His relationship to the females was named, and his attachment clear. He neglected to inform her of his relationship to Blackthorne. A bully, maybe? Was Zharko in opposition to him? Was he working for him? Grimoire’s mind clicked like a clock for a brief moment, considering the idea that Zharko was trying to place spies with her. She thought of the careful mask he’d worn and how perfectly he’d let it crack so that she noticed, but could not guess after the reason.

However, his posture betrayed no deceit; Grimoire thought he seemed nervous or tired. Then his last sentence stuck. They were hostages… or, at least, the were at risk. Blackthorne was a blackmailer. Grimoire responded,

"I do."

She let the weight of the words settle for a moment before she continued,

"Zafira and Wren could have my protection, but I must meet Blackthorne in order to understand his design so that I know how to keep them out of his claws. In such a meeting he must ignorant of our relationship and of the true purpose of me seeking him out. He must know the half truth - that he is a maturing male with influence. As a potential leader, I must know him, for he could either be dangerous or an asset to me. Is this possible?"

There were many ways to protect wolves, like intimidating the other into submission or by keeping the wolves physically apart and whereabouts secret. Blackthorne’s character would influence that… And so would Zharko’s response. If their relationship was know the male, then there may be no choice than to challenge Blackthorne to battle. Given her current endeavor… she wished to avoid combat until her position as an alpha and pack were well established.