Her words made Halcyon feel like a child being scolded. Of course, she was right. He had no intention of being diplomatic. His anger and need for revenge had clouded his once rational mind. The idea of sinking his fangs into Blackthorne's throat made his blood boil and his heart beat faster with adrenaline and anticipation. The blood of his warrior father pulsed eagerly within his veins. Things may have turned out differently if his own cubs hadn't been involved. Now, it was personal. Bringing his attention back to Zelda, he listened as she spoke of her free passage into the swamps and her success in retrieving Archana and Whipser. Brown eyes grew wide as the russet wolf fell to his haunches with relief. His beloved daughter, his Archana, was safe.

But the moment was short lived. Zelda was unable to get Aspis out and her fear was shared with her uncle. He worried about what vile things Blackthorne was doing to his child. The sooner he could get him out and safely back to Taviora, the better. For a moment, the father was torn. Zelda's offer to return to the forest to see his daughter was tempting, so tempting he had almost run there himself without the alpha. Turning his head to the swamp, he gazed at the invisible barrier that was keeping his son trapped and Halcyon from being able to rescue him. A few weeks ago, he had been forced to abandon his children. One has escaped and was as far away from this cursed land as possible. One was still trapped.

When Halcyon looked back on this day, he would remember the pain he felt in his heart. The physical tear that ripped it in two. Looking back at his niece with tears in his eyes, the older wolf shook his head. The words that came from his mouth were slow and distant, each syllable shredding his heart into tiny, bloody pieces. "You know I want nothing more than to see my beautiful, baby girl," he started, but stopped suddenly as a sob caught in his throat. Blinking several times to keep the tears from wetting his fur, he took in a great breath and continued. "But I can't leave Aspis behind. He had to watch me abandon him once already. I won't abandon him again."

Standing tall, even though his body was exhausted and his mind scrambled from the mix of emotions, he forced a confident smile that never reached his eyes. Stepping forward, he nuzzled his niece (when had she gotten so tall?) with affection and licked gently between her ears. "Thank you for saving Archana and Whisper. You have no idea how much it means to me. I can never repay you," he said, then a thought came to him and he stepped back and looked at the alpha. "How did you manage to negotiate with Blackthorne?" The cruel alpha of Iromar wasn't going to let two hostages go without something of equal or greater value being offered first. Eyeing his niece suspiciously, unsure if he was going to be happy hearing her response.