not looking for a dowry, i promise

Warily, Eligos eyed the pair of them as their excited comraderie seemed to shatter in the face of his cool neutrality. Yes, something was definitely not right. It made his hackles prickle with unease. "Yes," he agreed slowly. "You've had a long journey. I am sure you could use a chance to rest." Despite his polite words, he kept a wary eye on the other alpha to make sure she didn't get too interested in peeping over the border, even as he turned the bulk of his attention to his cousin. "What is this, Thalia?" he asked bluntly when they were alone. He kept his voice down to keep their words from carrying to the nearby Abavan wolf. "You know that an equal partnership with another pack isn't in the cards for Aerie. At any juncture they could be the target of a Contract, and therefore our enemies for a time. If we did ally with them, let them drag us into their petty mortal squabbles to protect them, we would alienate other possibly more lucrative deals. They've always been too soft to truly accept our ways and become a vassel of the Abraxas." He thought then about Poem, about how good her softness had felt beside him as they had worked and travelled together, but he swiftly squashed the memory and turned his head to watch Theory to hide his discomfiture. "Tell me what is really going on here, Thalia..." he added gently, but firmly. She was a spy, after all. Perhaps there was another explanation here that he had missed. Some trick, some scam that was being perpetuated against Abaven. Anything but his beloved cousin going native and working for Abaven.