Her heart was heavy with ache, ashamed at the way her members had acted, at what they had forced her to stick her nose into. She would have a lot of unravelling to do to figure out where she needed to go from here. She didn’t want an alliance with Tyranis, she had heard many a fowl news about him, but for the moment, she would tread carefully before continuing. It hurt her that she had been forced to strip Acere of his rank in the moment, she valued him as a lead warrior, but she could not stand there and let him shame her, and hers. She knew he had a vendetta in regards to Tyranis, but it was almost funny that he had told her how he did not want to get her pack into the middle of it, had refused her help, and then abused his rank to do exactly that. Conflicted, and confused, the Alpha knew she would have to find him, despite what he had done, she held too much respect for the man to simply let this wound fester. She followed him as best as she was able, once she was free from her obligations. “Ace?” she called, searching for the white man “Ace?” likely he would ignore her, so she stuck her nose to the ground and continued to follow his trail until she could find him. When she did catch a hint of his white fur, she paused. “Ace” there was pain in her voice, a hint of misery, though she tried to bury it. Man, she had so much respect for him, that it could almost confuse her certainty in what she had done, but she was Alpha, so she buried it. “You knew I wanted to help you when it came to Tyranis, but what you did.. Do you see how easily that could have started a war, right then and there? With only a few of my noncombatant wolves and yourself to answer it? I needed to calm things down, and move them on. For the sake of all my wolves. I would gladly help you, I would take my strongest wolves and match them to whatever force you brought to bear, but I would not have innocents caught up in the tangle, on my side or another. The reputation i’ve been building for Abaven, of a place where wolves can find sanctuary and peace.. So many wolves would have carried away the tale of how my strongest warriors fought the weakest of a pack that was already being shamed. Who would have come to my borders in there time of need, then, Ace? Who?” her voice trailed off, she could feel too much emotion bleeding into her words. He had always brought out a passionate side of her, and she couldn’t let that rule, not now. “Help me understand, why you abused the rank I gave you, the home I gave you, when despite my best protests, you told me you did not want to endanger Abaven? Instead of working with me in a coordinated effort, you shunned my offer to help, and then you acted on impulse, and put everything of mine on the line.” She fell silent, sitting on her haunches, going no further to find him. She had said her piece, and now it was his turn. She had no doubt he would have a lot to say. ""

He had left the crowd far behind, not turning back once. He ordered Ignis and Actaea to wait for him near Abaven and to stay together in case Tyranis decided to try and sneak off to get to them. He figured they would both be able to handle him if it came down to it, especially with the training they received from the alabaster warrior himself. He climbed over the rocks until he had found a nice secluded spot, one where hopefully, nobody would find him. He stood and overlooked the lands before him for a few, long moments before finally sitting down. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, but the one that stood out the most was the anger he felt. Shaye had shamed and embarrassed both him and Rhyme. And in her absence, it seemed that half the crowd taunted and leered at Rhyme for his mistake. Acere at first had been disgusted, but he hadn't held onto it for long because he had more pressing matters to attend to. Until Shaye decided to waltz back in and strip away his rank. Would he be able to forgive her for what she did in front of all those faces? He wasn't sure. His fox cubs sat quietly beside him, something that was unusual for them to do but they knew now wasn't the time for their antics. He sat still, breathing heavy as he glared daggers at the rocks in front of him. And then..."Ace?" Of course...he didn't doubt once in his mind that she would try to track him down. Likely to try to save some face and give him an explanation for what she did. He made no sound nor did he move as he heard Shaye calling for him. He had half a mind to sneak away and leave her without a word, but she managed to find him before he could. He pinned his ears back when he heard the tones in her voice, his lip lifting slightly to bare a single fang. His back was to her, and he couldn't help but feel that she was faking it all. She spoke. Alot. And throughout her speech, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. But when she finished off with her last few words. Asking why he abused his rank. Acted on impulse. He abruptly stood up and turned on her. Anger was clear in his eyes, lips pulled back in a snarl as he stepped towards her. "Abuse my power!? Acted on impulse? Is that what you think I did!?" He snapped, stopping just a few short feet from her. "Innocents get caught up in war all the god damn time! His tail lashed, fur rising as he felt the anger rise. "And who are you to claim who's innocent and who's not? You know nothing about that pack! You know nothing about it's members! Leera was someone I had met before on more than one occasion, not that it's any of your fucking business!" His gaze bore into her, "But of course, you like to be in everyone's business, don't you? You sit here and claim I would be soiling Abaven's reputation when really I think you're worried about your reputation being soiled. How can you sit there and tell me Rhyme and I were in the wrong when you had no problem with me claiming Vlad? Did you think that you sending him off to another pack to be a slave there would keep your conscience clear? Hm? I at least had no intention of enslaving Leera or anyone else. I was doing it for a fucking reason because I. Know. Tyranis!" His emotions were all pent up. He showed nothing but anger towards her at this very moment, evident by the way he looked at her and with his body language. His fox kits stood a few feet behind him, watching with apprehension as he continued. "I told you that day what I intended to do. With or without you and Abaven. You want it to be a place for the weak and helpless, then that's all Abaven will be. Your apprentices and the rest of the pack from what I've witnessed so far are incredibly sheltered and don't appear to be interested in fighting. So how do you expect me to trust your word, hm? How do you expect me to believe a goddamn word you fucking say? What, you'll march a pawful of wolves to go to war? Or perhaps just Rhyme and Odysseus? Or were you counting on whatever allies you have to go along?" He didn't know what she was thinking. He didn't particularly care. He was angry. He was hurt. But he refused to allow anything but his anger show. "And if you want to talk about shame, perhaps you should take a good long look at yourself. You shamed and embarrassed both me and Rhyme, your supposed alpha partner. You've no idea all the shit that was said about him after you left...or maybe he deserves it, hm? Perhaps he should feel all the shame so you don't have to." He scoffed and turned away from her, "Either you think your pack is stupid, or you don't trust us, or both if you thought nobody would figure it out, Shaye." He shook his head as he looked at again, "If you couldn't be honest about that, then I can't trust your word. I sure as hell can't trust it when you claim you'd march with me in my time of need. You may be the alpha, but unless you force your wolves to march into war, then your word is meaningless." "speech"

His rage was a fire, and it burned all it touched. The effort it took not to recoil as he turned it upon her was immense. In truth, she wasn’t entirely certain how she stood her ground, but she found a way. She looked a the angry warrior, as he ripped into her verbally, berating everything she had done, everything she was, and everything she had grown and protected. Was that truly what he thought of her and Abaven? It made her wonder why he had ever chosen to stay. “You made it my business” she said, her voice much softer now, almost a whisper after the strength of his rage. He was the embodiment of Abaven, that's what she had made him when she had confidently given him his lofty rank. She had trusted that he could keep his vendetta and his loyalty to Abaven separate. He had shown her to be a fool. She had known that so many of the wolves of Abaven where injured, in their hearts more than their bodies. She had forgotten that Ace was one of them. “Think what you like of my life, I would give it glady for any in my pack, even you Ace. the only reputation I care about it Abaven’s, not my own.” So that had circled around had it? She felt a pang of hurt for Rhyme, who she had unknowingly left to face that alone. “I wasn’t hiding it, I just wasn’t shouting it out to the world, either. You want the full, transparent truth? Rhyme and I got very, very drunk, and acted as we never would have otherwise. Now I have children in my care, and I will not let the way they were conceived define them.” She had the responsibility of children, without a mate to lean on. She had children, and still didn’t know love, not truly. “It might be a rocky path, but I will find the balance between protecting the wolves of Abaven, and teaching them to stand on their own. I still think that what you did was wrong, stepping into the middle of what had already become a shit storm.” She swallowed hard, she needed to leave. If she stayed here any longer, she would bawl her eyes out. She was already crying on the inside, her heart riddled with hurt and lose. “I will always stand up for those I believe in, and I still believe in you, Acere, even if you no longer believe in me.” The words held the pain that she was struggling to hide, and she knew she was reaching the end of her rope. She turned to leave. ""