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"Lupa Elda is without a doubt the pack's dominant member and leader. Behind me you'll see my Chief Enforcer, along with two of my other enforcers. All three of them are standing here. My partner, Louve, is on my right, and my other partner, Beta, is to my left "he stated while running his fingers through her hair and simultaneously making the statement. He was conscious of the fact that the smile he offered his uncle was not one that conveyed a sense of warmth and friendliness.

"Thank you," said Dean. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'm going to ask you both, and I'll start with the Applicant, to define the issue in the manner that you see it. I beg of you, kindly refrain from interrupting one another while you speak.

Darryl readjusted his position in the chair so that he was more at ease. "Lupa, it has been such a long time since we have communicated. You look nice. I was hoping you could fill me in on how the other members of the group are doing.

"You are allowed to do so; nevertheless, I will not reply to you in any way."

"It seems that you have found a partner. A very beautiful woman."

"Listen, we are not here to engage in idle chitchat; therefore, stop it right now!"

He sighed deeply and then painted a concerned look on his face before continuing. "It is a terrible thing that our pack fell apart in the way that it did. No one among us has ever had an attitude of ease about the concept. I was especially worried about your wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of those others who traveled beside you on your adventure.

When Lupa heard a snort coming from behind him, he immediately assumed that it was Saga; nevertheless, it turned out to be someone else.

It was difficult for him to control the impulse to snort at himself.

"The weight of that guilt has been placed on the shoulders of a sizeable portion of us. Yet you are acquainted with your paternal grandfather... While I do not like to speak ill of the departed, it is a fact that my brother was much too stubborn for his own good. This is something that I do not wish to do. It is not my intention to talk badly of the person who has passed away. He would not remove the exclusion from the list no matter how much we begged or pleaded with him to do so. Although though it is a terrible loss for all of us that he is no longer with us, we should try to look at this as an opportunity to make some modifications and enhancements. With that being said, we would want to take this opportunity to formally welcome you back into the fold. Naturally, with me taking the lead position in this endeavor."

As Dean gazed at Lupa, he furrowed his brow in concentration. In your capacity as the Respondent, just what stance do you take?

He began caressing Louve's nape, drawing strength from her presence in order to keep his wolf quiet while he continued to do what he needed to do. "Your whole life, Darryl, you've been such a talkative person. I'd rather have the unfiltered information. Do you need part of it to be provided to you by yours truly? It cannot be denied that at the time my father took the decision to exile me, you were siding with him and supporting his choice. You were standing quite close to him at that moment. You, in your function as Beta, had the option to submit a petition to the council in the event that you had a genuine wish to reverse the banishment. This is an additional consideration that you should take into account. The fact that it makes no difference to you whether I live or die is the third reason; the motivation behind your desire to get the pack back together is not one of regret or anxiety. Hence, what the devil could that be?"

It was pointed out by Louve that the Mediator did not seem the least bit surprised by the fact that Lupa did not want to have a friendly chat. There is a good chance that he is able to see straight through Darryl's act with the same ease that they are able to.

Darryl informed Lupa that he understood her anger and that he didn't blame her for it. "That's exactly how I feel too." But why not simply let it go and focus on reuniting the packs instead?

"Why don't you just take a moment to explain the context of this entire situation to me? Are you interested in purchasing a portion of the land that I own? Is it in order to expand the capacity of the pack? Is your only intention to torture me and make my life a living hell?

Louve had no idea where the idea came from, but all of a sudden she had one. She had no idea where the inspiration came from. You hazard a guess and say, "Maybe he really desires in private for you to genuflect before him." The attention of everyone soon switched to Darryl, and then it went back to the woman in question.

Ziva squeezed his lips together in concentration. "Maybe it's all four of them," she said.

You can't tell me that neither you nor your wolf have missed your own country, Darryl said in response. "I have no doubt that, on a number of occasions, you have fantasized about going back to your house."

Lupa shook his head vigorously and exhaled all of the air that was in his lungs. "Did I ever entertain the notion that I may one day be able to return to a home where the very people who were supposed to look out for me were so ready to give up on me? No, no I didn't at all. The whole story of the prodigal son does not strike a chord with me. I do not feel any connection to it.