At first, the implications of what she says don't really sink in - Derek is too caught on a wave of sympathy, of too-keen knowing that leaves him hollow, empty of words to say but full of sentiment. Her position - her appearance - abruptly makes sense to him. After the fire, if he'd been a shifter - would it have been the same? Probably not. Laura was never that evasive. But the coyote didn't have a Laura, evidently.

But after the initial surge of emotion, Derek thinks eight years and realizes that she has been alone for far longer than him. All at once, he eases, gentles. The other shapeshifters - he wants to ask, but right now, it seems less important.

"What's your name?"