He found himself watching the mist still spilling from her, his eyes tracking the way it unfurled across the ground. Not so distantly, Derek could hear a cacophony of city life; cars and laughter and the rumble of the underground. It felt a world apart from this, from her. It was not the chill that had his hair standing on end. Her voice did not make him feel cold, slow and steady as it may have been. He was quickly learning just how difficult it was to look away from her for long. Eventually, he met her eyes again. Her meaning (patience) wasn't exactly cryptic, but he considered that a mercy.

Slowly, he breathed out. It misted in the winter air.

"That's right," he replied, simply. Vaguely, he wondered what her connection was to Heiji - beyond them being fae. Were they friends? Allies? It mattered little, because it had little bearing on how much he could trust either of them. At least, he told himself as much. But, despite his trepidation, her power served more to intrigue than dissuade. This was why he'd made the deal, after all. Safety. Security, questionable as it was. Mutuality in power.

The alliance might have been a fledgling one, but it was something that had never happened before. Something they needed. Derek hoped that spoke well of him as alpha, but he could never be so sure.

"You'll have most of the pack."