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A Lamb Among Wolves

Chapter Forty: Unshakable

Agony. It was the only word that could possibly come to mind as she watched the exchange play out between the two wolves she loved so dearly. It felt like a twister full of daggers was swirling within her chest, and every hateful utterance or spiteful statement was like another errant blade caught in the squall dragging itself along her very core. She found herself immobilized as she watched the warring wolves, hidden in the darkness behind the slightly opened corner door to her husband's study. Watching in mute horror through the tiny slit as the two wolves gnashed their bared fangs at one another. She desperately wanted to step in, to stand between the pair and try to force them to reconcile before it went too far. But with each increasingly heated statement came a fresh pang of pain within her chest that forced her to remain still. Trapped there, unable to do anything but watch. Her one paw wrapped on the doorknob trembling while the other gripped lamely at the rake she had carried indoors. And each time she had nearly found the power within herself to enter the room, another snarling accusation or verbal attack between the wolves would send a fresh surge of paralysis to run through her.

Audrey had always taken pride in her ability to read mammals, especially those closest to her. It was a trait she thought she had in common with her husband, even if it was something her family had never taken it up as one of their signature traits in the same way the Hunters pack had. Even without such a tenant hanging over her families head, she had always been able to bring enough to the table to stand on equal footing with Dorian. It was something she had finely honed over the years, and it had helped her nip a number of brewing spats and arguments in the bud well before they could even get off the ground.

When it came to her family, she could read the subtle nuances of body language and the tone of someone's voice quite well. And that always managed to be more than enough to give her deep insight into just how serious an underlying situation or problem was, especially when it came to Dorian. But the fight she was witnessing now told her just how out of practice she had grown in the years since the boys had left the ranch.

With her children gone, the relative quietness of rural life had dulled her senses. And despite her husband's relatively rare grumpy days, the wolf was generally honest with her about everything. It was the kind of thing that prevented the need to probe any deeper into his statements, to study for any hidden meaning, and without a job like Dorian's that put such a skill to practice every day she lacked the opportunity to regularly exercise it.

And that's why she had failed to notice the storm clouds that had begun to form the moment she had revealed to Dorian who Vernon was bringing back to the ranch to join the family for the reunion. Clouds that had continued to build on the horizon from the moment the pair had set foot on the ranch. Looking back, perhaps she had been ignoring them, but more than likely she had naively believed that whatever the problem at paw was, it was probably nothing more than a trifle. But either way, the she-wolf cursed herself for simply brushing aside the red flags long enough to allow this whole mess to come about.

It was far too late to intercede now. She had blithely let the pressure continue to build without taking a long enough time to actually look for the root cause. She wouldn't be able to make any reasonable headway trying to act as a mediator between the two. If she chose to run in at any point as the wolves argued, to get between them and try to prevent the whole argument from spiraling any more out of control than it already was, they would simply argue around her. They had both been allowed too much time to entrench themselves within their own minds. To build their barriers as high as they could as they stared each other down. At this moment they were past the point of negotiation, past the point of being open to reason. As painful as it all was to watch from the sidelines, the argument needed to play out before the she-wolf could finally do anything to fix it. If only she had known just how far the two would force each other to go in an effort to get the other to budge.

She had dropped the ball completely, and she hated herself for it. She had assured Vernon she would talk to Dorian about his behavior as soon as things had gone completely sour during the first night's dinner, and while she had done so behind the privacy of their bedroom doors, she had failed to pry deeply enough into his hidden motivations.

At the time the source seemed feasible to write off as it simply being related to the ewe's former reputation, and while she hadn't been able to get Dori to outright admit it, he had begrudgingly promised to try better the following day. It was a big pill to swallow after all, even with the ewe's more recent heroics to diminish from her past actions. And while Dori and herself lived by letting the past go in favor of those who were trying to make amends, that didn't necessarily mean it was always easy.

Even Audrey was somewhat reluctant about the ewe when she first heard about her over the phone. After all, until Vernon had reminded her that Dawn had turned out to be the same lamb that he had been friends with in elementary school, all Audrey had to go on was her involvement in the night howler scandal. And despite her willingness to give mammals a chance, it would be a lie to admit she was ready to welcome the diminutive ewe with open arms from the start.

But as she listened to her son go on and on about his mate, pouring his heart out to the she-wolf about her, she knew whatever misgivings she had would need to be put aside in favor of simply trusting her son's judgment. And by extension, she knew it would be as difficult, if not more so for her husband.

Meeting the ewe was what changed all that for her. She was such a small, timid little thing, shaking like a leaf as she quietly fiddled with her hooves in the passenger seat. At first glance, it just didn't seem possible that the slight, delicate ewe she was looking at had been capable of hurting anyone. The way she carried herself, her mannerisms, and the way she spoke to Audrey when the wolfess was able to finally draw her into a conversation. Well, even Audrey's rather rusty senses could easily tell that Dawn was more sick to death about the whole reunion than anyone else. But when it came to talking about her son, the ewe's entire demeanor seemed to change. She was still nervous yes, but there was something behind her eyes, a determination in the little mammal that reminded her so much of herself at that age, and the heart she wore on her sleeves proudly when it came to Vernon. The love was genuine, and it had melted the she-wolf's heart in seconds. And she was sure given enough time and exposure it would do the same to her stubborn old husband. She couldn't imagine the Dorian she knew being unable to see that same overwhelming love that the ewe held for their son.

But after the disastrous events of the couples second night out she should have known there was more to Dorian's problem than simply the ewe's past exploits. Even more than the supposed _'Hunter Family Reputation'_or Zach's accident. And it was something in hindsight she knew she should have headed off at the pass right then and there. She shouldn't have simply made him sleep alone, she should have hashed it out. But at that point, she hadn't even known the full extent of the secrets he was keeping. Not until it had all come pouring out of Dawn at the family barbecue.

She could still see the crumpled little ewe fresh in her mind, gasping for breath as she sobbed through her retelling of her confrontation with Dorian. Of the words her husband used as her tore into the little lamb who had been brave enough to face him. It wasn't typical of Dorian to speak like that, even at his angriest. It was abnormal, and in the decades she had been by the white wolf's side she had never once seen that side of him. Yet she could tell the ewe's claims were true by the earnestness of her tears, and all the current performance going on before her right now did was simply eliminate any shadow of a doubt about Dorian's erratic and inappropriate behavior. The heavy drinking, the screaming, the shattered glasses scattering across the dim study. These were not the actions of the Dorian she knew and loved. Something was wrong, and the situation was escalating faster and faster as she watched the older wolf dig in deeper.

She tightened her grasp on the handle of the old faded rake she had pulled from the barn as Dorian began to imply that Dawn had simply been using Vernon's affection for her. The muscles around her heart tightening as images of the whimpering ewe returned like a hot flash in her mind. It was only the fact that Vernon cut him off, preventing him from further defaming the ewe that kept Audrey from breaking her own vow not to intercede. The rake in her paws was aching to swat the law wolf upside the head, but Vernon had managed to keep his cool for the both of their sakes. And as the she-wolf relaxed her grip, she found her attention drawn back to the old rake in her paws.

The rake was another mistake. Not that Dorian didn't deserve a swift swatting after the things he had said about Dawn. But more so that she had let her emotions blind her so much that she had left a ticking time bomb in her brief absence.

Vernon had always been a hot-blooded pup when it came to his emotions, something she knew he had inherited directly from her. Whenever he felt an injustice was being done he was sure to speak up, and most often Audrey had been the one to encourage that behavior in him. But that quality had proved to be a double-edged sword during Vernon's adolescence just as it had been with her own, a quality of hers she still struggled to keep under control to this day. His rebellion against them and the system that had taken his friend away was proof of just how difficult the wolf's sense of righteous indignation was to contend with. In moments like this, the case was much the same. And with Dorian being the root of the problem and not the voice of reason in this situation, who would be left to try to talk Vernon down with her just as emotionally compromised as he was?

And so while she was seething over Dorian's behavior as she trudged toward the barn, she had left her son behind to seethe without any mammal that could capably talk some sense to the wolf in his state. She had left the barbecue without her watchful eye, and as always Yuri had used that window of opportunity to torment the already troubled wolf without her there to reign him in.

She couldn't blame Vernon for the state she found him in upon her return, his muzzle wrapped around Yuri's throat. Nor could she truly blame Yuri at this point, as his behavior toward Vernon was always abhorrent. No, in her mind the blame fell squarely on her shoulders. But that didn't make it any less horrific to see. Her sons, her little pups quite literally at one another's throat had managed to shake the she-wolf to her very core. The only positive thing she could say that had come from the situation was that it had managed to fully reawaken those dulled senses within her. Despite the tears that were flowing as she watched Vernon's tearful apology to the rest of the family and his mate, her mind was clear and sharp in regards to what needed to be done. The time had come to take back control of her home, of her family, and the only way she would achieve it was by keeping her emotions tempered and focused at where they were needed the most. Bringing the rake along just offered extra bargaining power, a totem meant to give her all the more strength and resolve to follow through. But all of that power seemed to leave her as soon as she heard Vernon declare he was leaving the pack.

At first, she hadn't been sure she had heard it correctly, but as the wolf reiterated his intention it felt as though her heart had suddenly stopped. It had felt as though a fist had landed squarely in the center of her chest. Audrey clasped lamely at her aching bosom as tears began to form in her eyes.

'No...' She mouthed inaudibly. 'No, no, no..." The wolfess whimpered softly.

It wasn't surprising just how much Vernon was willing to put on the line for his mate, but what shocked her was just how bold a move he was making. Had she been in the same situation, the wolfess couldn't have even fathomed pulling from the families accursed native roots. Not for lack of desire, but simply because she wouldn't have even remembered such a small clause in wolf cultural history. Of course, she knew what he was trying to do almost immediately. It was an obvious drastic measure to make Dorian listen to him, a plea to get the older wolf to understand just how strongly he loved his mate. But her bigger concern was the rising fear that Dorian wouldn't back down despite the severity of it.

"Dorian, don't..." Audrey muttered weakly. "Don't do-"

"Get out..." It was barely audible, but the silence hanging over the room had amplified the white wolf's response to such a degree that it sounded as if he had shouted it directly into her ear. Once again the she-wolf's heart seemed to stop as she fell to her knees behind the door. The wolf had made her fears a horrific reality, and his sharp reiteration only managed to act as another punch to Audrey's gut as she began to silently weep.

"GET OUT!" The white wolf snarled. "GET OFF THIS RANCH AND RUN BACK TO THAT CITY OF YERS!"

Audrey bit down on a finger in an effort to keep her sobs from growing loud enough to be heard.

'How could he?'_She thought to herself, the burning pain in her chest swelling with each sob she tried to keep down. _'How could he do this!?'

"I'LL BE OUT FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING!" Vernon snapped back. Audrey could see the shimmering tears forming in his eyes despite his attempts to look imposing. It was clear he hadn't expected Dorian to take him up on his gamble, just as she hadn't. "THEN YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO SEE ME AGAIN!"

"AND Y'ALL CAN KEEP YER PRECIOUS REPUTATION INTACT!" Vernon continued, but Dorian clearly wasn't backing down. The white wolf leaned up in his seat, placing his paws on his desk as he glared back at their son.

"GOOD!" He heard Dorian retort. " US HUNTERS DON'T NEED ANYMORE TROUBLE FROM AN...OMEGA LIKE YOU!"

Audrey felt almost as if she were going to drop dead on the spot. The agonizing pain that tore through her insides as Dorian's vile decree registered was almost impossible to bear. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her as she tried her damnedest to keep her paw clasped tightly around the doorknob to keep from slumping to the floor completely. Her vision was blurry now, the steady stream of tears almost blinding her as she struggled to watch the scene. She could see the vague blur of Vernon storming away from the desk, only becoming clear again as she wiped a shaky paw over her eyes. As Vernon came to a stop at the far office door, it was only then that she noticed it seemed to be slightly ajar, something she was certain hadn't been the case early.

A slight squint managed to catch the glimmer of the familiar orange and brown patterning of Dawn's tortoiseshell glasses barely visible through the slit. The ewe was quietly watching the fight from the other side, eavesdropping just as Audrey had been.

The horrific realization was enough to fill the she-wolf with overwhelming nausea. Her stomach muscles clenching tightly as the myriad of emotions whirled through her head. It was bad enough for Vernon to be subjected to this, to suffer being spurned by his father over Dawn's past, something Audrey saw as trivial. But for Dawn to see it too made it that much worse. Disbelief, shock, horror, sadness, guilt, each emotions fighting to hold the dominant spot as they flushed over her whole body in wave after agonizing wave. And now it was topped off with a fresh heaping of terrible shame over her beastly husband's behavior.

'Stop, stop him!' Her mind was screaming. 'Apologize Dori! Don't be dumb! Apologize before it's too late!' It was what she wanted to say, what she wanted to yell to her husband, but it died in her throat as bile rapidly filled the empty space. She could see the regret imprinted on every line and wrinkle on Dorian's face. The wolf had clamped his paws over his muzzle as if in spite of his own hideous retort, and she could see that tears had started to steadily stream down the old wolf's face. But despite the look painted across his muzzle, the older white wolf remained silent. It only served to twist the knife that much deeper for Audrey as she struggled to comprehend what was going on in Dorian's head. It was clear his own actions were hurting him probably as badly as she was suffering now, yet he refused to admit it. To relent and apologize. Was his pride really so all-consuming that the wolf just couldn't bring himself to overpower it?

"I'll be glad just to never have to see you again." Vernon muttered sharply, and with that her son disappeared behind the far door, slamming it shut tightly in his wake and leaving the law wolf in a perturbed silence.

Audrey wanted to retch. She was so disgusted, so repulsed by her husband's behavior that she actually threw up into the back of her mouth. This monster wasn't Dori, it couldn't be. And yet it wore his pelt, it spoke in his cadence and used his mannerisms. It was as if her husband had been replaced by some sort of crazed zealot, the kind that brought to mind many of her experiences with the more devout native wolves in the area.

Slowly the white wolf seemed to ease in his chair, his ears slowly sagging down against his head as his posture slipped into more of a deep slump. But the disturbing silence remained, it's deafening and disgusting thrum hanging over the stilted air left in the study. Only to be broken by a familiar, yet devastatingly mournful howl that Audrey could hear petering through the office window on the crisp Autumn winds.

Dorian's ears shot up sharply, high and pointed as the weary howl mingled in the stagnant air. The wolf rising to his feet for a moment as he turned to face the window. He stood like that for long after the primary howl had come to a close, only slumping back into his seat as a chorus of multiple, weaker howls filled the vacuum of silence.

But for Audrey the howl was the final straw. Among the torrent of unbearable emotional turmoil beneath her surface, the small flicker of a flame that had been stoking beneath it all had begun to grow. The same fire that she knew she and her son shared, whether through influence, genetics, or purely a sense of morality that seemed to be ingrained in the both of them. She could feel the flames of rages burning through her others emotions as if they were kindling, feeding and growing until it had become an inferno in her mind. Her grip on the rake in her paw tightened as the heat flowing through her veins caused all over her muscles to start clenching. With a burst of energy, she was standing again, rising with the flames inside her body as her muzzle curled into a hateful sneer.

She had never been an 'abusive' mammal, never on to strike any of her loved ones in anger or otherwise. But in that moment, the only images that were flashing in her head were still shots of beating Dorian down with the rusted old rake. Of wailing it over the wolf's head over and over until she managed to knock some harsh form of sense into her brutish husband.

In a flash, Audrey kicked the door to the study so hard it nearly came away from its hinges. The door clacked loudly against the bookshelf to its side, knocking a few books to the floor as the she-wolf stomped into the room. However the white wolf didn't seem to react to the sudden noise, his head remaining tilted toward the desk as she rounded the corner.

As she approached the desk, Audrey raised the rake high in the air, ready to strike in a moments notice. But just as she was about to let the serrated steel fly, she finally caught sight of the wolf's face.

Dorian was still seated slumped at his desk, his shimmering eyes blearily focused on the empty glass in his paw, although not truly looking at it. His stare seemed to be as though he was looking far and away. Through the glass, the desk, and the nothingness beyond. His ears hadn't even perked to the sudden flurry of noise, remaining sagged sharply against his head as he seemed oblivious to the world around him. His features were etched with a mixture of agony and misery, every worry line in his fur exposed and wound up tightly as the wolf let out a soft, mournful sigh.

Audrey had used many descriptive statements to describe her husband throughout life. Stern, loving, stubborn, sweet, foolish. Those were all terms that at one point or another or sometimes simultaneously she had used to describe her husband. But in this moment Dorian looked like nothing she had never seen before. He looked so drawn and weary, as if he had aged twenty years during the course of the weekend. In fact, he kind of reminded her of Father Hunter during his final days in the hospital. There was only one word that came to mind that perfectly encapsulated how Dorian looked in that moment, pitiful.

Wearily the wolf managed to look up at her, her bleary eyes taking a moment to adjust to what he was seeing before a mild look of worry set in. Dorian ran a paw over his eyes, sopping up the tears as quickly as he could while turning away.

"Y'all fixin' to use that?" Dorian mumbled, drawing his finger and thumb to the corners of his eyes before dragging them down his snout.

Audrey glanced up at the rake still hanging aloft in her paws, taking stock of the object for a moment before reluctantly lowering it to her side and taking a seat in the chair Vernon had left in front of the law wolf's desk.

"I might..." Audrey replied. The she-wolf could still feel the anger boiling beneath her pelt, but Dorian's pathetic look had managed to diminish it to some degree. At least enough to place it back into the category of 'last resort'.

Dorian let out a soft, inaudible grumble, idly twiddling the glass in his paw as his dull stare returned to it. The dim light of the study danced along the sides of the tumbler with each jaunt.

"Heard all of it...?" Dorian murmured weakly. "I take it?" The white wolf's steely grey eyes rose to meet his wife's. In turn, Audrey gave a curt nod.

Dorian let out a beleaguered groan before shifting his attention back to the glass. The wolf remained quiet for a short while, allowing silence to once again dominate the study as he seemed to ruminate carefully over his words.

"Sh-Shouldn't have had to see that..." Dorian muttered.

"No." Audrey corrected, leveling a glare at the wolf. "That shouldn't have happened."

The white wolf's ears perked slightly, his expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief as he looked his wife's way. At least, that was the emotion he was trying to convey, but underneath Audrey could see the obvious signs of guilt.

"Shouldn't ha-?" Dorian stopped, lazily shaking his head. "It ain't my fa-!"

Audrey dropped the head of the rake on his desk with a loud clatter, cutting the wolf off midsentence.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Audrey spat, doing her best to keep her voice from wavering. "As far as I'm concerned this weekend is almost entirely yer fault!"

"My!?" Dorian sputtered. "I-ME!? I mea-!" The wolf's voice cracked as he placed his glass down firmly on the desk. The wolf opened his mouth to speak again, but nothing came, and soon the white wolf simply closed his muzzle. Dorian let out another weary sigh as his head sagged despondently, his eyes once again finding his glass as he reassumed his dead to the world stance she had found him in. He lingered like that for a while, until Audrey was forced to push the conversation forward.

"Dorian." Audrey asked, her voice firm but with a lilt of concern. "Something is wrong."

The wolf lazily lifted his head. "What?"

"Somethin' is wrong with you Dori." Audrey continued. "I can see it." The she-wolf reached out a paw, gingerly placing it on the edge of his desk as she stared into his eyes. "I can see it in yer eyes, I can see it deep down in there."

Dorian let out a slight scoff.

"How long?" Audrey asked.

"How long what?" The slightly buzzed wolf replied.

"How long has whatever it is been eatin' you up without me seein' it?" Audrey asked.

The white wolf let out another sharper scoff, his posture straightening as slipped into his former composure. The wolf wiped his eyes again before slapping a paw against his desk.

"You know how long!" Dorian shook his head. "You heard what I said to the boy! Do I need to repeat it?"

Audrey crossed her paws. "Y'all mean that nonsense about Dawn's past?"

Dorian sneered. "Nonsense!? NONSENSE!?" The wolf chuckled blithely. "The ewe is a criminal! One of the worst criminals Zootopia, naw, Animalia has ever seen! And I'm just supposed to just let her into to this family cause she says she's 'changed'?" The wolf emphasized the word in a mocking tone. "It's Bull!"

"That's bull!" Audrey replied bluntly.

Dorian simply laughed in response.

"Why, because she saved the city once?" The wolf shook his head. "Doesn't exactly negate the first crime does it...?" The wolf drew an arm across the room idly. " And who knows what was goin' through her head that night in -"

"She saved out boy Dorian!" She snapped back. "Who knows what her father would have done to him!"

"She's also the reason our boy ended up there in the first place!" The law wolf was quick to retort.

Audrey simply shook her head. "Yer still lyin' to me."

Dorian choked back a laugh. "Lyin'? LYI-!?"

"Yes lyin'!" Audrey snapped back. " Unless you've been drunk all these years and I never met the sober Dori, because the Dori I know and love don't think that way!"

Dorian scoffed, turning his head away from the she-wolf.

"She's been rehabilitated Dori." Audrey continued. "Paid her debt's to society and is tryin' to make a clean break."

Dorian grumbled, the sound something between acknowledgment of Audrey's words and annoyance. However, he continued to avert the she-wolf's gaze.

"You and I both know how y'all have always said over and over again how important it was to give mammal's in that situation the chance to prove themselves without just writin' em off."

Dorian grumbled again in a way that was nearly identical to the one before.

"Fer the gods sakes, y'all drilled it into the boy's skulls over and over again!" Audrey added. "And yet yer surprised when you see yer boy takin' that to heart?"

"The key word bein' there..." Dorian muttered, his eyes briefly finding Auddey's before shifting back to the window. "Is tryin'."

Audrey scrunched her muzzle up in distaste, tilting her head slightly.

"You tryin' to tell me you don't think that girl is tryin'?" Audrey asked, raising a curious brow. She could already tell the wolf was trying to throw her off again, his renewed stance a defensive posture that was a clear sign he was circling the wagons. But what topped it off was the fact that he crossed his arms tightly as he turned to answer her.

"Well if this weekend is any reflection of her attempt's at tryin'..." Dorian flashed Audrey a scowl.

Audrey rolled her eyes.

"So she screwed up." Audrey replied, extending her arms out and offering the dour old wolf a shrug. "Mammals make mistakes."

Dorian scoffed.

"And Dawn was probably the most remorseful about breakin' those rules next to Vanna!" Audrey continued. "Certainly more upset with herself than you've ever gotten with any of the other boys and gals when they broke that rule!"

"Oh p-"

Audrey stood, placing the rake down as she loomed over the white wolf's desk. "Tell me we haven't ever bungled up things involvin' family!?" Audrey shook her head. "Y'all gonna tell me yer Pa welcomed our relationship with open paws!?"

Dorian's ears dropped, the trace of a guilty expression crossing his muzzle as he struggled to remain defiant under the she-wolf's accusation. Dorian seemed to struggle for a moment, raising slightly in his seat in a lame attempt to stand toe to toe with his mate before ultimately deciding to sit back down. The white wolf opened his muzzle, but Audrey was quick to cut him off.

"How many times did Pa Hunter catch us gettin' frisky huh!?" Audrey snapped. "And if you want to talk about the family reputation you sure as hell remember the time he caught us in the back of the food stall tryin' to multiply like bunnies!"

Audrey could see a deep crimson flushing through Dorian's muzzle as his eyes shifted back to his empty glass. The seemingly uncomfortable wolf once again returning to idly playing with the tumbler as he let out a few awkward coughs. Audrey crossed her arms, flashing the white wolf an accusatory glare. Despite the fact that he wasn't looking directly at her, she could see his posture slacken further under her gaze.

"At least Vern's got a better grip on his howlin' than you did at that age! You couldn't even stand a little foreplay without lettin' everybody know what we were up to!" Audrey scoffed. " And we got the same speech about soilin' the Hunter name over gettin' caught by yer old mam' that I'm sure you gave that little ewe last night over just bein' around Vern and the family!"

Dorian glared up at his wife fiercely, a renewed fire in his eyes as he jumped to his feet to meet her gaze with equal fervor. But behind the sudden intensity, she could see the hint of anxiety setting in by the way his pupils quavered. It was the same way Ulric's pupils danced under the same circumstance. "Why are you even defendin' that little G-!?" Dorian stopped short of completing the slur, most likely out of fear as to how the she-wolf would reply.

"Gimmer?" Audrey completed his statement, making sure her delivery of the phrase was dripping with enough disgust to further shame the wolf for his abnormal behavior. "Is that what you were gonna say?"

Dorian's ears sagged as the wolf slowly slinked back into his seat.

"Because I think you've used that word enough fer a lifetime over this weekend." Audrey shook her head. "Seems like its a fairly recent addition to that vocabulary of yers."

Dorian scoffed as he returned to playing with his glass.

"Dorian." Audrey lowered her voice, her tone taking on a more pleading sound as she eyed the pitiful heap of a wolf. But despite the change in her approach, the wolf seemed to ignore her attempt to draw his gaze. She waited only for a few moments before grabbing the white wolf by the bottom of his muzzle and tilting his head up to face her. But even that effort was somewhat thwarted by the law wolf averting his gaze.

"Dorian!" Audrey shook his head slightly in an effort to force him to look at her. He was clearly trying to resist, but eventually, the continued shaking caused the wolf to buckle. With a tired sigh, Dorian looked up at his wife, and while he tried to retain some sort of determined look in his steely grey eyes, the way they quivered slightly told her that it was hurting the wolf just to meet her gaze.

"In the thirty plus years we've been together y'all ain't never used that kinda language." Audrey said with a frown. "Not even when interrogatin' criminals! Not even when you were fightin' with yer Pa over me!" Audrey continued to gently shake his head in time with the words she felt the need to emphasize. She could see the hint of guilt in the wolf growing as she spoke. From the faintest trace of something he was hiding deeply behind his facade of confidence and carelessness into a visible rising panic that was barely being contained.

"I could never imagine my mate would be capable of sayin' somethin' like that to anyone, no matter how angry he was!" Audrey continued. "So stop lyin' to me and tell me what this is all about!"

"I-I..." Dorian averted his gaze, only for her to shake his muzzle again.

For a moment she thought she finally had the wolf pinned to the wall. That she had finally pierced the massive barrier he had been building around himself for most of the reunion. But suddenly, Dorian pulled his muzzle free of her grip with a jerk, pushing her arm away with a dismissive paw before recoiling into his chair.

"I ain't allowed to call a mammal scum!?" Dorian sputtered. "After what she did to my boy!" Dorian extended an arm toward Audrey, feigning a look of horror and disbelief as he slipped right back into his lame act. "OUR boy!" The wolf emphasized the word as his ears sagged down in clear disappointment.

"Because of that..." Dorian stopped, again taking a moment to change his phrasing clearly due to Audrey's previous objections. "Because of her, we nearly lost Zach!"

Audrey crossed her arms, looking down and away from her mate as she tried to steel herself for what she thought might be coming. Dorian was slipping, and his desperation was growing more and more obvious with every passing moment. With each failed attempt to lie directly to her face, the law wolf's movements became increasingly jittery and jerky. His even tone faltering more and more as the speed and delivery of his rebuttals increased. He was clearly uncomfortable, and was looking for any out he could get the she-wolf to accept. But just how far was Dorian really willing to go to try and worm out from under the investigative pressure she was putting on him? Would her husband be so callous as to try to play on her emotions in an effort to avoid discussing a topic? It would be a new low for him. Then again, her husband seemed to be pulling out all the stops when it came just how low he could sink tonight.

The second the wolf's pleading eyes met hers, that phony entreating expression of sympathy she could practically predict the exact words that were going to come out of his muzzle.

"After what she did, how can you-"

"Don't..." Audrey said with a low growl, her ears flattening against her head as she glared down at her mate. The usually bold white wolf seemed to shirk in his stance, his head cowing slightly into his shoulders. But despite his defeated posture, the wolf maintained eye contact.

"Don't...what?" Dorian asked.

"Don't. You. Rutting. Dare!" Audrey hissed, balling her fists tightly as she loomed over the wolf. Audrey glanced back at her rake, quickly scooping it up in a paw before raising it high over her head.

Dorian flinched, but only for a moment as he desperately tried to keep up his act.

"I'm jus-!"

"You think I can't tell when someone's tryin' to manipulate me!?" Audrey spat, causing the wolf to shift his attention back down to his glass. The shame coming off the older wolf was palpable.

"How could you...?" Audrey whimpered softly as she lowered the rake, letting it drop lamely against her side. "How could you try to use somthin' like that on me?"

Dorian looked up for a moment. Now the guilt was truly shining through on his muzzle.

"Yer wife." Audrey felt tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. "Yer mate."

Dorian let out a soft, mournful whine.

"The one you pledged to yer honesty an loyalty to above all others under the harvest moon all them years ago!" Audrey's tone was a mixture of sadness and rising anger, the two emotions battling it out to take command over the situation as she struggled to come to terms with what her mate had tried to do.

"To even imply..." Audrey's throat went dry, the words dying in her throat as the powerfully painful concept burned a hole into her mind. "That I don't care about my son's accident because I'm sidin' with that girl over you...I..."

The she-wolf balled her fists tightly, turning away from the wolf for a moment in order to try to regain her composure. The tears were silently streaming from her eyes now, but she managed to keep an even and calm tone as she spoke.

"I've never been so insulted..." Audrey continued, biting her lip harshly as she fought to suck back the tears. "And so ashamed of you..."

"A-Auddey..." She heard Dorian murmur.

"Did our tithe mean nothin' to you?" The words carried the same disbelief in their tone as the mere thought had made her feel the moment it had popped into her mind. "Were you just spittin' into the wind when you spoke those words to me or did they actually mean somthin'?"

"Auddey." Dorian said more firmly, but Audrey couldn't bring herself to look at the wolf as he spoke. "I didn't mea- I mean I...I..."

Audrey turned on her heels, glaring sharply at the crumpled wolf sitting in the chair behind the table. The wolfess grit her teeth tightly as she stabbed a claw at him.

"You know how terrified I was when I got that call!" Audrey spat, her vitriolic tone causing the law wolf to jerk slightly in his chair. "How terrified we both were!"

Dorian nodded dumbly, his muzzle remaining shut as he guiltily eyed the she-wolf.

"I was a wreck fer weeks!" Audrey ran a shaky paw through her hair, pushing it free of her tear-filled eyes. "I could barely sleep, I could barely eat, I was just so damn terrified that at any moment I was gonna get another call tellin' me...t-tellin' me..." Audrey couldn't even bear to finish the sentence, her darkest fear far too painful to even mention aloud.

The she-wolf began to pace in front of the desk as the suddenly mute white wolf continued to watch.

"There ain't a day that goes by where that buried fear ain't livin' in the back of my mind, worryin' that this day is the one where I'm finally gonna get that call!" Audrey turned to face Dorian as she came to the front of the desk, slamming her paws out on the face of it with a sharp snap as she glared down at her husband. The white wolf seemed to be growing smaller and smaller by the minute as he slunk deeper into his padded green chair, the skin under his muzzle almost matching the chair's hue.

"But I had to learn to live with that risk since yer first day on the job." Audrey said with a whimpering sigh. "And we both had to live with it when most of those boys went down the same road you did."

The she-wolf ran a paw through her hair again, but despite her best efforts a few stray strands kept slipping free and dangling over her face. "I mourn every damn day, every time ANY of y'all go to work. And my heart rejoices every time you make it back in one piece!" Audrey sniffled. "It hurts me to stay quiet whenever one of y'all gets hurt, whenever there's any kind of problem, because I always go back to the day I almost lost my pup..."

"Auddey..." Dorian said weakly.

"Of course I ain't gonna tell y'all not to go!" Audrey spat. "To force you not to do what y'all wanted because I was scared!" Audrey lamely wiped a paw over her eyes to clear the fresh wave of tears that had started to form. " I ain't so selfish I expect everyone around me to bow to my every whim!" Audrey's nostrils flared as she let out a sharp exhale. "I just wanted my boys to be happy! I wanted my family to be happy!"

Audrey let out a quivering sigh as a chill ran up her spine. It all hurt so much, too much for this old wolfess to take. But somehow she had managed to stay standing despite the overwhelming pounding in her chest. The feeling agony that hung heavy in her chest made it almost impossible to breathe, but somehow, she managed to press onward.

"And I thought you wanted that too..." Audrey said softly. "But whatever yer runnin' from...your willin' to throw away everythin' just to avoid it! Even yer family!"

"Th-that's off base." Dorian sputtered, the wolf clinging to whatever remnants of composure he had left as though it were a life raft in a stormy sea. "I-I ain't runnin' from anythin' I-!"

"BULLSHIT!" Audrey snapped! "Dorian Everett Hunter, you are many things, but you ain't a good liar!"

"I ain-!"

"HUNTERS CAN SMELL BULLSHIT!" Audrey cut him down mid-sentence. "Yer the one who taught me that, and yer boys." The she-wolf crossed her arms once more as she appraised the wolf. "And lookin' at the state yer in now it wouldn't even take a Hunter to sniff out the bull yer tryin' to sling."

Dorian grit his teeth, letting out a sharp snarl as he shot to his feet. The wolf slammed a fist against his desk as he met Audrey's gaze.

"DAMNIT AUDDEY, I AIN'T DIS-!"

The she-wolf cut off Dorian by slamming the desk with her own paw in equal measure, her nose practically touching her husbands as she lunged forward.

"Dorian, I swear to the gods..." Audrey whispered, staring back at her mate with a gaze so sharp and cold it almost felt as though blades were firing out of her sockets. "If you don't trust me enough to tell me the truth about what's going on in the next five seconds I am turning around and walking out of this study..."

The she-wolf stabbed a sharp claw toward the door her son had exited through just moments before, but her gaze remained fixed on Dorian.

"And then I am walkin' out of yer life forever." Audrey snapped coldly. Dorian could never know how much that had pained her to say, to even be able to keep up her fierce and confident front in the face of her husband while her insides were screaming in emotional agony at even the concept of leaving the wolf she loved so dearly. But if Dorian was willing to sink to the bottom of the barrel in an effort to throw her off his scent, then she was more than willing to join him there.

Luckily the threat seemed to have the desired effect almost instantaneously. Fear, honest to the gods fear. It was an expression Audrey was certain she had never seen Dorian experience in her life. Yet she could see it in his eyes the moment the idle threat left her muzzle. His ears sagged sharply, the wolf taking a stumbling step back as he stared at Audrey in disbelief.

"A-Auddey." Dorian reached a paw lamely to his chest, but it never reached it, simply hanging in the air somewhere between as he stared dumbly back at the she-wolf.

"O-Our...?But..." Dorian trailed off, seemingly unable to put whatever he had to say into the proper words. The wolf gulped audibly, closing his eyes and staying that way for a few moments before managing to find some semblance of his speaking voice.

"Our tithe..." Dorian muttered weakly.

Audrey could feel the tears flowing out of her eyes, but despite it, she managed to maintain her cold and serious demeanor as her unflinching glare remained fixed on her husband.

"Oh now y'all care about our tithe?" Auddey spat. "Seems like y'all only seem to care about the sanctity of a tithe when it's convenient fer you."

Dorian looked wounded, the wolf's paw finally managing to clutch his chest as he eyed the she-wolf in disbelief.

"B-B-But-."

"Honesty Dorian." Audrey continued to stare through her mate. "Loyalty, honesty, carin' fer each other whether rich or poor, fer the best or worst. That's what it means to be someone mate." Audrey's piercing glare finally broke, the she-wolf letting out a shuddering exhale as she looked down at the wolf's desk, studying the grooves in the polished oak.

"If you won't be honest with me, yer wife." Audrey muttered, running a paw lamely across the smooth surface of the desk. "The how am I supposed to believe that sacred bond means anythin' to you?"

Dorian slowly slumped into his chair, the wolf's head downturned as his eyes seemingly returned to the empty tumbler in front of him. Silence once again filled the dimly lit room, leaving the air stagnant with the foul nature of the previous arguments that had echoed through the fine redwood walls. It felt like an eternity to Audrey, the emotional tumor that hung heavily in her chest feeling as though it was set to burst out of her with every excruciatingly long second that eked by.

She was nearly ready to make good on her threat, just so she didn't have to stand in that room for a second longer and endure the agonizing heartache Dorian's silent treatment was giving her. But finally, a weak voice pierced the deafening noiselessness. A meek, whimpering wisp of a thing that almost reminded her of Dawn's own voice, like the last pleading calls of a defeated pup.

"I'm scared..." Dorian muttered.

Audrey felt the weight in her chest bottom out as she tried to register what the wolf had said to her.

"What?"

The white wolf slowly lifted his head to reveal a steady stream of tears had started to flow from his eyes as he barely managed to meet her gaze. It was a look that made her feel almost powerless, pulling all the heat and rage out of her in the blink of an eye, and in its absence came the overwhelming desire to go to his side and comfort the crestfallen wolf. She was still his mate, and to see him suffering like this felt agonizing. But until he finally came clean with the true nature of what had consumed the better part of his mind, she needed to hold firm to her convictions. Even if she had to forcibly seat herself, clutching the armrests of the chair for dear life in order to do so.

"I...I'm scared Auddey." Dorian whimpered. "I'm so damn terrified. I have been since..." Dorian trailed off, the wolf placing his head in his paw before sweeping it back through his hair. All the while his arm trembling violently. "I can't function...I can't..."

"Dori..." Audrey cooed softly. It was surely a night of firsts alright. And it only continued with Dorian's startling admission. She had finally gotten through, cut through all the lies and evasion and got to the heart of whatever it is that was eating at the wolf.

Dorian had always been a confident mammal, and his demeanor reflected that in spades. He never seemed to show weakness, at least not when it came to displaying feelings of fear or terror. In fact, Audrey aside most mammals tended to assume Dorian was fearless. A towering pillar of strength that both the North Meadowlands Community and the Hunter family could depend on. When it came to the she-wolf, she hadn't seen the white wolf fearful of anything since the death of Papa Hunter, and even that appeared more subdued when compared to his current state. She had seen the wolf at his softest, and his sweetest, but never had she seen him so terrified.

The white wolf looked back up at her with glassy, watering eyes. A pleading stare that seemed to be begging the wolfess for help.

Dorian looked at her paw for a moment before glancing back at the empty glass on his desk. His eyes rose to meet hers once again for a split second, and in it, she saw the glimmer of mammal looking to run. The wolf reached a paw into the darkness at the fringe of his desk, pulling out a very recognizable decanter full of brandy. Dorian was just about to pour when the sudden appearance of a rake over his paw stopped him dead in his tracks.

The white wolf's nervous glance darted up to meet hers.

"I think we've heard more than enough from 'that' Dorian." Audrey said. Her tone was firm, but with a distinct air of concern lacing her words.

Dorian stared at her for a few moments before slowly nodding in agreement and placing the bottle back into the darkened shroud of the corner of his desk as Audrey pulled the rake away. The law wolf followed up with sliding the glass into the dark along with it before cradling his head in his paws.

"Dorian, I'm not going anywhere." Audrey cooed. "Let it all out."

"I hate it..." Dorian whimpered. "I hate this feeling." The white wolf sniffled. "I feel so rutting weak!"

"You ain't weak Darlin'."

"I am!" Dorian snapped his head up, letting out a soft growl. The kind of growl that gave Audrey the impression it was directed inward rather than at her. Dorian's angry expression quickly faltered as he turned her attention back to Audrey. The concerned she-wolf reached her paw out, finally managing to snag one of her mates paws. Audrey gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Why do you think yer weak Dori?" Audrey cooed sweetly.

The white-wolf pawed at his eyes, trying to get the tears to stop, but his efforts were in vain as the wolf struggled to continue.

"Because I failed..." Dorian replied weakly, his voice breaking completely as the words came forth. "I failed this town, I failed my department, my damn family! I failed to keep 'em safe! ANY OF 'EM!"

Audrey quirked a curious eyebrow. Was whatever her husband's problem was still somehow related to Zach? She could tell he was being genuine with her now, but earlier when he had brought up Zach's accident his demeanor made it clear it wasn't the heart of the matter. Maybe it did have something to do with what almost happened to Vernon in Zootopia, but even so, no one could blame the older wolf for not being able to help protect their son when he had no idea what was happening.

"Killers in my own midst!" Dorian whined. "Mammals I saw as friends...I can't believe I..." Dorian took in a sharp breath of air, only to let out a shuddering series of coughing sobs.

"Honey please, please!" Audrey cooed, squeezing his paw tightly. The she-wolf leaned out of her chair in order to wipe the older wolf's eyes free of the hot tears.

"HOW DID I NOT SEE IT!?" Dorian let out another whine.

The wolf's statements were only getting more and more baffling by the minute. It was clear the wolf had been holding this dark secret in for far too long, but regardless she wouldn't be able to help if she couldn't get a clear assessment of what was going on. Audrey brushed away another tear with her thumb before sliding her paw up against her mate's face and drawing his eyes back to her.

"Dori..." Audrey's tone remained sweet and comforting as she stared back into Dorian's steely gray eyes. "Please start from the beginnin'. I can't make sense of what yer sayin'."

Dorian let out another hoarse weep before doing his best to try and regain some of his composure. The white wolf pulled his paw free of Audrey's, leaning back into his chair as he pawed the tears away from his eyes. With a shuddering sigh, the wolf placed his paws on his desk, wrapping his fingers together as he brought his eyes to meet Audrey's again.

"Do you remember officer Merino and McCria?" Dorian asked quietly.

Audrey quirked an eyebrow. The names were certainly familiar. While they weren't around often they regularly showed up to Dorian's monthly card nights along with some of the others at the station and Representative Ruddy. Although she knew for a fact that Dorian had known the sheep and alpaca since he was in middle school, and well enough that they could easily bring out his more jovial side when they spoke to the wolf over the phone. They were some of the few mammals that knew there was more to Dorian than imposing officer that managed to strike fear into the hearts of most of his own recruits without saying so much as a single word.

Audrey nodded softly.

"Of course I do." Audrey replied.

Dorian took a slow deep breath, rubbing his temples with his paws for a few moments before managing to continue.

"I've known Alan and Deb since I was a fairly young pup." Dorian replied. "Hell Alan and me were as tight as Vernon is with that goat boy." The wolf added, gesturing vaguely in the direction of where Vernon departed.

"O' course things kinda fell off over the years." Dorian continued. "Family, kids, life, ya just don't have as much time to maintain those kinda friendships the way ya used too." Dorian placed his head back into his paws, slumping the full weight of his body on them. "But still, I THOUGHT I KNEW them!"

"Dori..." Audrey said quietly, her voice laden with concern. Dorian didn't look up, but the wolf continued, seemingly keen on barreling through it now,

"Back when the first night howler incident happened." Dorian grumbled, wiping a paw through his hair. " I mean...after Bellwether was caught and after Zach got hurt...there was an investigation."

Dorian managed to lift his head slightly, exposing a single bleary and bloodshot eye to Audrey.

"D.C. sent a bunch of Feds out to investigate Zootopia's government and public services from top to bottom." Dorian muttered. " Bellwether's little conspiracy made mammals both inside and outside Zootopia antsy about just how deep the corruption may have run. They were afraid there were still sympathizers and co-conspirators workin' behind the scenes even after she was put away, and the threat it could pose not just to the sovereignty of Zootopia, but the nations outside of it." Dorian brushed the hair out of his eyes before placing his fingers on his temple. "And part of that investigation involved bringing together the district police chiefs fer a meeting, interviewin' 'em and doin' deep background checks on every one of us, as well as the mammal's workin' at our precincts."

Audrey nodded. "I remember that." The she-wolf said. "I remember how much you were goin' on about bein' forced to sit near Chief Latrey from the South Meadowlands District."

Dorian let out a weak, halfhearted chuckle. "That coyote always was a prick..."With a sigh the wolf leaned back in his chair, running a paw through his hair in a clear effort to push it out of his eyes. "Always lookin' down his snout at my officers, callin' 'em_'quaint'_..." Dorian trailed off, giving his head a brisk shake as if prevent himself from going on a tangent and returning to the point.

"I shouldered most of the more intense scrutiny, as did most of the other chiefs. But once I was given the clear, and they started investigating my officers, my words when it came to vouchin' fer their character weighed heavily into just how deeply each officer was investigated." Dorian muttered.

"And when it came to Merino and McCria, I vouched fer 'em up and down." Dorian shook his head. "I was willin' to appoint them both to the heads of our undercover night howler division I was so sure of 'em."

Dorian chuckled weakly again, trailing off into another strange, almost bemused sigh. "I believed in 'em that much." Dorian continued. "They were good cops, good friends...I thought..."

"Even when that water buffalo from precinct one looked 'em both over and said to me in private he wasn't too sure about 'em, I rose to their defense." The white wolf grit his teeth as the low thrum of a growl began to emanate from his throat. "I stood toe to toe with that towerin' mass of mammal and said 'These are good cops, and just because we're rural don't mean we don't know how to pull our weight in the North Meadowlands.'"

The wolf placed a paw to his brow, pressing his fingers into the flesh above his eyes softly. " I chalked it up to everyone still bein' on edge about sheep after..." the wolf shook his head. "If I had only known..."

"Dorian." Audrey cut in, placing a paw on the desk as Dorian turned back to face her. "What happened? Please. Tell me what happened."

Dorian let out a long, tired sigh.

"After Mr. Bellwether's attempted attack on Zootopia a few months back...a lot of interestin' facts came to light."

Dorian placed his elbows on the desk, clasping his paws together before leaning his muzzle into his paws.

"Aster's manifesto, details of his plans, all sort of tidbits of information. More stuff comin' out every day as the investigations continued." Dorian muttered. "They dug and dug for every tie the mammal had." The white wolf raised a paw slightly, massaging his forehead for a moment before returning to his stance. "Every mammal who was set to benefit should his plan have gone off without a hitch."

Audrey nodded softly, encouraging the wolf to go on.

"You see, part of old mad mammal Bellwether's plan involved bringing the North and South Meadowlands police forces in to clean up after the night howler bombin'." Dorian muttered. "With the Zootopian Reserved Miltary Base stuck in Sahara Square, in the center of all the madness, Aster surmised we'd be the first line of defense, both to keep night howler infected mammals from spillin' into the Meadowlands, as well as to take back the city."

Dorian leaned back in his chair, the old seat letting out a soft squeak as he reeled back into darkness. Audrey couldn't see the wolf's face very well behind the dark shadow, but she could still hear him.

"Along with the Alpine Ridge police, we would be sent into Tundra Town in an effort to cut through to the base in Sahara Square." Dorian began to rock softly in the chair, the slight squeak only adding to the tension as the wolf continued his story. "We'd re-arm there, and hold the spot until the North Mammalian National Guard arrived with back up. And once they did, we'd take back the whole city over the course of several days."

The wolf ceased his rocking, allowing the uncomfortable silence to return to the room for a moment. The tension had grown thick enough to cut with a knife.

"It was gonna be dangerous." Dorian sighed. "Nothin' between us and our limited supply of tranquilizers versus a whole mess of savage mammals with no quick way to cure 'em." The wolf continued, his tone growing weary and clinical as he continued to prattle off the details. "Of course, Aster had assumed, and rightfully so, that we'd more than likely have to rely on live firearms to get through."

Audrey let out a soft gasp, placing a paw to her lips as the gravity of Dorian's statement registered with her.

"You mean...?" Audrey trailed off, her muzzle unable to produce the words necessary to convey the horrible conclusion she had come to. Despite the dark of the room making it rather hard to see Dorian's expression, she could easily make out the wolf's affirmative nod.

"A hefty cost..." Dorian muttered weakly. "One we'd have to carry fer the rest of our lives..."

Audrey was shocked to say the least. But despite just how bewildered and stunned she was by just learning the full details of the horrible scenario Dawn's monstrous father had been planning for, she found herself more curious about something else."

"Just how did you find out about this?" Audrey asked. "I mean so much detail...I can't imagine that was public knowledge at the time." The she-wolf continued. "Did you find out at work or-?"

"I'm just tellin' you the same thing the investigator from Sahara Square's Police Department told me when he came out to our office." Dorian replied. "Along with several officers from his own precinct with arrest warrants fer Merino and McCria."

Audrey furrowed her brow in confusion.

"W-what?" The she-wolf asked.

Dorian fell silent, the wolf leaning back into the dark shroud outside the range of the weak lamplight. Slowly Dorian leaned back into the light, his tired bloodshot eyes and miserable expression coming back into clear view as he eyed the wolfess wearily. The wolf looked absolutely devastated.

"Aster had been in contact with the both of 'em about three years back..." Dorian said softly. "They were workin' with him."

Audrey's eyes slowly widened as the realization fully dawned on her, the shock coursing through her at a sloths pace before she finally managed to stammer a response.

"W-What?" Audrey let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "You can't be serious!?"

Dorian sighed, closing his eyes as his head drooped softly.

"They knew all about it. Especially the bit out our department bein' deployed to clean up the mess." The wolf shook his head softly. "And what their role was gonna be in it."

"Dori..." Audrey was at a loss for words. The she-wolf had no idea where to even begin with what her husband had just dropped in her lap. It seemed like it was all a dream, yet the sincerity in his voice told her it was all too real.

"Ya see, Aster had plants in all of the departments outside of the big four districts. All of 'em there to make sure the clean-up was a complete failure." Dorian sighed, running a trembling paw over his hair. "To pull back while the other officers were under attack and tell the public outside how they were completely overwhelmed in the savage chaos and barely got away." Dorian began to growl softly. "Some of them goin' so far to ensure that the other innocent officers didn't make it back by taken' it upon themselves to finish the job."

Dorian placed his elbows on the desk, slouching his head into his paws with a terse motion as he let out another shuddering, tearful sigh.

"And that's what Merino and McCrea were plannin' to do to me, Zach and Vanna."

Audrey's heart dropped, a familiar rush of anguish and terror overtaking the wolf as she even considered the notion of what the wolf was saying had it come to pass. The muscles around her heart felt as though they were clamping down like a vice as she struggled to reply, to say anything to her husband. Audrey opened her muzzle to speak, but the words just wouldn't come.

"You see, Alan and Deb used that position I gave them, confiscatin' night howler to stash aside a little bit of the drug to use fer themselves." Dorian muttered. "With Aster supplyin' basic instructions on how to synthesize it from that Doug fella, they had started making their own night howler pellets and stockpilin' them."

The wolf ran a paw through his hair, dabbing the sweat off his brow as he did.

"They were waitin' for the day we were gonna be deployed to clean up Aster's mess." The wolf growled. "Bidin' their time watchin' the back of the group until we ran out of our limited stock of tranq weapons. Once that happened, they were going to pellet as many of us as they could, startin' with me, Zach, and Vanna, and continuing with as many other officers they could safely strike during the confusion before high-tailin' out of there." Dorian let out a sharp exhale of air, breathing in with a stuttering whimper.

"With nothin' to put us down safely, we'd either be kilt by the remainin' officers or tear each other apart." Dorian hissed. "And in the off chance our bodies were even recovered, there'd be little to no way to prove that foul play had been involved." Dorian leveled his bloodshot gaze on his mate, his lids squinting tightly around his steely grey eyes. "They'd just think another bomb went off, or that whatever night howler weapon had been used had made the effects of the drug transmissible."

"B-but why?" Audrey whimpered, still struggling to overcome the surreal shock of the wolf's account.

Dorian squeezed his brow between his thumb and forefinger.

"So after everythin' was all over, they could slip themselves into the previously occupied roles of Sheriff and Deputy with no muss 'er fuss." Dorian replied. "They'd be the next most capable officers in-line anyway. And bein' the highest rankin' survivors in the attempts to save savage Zootopia, why, the county would see 'em as heroes."

"Oh...Oh Dori..." Audrey whimpered, reaching out a shaky paw toward her husband.

"All of that..." Dorian muttered. "All of that schemin' and plannin' because they wanted my job..." The wolf sank his head back into his paws, letting out another shuddering sigh. "They were willin' to kill us over it..."

"Dori..."

The white wolf's head quickly snapped back up, and he slammed his paw against the desk so sharply that it caused Audrey to jump in her seat. A fresh stream of tears was pouring down his fur, but his muzzle was twisted up in malice and hate.

"AND I DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT!" The wolf spat, growling through his teeth. "I TRUSTED THOSE MAMMALS WITH MY LIFE AND THEY PLAYED ME LIKE A DAMN FOOL!"

The wolf ran a trembling paw through his scalp, harshly dragging his hair away from his face that clung to the increasingly sweaty and tear-soaked fur. "HUNTERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SMELL BULLSHIT!" Dorian continued, slamming his paw against the desk once more. "It's that keen intuition that helps us separate friend and foe! To protect our community, our FAMILIES!"

Dorian allowed his head to fall to his desk, knocking his forehead against the oaken wood with a dull thud.

"And those two were lyin' right under my nose..." Dorian whimpered. "Mammals I thought were my friends...only waitin' there to stab me in the back..." The wolf glanced up at his wife with watering eyes, but his head remained fixed against the desk surface.

"And worst of all, they were gonna hurt our boy...and Vanna....and who knows who else." Dorian whimpered. "They were a threat to my family, and I was blind to it." Dorian wiped his eyes, taking a sharp snort in an effort to suck back the tears steadily streaming from his eyes. "T-that's on me. That's my fault." Dorian said coldly.

The wolf let out a strange, almost strangled sounding sigh. It almost sounded as if the wolf was momentarily amused with himself despite the choking sobs that broke up the sound.

"I remember the morning after Aster's plan failed..."Dorian muttered. " Back when as far as the world knew, he was the sole mastermind behind the whole operation. I was the one to break the news to them." Dorian chuckled darkly. "They looked so surprised, so scared of what almost happened." The wolf rolled his eyes. " Only in hindsight did I figure out that was nothin' but fear for their own hides." Dorian shook his head. "They could feel the noose tightenin' around their throats, and if I hadn't been so damn blind I would have realized it was the same guilty expression that I get from criminals every damn day."

"Dori..." Audrey cooed, placing a gentle paw on the white wolfs hair and gently brushing his ear in an attempt to calm him down. "Why didn't you say anything?" The she-wolf asked. " You should have come to me, you should have told me."

Dorian shuddered, wiping lamely at his tears again.

"I wasn't allowed to at first." Dorian whimpered. "The investigation into the conspiracy was still ongoing, and in order to root out more of Aster's plants and supporters I had to keep the arrests as quiet as possible." The white wolf let out a tired sigh. "Hell I still ain't supposed to tell, but, I just..."

"Shh, shh..." Audrey tutted, continuing to stroke the troubled wolf's head gently.

"It gutted me Auddey..." Dorian whimpered. "Ripped my insides up somethin' fierce." The wolf placed a paw over his eyes, letting out another choking sob. "After what happened I wasn't certain about anythin' anymore."

"What do you mean Dori?" Audrey asked.

"I kept second guessin' myself, couldn't read mammals at all." Dorian whined. "After the first few days I differed all interrogation duties to the other officers because I didn't trust my own judgement!" The wolf whimpered. "And I just...I couldn't trust anyone."

Dorian leaned his head up on a paw, causing Audrey to draw back slightly as the wolf adjusted himself.

"I even started keepin' Ruddy at arm's length because I wasn't sure I could trust him! And I've known him since kindergarten!" Dorian shook his head. "I mean the investigator told me they had already looked into him, and he was clean, but still, it was about my judgment. My-my..."

"You were afraid?" Audrey asked softly, caressing the wolf's cheek with a paw. Dorian leaned into it, placing his paw on hers as he tried to take comfort in the gesture.

The wolf nodded softly.

"Petrified." The wolf scoffed. "But the people of the North Meadowlands look up to me. My officers look up to me..." Dorian muttered. "My family used to look up to me...till I messed it all up."

"Oh Dori..."

"I'm supposed to be a pillar of the community, a mammal others can rely on. Especially my family." Dorian whimpered. "But I didn't know who I could rely on..."

The wolf rolled his eyes.

"And everyone just keeps coming to me, asking my advice and to make judgment calls." the wolf pulled free of Audrey's caress, slamming his paw against the desk weakly. "AND I JUST CAN'T!" The wolf hissed. "I CAN'T RISK MAKING THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!"

"Dorian." Audrey tried to interject, but the white wolf clearly wasn't done. His steely gaze returning to one of resolve despite the tears still clouding his eyes.

"If someone gets hurt..." Dorian continued. "If my family gets hurt because I make another mistake I'll never forgive myself."

"Is that why y'all are so against Dawn coming into the family?" Audrey asked, despite already feeling confident in the answer.

Dorian turned his head to the side, averting his gaze from the she-wolf.

"H-How can I trust that ewe?" Dorian shook his head softly. "With her father doin' what he did, and what she did before him..." Dorian's ears sagged softly as his sorrowful stare managed to find his mates once again. "What if she hurts our family? What if she hurts..." The wolf trailed off, seemingly unable to finish his sentence.

Audrey reached out a paw, gesturing for Dorian to extend his own. The wolf reluctantly reached out, slowly grasping her paw once again and interlocking his fingers. As Audrey gently rubbed her thumb against the top of his paw, the wolf averted his gaze, a look of guilt crawling across his muzzle as his sight fell to the open window.

"Part of my gut is tellin' me she's genuine..." Dorian murmured. "That she's been rehabilitated and she deserves the chance fer a clean break..." The wolf let out a soft whine, running a paw through his sweaty mop of hair.

"But I'm so scared of takin' that risk and bein' wrong." The wolf whimpered. "I just keep seein' her wrap sheet in my mind and thinkin' 'what if she goes right back into it? What if she goes right back to crime?'"

"Dorian..." Audrey said softly, with a lilt of concern. "That doesn't really make any sense." The she-wolf shook her head. "That gal risked her own life and essentially killed her own father to save the city, to save out boy..."

"I know...but...if I make the wrong call I'll...I'll..." Dorian whined. The white wolf's head dipped down, his eyes darting away from Audrey's own in a clear attempt to retreat back inside of himself. "I'll never fergive myself Auddey."

"Dori my love..." Audrey cooed as she reached out her other paw to Dorian's chin. Gingerly the she-wolf drew his muzzle back toward her. Looking deeply in his eyes, she could see a fresh film of moisture shimmering on the surface as the wolf seemed to once again be fighting back tears.

"It ain't yer call to make."

Dorian furrowed his brow in clear confusion, only for Audrey to slightly roll her eyes in response.

"Vernon is an adult Dori." Audrey continued. "And when it comes to his life, whether it's got to do with who is a part of it or what he chooses to do with it, well..." The she-wolf frowned softly. "It's his call to make, not yours."

Audrey could see that glimmer of fear return to her husband's eyes for just a brief moment.

"But-."

Audrey quickly placed a finger to her husband's lips, silencing any further protest before the she-wolf could get to her point.

"Our job is to be there to offer our advice and opinions..." Audrey continued. "To be there if he needs us, and most importantly, to trust his judgment."

Dorian simply blinked at his wife in silence as she drew her paw back from him, and slowly the white wolf leaned back into his chair. Dorian's eyes taking on that familiar far and away look that told her Dorian was mulling over her words in his mind.

"I know yer sufferin' right now Dori." Audrey cooed. "Yer all torn up inside about yer intuition and about trustin' new mammals. About trustin' Dawn."

Dorian winced slightly as the ewe's name left her muzzle, that familiar flash of discomfort and fear behind his gaze finding Audrey's own for a second before shifting off and away once again.

"But you need to trust yer family." The she-wolf returned to gingerly rubbing the side of the wolf's clasped paw with her thumb reassuringly. "You need to trust me." Audrey continued, offering the white wolf a concerned smile.

"And you need to trust yer boy."

Dorian glanced back up at the she-wolf, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"Vernon ain't in doubt about his intuition." Audrey said. "And neither am I." The she-wolf's grin widened, revealing her fangs. "And I can tell those two love each other as much as I love you."

A fresh sheen of moisture seemed to gloss over the wolf's steely gaze as he looked back at her, letting out a soft whine.

"Y-you mean you ain't-?"

Audrey chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Leavin'? Pfft..." The wolfess rolled her eyes. "You really think I could ever leave you?"

Dorian's muzzle shifted down toward his desk, the wolf letting out another soft whimper as he continued to avoid Audrey's gaze.

"Well I mea..." The wolf mumbled. "Y'all said..."

"Dorian Everett Hunter!" Audrey said, her tone a mixture of shock and amusement. "You think I'm just gonna up and walk away from my mate!?" The she-wolf slapped a paw against her knee. "The wolf who gave me the best thirty-some-odd years of mah life!? Who gave me seven beautiful pups who have grown into fine young wolves?" Audrey shook her head in sharp disagreement. "That I would really ever leave the love of mah life!?"

"Auddey..." The wolf's tears were steadily flowing now, and Dorian was lamely pawing at his eyes in order to try to stop them. "I..."

Audrey rose from her seat, making her way carefully around the large oaken table before beckoning the white wolf into her waiting arms. Dorian didn't hesitate for a second, the wolf practically jumping out of his seat and clasping his arms around the wolfess as if he were holding on for dear life. Dorian let out a quiet sob as he buried his muzzle into the she-wolf's shoulder.

"I love you Dorian Hunter." Audrey cooed. "And I always will."

With that, Audrey placed a paw under her mate's chin, lifting his muzzle and bringing his gaze to meet her own before bringing her lips softly against his. It was a deep powerful kiss, the emotional baggage that had been welling in her mate clearly fueling the force and neediness of his mate's comfort. Not that Audrey minded in the slightest. Despite being together for over three decades, the wolfess never seemed to tire of her husband's touch. Every kiss still retained that fire she had first tasted when they were love-struck teens.

Audrey wanted to lose herself in the kiss, to give in now that her mate shared his burden with her and cleared the air. But she had to make sure the wolf was truly ready to let go of the reigns when it came to his sons, to be willing to defer to their judgment in the face of his own uncertainty. And that was going to start with mending the fences with Vernon and keeping him from leaving the pack.

Slowly Audrey broke the kiss, trailing away from her reluctant mate as he slowly opened his eyes.

"And those two love each other just as much..." Audrey said with a sigh. " You need to do right by them."

Dorian frowned, his head sagging as his eyes took to staring at the floor. The wolf fell silent, and the soundless ambiance grew more and more deafening as Audrey awaited her mate's response. The seconds that passed felt like an eternity as the she-wolf grew increasingly uncertain that she had managed to finally get through to her husband. In fact, she had begun to prepare for whatever last, grasping rebuttal Dorian was surely preparing when the wolf finally spoke again.

"By Oldwyn's beard..." Dorian mumbled, releasing his grip on the she-wolf before slowly slumping back into his chair. Dorian placed a paw to his muzzle, gently squeezing it between his thumb and forefinger before drawing it out to his nose and letting out a tired sigh.

"I really hackled everythin' up, didn't I?" The wolf asked, turning his head back to his mate and raising a brow. Audrey chuckled, shaking her head dismissively.

"At least y'all figured that out now, instead of after Vernon was gone." Audrey replied.

Dorian leaned an elbow on his desk before leaning his face into his paw.

"Vernon....teeth to tails!" Dorian spat. "I was gonna let my boy just..." The wolf shook his head.

"I...I can't believe I was so...so...so damn..." Dorian stuttered.

"Stubborn?" Audrey completed the sentence for the wolf, only for the wolf to let out a terse sigh.

"Ugh..." Dorian groaned.

"And pigheaded." Audrey continued with a smirk. "And foolish, and ignorant, and-"

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Dorian rolled his eyes, only to draw another chuckle from the she-wolf.

"It's just..." Dorian ran a paw over his scalp with a shaking paw. "How do I even begin to make this right Auddey?"

The she-wolf crossed her arms, throwing the wolf a knowing glance.

"I think an apology would be a good start." Audrey said, shifting her hips slightly as she spoke.

The white wolf nodded slowly.

"Yeah...I guess..." Dorian muttered, leaning his head back into his paws and staring down at his desk. It was clear the law wolf was back inside his own head, mulling over what Audrey hoped, was a multitude of ways to make things up to the couple for his abhorrent behavior.

"Great." Audrey replied, making her way back around the desk. "I'll just go find 'em and bring 'em back in."

Dorian nodded, but remained silent as he continued to stare through his desk.

Audrey was nearly at the same door Vernon had left through earlier when Dorian suddenly called out.

"Wait!" Dorian barked.

Audrey turned to glance back at her mate, the she-wolf throwing him a discerning glare.

"What is it?" Audrey asked. "Y'all ain't havin' second thoughts now are ya?"

Dorian waved his paws defensively.

"No! Of course not!" The wolf replied. "I just had a better idea is all!"

With that, Dorian pulled his laptop open and began to furiously type away at the keyboard. Audrey watched him for a few moments, cocking her head in confusion before the wolf suddenly raised a paw and gestured the she-wolf toward the wall next to the door.

"Auddey, can y'all pull out a few more bottles of my good brandy from the liquor cabinet?"

Audrey let out an irritated sigh, crossing her arms as she glared in the direction of her mate. However, the law wolf seemed too distracted to notice.

"Oh Dori, we been through this already." Audrey scoffed. "Don't y'all thi-"

"It ain't fer drownin' sorrows." Dorian protested as he reached toward one of the dark corners of his desk. From the shadows, the wolf dragged his desk phone closer to him before taking the device off the hook and starting to dial. "It's fer celebratin'!"

Audrey raised a curious eyebrow at the white wolf's confusing statement, and was about to ask him exactly what he was preparing to celebrate only for the wolf to hold out a paw as he placed the phone to his ear.

"Hello Clover...this is Dorian."