Warren's explorations had not gone unnoticed by the haven, either. All three shifters had caught his scent, and Natasha had actually stopped going outside as often for the time being.

Athena had noticed the change in behavior, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Warren didn't infringe, though, and he was very careful not to cross over the territory marking. He just made note of it and avoided it when he was out, as a man or as a wolf.

But somehow, almost inevitably, Kyle got word of the haven. Partially because the media was currently speculating about whether or not it was really a haven at all.

Athena made sure to be very careful when she was out in public whenever she heard something about the haven. She heard all of the speculation that there was, and some of it made her angry. How dare people try to make it seem like the haven was something bad? She very quickly got to the point where she had to make an effort to ignore the rumors when she heard them.

Which was, partially, how Kyle got involved. He was sitting eating his lunch when he spotted Athena, and he waved her over. The seat across from him was one of the only open ones in the place, after all.

Athena spotted him and immediately went over with her wrapped sandwich.

"Hey," she said. "Escaped for lunch a bit early?"

Kyle nodded. "I needed to get out of the office. The debates over the haven issue are bringing out the worst in some people." He grimaced.

"I don't see how it's even an issue," Athena muttered as she sat down and unwrapped her sandwich with more force than was strictly necessary.

Kyle made a noncommittal humming noise. "The laws are rather infuriatingly vague about the idea of havens," he said, focusing his gaze on his sandwich. "Lots of room for interpretation either way."

"And in all of these reports, did a single one say that anything bad was happening?" Athena asked, viciously stabbing her straw into her drink.

"They hint at it very broadly, but there's been no decisive evidence either way." Kyle shrugged. "It sounds like it's an issue that will be brought to court because it's unprecedented."

"Oh lovely," Athena muttered, already mulling that over. Tony was going to burst a blood vessel over that, she was sure.

"I can help," Kyle offered. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "I deal mainly in divorces, but this sounds like quite the interesting challenge. I mean, if you knew who it was who's going to be in trouble."

"What makes you think I do know?" Athena asked, watching him warily. Inwardly, she was panicking just a little bit. She didn't reach out to take the card quite yet.

"You seem very interested." Kyle shrugged. "I just thought you might know, that's all." He was quiet for a moment. "I live with a werewolf. Warren. I know some of the signs. Besides, most decent humans have a pretty good regard for weres."

"A wolf?" Athena asked, blinking. That actually made a lot of sense. "Has he been out exploring lately?" Because that would definitely explain what had Steve, Natasha, and Chloe all on edge.

"Checking other boundaries, yes," Kyle said with a shrug. "He's told me he hasn't moved into anyone else's territory, and I know he's careful about that sort of thing."

"Good to know," Athena murmured. She made a mental note to pass that information along to the felines. "So say that I, hypothetically, knew someone connected to this haven. Why are you interested?"

"As I mentioned, I have a werewolf, so it is interesting to me to see what the laws will allow in terms of official ownership as opposed to absolute rule. For another thing, there are probably others who have had the idea, or give their own weres the same kind of treatment, and just keep it quiet enough that no one cares." Kyle shrugged. "Besides which, I'm still just starting up in town, and there aren't as many divorces coming my way as I expected. So this will be a good challenge and a good way to get my name out." He figured he might as well be honest with her about his reasons, including the fairly selfish ones.

Athena studied him for a moment, and then reached out and took the card with a nod.

"I'll see to it this gets to the people that need it," she said.

Kyle nodded and smiled. "If they decide against my help, I won't be offended. Just let me know either way."

"I will," Athena said, nodding. She slipped the card into her pocket, well aware that she probably just admitted to being part of the haven.

Kyle wasn't going to say anything about it. He was good about things like that. So he finished his sandwich and smiled a bit as he cleaned up.

"If, hypothetically, you need someone to talk to, I'm sure you know all about client confidentiality," he said easily.

"If the need arises," Athena said, nodding a bit. She hesitated for a moment. "And thanks."

Kyle nodded. "My pleasure. I'll see you again sometime." He smiled and stood to let her finish her lunch in peace.

Athena nodded and let him go. Throughout the rest of the day, the conversation weighed on her mind and she could practically feel the card burning a hole in her pocket. She was still thinking about it when she got home again that evening.