Howard looks less like he's reaching to return a handshake than like he's sticking his hand in a box of dirty needles and razorblades, but he shakes.

He winces, because he doesn't have an answer to that, but he's glad that at least Alpha didn't pick at Howard's somewhat faulty ability to choose allies. That would have been too much. "Can't help it. I got sticky fingers."

And he knows Alpha might not have been stealing, but he certainly wasn't adding much to the pile.