Arielle's POV
The negotiation lasted four hours.
Kieran was a better diplomat than I had expected. He had arrived with clear priorities, stated them plainly after the initial formalities, and listened to Lucien's counter-terms without the pride-fueled resistance that might have made him dismiss them out of hand.
He needed help. He knew it. He was not going to let pride make him stupid about it.
I had underestimated him in that specific way. Filed the update away.
Lucien laid out the terms as we had discussed them in council. Border recognition, formally acknowledged. The Nightshade Pack's right to its territory, written into the inter-pack record, sealed and binding. The assistance would be military, forty of the pack's best fighters joining Silvercrest's defense until the northern th
