"Alpha Kade," Richard replied, his tone equally professional but carrying an edge of steel. "Thank you for agreeing to negotiations. Though I'd prefer we didn't need them after you seized two of my cities."
"Northpoint and Riverside were strategic acquisitions in response to long-standing territorial disputes," Kade said calmly. "Disputes your pack has been unwilling to address through proper channels for the past three years."
"That's a matter of perspective," one of Richard's advisors interjected. "From our view, those cities were well within Silver Ridge's established boundaries."
"Established by treaties that predate current leadership and no longer reflect regional power dynamics," Marcus countered smoothly.
