Sam pulled a heavy ledger from the shelf behind him, flipping past pages of weapon maintenance costs and border wall reinforcements before arriving at the pack’s main financial summaries. He traced a calloused finger down a column of numbers, his brow furrowing in concentration.
"The treasury is stable, Luna," Sam reported, looking up from the ledger. "Our trade agreements with the Fire Wolf pack and the nearby agricultural sectors have kept our margins healthy. We have the capital to fund a specialized position for a teacher out at the northern ridge. But..." He paused, his sharp eyes flicking toward the King before settling back on me. "I have to side with caution here. If we expand this search outside our borders, every single applicant needs a mandatory, deep background check. We are
