“No, Professor.” “Then contain your joy.” I opened the folder when it reached me. The first page had a title printed across the top. POST-MONARCHY VAMPIRE ACCORDS: DEVELOPMENT, ENFORCEMENT, AND TERRITORIAL EXCEPTIONS. Seriously? “The current accords were not created because wolves and vampires suddenly developed affection for one another. They exist because endless retaliation eventually becomes inconvenient.” That sounded accurate. “The death of the Vampire King destabilized several territories. What followed was years of fragmented negotiations, localized conflict, and spectacularly poor decision-making.” My eyes skimmed the first paragraph. Hopeland. There it was. The Luna’s name appeared almost immediately. The primary diplomatic effort that eventually produced the current

