binding more than blood

Manea's gaze lingered on Venom as she spoke, though her eyes would occasionally shift to glance back at Ikigai who was sitting just a step behind her mother while she sat curiously and waited for the truth of the meeting to reveal itself. Soon enough Venom explained that she wished to revisit the relationship between their two packs and the future of it. Manea's brows lifted with pleasant surprise and she gave a small nod in agreement. "Of course." She was genuinely surprised to have Venom bringing this to her instead of the other way around, but she was pleased regardless. Having allies in their corner was something that she definitely wanted for Elysium and Venom was someone she respected greatly, even beyond the fact that Ashen was a large, established pack with several other strong allies. "I would be honored to consider any offer you have for me," she told them, glancing to Ikigai again as she wondered to herself whether there was a specific purpose for her poised daughter to be here other than to see how a diplomatic exchange could go between two packs. She was happy to have Ikigai here regardless, but it did make her wonder.

"Manea Mendacium"