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“Learn what?” a teenager asks.
“Whatever interests you. A trade. A profession. How to run a business. How to manage money. How to invest. How to turn a skill into something that can support you.”
A warrior leans forward. “What if someone wants to start a business but doesn't have the money?”
“Then maybe we can help her figure out what she needs. Training, a business plan, someone to teach her, or a way to start small. We don't have to hand someone everything to help her build something.”
An older shewolf looks thoughtful. “And if she succeeds?”
“Then maybe one day she can help someone else.”
The shewolf smiles.
Luna Selena looks around the gathering. “Imagine what we could build if we stopped making every generation start from nothing. A shewolf could build a business, a home, savings, or something else of value, and leave her daughter something the previous generation wasn't able to leave her.”
A mother holding an infant looks down at her pup. “So she doesn't have to struggle the way I did.”
“Exactly. If we lift each other up through generations, maybe we can give each other a little peace. Our daughters won't have to spend every day fighting just to survive.”
A younger shewolf raises her hand. “But what if you work your whole life to build something and your children waste it?”
Luna Selena laughs softly. “Then don't hand over all your hard work willy nilly.”
Several shewolves laugh.
“I'm serious. You can make stipulations. Not just about money, but about character. Maybe they need to finish their education, learn a trade, volunteer, take classes, or spend time learning how the business works before they inherit it.”
An Elder nods. “So they understand what they're receiving.”
“And what it took to build it,” Luna Selena says. “I would want them to grow in knowledge, compassion, and responsibility. I wouldn't want to leave them something valuable without teaching them how to care for it.”
A teenager raises her hand. “What if your daughter doesn't want to run your business?”
“Then maybe she doesn't have to. There are different ways to preserve what you've built. She could learn enough to oversee it, hire someone qualified, or choose another path. The point isn't to force her to become you. It's to give her opportunities you may not have had.”
The teenager nods.
A shewolf near the back speaks up. “And what about shewolves who don't have daughters?”
Luna Selena smiles. “Then leave something to your sons, your nieces, your nephews, someone you love, or someone you believe in. Or use what you've built to help other shewolves. The point is that we can create something that lasts beyond us.”
An Omega looks around the gathering. “I like that better than competing over who gets the richest mate.”
A few shewolves laugh.
Luna Selena grins. “You can still marry a rich mate if you want.”
The laughter grows.
“But you shouldn't have to marry one just to feel safe.”
The older shewolf who spoke earlier nods slowly. “And if shewolves have more choices, maybe they won't feel like they have to fight each other for survival.”
“That's what I'm hoping,” Luna Selena says. “We can't remove every hardship. But we can build something that makes life a little easier for the shewolves who come after us.”
I look down at Darlene, imagining her grown, choosing her own path.
She'll have choices, my wolf murmurs.
