---- Chapter 14 JOSIE POV: The city of Eldoria was a place of new beginnings. It was a neutral territory, governed by a council of retired Alphas, a sanctuary from the brutal politics of the packs. The first place Chris took me was to the Moon Goddess Temple on the city's highest hill. It was a quiet, beautiful place made of white marble that seemed to glow under the moonlight. Inside, in a sun-drenched columbarium, we placed my father's urn in its own small niche. And for the first time since he died, | allowed myself to cry. The grief came in waves, a storm that shook my entire body. | wept for my father, for his quiet strength, for the life he never got to live. | wept for my own foolishness, for believing Laurence could ever love me. Chris didn't say a word. He just stood beside me, his presence a solid, comforting wall | could lean against. When the tears finally subsided, he gently handed me a handkerchief. "| think he knew," | whispered, my voice hoarse. "At the end, | think he knew how unhappy | was. Maybe... maybe he let go on purpose, so | wouldn't be tied to Laurence through him anymore." ---- "He let go because he wanted you to be free," Chris said softly. "He wanted you to live. To be the proud, powerful White Wolf you were always meant to be." After leaving the temple, he took me to an apartment building in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood. The apartment was bright and airy, with large windows overlooking a small park. It was filled with simple, elegant furniture in shades of grey and dark blue-my favorite colors. On a large wooden desk in the corner, there was a brand-new set of professional design pencils, sketchbooks, and a tablet. The next day, Chris introduced me to a woman named Elara, an elderly she-wolf with eyes that held the wisdom of centuries. She was a White Wolf, one of the few who had chosen to live a secluded life. When she took my hands, | felt a warmth spread through me, a sense of belonging | had never known. "The blood runs pure in you, child," she said, her smile gentle. "It is sleeping, but it is strong. Your lineage doesn't just come with a gift for creation, but a deep sensitivity to the world around you. Under duress, that sensitivity can cause the power to retreat, to hide itself away. That's why you felt like an Omega. We will wake it together." Later that day, Chris handed me a portfolio. | opened it, and my breath caught in my throat. Inside were professional prints of all the design sketches | had made in secret over the years, the ones | thought Laurence had thrown away. ---- "My Beta may have... borrowed them from the mansion's recycling bins," he admitted with a slight smile. Under Elara's guidance, | began to learn. For the first time, | felt the power humming in my veins not as a weakness to be suppressed, but as a strength to be embraced. Hope, a feeling | thought had died with my father, began to bloom in my chest. That evening, as we walked along the river that wound through the city, | stopped and looked at him. "Why?" | asked bluntly. "Why are you doing all of this for me? No Alpha does something for nothing. What do you want in return?"