Page 59
“Then they're asking the wrong question,” another mother says. “If the pup was in his care, he was responsible for caring for that pup.”
Luna Selena looks between them. “Exactly. We have to stop treating mothers as though they're responsible for every choice a father makes. Both parents have responsibilities. And when someone harms a child, we hold the person who caused the harm accountable.”
The woman near the front exhales. “So that's what you mean by not trusting a woman who centers everything around a man.”
“Yes,” Luna Selena says. “Not because she loves him. Because she may be willing to sacrifice another woman's safety, dignity, or happiness to keep him.”
A younger shewolf frowns. “But how do you know the difference? Someone could be trapped and still make excuses for him.”
“That's a fair question.” Luna Selena considers it. “I don't think we always know what's happening inside someone else's home. So we shouldn't assume. We can listen, ask questions, and offer help. But we also don't have to trust someone with our safety just because we feel sorry for her.”
An Omega raises her hand. “What if she tells him everything you say?”
Several women turn toward her.
She looks uncomfortable. “I mean, if you're trying to help women who are being mistreated, and someone reports everything back to the men who are doing it…”
“Then that could put people in danger,” the warrior says.
Luna Selena nods. “And we would need to protect them. We can welcome women into this conversation without giving everyone access to private information. Trust is something people earn.”
The Omega relaxes slightly.
“Some women will use a man to hurt other women so they can live comfortably,” Luna Selena continues. “Some will betray another woman's confidence or undermine something women are trying to build together. We need to recognize that behavior and stop excusing it.”
A teenager raises her hand. “Why would someone do that?”
“Sometimes fear,” the older shewolf says. “Sometimes they think if they keep him happy, he'll leave them alone.”
“Sometimes they want the rank or the money,” another woman adds.
“And sometimes,” the warrior says, “they just don't care who gets hurt as long as they get what they want.”
Luna Selena nods. “There can be different reasons. But understanding the reason doesn't mean we have to accept the harm.”
A woman near the side looks down. “My mother used to tell me that if she had to suffer through something, I should be able to suffer through it too.”
The gathering grows quiet.
“She'd say, ‘I survived it. You'll survive it.’”
An older woman beside her reaches for her hand.
Luna Selena's voice softens. “I'm sorry she taught you that.”
The woman shrugs, but her eyes shine. “I think she believed it.”
“Maybe she did,” Luna Selena says. “Sometimes people repeat what they were taught because they don't know another way. But we can learn another way.”
A mother nods. “I don't want my daughter thinking she has to suffer just because I did.”
“Neither do I,” another woman says.
I look down at Darlene. She's playing with the edge of my sleeve, unaware of how closely I'm listening.
Neither do we, my wolf murmurs.
“No. We don't.”
