Phoenix Maplewood Last Man Standing

Esaro's father was much like Saena's own biological father: gone. Gone somewhere. Maybe dead, maybe still wandering the world alone. She refused to think much about Kisu or his reasons for leaving his infant children, and while Peregrine had been a better father, she refused to think about him either. There was still too much resentment and animosity buried in her breast for those two men.

"If he believed in you," said Saena, "then he's probably right." She would learn soon enough that a parent would believe their own child capable of anything, realistic or otherwise. Whether Esaro could or would ever become an alpha was solely up to him. No parent's belief could propel him to the status he wanted for himself, but it could sow the seeds of confidence. "Anyone can lead if they put in the hard work and the dedication," she told him. "I founded this pack, albeit in a different location, when I was just a year old. Build your confidence up and you'll be able to do something like that, too." When the day came that Esaro sought to stake his own claim in the world, if ever it did, Saena could only hope he would have the decency to tell her about it before leaving, and to set up far away from the maple wood so as not to disrupt their claim.