Jolie pov

"And you're not being controlled." Tessa replies. "You're trying to keep people safe."

"Both are valid." I pull my empathy back, already feeling the drain. "The key is finding balance. Paul, can you trust that wolves will maintain readiness without formal rules? Tessa, can you understand why the structure feels safe to some wolves?" They both nod slowly.

We continue like this for an hour. Each wolf sharing their confusion, me helping them feel each other's perspectives, building ...