Anna trots up next to her mother sitting in front of the gravestones of her brother and father. Her mother's head hangs low. And even though she's in her wolf Anna can see the sorrow in her mother's stature clearly. Her face still shows remnants of the months she refused to eat a solid meal. Cheeks barely sunken into her face. Her body looked almost bone thin. It irked Anna to see her mother like this. However, Anna knew her mother ate at least as a human she did but she wondered if her wolf was in this state because of the loss of her mate. 

“If only your father could be here. Look what his death has done to this pack. And if your brother was alive there’s no way any of this would have ever happened.”, she says through a mind link. Anna feels a pang in her chest. She buries it down knowing she shouldn't let what her mom says now bother her. 

“You can’t be sure that all of the council members would have accepted James.”, Anna responds. 

“But, you see I do. The day he was born every single council member agreed that he would one day grow to be a fantastic leader. Now look at him. Dead. Forced to fight in a war. It wasn’t like he could say no either. But even after agreeing he still died. He should have never even been in that war, he was so young.”

“For a long time I hated everyone because they took my brother from me. Took my best friend.”

“I didn’t hate everyone, I hated the Alpha King who forced him to be on the front lines that fateful day. Hated that we even had to be in a war in the first place. But now that hate has dulled out into this mournful wish to just see them both just one more time.”

“I know. I miss them everyday.”

“Anna, promise me something. If those rogue wolves come back you’ll make them pay for what they did.”

“I promise if they do I will. I’ll meet you back at the pack house.”, Anna says to her mother making a promise she wasn't sure she'd be allowed to keep. She stands up and walks back in the direction of the pack house. When she enters the pack house she can hear a loud commotion in the direction the council room is. Curiosity consumes her and she listens carefully to the conversation. 

“If Anna had just named you her father’s successor from the beginning this would likely have never happened. Her ignorance has left the council room in ash. At this point why should we even listen to her. She’s not the Alpha, Keith is the Alpha.”, a council member Anna recognizes as Matthew says so loudly she thinks she would have heard if she was on the other end of the house. He had taken over his father's place and had been a fairly new addition to the council. She can see another council member standing next to him silently nodding his head in agreement. 

“I’d advise you to shut your mouth. Did either of you bother to notice that this room is in its current state because she chose me. If I recall the council room was still standing in pristine condition just yesterday before she named me Alpha. You may be the council but remember who you are speaking to and who you are speaking about. Respect her, or you’ll find yourself dead at my feet.”, Anna hears Keith say to Matthew. Matthew takes a step back and Anna can sense fear emanating from him. An intimidating aura surrounds Keith and she feels a surge of pride course through her. Both Matthew and the other pack member apologize profusely. Anna decides it's time to go and so she heads to her room to get rid of the stench of her late morning rendezvous. 

Thirty minutes later and a much needed hot shower Anna is ready to officially start her day. She wanders about the pack house and heads into her father's old study. It was situated not too far from her room. Her father always told her he was there so he could always look out for her. As she sat in his chair she felt something well up inside her. She hadn't sat in this room since her father had died. She always found it easier to use the council room. But now that she sat here, in the very chair he sat in. It felt almost peaceful. It felt like he was still there standing over her with his hand on her shoulder. 

“Anna are you ok?”, she hears a familiar voice say from the doorway. As she looks up she sees her mother. She's leaning against the doorframe leisurely.

“Ah, yeah I'm fine. Just haven't been here in a while. Well since dad died to be frank.”, Anna says and her mom steps into the room sitting in an upholstered chair across from Anna. 

“I haven't either. I don't think anything has been touched surprisingly.”

“I wonder if Keith will use this room as his office after he's the official Alpha.”, Anna mumbles to herself but it was loud enough for her mother to hear.

“Maybe, but honestly I wouldn't be upset if he did. Your father loved Keith as if he were his own son. And considering Keith had no father growing up it's unsurprising your father saw himself as one to Keith.”

“I only ask because Wilfred told me to consider a leadership role in the pack. I'm not sure if I want to but I promised him I would think about it. And if I do decide to take a role I'd like to use his office.”

“I kind of agree with Wilfred. Your father loved your brother but you were his pride and joy. Your father had tremendous faith in you and the future he knew you'd build. I think he'd be disappointed if you didn't take on a role like that.”, her mother comments as Anna stands up from the chair and stands at her mothers side. 

“Yeah and for a year I did exactly what he asked and now I feel he made a grave mistake. I blame myself for everything that happened this year and I know not everything is my fault but I cannot help but feel responsible. I'm working on not blaming myself now. Even though it's been damn near impossible. So for right now I feel having control or say over anything regarding governing the pack is more detrimental than beneficial.”, Anna says as she leans her back against the opposite side of the doorframe of where her mother was standing crossing her arms. 

“That's ok just do what you feel would be best for yourself. You've done a lot for the pack this past year. So if you need a break take one. If you just want to watch from the sidelines do it. Ultimately what you decide to do is your decision.”

“For now I'm just going to rest. I think I finally am allowing myself that much.”, Anna says as she takes a step out into the corridor. Her mother leaves her with a simple goodnight and heads off to what Anna only assumes is her bedroom. Anna stands stiffly. She thinks back to what Wilfred said and even though she knew it's what her father would have wanted for her. She cannot bring herself to agree to it. However she’d leave it up in the air. She would allow the prospect. 

She hears soft footsteps coming up behind her and as she turns Keith is walking towards her with ferocious speed. “Anna!”, he calls out to her.

“Keith! Is everything ok?”, Anna says as he abruptly stops in front of her breathing heavily. 

“Everything's okay. I'm more worried about you. Are you okay? I know this morning was quite a stressful morning and I just wanted to check up on you.”, he says as he catches his breath.

“Honestly I'm not fine. But I will be, eventually. However you should go focus on your pack duties. We are leaving soon so it'd be best to establish some authority before we leave for the Grand Alpha Celebration.”

“That and we have the small ceremony before we leave. Just a formality.” He finally catches his breath and leans his back against the doorway.

“Why'd you run over here?”, Anna asks genuine curiosity and concern etched on her face. 

“Honestly, I don't know.”, Keith laughs loudly. 

Anna shakes her head a small smile forming on her lips. She steps out of the room and says bye to Keith. She turns and then walks down the corridor to a door and opens it. This was her safe space the one place she went to escape the hell that had become of her life. The east wall was covered in floor to ceiling bookshelves filled to the brim. In the center of the room facing away from the floor to ceiling windows sat a drawing desk and to the right was an easel covered in dried oil paint. On the west wall was a series of organized shelves with acrylic paints place in color order. Under the shelves was a set of drawers and a canvas organizer full of both painted and unpainted canvases. Her father had built everything in the room when she started showing an interest in art. But during her time as alpha it sat unused and gathered dust. It brought her back to her father's office. She loved art. It was her passion, in fact many of the paintings that were hung up in the pack house were of her own making. She wasn't proud of all of them, but her father insisted on hanging them. And now she wanted nothing more than to leave them up to let that little part of her father live on. She dusted off the old stool sitting in front of the desk and easel and sat down. And that's when everything hit her. She wasn't going to take up Keith's offer. She appreciated it but for the first time in her life she knew what she wanted. This. To sit in front of the easel and paint her feelings, her emotions, her memories into the canvas. To pour all of her soul into something to lay it all bare before her. She grabbed a paint pallette from the wall and a blank canvas and placed it on the easel. Grabbing random oil paint colors she swatched them onto the pallette and began painting.

Hours pass by before hears a loud rasp on the door. She's broken out of her trance and she places the paint brush in her hand down on the small cart next to her easel. 

“Come in.”, she yells.

She watches as the door carefully swings open and Keith walks in. He's stunned as he looks around. Smile forms in Anna’s lips she always like watching people walk into this room for the first time it was one of the most interesting things she's ever seen. 

“Your mom said you might be in here. I didn't even know this existed.”, he says astonished. 

“Most people don't. My dad made it for me so most people weren't allowed in here.”, Anna says continuing her work. 

Keith walks up beside her and looks at her painting. He's shocked seeing it. He's seen that style before and yet there's a solemnity in this specific work that seems off. Like somethings lost and alone. He feels something we'll up inside him and a sadness consumes him. 

Anna looks back at Keith and sees his eyes are watery as hes staring at the painting and she feels taken aback. “Woah, Keith! Are you okay?”, she asks her voice laced in concern. 

He shakes his head trying to shake off what just happened. He wipes at his eyes. “I'm fine. I don't know what happened.” 

She stares at the painting and then steps back looking more intently and then see feels it. She recognizes what she's done. The painting is a landscape. One she recognized all too well. But there was something different about it. The trees in the painting were a dark solemn blue and the snow on the ground had undertones of red, a contrast between the anger and sadness she held within herself. Specks of white paint appeared like blown snow. You wouldn’t know what it actually represented unless you knew Anna. The ghostly image of a figure. This was her tribute. This was her finally saying goodbye letting go of all the pain she'd felt this past year or so. It was her way of still showing her love but knowing she couldn't hold on forever. It felt freeing and yet it still broke her down. She sobbed as she stood there in front of the painting. Keith wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close.