He fell silent for a moment, his eyes tracing the weathered engravings carved into the pillar.
"As their descendants, we owe them our deepest respect. Without them, the Silver Mane Pack would never have existed."
His expression softened, but only briefly.
"Yet..." he continued with a bitter smile, "I also cannot ignore their shortcomings."
"With every passing generation, our Alphas became more conservative. They stopped striving for more and became content with merely surviving. As long as the pack continued to exist, they believed that was enough. They guarded what little they had instead of seeking a better future."
The words lingered heavily in the air.
Alpha Victor looked up at the Founder's Pillar once more, his eyes filled with emotions too complicated to describe.
"This pilla
