Women can do what men can do

“I wonder what this is about,” Sophia commented, walking onto the back porch with an envelope in hand. It was early evening and the two friends were hanging out at the back of the house. The doorbell had rang a few moments ago and Sophia had offered to see who it was. “Why do you have a letter from the university?” Sophia asked, handing Eleanor the envelope and taking a seat. “Do you want to go back to school or something?” she teased. Eleanor looked at the emblem on the envelope. It was indeed a letter from the werewolf university. Tearing the paper, she found a thick card inside. After reading the message, she looked at her best friend. She could barely contain her smile as she said, “They want me to deliver a speech at the graduation ceremony.” Sophia’s eyes widened as she reached for the card. “Are you serious?” Her surprise turned to elation as she read it too. “Wow. This is amazing, Eleanor. I can’t believe this. When was the last time they invited a Luna to make a speech at the graduation?” Eleanor shrugged. “Yeah, I’m surprised too.” “You must accept,” Sophia said. “This is a golden chance.” The university’s graduation ceremony was one of the biggest events in the werewolf community. Kids from all over the pack attended, making it the most popular institution around. Every year, the Werewolf Council invited special guests to deliver a speech to the students. It was often Alphas, Betas, or Elders from the most successful packs. Over the years, Blackstorm pack had grown increasingly powerful, gaining recognition and respect within the werewolf community. Other packs admired them, wanting to reach their level of prosperity and stability. So it was no surprise that the Council would want someone from the pack to speak to the students. What surprised them was that they had invited Eleanor instead of Thomas or even one of the elders. “Of course,” Eleanor said, feeling happy to have gotten such an opportunity at such a time. The graduation ceremony was attended by hundreds of werewolves and broadcast live on the media. There was no better place to kickstart her plan. With such a platform, she could create an impression on everyone who watched, making them realise that even Lunas could become capable leaders. She hoped that she would be able to change the perception of people and make them realise that Lunas made important contributions to their packs even if all the credit often went to the Alphas. “This is a good sign,” Sophia said. “Sure, most Alphas and Elders don’t think Lunas can make good leaders, but the fact that the Council has recognised you means something. Maybe times are finally changing.” Sophia was right. Getting such a recognition from the Council was going to create waves. It would make a big impression on the kids and at the same time encourage people to acknowledge the contributions Lunas made to their packs. Later, Eleanor got a text from Henry that said, “Can't wait for your speech at graduation, Eleanor!” She was confused and wondered, “How did he know I had a speech?” Then she thought, "Was it Henry who asked the Council to give me this opportunity?” Eleanor smiled and sent Henry a text to say thanks. He was a reliable man, making good on his promise to her. When the day of the ceremony came, Eleanor decided to engage a few of the young werewolves on campus to find out what they thought about the pack. Most of them attributed the pack’s prosperity to Thomas, completely overlooking Eleanor’s efforts. Everybody in the pack knew she took part in warrior training, led expeditions to fight off intruders and enemies, and also carried out a lot of diplomatic duties. And yet, somehow, when she asked them about it, it was as if they forgot about everything she did and attributed it all to Thomas. Even when she was so heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the pack, they all relegated her to the role akin to a flower girl at an event without a second thought. It was nothing new, but it was disappointing nonetheless. When Thomas had become Alpha and she Luna, she had had big goals. She wanted to become a warrior Luna known everywhere, showing everyone that even females could lead their packs just as well as the males. In her past life, she had achieved just that. And yet, at the end of the day, it had meant nothing to her husband or to the pack. They had executed her like a rogue without bothering to investigate the matter. She knew without a doubt that if anyone had made an accusation just as grave against Thomas, they wouldn’t have believed it as easily. In fact, she was certain that the accuser would have ended up being executed themselves, accused of treason and trying to destabilise the pack. Alphas with good performance were treated like gods and without fault, but when it came to Lunas, it was the total opposite. In her new life, she refused to be a victim of the same. She would fight the outdated beliefs and injustices until they were no longer the norm of the day. Standing on the stage, Eleanor took a deep breath and then started her speech. “It’s an honor to stand here, sharing my story of running a pack as the Luna. I’m not only a Luna but also a warrior, honestly. I’ve taken part in different expeditions, hunting down rogues in the Northland, and fighting against hybrids in the South forest. For me, the scars on my body are the totem.” Some of the graduates started to whisper. All she-wolves cared about their figures more than anything, let alone an elegant Luna. No she-wolf has even been proud of her scars. Eleanor smiled and continued, “I could see the confusion on your faces. I knew that for many, it was the first time they were finding out that a she-wolf could do all that. But I’m here, sharing my experience, I hoped that more and more young she-wolves will be interested in becoming warriors and playing an irreplaceable role in their packs.” Eleanor met the audience’s admirable sights. She took off the microphone and walked to the center of the podium. “I have to say it must be a tough time. I had also survived petty bullying from boys when I was attending training as a little girl, and as a woman, I had to deal with elders who thought I wasn’t worthy of becoming a warrior. If I had given up at any point, I never would have made it so far. Now, more than ever, I wanted to prove the naysayers wrong. Women can do what men can do, even better than men!” When Eleanor ended her speech, the entire audience erupted in applause. The students cheered as she left the podium, and the members of the Werewolf Council thanked her for making such a good speech. When the ceremony ended, Sophia approached her, tablet in hand. “I’m so proud of you,” she told her, showing her a video clip of part of her speech that was already trending online. “So many people loved your speech and it’s been trending all over the place.” Eleanor took the tablet and checked the comments. There was a lot of positive feedback, and it also turned out that many people had tuned in to the live broadcast. She sucked in a deep breath, happiness overwhelming her. She couldn’t believe she had made such an impact. True, she had spent days preparing her speech, but she had been nervous about its reception. Looking at some of the comments, she was glad she had given her best and not shied away when she took the podium: littlewolfie: I’ve been begging dad to allow me to go to warrior school for ages and I showed him this and he said I could go but if I fail the first semester it’s over. Cheer me on guys! yowder: That was so empowering. It’s too late for me to fulfil my dreams, but I hope the younger ones chase theirs because we can see it’s possible 9blackfurry: Someone needed to say all that. Queen. lililee: idk why but I was moved to tears. So inspiring! There was also a lot of feedback from outside the pack. It was as if she had talked about something lots of people thought about but nobody ever talked about. Which was not a surprise, given only Alphas and Elders ever got the opportunities to address such gatherings. As long as she-wolves were denied such opportunities, most would never rise above the limitations placed on them. The community would go on as if nothing was wrong, and nothing would ever change.