Chapter 1
It was our packs‘ union day, an event the should have marked the unification of the two rival werewolf packs through marriage. I wore a ceremonial gown, a symbol of peace between the Wildheart and Nightclaw packs, and adorned myself with jewelry that carried both our insignias. My mother, watched from a distance, her
gaze full of hope. I waited for Talon Night with growing anticipation, but he never arrived.
I called him countless times, but there was no response. My pack who was proud and stoic, remained silent as whispers spread like wildfire. I felt humiliated before the very people I had sought to bring together. I wonder if this was the moon goddess‘ s will for our packs. The Wildheart Tribe and the Nightclaw pack can never be together.
My mother’s face, once hopeful, turned ghostly pale. Her heart–already weakened from the loss of my father in a territorial
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dispute with the Nightclaw pack–could not bear the weight of this betrayal. That very night, she collapsed, clutching her chest, and died before dawn.
I learned from the pack‘ s scouts that Talon’s first love, Lily Greyfell, had posted an image on the Nightclaw pack‘ s
network showing their intimate closeness. It comes with the caption:
[You are always there for me when I need you. It’s great to have you.]
Anger coursed through my veins.
Trembling, I took a screenshot and sent it to Talon.
[Is this why you missed our union?]
No response.
Until after my mother’s cremation when Talon cared to reply: [We can unite the packs any day, but Lily can’t live without me.]
The rage within me boiled over. It’s
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always been Lily.
[Talon, we need to take a break] I messaged him, then cut him from all communication channels. I even blocked through our mind links.
I’ve done my part for this union, embarrassingly done it with love.
I had chased after Talon for two years, eventually securing his attention, and we were together for five. Those seven years had been the best and worst of my life. I molded myself into someone I thought he’d want–cut my hair short when he told me he preferred it that way and kept. my body thin because he disliked girls who looked big. I suppressed my inner wolf‘ s appetite to the point of starvation, denying myself anything indulgent.
My wolf always failed to shapeshift when I needed her, and I ended up getting injured when hunting or when trying to fight against rogues. But Talon always spoke of independence. So I learned to fight my
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battles alone. Even when I was gravely injured, I didn’t dare ask him to come. with me to the healer. I feared he would
see me as weak.
For years, I reshaped myself to fit his vision, believing that one day, he would realize how devoted I was. But it wasn’t until I saw Lily that I understood the truth -I had become a shadow of her.
Whenever Lily called, Talon would drop everything to be by her side. His words still haunted me, “You‘ re strong, Sloane. You can handle being alone. Lily can’t. She needs me.”
Pretending to be strong and fitting to his vision had become his excuse to abandon me repeatedly.
After blocking him, I knelt before my mother‘ s grave, guilt gnawing at me. My father had died defending our pack‘ s land, and now, my mother had been taken by grief–both because of the Nightclaw pack. She raised me alone, hiding the pain
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from her heart‘ s slowly failing, Her greatest wish was to see our packs united in peace. Here I am, kneeling alone and crying because I had failed her.
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