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 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.”