Lavender’s world crumbled when she discovered her husband, Alpha Cedar, had found his fated mate. From that day, Cedar lavished Fern with care and attention, going as far as moving her into the packhouse and marking her as his. Lavender, however, was left to bear the brunt of his coldness—enduring the constant arguments, the sharp words, and the relentless humiliation.
Lavender decided it was time to depart. She would reclaim the healer-warrior and pack doctor she used to be, returning to Silverpine Hospital, the place she had once dreamed of working. After secretly training to defy Cedar’s command, she rejected him and walked away from the broken pack, ready to start over.
"Goodbye, Cedar. I'm done."
——
“I can’t keep pretending, Cedar. How can I control myself from touching you when my wolf wants to mate with you?”
Lavender froze at the door—her mate with an omega—in his private study.
Lavender's breath became trapped in her throat. She pressed herself against the wall, her hands trembling as she listened in on the intimate conversation.
“Fern, we’ve been through this,” Cedar replied. “We have to wait for the right time, and I promise you, it will be worth it in the end. Just be patient a little while longer.”
“Don’t you want to mate with me? To claim me as your own?” Fern’s voice became heavy with desire.
“Of course, I want to mate with you, Fern. I always have.”
Lavender clutched her chest as Cedar confessed to Fern. She felt like vomiting as her head spun. She was seeking the truth, wasn’t she? And now it seemed like she had found it in the most unexpected way possible.
“Then make love to me. Prove that you want me and you can’t live without me,” Fern whispered.
“Fern, we can’t. My wife will feel it. When she feels the pain, it will only confirm her suspicion about us, and that means trouble for my pack."
"She won't. Your wife may be fast asleep, and we only need a few minutes to show each other how we feel," Fern reasoned out, pouting her lips in a seductive manner.
Lavender’s eyes widened as Fern kissed Cedar hungrily. The bastards parted after a few minutes, and Fern whispered to his mouth, saying, "I need to feel your touch, your passion, even just for a moment."
Her wolf howled in rage, and tears pricked her eyes as she clenched her fists. The bond between her and Cedar thrummed painfully, confirming what her heart had feared all along.
Lavender stepped back from the door, her breathing uneven. And as she dragged herself away from the office, a different kind of pain hit her whole body.
“Ah!”
It felt like her internal organs were being twisted in a vice grip, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees. It lasted for a couple of minutes before the pain finally subsided, leaving her gasping for air and trembling.
She stared back at the office with her eyes red. “I’ll leave you, Cedar. And I’m not going back to you even if you beg with your life.”
—
Lavender knew that something wasn’t right at the mating ball days ago.
Moving through the crowd, she noticed the way Cedar’s eyes flickered to the far side of the room. There, a woman with golden curls and blue eyes stood quietly, watching him. Lavender’s heart skipped a beat, and her wolf growled low in her chest.
“Who is she?” Lavender asked as she stepped up beside Cedar, her voice tight.
Cedar’s smile faltered. “Her name is Fern Everly. She’s Beta Flint’s mate.”
Lavender’s pulse quickened. “But she’s not with him?”
Cedar’s response was too quick. “It’s complicated. Flint hasn’t fully accepted her yet. I’m just helping.”
Lavender’s wolf bristled. The answer felt rehearsed, the excuse thin. “And you can’t stop looking at her?” she pressed.
His smile was forced. “Trust me, Lavender. I’m doing this for the good of the pack.”
She nodded, but that night, she already knew that she had already lost her husband.
Lavender decided it was time to depart. She would reclaim the healer-warrior and pack doctor she used to be, returning to Silverpine Hospital, the place she had once dreamed of working.
