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.

"Finally, my dear niece. You've come to your senses." Dr. Dahlia Fields greeted her with a warm smile, pulling her into a tight hug. “So are you ready?”

Lavender managed a small smile. “I’m ready now, Aunt Dahlia. I want to work here, learn, and start over.”

Dahlia’s gaze softened. “You’ve come to the right place. But you should know, working at Silverpine isn’t just about tending to wounds and mixing potions. You’ll start with field training, visiting remote werewolf villages and dangerous territories. Rogues often lurk in those areas. It’s not for the faint of heart.”

Silverpine was more than a medical facility; it was a safe house for werewolves across the continent. Renowned for its advanced healing course, Silverpine was the ideal destination for aspiring healer wolves, drawing patients and students from distant territories. This was where Lavender would rebuild her life.

“I’m not afraid,” Lavender said, even raising her head a little higher. “I need this, Aunt Dahlia. I need to reclaim who I was before everything.”

Her aunt studied her for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Let’s get you started.”

As Lavender filled out the application form, her mind wandered to memories she had tried to bury. It had been years since Alpha Cedar had proposed to her during a sparring session. Cedar had been 27 at the time, already feeling the burden of his age and the growing impatience of not having met his fated mate. As an Alpha, the pressure to find his destined partner was immense, with whispers in the pack questioning why fate had not yet blessed him. Lavender, on the other hand, had been just twenty, young, and eager to prove herself. Cedar had admired her strength and resilience, seeing in her a partner who could stand by his side and complement his leadership.

“You’re my chosen mate,” he had said, gripping her hands tightly. “Even if my true mate comes along, I’ll reject her. You’re all I need, Lavender.”

She’d believed him. Believed in their bond. And when they marked each other that day, she thought their future was set in stone. But fate had a cruel way of intervening, shattering the life she had built.

“Cedar won’t let you go,” Dahlia’s voice broke through her thoughts, bringing her back to the present. “You know how possessive Alphas can be. He’ll try to stop you.”

Lavender’s jaw tightened, her grip on the pen firm. “That’s why I’m asking for your help. Train me to become a true healer wolf. I want to be strong enough to reject him officially, without needing his consent.”

Dahlia’s eyes widened slightly, then she smiled. “You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you? Very well. I’ll help you. But it won’t be easy, Lavender. You’ll need to pour your heart and soul into this.”

“I’ve already lost everything,” Lavender said quietly, looking down at the accomplished form in her hand. “There’s nothing left to lose. Except myself. And I won’t let that happen.”

Her aunt nodded, placing a hand on Lavender’s shoulder. “Then let’s get to work.”

When Lavender got home, the maids were cleaning when she saw Cedar. The sight of Cedar looking toward the kitchen, where Fern was assisting with cleanup, made her stomach turn. The soft smile on his lips, the way his eyes lingered—it twisted the knife already lodged in her heart.

“We need to talk,” Lavender said, stepping into his line of sight and blocking his view of the kitchen.

Cedar hesitated but nodded. “Let’s go to my office.”

Inside, the tension was thick. Cedar gestured to the chair, but Lavender remained standing. “Who is Fern to you?” she demanded, her voice sharp.

Cedar sighed, rubbing his temples. “I’ve told you, it’s complicated. I’m helping Flint.”

“Then why isn’t she with him?” Lavender’s voice trembled with restrained fury. “Why is she here, where you can’t stop looking at her?”

Cedar’s frustration flared. “You’re imagining things, Lav. Trust me.”

The words stung. Trust me. The same words that once reassured her now felt empty and hollow.

You are a liar, Cedar! She screamed inwardly.

But then, after her application was approved and she completed her healing training, she would reject him and walk away.

Lavender stood on the balcony. Below, she caught glimpses of Fern laughing with some girls. Her eyes thinned, noticing the fresh mark sitting above the blonde girl’s collarbone.

It was an Alpha's mark, and the bitch was flaunting it like a badge of honor.

Her knees weakened to the point that she had to lean against the railing for support. A few days ago, Cedar was fiercely denying it, but now Fern was flaunting it as if she had won a prize.

She used her extraordinary hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation, picking up snippets of Fern boasting about her mark.

"I'm so happy, girls," Fern was saying. "Finally, Alpha Cedar will introduce me as his mate. You all have to congratulate me when it happens."

"Oh wow. We're pleased for you!" one of the girls replied, feigning excitement. "But what's Luna's reaction regarding this? Did she get mad or upset about it?"

Fern paused. And as though she had sensed Lavender listening in, she turned and looked up at the balcony with a smirk. "Oh, don't worry about Luna," Fern said confidently. "She knows her place now."

The nerve of this girl to say those words about her. She wondered if Cedar knew that behind that seemingly innocent facade, Fern was actually quite cunning and manipulative.

Just last night, Cedar had the little bitch occupied in one of the quarters on their floor. She refrained from questioning him when he relocated to that dreadful room, not even when she detected the muffled sounds of pleasure emanating from it. After all, she had decided to leave him for good, to give him the freedom he seemed to desire.

A cough interrupted her thoughts, and she turned sharply to see Cedar standing by the doorframe. The man she had loved for so long was now a stranger she barely recognized.

"I need to talk to you," he said.

"I don't think we have anything to say," Lavender replied. She could feel her wolf’s low growl vibrating in her chest.

His expression softened, but only slightly. "I know this isn’t easy, but I need you to understand. This is the way it has to be."

Lavender’s eyes narrowed. "And why is that? Because Fern is your true mate? Because I was never enough for you?"

Cedar flinched but quickly masked it with a deep breath. "You are enough, Lavender. But this isn’t just about us. It’s about the pack, the future of Shadowpelt. Fern and I have a bond that can’t be denied. She's my fated mate, the one the moon goddess has paired me with, so I have to honor that connection."

She gulped down the lump in her throat. "So what now? You plan on making her your Luna, replacing me like I was never even here?"

Cedar hesitated, seemingly taken aback by the question. "I want us to stay united. I’m asking you to accept her, Lavender."

His words only ignited the fire in her chest. "And what if I don’t accept it? What if I refuse to bow down to your decisions?"

Cedar’s eyes darkened. "You don’t have a choice. I’m the alpha. You’ll do as I say, like everyone else in this pack."

Lavender felt her anger boiling in her veins as his alpha aura crashed over her. It was a suffocating presence that demanded submission, and even though she was his Luna, she couldn't resist the command.

"I refuse to do it," she uttered through clenched teeth. "I won’t let you do this to me, Cedar. You know I'll die in pain if you continue to sleep with her!"

"Then you leave me no choice." Cedar’s voice was cold now, distant. "I’ve made arrangements. You’ll have to participate in the bonding ritual."

Lavender blinked, confusion sweeping over her. "The bonding ritual? What are you—"

But Cedar didn’t give her a chance to finish. "I’ll be bonded to both of you. You, Fern, and I. That's the sole method to resolve this issue and maintain harmony."

Her stomach twisted at the thought. A ritual. Bonded to them both. To him and Fern, in a union that felt more like a trap than a choice.

"You can’t be serious," Lavender chuckled, but stinging tears were streaming down her face. "You want me to accept this, to accept her?"

Cedar stepped closer, gripping her wrist. "I don’t want this either, but it’s what we must do for the pack. The bond, the ritual—it will help you understand. It will help you heal with the wounds brought by Fern mating with me."

"I don’t need healing," she spat, pulling her arm from him. She was aware that Fern was watching from a distance and amused by the argument happening. "I need freedom. And I need to be rid of this pain."

Cedar's gaze hardened once more, the alpha within him emerging as his eyes flickered to his wolf's amber ones. "This is the only way forward. Do not make this harder than it has to be."

Before she could respond, he turned and left. Lavender stood there, shaking.

How could she accept it? He was offering her nothing but chains that had once been a symbol of their love.

—

That night, as she lay in bed, the sound of footsteps outside her room jolted her from her thoughts. She opened the door to find Fern standing there.

"I thought we should talk," Fern said in a sweet face and voice.

Lavender’s wolf growled. This woman, this interloper, would not take her place in Cedar’s life.

"Talk?" Lavender echoed, raising her brow. "About what?"

"About how you’re going to make this work. About how you’re going to let Cedar and me be happy."

A wave of disgust washed over Lavender. She could feel the sharp edge of Fern’s words.

"You’ll never replace me," Lavender said firmly.

"Oh, Luna. I already have." Fern whispered in her ear.