The healer’s gaze softened, and she placed a hand on Lavender’s shoulder. "When you are ready, you will have the strength to reject him.Your wolf will have the strength to challenge the alpha's dominance and stand independently."
Lavender stood tall. She could do this. She would do this.
That night, as she lay in her bed, her mind was clearer than it had been in weeks. Cedar’s presence in her life, his power over her, no longer felt as absolute.
Tomorrow, she will train harder. Tomorrow, she will take a step closer to achieving her freedom. And when the time came, she would reject him with all the strength she had.
Lavender stood in front of the mirror, staring hard at her reflection. The woman who looked back seemed familiar yet different. Her eyes held a fire she hadn’t noticed before. But underneath that strength was the same aching wound Cedar had carved into her heart the day he brought Fern into their lives.
Every day felt heavier than the last. Fern’s presence in the packhouse was like a thorn lodged deep, impossible to ignore.