“I reject the bond we once shared,” she continued, and the words are flowing more easily now. “I reject the promises you made to me, the lies you’ve told. I reject everything that you’ve become. I, Lavender Fields, reject you, Alpha Cedar of Shadowfelt, as my mate!"
Cedar’s face hardened as his gaze shifted from her to Fern, whose expression had gone cold. Lavender could see it now—the fear in his eyes. Not of her, but of losing control. Of losing her.
“I don’t want this life,” Lavender said. “I don’t want a life where I’m just a shadow of someone else’s dream. I am not yours to claim. Not anymore.”
Fern stepped forward, her lips curling into a tight smile, but Lavender saw the fury hidden behind her eyes. She had been playing this game for too long, and now, it was time for her to take what she thought was hers.
“I won’t be here anymore, Cedar,” Lavender continued. “I won’t stand by and watch you tear me apart."
A heavy silence fell over the room. Cedar’s lips parted, as if he were about to say something, but the words never came. Instead, his eyes flashed with not just surprise but a flicker of panic.
For some reason, he felt the solid pain of the rejection even though he wasn't yet accepting it. He felt as if his soul was taken away in an instant. He didn't even see this one coming.
"H-How?" was the only question he managed to stammer out.
"You don't remember, do you?" Lavender chuckled bitterly. "I am a lunar wolf. I can reject my mate without their consent, and I have chosen to do so."
“Don’t do this." Cedar stood up slowly, unwrapping his arms around Fern. "We can work through it. I can fix this.”
“No.” Lavender shook her head. “I don’t need you to fix it. I don’t need you to make it better. I need to be free.”
Cedar’s mouth opened to counter, but then howls echoed through the forest. It was a sound of pure terror, and Lavender’s wolf growled dangerously in her mind.
“They are coming,” she whispered with closed eyes.
As the howls echoed through the night, Fern’s instincts kicked in. She didn’t hesitate. Without a word, she turned and bolted from the center of the room, her eyes scanning the crowd for Kane. Her mind raced with excitement. This was the moment she’d been planning for—the moment when everything would finally fall into place.