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.”