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.