Her mind wandered back to the day Cedar had told her about Fern being his true mate. The coldness in his eyes when he said it, the way he tried to justify his betrayal, still stung. He had promised her that they would reject their fated mates. And now he was asking her to accept Fern as part of their bond, as if nothing had ever happened.
Her wolf growled low in her chest at the thought. Cedar’s commands still held power over her, but Lavender could feel it slipping, like the first cracks in an old stone wall. She was changing, becoming stronger, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Lavender closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The soft whisper of her healing powers hummed through her body. She was more than just his mate. She was a healer, a special kind of werewolf with unique abilities. One of those abilities was the power to break free from the control of an alpha, to reject him without him needing acceptance for it to become effective.