Chapter 1

After my bestie Sarah and I both got our wolf on, we both ended up mated to super strong Alphas.

But my Alpha, Ethan, wouldn't mark me, and Sarah's Alpha couldn't get her pregnant with a pup.

So, we decided then and there: break the mate bonds and get the hell out of the werewolf world!

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ethan's voice, cold as a winter blade, came from behind me.

I didn't turn around, just kept walking towards the garage.

"Shadow Ridge headquarters. To see Sarah."

"That silly woman again," he scoffed. "Logan spoils her rotten."

My hand froze on the car door handle.

I turned to face the man who hadn't really looked at me in a year.

Eight months ago, Sarah and I awakened our werewolf blood on the same day.

We were at a café, complaining about our crappy love lives, when suddenly we smelled strong Alpha pheromones in the air.

I smelled pine and snowy mountains.

Sarah smelled cedar and strong liquor.

Fated mates.

Sarah cried, telling me it was a gift from the heavens, that we could finally have our fairytale romance.

But fairytales are all lies.

"I only have one mate," I said, looking straight into Ethan's cold, gray eyes. "And that's you. But clearly, you don't feel the same."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"One year." I held up a finger. "A whole year, and you haven't marked me. You won't even touch me."

"Ivy..."

"Last month, I had a fever so high I almost died." My voice started to shake. "You know where I was? In the ER. Alone. And where were you? In a meeting, discussing the pack's finances."

Ethan's jaw tightened.

"I thought you'd come. Even for a minute," I said with a bitter smile. "But no. Not even a phone call."

"I was busy."

"Busy?" I almost laughed out loud. "Too busy to care if your fated mate was dead or alive?"

He didn't answer. Just stared at me like I was a stranger.

"Fine." I pulled open the car door. "You don't care anyway."

"I forbid you to go to Shadow Ridge."

"On what grounds?" I whirled around to glare at him. "You're not my Alpha."

Those words hit him like a punch.

Ethan's face instantly turned ashen. His Alpha dominance washed over me like a wave.

But I didn't care anymore.

"Because you refused to mark me," I said, each word deliberate. "So, by wolf law, we're just strangers."

Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

"Get in." Ethan walked around to the driver's side. "I'll take you."

I was stunned. In a whole year, he'd never once offered to do anything for me.

"No need. I can drive myself."

"I said, get in." This time, his voice had a command in it.

I bit my lip but got into the passenger seat.

The moment the car started, Ethan's pheromones filled the small space. The scent of pine and snowy mountains made my wolf want to submit, just like that.

But I forced myself to stay clear-headed. After today, none of this would be mine anymore.

"What are you two going to talk about?" Ethan suddenly asked after ten minutes.

"Girl talk," I said, looking out the window. "You wouldn't be interested."

"Like what?"

I turned to look at him. "Like how to break a mate bond."

The steering wheel jerked slightly in his hands. The car nearly slammed into the guardrail.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me," I said calmly. "I'm going to break our mate bond."

Ethan slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt on the side of the road. He turned and stared hard at me.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Why wouldn't I?" I met his burning gray eyes. "You don't want me anyway. Instead of torturing each other like this, let's just make a clean break."

His breathing became ragged.

"You think breaking a mate bond is a joke?"

"I know it'll be painful," I nodded. "But it's better than this."

Ethan reached out, as if to touch my face, but stopped mid-air. His hand trembled slightly before he finally lowered it.

"Why?" His voice was hoarse. "Why would you do this?"

I looked at the man who had broken my heart for a year. "Because I'm tired, Ethan. I can't take this one-sided love anymore."

Dead silence filled the car.

After a long while, he started the car again.

"I won't agree to it."

"You don't have a choice." I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. "An Alpha who refuses to mark his mate has no say in the matter, according to wolf law."

We didn't speak for the rest of the drive.

But I could feel the anger radiating off Ethan... and something else too.

But after today, he could rest easy.

Because I was going to see Sarah to break our mate bond for good.