Chapter 2

"Ivy? Oh my god, you've lost so much weight!"

Sarah rushed over and hugged me, her eyes full of concern.

I almost burst into tears in her arms.

Three months apart, and my best friend was still as beautiful as ever. Golden hair, blue eyes, like a perfect doll.

But she looked worn out too.

"Has Logan been messing with you again?" I grabbed her hands to check. "Let me see if you're hurt."

"No, no," Sarah quickly shook her head. "He's been really good to me. It's just..."

Her voice trailed off.

"Just what?"

"Let's go inside first," Sarah said, pulling me towards her private lounge. "Ethan didn't come with you?"

"He drove me here. But he didn't come up."

Sarah's eyes lit up. "Is he finally starting to care about you?"

I gave a bitter smile. "Care? He just doesn't want me embarrassing him."

The lounge was filled with flowers and gifts from Logan. Pink roses, Tiffany jewelry boxes, all sorts of limited-edition bags.

It looked like Sarah was living the dream.

"Sit." She poured me some tea. "You look terrible."

"Thanks for the compliment." I picked up my teacup. "Sarah, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"What do you think about... breaking a mate bond?"

The teacup clattered from Sarah's hand and shattered on the floor.

Ceramic shards and tea scattered everywhere.

But she didn't move to clean it up, just stared straight at me.

"What did you say?"

"I'm going to break my mate bond with Ethan," I repeated calmly. "It's been a year, and he's never marked me. He won't even touch me."

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes.

"No... that's not... Fated mates aren't supposed to be like this. Logan holds me every night when we sleep. He says I'm his treasure, his everything..."

"That's great," I said, a little confused. "So why are you crying?"

"Because..." Sarah suddenly broke down sobbing. "Because he said we'll never have children!"

I was stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"Three years!" Sarah clutched her head, crying her eyes out. "For three whole years, we've... every day... but I've never gotten pregnant! Logan took me to the best wolf healer, and the result was..."

She was sobbing too hard to speak.

"What was the result?"

"The healer said Logan can't get me pregnant." Sarah looked up, her face streaked with tears. "His genes aren't compatible with mine. We can never have children."

My heart sank.

Sarah's biggest dream was to have a child.

Before she awakened, an abusive ex had caused her to miscarry, and doctors said she might never get pregnant again. When she found out Logan was her fated mate, she was ecstatic, like a little kid, saying she could finally have a family of her own.

And now...

"What did Logan say?"

"He said it doesn't matter, that we're happy just the two of us," Sarah said, wiping her tears. "But Ivy, I really, really want a child. When I see other she-wolves pregnant, it feels like a knife twisting in my gut."

I went over and hugged her.

"I get it."

"So when you said you wanted to break your mate bond..." Sarah sobbed in my arms. "I've thought about it too. Without Logan, maybe I could find an Alpha who could give me children."

We held each other and cried for a long time.

Misery loves company, right?

"But breaking a mate bond is incredibly painful," Sarah said, wiping away her tears. "And the success rate is really low."

"I know," I nodded. "But it's better than suffering like this."

Sarah suddenly sat up straight, a glint in her eye.

"Ivy!"

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know about... suppression potions?"

I frowned. "What?"

"I heard about a potion that can temporarily nullify the mate bond," Sarah said, gripping my hand. "If we both take it, and then run far enough away..."

"Sarah, what are you saying?"

Her eyes grew brighter.

"Let's leave together!" Sarah stood up. "Run away from here, away from these damn Alphas! Go somewhere they can't find us, and start over!"

I looked at her, a flicker of hope rising in my chest.

"Can we really do that?"

"Of course, we can!" Sarah nodded firmly. "You break yours, I'll break mine! We're best friends. Ride or die, right?"

I was moved by her words.

I stood up and held out my hand.

"Okay. Deal."

Sarah took my hand.

"Deal!"

But just then, her expression changed.

"Wait... Ivy."

"What is it?"

Sarah bit her lip, looking hesitant.

"That... nullification potion I mentioned... I'm not actually sure where to get it. But..."

"But what?"

She took a deep breath.

"But I can steal ovulation-inducing drugs from Logan's private healer."

I didn't get what she was saying.

"What good are ovulation drugs?"

A sly look flashed in Sarah's eyes.

"If we're going to run away, we need a good excuse, don't we?"