Chapter 2

"Cassandra!" As soon as Liliana saw her best friend from university, she immediately greeted me with a big hug. "I’m so happy you came."

"I wouldn’t have missed this for anything in the world," I replied, offering a warm smile and returning the embrace.

"Thank you for doing this," Liliana said, looking at me with a hint of embarrassment.

"You don't need to thank me," I said sincerely. "You know you can count on me for anything." Pulling my backpack off my shoulders, I added, "I bought some jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers." I paused, biting my lip in frustration. "I forgot to buy underwear, though."

"That’s not a problem," Liliana said with an amused smile. "That’s easy to fix right now." She quickly began to undress, handing her clothes to me.

We had planned everything down to the last detail and hoped it would work. If we could attract the attention of the pack’s wolves with the scent of Liliana’s clothes on my body, she would have enough time to escape the forest surrounding her Alpha’s territory. By changing into fresh clothes, they would never know where to look for her—at least for a while.

"There is money in the glove compartment for whatever you need," I said, handing her the car keys. "Just don't use your credit card for a few days."

"Thank you," Liliana said, her voice sounding nervous. "You know I would never put you in danger, don't you?"

"Of course I do," I smiled, trying to reassure her as I began to undress as well. "I don't even question it."

"When they catch your scent, they will chase you. But they won’t hurt you," Liliana sighed with frustration. "When they realize you aren't who they are looking for, they will take you to him, but you will always be safe."

"But he’s going to be furious... isn’t he?" I bit my lip anxiously.

"Yes," Liliana sighed. "If you have any doubts, I’ll understand."

"I have no doubts at all!" I smiled, shaking my head without hesitation. "This will be an adventure."

"Deep down, I know he wants to change a few things, too..." Liliana took a deep breath, putting her backpack on. "By getting away from here, I think I’m giving him a chance."

"Well... leaving you free to choose your own mate..." I snorted. "That would be a really good start."

"I believe he also wants to be paired with his true soulmate, but he simply gave up on waiting," Liliana said with a hint of sadness. "It isn't easy to find our destined mates, and now, after so many years, they are starting to pressure him to have an heir."

"I don't understand!" I looked at her, confused. "If it's so important for your happiness, even under pressure, he should wait for the right woman."

"Ulysses has had many women in his life. Perhaps, in the hope of one day finding his soulmate, he seduced anything that had breasts," Liliana sighed. She couldn't criticize or comment on her Alpha's sex life; after all, she had never fallen in love herself, but she knew that in her race, things weren't as simple as they were in my world. "But it never happened, and there comes a point where we eventually give up."

"He can't miss a mate that much if he’s such a womanizer," I snorted with disdain; I hated those types of men. "What I don't understand is why he wants to add you to his list."

"Because he is thinking about the good of the pack. In this case, he isn't thinking about his own happiness," Liliana sounded frustrated.

"But I still don't get it," I said, pulling my long hair back with an elastic band. "How can he think it's good for the pack to pair up with you if you aren't his fated mate?"

"Because I am loyal to my wolf 'brothers'!" Liliana declared proudly, as if that were reason enough. "Without sincere feelings and with a wolf from another pack, it’s very likely that a betrayal for power could happen. Ulysses could die, and our pack would suffer greatly because of it." Liliana shook her head. "He gave me every logical argument for why we should do this. On one hand, he’s right; it would be horrible if we lost him as a leader."

"He’s right?" I stared at her, stunned. "How can you say that?"

"At least according to his logic," Liliana looked at me seriously. "That’s why I agreed."

"Liliana... there is no logic in an agreement where neither party gains anything," I let out a deep sigh.

"But as I told you, he is thinking about our pack," Liliana breathed, frustrated.

"No, Cassandra," Liliana said, turning serious as she looked at her longtime friend. "If a wolf from another pack entered, we would constantly be living in a state of alert and distrust." She sighed deeply. "I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially not my own people. That’s why I agreed; we would be free of that problem if I, a wolf from the pack itself, stayed by the Alpha’s side and led."

"I understand," I breathed, analyzing her stance. "You would sacrifice yourself for everyone."

"He cannot fail to uphold the laws of the pack," Liliana nodded, offering a weak smile. "As an Alpha, he wants to lead by example, following the laws." She sighed again. "But I can go away for a while, which will give us a chance to try to find another solution."

"Do you think he will succeed?" I looked at her, doubtful. "He seems to be very arrogant."

"He seems to be!" Liliana smiled; I couldn't even begin to imagine what her Alpha was really like. "But he deserves to be as happy as the rest of us, and I believe he will still find his mate."

"Do you really think so?" I snorted, imagining an arrogant beast leading those wolves.

"You can't imagine what it’s like to be paired for life and then suddenly have your fated mate appear," Liliana cursed under her breath. "I’m not going to condemn him to that... nor myself."

"Then it’s best you go now," I sighed deeply, seeing the sadness in my loyal and dear friend. Offering a smile, I added, "Take care, okay?"

"Okay!" Liliana smiled back. "I’ll call you later."

"Yes, I’ll be waiting!" As she walked away, I stood there watching her for a few moments. She was majestic, moving with the grace of the wolf she was.

I will do whatever it takes to get you out of this agreement...

I whispered to myself, filled with awe. Even after all these years we had spent together, I was still surprised by their existence.

Once Liliana was out of sight, I prepared to move as well, determined and full of energy, but in the opposite direction. After twenty minutes of non-stop running, my lungs begged for a break, and I complied. Out of breath, I leaned against a tree and let myself collapse. I just hoped Liliana had already reached the car safely, for at that moment, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I knew... even though I couldn't see anything around me... that I was being... intensely watched.