I jolted awake to the sound of my mother's voice calling my name. My disdain for early mornings is legendary in our household, so this wasn't an unusual wake-up call. Even though I was fully awake, I stayed in bed, letting her continue to shout through the door for a bit longer.

"Katarina, really?" I heard my mother's breathy voice snap as she opened my bedroom door. With a groan, I raised my head and met her piercing blue eyes with my own.

My bright blue eyes were one of the few traits I inherited from my beautiful but strict mother. My younger sister, on the other hand, was almost her exact clone, with her slender build, curly blonde hair, sun-kissed skin, and high cheekbones. "The good looks of the family," my mother once said when she thought I wasn’t listening. It wasn't that my father lacked in appearance, but he had a rugged look, with a massive build and a face scarred from defending our pack years ago. While the women in my family had slender figures, my body was curvier—my chest and hips continued to grow, but the rest of me stayed the same. My hair was the same shade of chocolate brown as my father's, straight as a pin, and my skin was just as pale, only flushing red when blood rushed to our faces. The one saving grace of my hair was its length—it had grown long over the summer, now reaching well past my waist. My face was round and youthful, giving me a much younger appearance than my actual age.

My height was a different issue altogether. The women in my family tended to be taller than the men, with my mother standing a few inches above my father. I missed the height gene entirely. At just 5'3", both my mother and father towered over me. Even my younger sister had outgrown me over the years. As I grew up, my parents realized I wasn’t the daughter they had envisioned. Stubborn, rebellious, and insubordinate—those were the words my mother used to describe me. My older brother, Valen, the future Beta of our pack, was the only one in the family who saw my stubbornness as a hidden strength. They considered themselves lucky with my younger sister Aria, whom my mother often praised as the perfect little lady worthy of a good mate.

"I'm awake," I sighed, dreading the fact that today would be a busy one.

Every year, the Moon Ball is held on a different pack's territory. This year, it was our pack's turn—the Blue Moon Pack, to which my family and I belong. The Moon Ball is supposed to be an elaborate and romantic event designed to help young wolves find their mates. I had successfully skipped the event every year until now, but this year, there was no escaping it.

I refused to worry. There was nothing to fear; I would simply attend the ball, and when no one was looking, I’d slip away and spend the rest of the night alone. My wolf, Rose, rolled her eyes at my indifference toward finding a mate. Although she shared my reservations, she understood my reasons. After everything that had happened, there was no way I was going to become the mate of some hot-headed wolf.

"You need to get up and dressed! Valen will be here any minute!" My mother snapped, her stern gaze locked on my face, even as Aria peeked into my room.

Chiding myself for almost forgetting about Valen, I climbed out of bed and made a show of getting dressed to appease my mother. With one last disapproving look, she sighed and closed the door behind her, granting me some privacy.

Valen had been visiting a neighboring pack when he found his mate. After spending a few months with them, he was finally coming home to introduce her to us. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of seeing him again. Unlike the rest of my family, Valen never viewed my personality as a flaw; he simply saw his 'feisty little sister.'

Without much thought, I grabbed a black off-the-shoulder top and a pair of ripped denim shorts, quickly dressing while pulling out my phone to text my two best friends. I created a group chat and sent them a message about Valen, knowing they’d both want to be there to welcome him home.

*Me - 10:55

-You guys up? Valen will be home any minute!

*Raven - 10:56

-Obviously we're up; not all of us like to sleep all day!

*Me - 10:57

-What can I say? I’m in a committed relationship with my bed!

*Gideon - 10:58

-Sh*t, he’s not there yet, is he? Be over in five minutes! I can give you a committed relationship, princess ;

*Raven - 10:59

-Gross!!! Same here, I’m on my way!

Without checking my phone again, I slipped into a pair of worn-out shoes and half stumbled down the stairs. Knowing full well I had slept through breakfast, I grabbed a blueberry muffin from the pantry and began devouring it. I nearly moaned at the sugary goodness when I heard the familiar voices of my friends.

"Raven, Gideon! Thank you for stopping by!" My mother’s overly sweet voice rang out from the living room. Suppressing an eye roll, I made my way to the living room, unable to stop the smile that spread across my face. My two best friends stood there, ready to drag me out of the house.

Raven and Gideon had been my closest friends for as long as I could remember. Though Raven appeared to be a sweet and submissive girl, she had a wild side. Her brown eyes would often gleam with mischief, and her small lips would curl into a smirk whenever she had something reckless in mind. Gideon was one of the few males in our pack who didn’t expect women to be completely submissive to men. Both Raven and Gideon had grown into their looks over the years, catching the attention of many pack members. However, in this pack, it was frowned upon for women to be friends with unmated males.

The first time I brought Gideon and Raven home, my mother nearly lost her mind. She spent an hour screaming after they left, lecturing me on the importance of being more responsible and respectful toward my future mate. How would my mate feel about me being friends with an unmated male? Would I be able to resist the temptation of other men until I met my mate? I remembered all of this and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. After my past experiences, resisting the temptation of men had become all too easy. Sure, Gideon was flirty, but it was harmless, and he flirted with everyone.

As I entered the living room, Gideon and Raven’s faces lit up. I noticed the sly look in Raven’s eyes and wondered what she had planned, hoping it wasn’t something I would hate too much.

"You guys head outside now; Valen will be here in a few minutes!" My mother chirped excitedly, eager for her eldest son and future daughter-in-law to arrive. Without another glance at my mother or Aria, who was finally coming down the stairs, my friends and I made our way outside.

The three of us plopped down on the porch steps, just as we had done countless times over the years. I absentmindedly picked at the peeling white paint on the steps until Raven’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"You really don’t want to go to this ball, do you?" Raven chuckled, raising a thin eyebrow as she eyed the frown on my face.

"No, I really don’t. I’ll probably show up for the first half, but once the speech is over, I’m making my escape." I nodded and smirked at my smiling best friend.

"We can meet up if you want. I’m not too interested in the ball this year either." Gideon frowned, ignoring the confused looks from Raven and me.

Gideon had attended the ball for the past two years without protest, but something had changed this summer.

"Since when don’t you want to go to the ball?" Raven asked, eyeing him suspiciously. We all sat in silence for a few moments as Gideon considered his answer. From the look on his face and the glances he shot my way, I could tell he wasn’t going to explain.

"That’s fine; we can meet up in the forest. Rose wouldn’t mind stretching her legs." I shrugged, breaking the silence. My wolf, Rose, frowned at the thought of missing the Moon Ball but agreed that she would love a run.

"Well, suit yourselves, but I'm eager to meet my mate," Raven teased, sticking her tongue out at both of us.

"So you can bow down and start fulfilling your duties as the perfect submissive mate?" I mimicked my mother's speech, word for word, smirking at Raven, who was giving me a mischievous look.

"Maybe not quite that, but I do have some tricks up my sleeve," Raven replied with a wink, laughing as I pretended to gag at her comment.

"Oh, Katarina?" a sickly sweet voice called out, and I sighed before turning to face the spitting image of our mother.

"What do you need, Aria?" I responded, keeping my tone neutral. I knew she loved pushing my buttons and would run straight to our mother if I reacted poorly, playing the victim of my supposed cruelty. While my relationship with my younger sister was strained, it was the complete opposite with Valen. He had been there for me during my darkest times, the only one I trusted with my deepest secret. Gideon, too, was someone I could rely on completely. He helped me move on from the past and kept my secret safe.

"Mom wanted me to remind you not to even think about skipping the ball tomorrow night. She’s going to be watching you like a hawk," Aria said with a smug smile, placing a tanned hand on her hip.

My face heated up as it dawned on me that she had overheard our conversation and ratted me out to our mother. Anger surged within me, mirrored by the silent excitement from my wolf, Rose. But that anger quickly turned to a cold realization—I was going to be stuck attending this ridiculous ball.

The thought of finding a mate and being trapped in a life of servitude chilled me to the bone. The idea of being used in every way possible terrified me, making it hard to breathe.

"Goodbye, Aria," Gideon snapped, his voice laced with irritation, pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts. Aria’s blue eyes widened slightly at the sharpness in Gideon’s tone, but she wouldn’t dare challenge an unmated male. With a huff, she turned and stomped back into the house, the old screen door slamming behind her.

"D*mn," I muttered, pressing a cool hand against my hot forehead.

"You might not even meet your mate, Katarina," Raven said gently, placing a comforting hand on my arm. Neither of them knew why I was so against finding a mate, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth.

Revealing the truth meant reliving what happened, and I couldn’t put myself through that again. The nightmares weren’t as frequent as they used to be, but thinking about what happened brought them back with a vengeance.

"Let’s hope not," I trailed off, unable to find anything else to say. A heavy weight settled in my stomach, dragging me down as if it were made of lead. I had only felt this way once before, right before something terrible happened.

"On a brighter note, guess who’s coming dress shopping with me today?" Raven squealed, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from the topic of mates.

"Let me guess... Aria?" I half-heartedly smirked at her, and her eyes widened in mock disgust.

"No, very funny, but no. You are!" she grinned. Raven knew I wasn’t a fan of shopping, but the last thing I wanted to do was shop for a dress for a ball I was being forced to attend.

"Looks like I’m coming along too, huh?" Gideon chimed in, his expression less than thrilled, but there was a strange glint in his eyes.

"Of course, we need a guy’s perspective," Raven chuckled.

At that moment, our attention was drawn to the driveway as a black sedan pulled into the empty spot. The knot in my stomach momentarily forgotten, excitement surged as the thought of seeing my brother took over.