Cassandra "You are going, and that is final!" My father's voice boomed throughout his office. I crossed my arms over my chest and sunk into my chair in a pout. I was lucky to have been able to avoid this stupid dance for the past three years. 

"If Cole is going to be Alpha, I don't see much of a reason for me to go. I thought it was only important for the next Alpha to be mated?" I fired back, slamming my fists on my lap. Anger reverberated throughout my body. Why couldn't he see that I didn't want to go?

 "Cole may be the next Alpha. However, you have alpha blood, which means if anything were to happen to your brother, you would be the next in line to take over. And frankly, it makes things much easier if you are mated." My father ground out through clenched teeth. He glared at me, his eyes daring me to continue and promising punishment if I did. With a huff, I stood up from my chair and stormed out of his office. I made my exit with a slam of his door, causing splitters to fly from the door frame. 

Banging through the double doors to the packhouse, I use everything in me to hold back from shifting since I didn't want to ruin my favorite Nirvana t-shirt.

 "Hey sis—" I shove past Cole, ignoring him calling out to me. I needed to go for a run, alone. I slip out of my t-shirt and shorts, tossing them to the side as I break out into a sprint. In an instant, I leap and transform into my dark brown wolf. Landing on my paws, I let my wolf take over as we ran off the frustration and stress. Slowing down, I come to my favorite spot in our territory, the lake. It was where I spent most of my time as a kid with my mother. She had died when I was ten during a rogue attack. She did everything she could to protect me and my brother, but she lost her life in the process. My father was known to be the best Alpha in the east. Even after losing his mate, he continued to watch over our pack with power and authority. Although Cole and I saw him when he was at his worst, he had hidden the pain he was in from everyone. I can't help but link my mother's death to my father's urgency to find my mate. In all honesty, I was scared, not of finding my mate, but of losing them. 

Mates are supposed to protect and be there for you, to treat you as their equal, to make our lives better. After what happened three years ago, I haven't the slightest desire to find my mate. I am perfectly fine on my own. 

A branch cracked behind me, and I lowered myself, ready to lunge if I needed to. A copper-colored wolf emerged from behind the tree with a wolfish grin. The scent of the wolf told me everything I needed to know. It was Fletcher, my best friend. He bounced around me as he swatted his paws at me and rolled around on the ground. I huffed in response, swatting at him and taking off in a sprint. For the next hour, we ran around, nipping and swatting at each other. After some time, we had gotten tired and went behind the trees to shift back. I grabbed one of the large t-shirts off the branch next to me and slipped it on over my head, letting the fabric fall just below my knees. Coming from behind the tree, I saw Fletcher standing with a grin on his face and blue basketball shorts on.

"What's got your panties in a twist today?" He asked as he approached me. I crossed my arms and couldn't help the frown that slipped onto my lips. Fletcher always knew when I was in a bad mood, or when I got into an argument with my father, which was something that had started to happen more often.

 "I have to go to the Moon dance this year." I stated as we started our walk back to the packhouse. Fletcher simply nodded as he pursed his lips, his gaze never leaving mine as he thought. 

"What's so bad about that? Don't you want to meet your mate?" He asked, nudging me with his elbow. I turned to him with a look of disgust at the question. 

"You know me, Fletch, I have no desire to find my mate." Fletcher shrugged and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, his embrace calming me ever so slightly. Fletcher and I imprinted on each other the moment we became friends, which meant he would do everything in his power to protect me, as I would for him. It did not make us mates nor sexually attracted to each other. It simply meant that our wolves recognized each other as spiritual protectors. 

"Alpha Parker is just looking out for you. I know that you've had a rough time since what happened with you-know-who, but you've gotta give it a chance. You never know what might happen. One thing for sure, I'm hoping I'll meet my mate this year." His eyes sparkled in anticipation. I cringed internally at how much of a lovesick puppy he is, even when he hasn't even met his mate yet. 

"As the Alpha's daughter, you have to be ready for anything that could happen. What if—"

"I'm tired of the 'what ifs,' I just want to be able to live my life without the constant threat that the pack will be pushed upon me. I'm sure Cole is more than capable of taking care of our pack." I fired back, already fed up with the conversation. I am confident in my brother and his ability to lead the pack. I've watched him train for years, and rest assured, he is more than capable. 

"We're just looking out for you, a mate is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and Alpha parker would hate for you not to be able to take part in the process of having a mate. "Fletcher sighed, rubbing my shoulders soothingly. Fletcher was right, although I hated to admit when he was right. A pang of guilt settled in my chest at the thought that I had a mate out there, and that others either were never blessed with one or lost theirs to death.

We arrived back at the packhouse to see my brother Cole pacing outside the front doors. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his head shot up from looking down to where I stood. Cole frowned slightly as he started walking towards us, taking long strides. His arms came out, pulling me into a hug. I stood stunned at first before I quickly wrapped my arms around him as well. 

"Dad told me what happened." He whispered. I nodded solemnly. He hated when dad and I argued. Cole had always been the peacemaker between the two of us. I was far too hot headed to be able to handle a pissing match with my father, especially if it meant I would end up hurt, punished, or both. "I know you don't want to go... But do it for mom. Who knows, you may not even find your mate at this dance." Fletcher tried to reassure me, but something at the back of my mind told me he couldn't be farther from the truth.

Cassandra I groaned as my friend Savannah fawned over me, brushing my hair and adjusting my makeup. Frustration crept up on me as She helped me get ready for this damn dance. "Will you stop frowning?" She huffed and stomped her foot with an annoyed look. I rolled my eyes at her letting her know I was going to continue growing until I was home and asleep in my bed. 

"You know that I—" Savannah sighed. "That you don't want to go. Everyone in the pack knows that you don't want to go! Will you stop complaining for once and focus on the positives? You're an alpha female. All of the males are going to be looking at you and wanting to mate you. I know that doesn't sound the most appealing, but think about it tonight may be the night you meet your mate." Savannah went back to messing with my curly black hair braiding it up into a sleek bun. I know I had agreed to go to the dance, but at this current moment, I was regretting it.

"Sav, please—" I pleaded. "Why won't you come with me? It's not like you've met your mate yet either." I suggested. Savannah was the pack oracle, and typically they did not have a mate, but Savannah's wolf had been anxious the past couple days, which made me concerned that she may have a mate and not know it yet. 

"You know the Moon goddess does not give oracle's mates." I could hear the sadness laced in her words. I suddenly felt bad for bringing her up and getting a mate. 

"Since I can't have one, I want you to make sure that you get yours so I can live vicariously through you." She smiled as she applied my lip gloss. Savannah stepped from in front of me, walking into my closet and grabbing the dress my father had tailor-made for me.

The triannual moon dance had a dress code of white for the women and black for the males, unless you were of a higher rank. Alpha's were assigned royal blue, since in more ways than one, they were treated like royalty. Beta's were assigned red since they were the right-hand man of the alphas. Since I was of Alpha blood, I would be wearing a royal blue dress. It was long and touched lightly to the ground, the upper portion being a white with golden swirls. The lower half was a royal blue and fanned out beautifully around me. Looking into the mirror, I was stunned at my appearance. My mocha skin glistened in the moonlight, my bright green eyes accented by natural brown eyeshadow, my lips full and glossy. My heart tightens, wanting so much for my mother to be here to see me. My eyes pricked with tears, and I quickly fanned my eyes, attempting to keep them dry and not mess up my makeup.

"You look beautiful." My father's voice caught my attention. I whipped around to find him and my brother standing in the doorway. My brother was in royal blue pants with a white button-up and gold tie, his usually unkempt hair was smoothed into waves revealing his fresh undercut. I smiled at my family, walking over to them as quickly as I could in my golden heels, and slung my arms around them. They each wrapped an arm around me, their love and affection pouring into me. Stepping back, I smiled up at them. 

"Looking good, brother." I tease him by nudging his arm. He cracked a sly smile glancing up at Savannah, who stood at my dresser, putting my makeup away. He shook his head, trying to go undetected, but I saw the look in his eyes, but I couldn't put my finger on it. In my eyes, Savannah was gorgeous with her long wavy silver hair and pale grey eyes. She always looked otherworldly with the contrast of her deep ebony skin and lighter hair and eye color. Cole stretched his arm out, "Shall we go, milady?" He smiled. I grinned back, slipping my arm into the crook of his elbow. "We shall."

After bringing together the unmated wolves who would be attending the Moon Dance, they all filed into our pack bus while my brother and I slid into our limo, Alpha perks. The ride to neutral grounds took about an hour from our pack. Throughout the ride, Cole and I discussed the dance and what to do if an emergency were to happen.

"Are you alright?" Cole asked, gaining my attention from the tree's passing by the window. 

"What do you mean?" I gave him a curious look as I turned my body to face him. 

"Your leg has been shaking for the past fifteen minutes. Are you nervous?" He motions toward my shaking leg with his head concern written all over his face. My wolf had been pacing in my head, mumbling about her mate. But I didn't want to worry him, so I willed my leg to stop shaking and graced him with a smile.

 "I'm fine, you know I do not do well in social situations that require dressing up. Don't get me wrong, the dress is stunning." I reassured him, the concern melted off his face and was replaced with a warm smile.

The limo came to a stop, and the chauffeur walked around to my door, opening it and placing his hand out for me to take. I smiled thankfully at him, knowing that without his help, I would have fallen on my face in these heels. Stepping out of the limo with Cole on my heels, I couldn't help the awed gasp that left my lips as I looked around. We had come to a clearing where wolves had gathered. A line of trees surrounded the area with lights strung up, lighting up the dark area. Voice boomed with laughter and the smell of food traveled around me.

 "Whoa, look at you." Fletcher's voice came from behind me. He was in an all-black suit with a white tie, his copper hair done neater than usual. He knew how to clean up nice. Fletcher flung his arm around me with a smirk and looked up at the open area.

"This is gonna be awesome." He cheered. I rolled my eyes at his excited behavior but couldn't help the giggle that slipped through my lips. We walked into the clearing, wolves bowing at us as we passed. I held my head up high, set my shoulders back, and walked with confidence. I am an Alpha, after all.

Everyone mingled with other packs, including the many girls that swarmed my brother. I rolled my eyes and stalked off towards the drink table. My jitters had come back, clenching and unclenching my fists. I grab a cup off of the table, praying that it's alcohol. I just needed something that would calm my nerves. Champagne. Not as strong, but it will do. As I sipped on my drink, my nerves became worse, my vision blurred, and I stumbled to the side. My skin tingled and my breathing hitched. I had to get out of here. I was having an anxiety attack. While they were not common with me, the moon dance was the one place I was expecting it to happen. It was, after all, the place of my original trauma. Setting down the cup, I start to make my way towards the entrance of the area, wanting to get away from the large groups of wolves. I open my mind link and search for Fletcher.

Fletch, I think I'm having an anxiety attack, where are you? I continue searching and finally finding his wolf. 

Head to the bus, I'll meet you there. He linked back before closing his mind again. The hem of my dress catches under my heel, and I stumble forwards. I squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation of falling on my ass, but after nothing happened for a second, I had noticed a strong—no TWO strong—arms wrap around my waist and shoulder, preventing me from hitting the ground. Tingles shot up my spine, making me shudder uncontrollably, my eyes widened at the realization. My wolf pranced around in my head and yipped. 'MATE...' She purred.