---

After three and a half hours, I arrived in Kansas. I texted Mom that I was already in the state before boarding a taxi to Crestfall, privately owned land which was farther away from the city and human eyes. The ride took about forty minutes before we arrived at a small apartment where a few patrol guards stayed when guests were coming into the pack land.

I got out of the car with my luggage and thanked the driver for the ride. I walked closer to the apartment but stayed a few feet from it, already knowing that they would be out soon since they could sense my arrival. I looked at my chest to see a red dot there and rolled my eyes with a scoff. What harm could an average Lycan do to one of the biggest packs in the USA?

The door opened, revealing Beta Ivan and two other guards.

"Beta," I said in greeting with a flat tone.

"Celeste," he replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he came down the stairs. "Long time no see, eh?"

"Yes, Beta, now can we go?" I asked him with an annoyed tone.

"Now that's no way to talk to your Beta," Ivan said, sending a harsh glare my way. Instead of responding, I picked up my suitcase and walked toward one of the cars parked at the side of the building. Beta Ivan sighed and walked toward me, stopping about half a foot from me. He brought his lips closer to my ear and whispered, "I'm sure Alpha would love to see you again."

I watched him walk away and acted like I wasn't affected by what he said. I took in a shaky breath and got in the car, not bothering to put my suitcase in the trunk.

After ten minutes, I started seeing a few houses and malls. I knew we were close after passing one of my favorite places here in the Crestfall pack: the Library.

The car came to a stop, and I looked up to see that we had already arrived at my family's apartment. My heart raced with thoughts of being in my mom and dad's arms as I opened the door. I didn't bother thanking the beta as I jogged towards my home.

I opened the door and was enveloped in the soft and warm arms of my mom.

"Mom," I choked out, dropping my luggage to the floor, almost crushing my left toe, but that was the least of my problems, knowing it would heal in a few hours.

"Oh, my baby," Mom said, smoothing my jet black hair. I took in a long sniff, my nose filled with her scent: cinnamon and pineapple. "I missed you so much."

I looked up to see Dad smiling down at his wife and daughter. "Come here, kiddo," Dad said, and I laughed, going up to him for a hug.

Looking around, I saw my brother Simone smiling at me with his mate, Josephine. I gave Josephine a hug as she welcomed me home and looked at my brother, who had a smirk on his face.

"Welcome home, shorty," Simone said, letting go of his mate's hand and pulling me in for a bear hug.

"I'm 5'10" tall, jackass."

I went to my room and saw that it looked the same as when I left it, just that the bedspread was different and clean.

---

"Celeste!" I heard Mom yell from downstairs.

"Coming," I yelled back, rubbing my eyes with my palm. I took a quick shower and went downstairs to see that dinner was ready and Mom was setting up the dining table.

"Here, let me help you," I offered, which she declined with a wave of her hand. On a normal day, Mom would always make me set up the table. Guess she missed me that much.

I sat in my usual spot while everyone else took their seats, and we dug in. Josephine asked me about college life, and I told her everything with a smile on my face.

"Ma," Josephine called out to Mom.

"Yes, dear."

"Will Celeste be going to the ball with us?"

"What ball?" I asked no one in particular. Everyone was silent and staring at me like I had gone crazy.

"What?" I asked, looking at everyone with a frown.

"How can you not know, Celeste?" My brother gasped, his hand over his mouth, being dramatic as usual.

"Yeah, it's been the talk of the whole Lycan race," Josephine added with a nod.

"Just so you know, I live in New York, the only city with no pack," I told them, waving my spoon in the air. They all shrugged and went on eating while I rolled my eyes.

"Celeste, you will be going to the ball," Mom added after some minutes. I groaned.

"Do I have to?" I asked Mom with a pout and the best puppy dog eyes I could muster.

"Yes, you have to, shorty. With me being the Gamma of this pack, all our families are to go to the ball," my brother said.

"Fine, but I do not have a dress," I told them.

"Neither do I. That means we get to go shopping together!" Josephine said, and I gave her a small smile.

After dinner, I went back to my room and lay on my bed, looking at the chipped ceiling. Now that I was alone, I couldn't help but think about my mate. I knew I couldn't ignore the fact that I'd be seeing him tomorrow at the ball. With that in mind, I drifted off to sleep.

---

I woke up to the sound of a knock on my door. "Celeste?" I heard a voice say.

"Hmm," I answered, pushing my face into the pillow.

"Are you awake?" The voice asked. Josephine.

"No, now get out," I muttered into my pillow.

She chuckled and walked into the room, standing at the foot of my bed.

"Get your arse up, we have to go shopping," she said, pulling the duvet off my body. I groaned and glared at her.

"Fine," I told her, stretching my limbs and arms.

"Be ready in forty," Josephine mumbled, walking out of my room.

---

"Josephine, I'm tired," I whined like a child as we walked yet into another store. We'd been going in and out of stores for two hours, looking for the perfect dress. I'd picked out a few dresses, but she said if I wore that to the ball, I'd look out of place.

"If you stop complaining and look around, we'll be out of here soon." I sighed and walked around but came to a stop when I saw the perfect dress hanging on a mannequin.

I gasped and went to it, touching the fabric. "Josephine!" I called out, my eyes not leaving the material.

"Wow," Josephine gasped.

"Yeah."

We asked a worker to help us take the dress from the mannequin, and I went into the fitting room to try it on. I marveled at how well it fit. It was a golden-colored dress. Its lacy material glistened like diamonds under the light. It had just one sleeve which was short and came with a breast tube, for which I was grateful. The back was made of tiny nets that stopped

at the middle of my back. It was absolutely beautiful.

I stepped out of the fitting room, and Josephine gasped. "Is it okay?" I asked her, a little bit nervous.

"Okay? Girl, you look like a queen."

I smiled at her and went back to change into my normal clothes.

We looked around a little bit for some matching heels and paid for them. Then we went to a nearby cafe and ordered our lunch.