Kelsi Kohl propped herself up against the interior of her faded red Ford Focus, the small green body of a dragon taking shape in her hands. Classic rock played on the radio as the crochet hook deftly slipped in and out while she waited for science camp to let out for the day.

A group of beta mothers huddled together nearby, lounging against the side of a pricey BMW and sipping expensive lattes. They weren't looking directly at Kelsi, but she felt their judgmental stares nevertheless. Less than a month ago, this camp had been exclusively for betas and gammas, but that all changed when Alpha Ryan Stillwater received the Authority. He immediately did away with the class restrictions upheld by his father and grandfather, an act that sent shockwaves through the werewolves of Hecate City.

" ... with the Bloodmoon seal," one of the beta mothers was saying, her obnoxious voice drifting through Kelsi's open window. She once tried to drown out their chatter with a dose of Nirvana, but they complained to camp security. If only her AC was working, she wouldn't have to deal with their nonsense.

Kelsi rolled her eyes and paused to study the plump dragon. Only twenty more to go and she could open up orders for them on her Etsy store again.

" ... invitations?" another beta mother asked with a small gasp.

Despite herself, Kelsi's ears pricked. She reached over and turned the volume down to its lowest setting and wriggled against the car door, ostensibly to take advantage of the breeze. Goddess, it was warm. She gathered her thick, curly blonde hair into a ponytail, which helped somewhat.

"That's what Brandon said. A whole truckload of them."

"And?" the second mother prompted. "What were they for?"

"Invitations to a ball they're holding for the new alpha. Apparently," she added, voice dropping to a not-so-subtle whisper, "they're going out to gammas and omegas, too."

"Omegas?" a third mother exclaimed with a snort. "What is this—Cinderella?"

"And what if your family gets one?" the obnoxious beta retorted. "Can you imagine your sister becoming the luna of a brand new alpha?"

"Well, you have a point ..."

Kelsi heard enough. She turned the volume back up and shook her head. During last month's Full Moon Festival, the goddess Hecate elevated a beta male named Lee Bloodmoon to alpha status. Now that was all people could talk about—what city was he going to claim? Who was he going to choose as his luna?

Well, Kelsi didn't care about any of that. She was more excited about all the opportunities that were now available to every citizen of Hecate City—not just betas—thanks to Alpha Ryan. She was already hard at work polishing her resume.

"Mom!"

Kelsi started and looked across the car to where her seven-year-old daughter, Riley, stood with her arms crossed, lips pursed in a frown.

"Sorry, Ri," she said, gathering up the yarn and shoving it into a bag. She tossed everything into the backseat and unlocked the door. Riley yanked the rear passenger door open, tossed her sparkly unicorn backpack in, and practically threw herself into the front seat, pouting fiercely.

Uh-oh. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Riley sniffed and stared out the window. "Daddy didn't show up for the race."

Kelsi's eyes widened. "That son of a—" She caught herself, coughed, and reached out to brush Riley's long, white-blonde ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Ri," she told her daughter, trying to maintain a calm exterior. Oh, but wait until she got home. She was going to rip Donovan Greenfeather a whole new asshole.

Riley took a deep breath, then sighed. "It's okay, Mommy."

No, it wasn't. Kelsi could see how hard Riley was working to keep everything together—something a kid her age shouldn't have to do.

It wasn't as if Don had a scheduling conflict. Her gamma ex worked for the city and had plenty of time off accrued. No, as he'd mentioned time and again, he wasn't good at the "dad stuff"—no matter the fact Kelsi had seen plenty of photos on Facebook with his new gamma girlfriend and their one-year-old daughter.

She really had to stop following him.

Swallowing her frustration, Kelsi decided to take the conversation in another direction. "So, how did your car do?" The kids had been tasked with assembling pinewood derby cars during the week and today was the big race.

"Okay," Riley mumbled, staring out the window.

Kelsi put the Focus in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Each time she tried to get her daughter to describe how her day had been, it was met with monosyllabic replies or nothing at all. Eventually, Kelsi gave up. She knew not to push Riley too far—they were very much alike in that respect.

The minute Kelsi pulled into the driveway of her family's home, Riley jumped out of the car and ran inside, brushing past her aunt, Kelsi's older sister Victoria, on the way.

"Hey!" Toria called out, her long, Bohemian skirt swaying as she turned. "Slow down there!" Folding her arms, she stared down at Kelsi. "What's her problem?"

Sighing, Kelsi rolled up the Focus's windows, grabbed her stuff from the back, and got out, locking the car. "Donovan didn't show up."

Toria's dark blue eyes narrowed. With her heart-shaped face and wild blonde curls dyed blue and green, she looked like a vengeful hedgewitch. "That fucking twat!" She shook a finger at Kelsi. "I told you to write him off years ago."

"I know, I know," Kelsi mumbled, waving one hand as she climbed the porch stairs. She would have, but she didn't want Riley growing up without having her father in her life. Looking back, maybe it was the wrong choice. There were enough positive male influences around Riley in the form of her grandfather and great-uncles.

Taking a deep breath, Toria shook her head and turned to open the battered black mailbox on the side of the house.

Kelsi walked past her and into the living room just in time to hear her bedroom door slam. Their parents, Toria, Kelsi, and Riley lived in a tiny three-bedroom, one-bath cottage in River Heights, a section of Hecate City populated mostly by omegas. Here, the homes were close together, with small yards and tiny driveways. It was a far cry from the sprawling beta complexes on the other side of town.

Kicking off her shoes in the corner by the door, Kelsi dropped her bag on the couch and wandered into the kitchen. The heavenly scent of pot roast filled the house, setting Kelsi's mouth watering.

Their mother sat at the small dining room table, surrounded by books, folders, and legal pads. Toria and their mother were teachers at Granger Elementary and Francis J.Stillwater Middle School, respectively. During the summer, they worked as part-time tutors.

Ingrid Kohl looked up from her mountain of paperwork. "I take it her father didn't show up."

"No." Kelsi slipped into an open chair and grabbed a cookie from the plate in the center of the table.

"You know Dad would go if he could."

Mark Kohl drove a garbage truck for the Hecate City DPW; he worked long, monotonous hours, but it allowed them to live a relatively comfortable life.

"I know," Kelsi muttered sadly around the cookie.

"OHMYGODDESS!"

Kelsi's and Mom's heads snapped up as Toria raced into the room, skirt billowing behind her like a parachute.

"What?" they asked in unison.

Toria's eyes shone brightly as she lifted a thick, white envelope high in the air. "We got an invitation!"