Bound by the Moon

What the Hell Just Happened

– Stephan –

I could still feel her eyes on me.

Even after I left the forest, even after I stormed back through the pack house like I had a mission to complete, her gaze followed me like a shadow stitched to my spine.

I slammed the door of the guest room behind me and braced my hands against the edge of the dresser, breathing hard. My pulse wouldn’t settle. My wolf was pacing—no, scratching at me from the inside, restless and furious.

“Are you out of your mind?” he growled. “You walked away.”

I closed my eyes and tried to shove him back, but he kept pushing.

“She’s ours,” he snapped. “How could you turn your back on her?”

“I don’t even know her,” I said aloud, trying to make sense of the chaos inside me. “She looked like a damn child.”

“You know what she is.”

That was the worst part.

I didn’t know her name. Didn’t know who she was, where she came from, or why she was out in the woods alone. But I knew. The bond wasn’t subtle—it slammed into me the moment our eyes met. My wolf responded like he’d found his missing half.

But I… panicked.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. I had Amanda. She was beautiful, polished, powerful. A Luna in every sense. She made sense. Our alliance made sense.

This girl? She was wild and quiet and looked like she’d been carrying grief in her bones for years.

And yet…

My fingers curled into fists.

The way she looked at me—like I was the first thing that made her feel safe in a long time. That look broke something in me. It cracked open parts I didn’t know were sealed.

She didn’t speak. She didn’t need to.

One glance and I felt her.

Everything about her called to me in a way Amanda never had. It terrified me.

---

A knock sounded at the door.

I didn’t answer.

It opened anyway.

Kellan stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked at me for a long beat, his arms crossed over his chest like he knew more than he was letting on.

“You okay?” he asked carefully.

“No.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what the hell just happened.”

He walked over and leaned against the wall across from me. “I think you do.”

I met his eyes. “I saw a girl in the woods. She—” My voice broke off, unsure how to describe it. “It hit me. Hard. Like the ground disappeared. My wolf reacted first.”

“She looked young,” I added quickly. “Really young. I didn’t know what to do.”

Kellan didn’t flinch. “What did she look like?”

I hesitated. “Small. Brown skin. Curls like she hadn’t brushed them in days. She had this… I don’t know, this tiredness about her. Like she’s been through too much. Her eyes—”

I stopped myself.

Kellan’s expression changed.

“What?” I demanded.

He ran a hand over his face, then looked at me with something like pity. “You saw her in the forest?”

“Yeah.”

“And you locked eyes?”

“Yes.”

“And you felt it?”

“Yes!”

He exhaled slowly. “That’s Tashay.”

The name hit me like a punch to the ribs.

“Tashay?” I echoed, tasting it. “Who the hell is that?”

Kellan’s jaw tightened. “She’s the daughter of this pack’s former Alpha. After her father died, her stepmother stripped her of her title and made her live like an omega. That’s why you’ve probably never seen her at the gatherings. They keep her hidden.”

My stomach turned.

“She’s that girl?” I asked, stunned. “I thought she was some—”

“You thought wrong,” Kellan cut in. “She’s not just a girl. She’s your mate. And you turned your back on her.”

I stared at him, stunned silent.

“She lives like a ghost in her own pack,” he continued. “And now her own mate walked away without saying a word.”

My wolf growled at the reminder.

“You need to fix this,” Kellan said. “Before it’s too late.”

I didn’t move.

I didn’t know if I could.