Bound by the Moonlight

Chapter 2 – Unseen and Unheard

Jade's POV

I count the days like a prisoner marks the stone wall of a cell—four more until my eighteenth birthday. Three more until the Moon Goddess reveals my mate. Three more until I can finally leave this pack behind and disappear into a life where I’m more than the dirt beneath their boots.

The halls of Crescent High swallow me the moment I walk in. The noise, the laughter, the way people glance past me like I’m air—nothing new. My locker sticks, as always. I yank hard and nearly topple over when it finally gives.

"Careful, Omega. "Wouldn’t want you to fall and dirty the floor,” comes the familiar sneer.

Hunter Ashford.

His voice curls around me like smoke—sharp, thick with disdain, and laced with amusement. I froze, my heart skipping. I didn’t turn around. I don’t need to. I’d know that voice in my sleep. After all, it’s haunted me for years.

“Sorry, Alpha,” I mutter, eyes down.

He laughs, but there’s no joy in it. Just cruelty. “You’re really hoping for a mate, huh? Maybe the Moon Goddess will take pity and pair you with a tree.”

Laughter erupts around us. My stomach twists. I clutch my books tighter and walk away without a word. That’s the rule. Don't respond. Don’t fight back. Survive the day, go home, and wait for freedom.

But part of me wants to scream. Not because of his words—but because, despite everything, there’s still this traitorous part of me that feels something when he’s near. A pull. A warmth I hate myself for noticing.

Stupid bond. Stupid wolf instincts.

My best friend Ashley finds me at lunch, sliding into the seat beside me with a tray full of fries. “Hey. You okay?”

I nod, lying through my teeth. “Fine.”

She doesn’t buy it, of course. “Was it Hunter again?”

I look away.

She sighs. “You know your birthday’s coming up. "You might be mated to some sweet, quiet artist from the East Ridge Pack who thinks you’re the moon herself.”

I laughed a little. It’s ridiculous, but comforting. “Or I’ll get paired with a tree.”

She pauses. “You know he only teases you because you get under his skin, right?”

I blink. “Ashley. He hates me.”

“No. He notices you. There’s a difference.”

I roll my eyes, but the words plant seeds I don’t want.

After school, I walk the long way home through the woods. It’s quiet here. Peaceful. My wolf stirs under my skin, restless lately. As if she’s waiting for something too.

I stop at my favorite clearing—soft moss, silver light cutting through branches. I sit. Breathe.

I imagine a life beyond Crescent Moon. A place where I’m not an omega. Where people don’t flinch when I walk by. Where my mate—if I have one—will look at me like I matter.

I want that so badly it hurts.

Suddenly, a howl echoes in the distance—strong, powerful, undeniably Alpha.

Hunter.

Even his wolf sounds proud.

My chest tightens. My wolf presses against me, curious. But I shove the feeling down.

No. It can’t be him. It won’t be him. The Moon Goddess would never be that cruel.

Would she?

I stand and head home, each step heavier than the last.

Three more days.

And whatever happens—I’ll be ready.

Even if it means breaking my own heart.