Bound by the Moonlight

Chapter 10 – Beneath Silver Light

Jade’s POV

An hour.

I’d been at the Moon Ball for a full hour, plastering on a polite smile while every part of me itched to leave. Ashley stuck by my side, happily nibbling on cake pops and whispering commentary about who was wearing what.

“You have to admit,” she said, nudging me with her elbow, “some of these guys grew up like fine wine.”

I snorted, then caught the scowl of a passing she-wolf who clearly heard me. My cheeks flushed, but I didn't care. My nerves had been stretched thin since I arrived.

Because tonight, I was eighteen. Tonight, the mate bond could snap into place at any moment—and it terrified me.

I’d half-hoped it wouldn’t happen.

Half-hoped it would.

Now, standing against the wall like I was part of the decor, I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore.

“You okay?” Ashley asked, brushing a crumb from her lip.

I nodded, even though my chest felt tight. “Yeah. Just... overwhelmed.”

She gave me a knowing look, but didn’t push. “I’ll go grab us drinks. Be right back.”

As soon as she stepped away, I felt it.

A shift in the air.

A scent—woodsmoke, citrus, something rich and wild—drifted through the crowd like a secret, curling around me, teasing the edge of my senses. My lungs stalled. My heart slammed into my ribs.

Mate.

The word echoed inside me like a forgotten melody suddenly remembered.

I turned in a slow circle, eyes scanning the ballroom. Faces blurred, conversations became background noise. I followed the scent through the crowd, weaving between dancing couples, trying to find him.

I reached the center of the room—and crashed into someone.

Hard.

My breath whooshed out of me as strong hands caught my arms, steadying me.

“Watch where you’re—” he started, and then our eyes met.

Hunter.

Hunter Ashford.

My tormentor. The boy who’d made my life a waking nightmare for years.

His fingers still curled around my arms, sending fire through my skin.

And then I felt it. The spark. The jolt. The unmistakable click of the mate bond locking into place.

I stared up into his ice-blue eyes, frozen, breathless.

No.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head, stumbling back from his grip.

His brows furrowed. “Jade—?”

“No, no, no.” My voice cracked with each word. “This isn’t real. This isn’t happening.”

The Moon Goddess couldn’t be this cruel.

He couldn’t be the one meant for me.

My mate couldn’t be him.

He took a step forward, confusion shadowing his features. “Jade, wait—”

But I was already turning, already running, pushing through bodies and ignoring the calls behind me.

Tears blurred my vision.

I barely made it to the outer hall before I collapsed against the wall, chest heaving, trying to breathe through the betrayal.

Inside the ballroom, I heard his voice faintly calling my name.

“Jade…”

Soft. Uncertain. Like he didn’t understand what just happened.

But I did.

The Moon Goddess had chosen him.

Hunter Ashford.

And it was the cruelest joke of all.