Bound by the Moonlight

Chapter 9 – A Day I Can’t Escape

Jade’s POV

I woke to soft rays of sunlight filtering through my thin curtains, casting golden streaks across the floor. The early morning breeze fluttered in through the open window, carrying the scent of pine and frost. My eyes blinked open, and for a moment, I lay still—hoping I’d imagined what day it was.

But the feeling was there. A subtle shift beneath my skin. A quiet hum vibrating through my bones, almost like my wolf was stirring for the first time, stretching and sensing the world.

Today was the day.

My eighteenth birthday.

I pressed a pillow over my face, groaning softly. Most girls would be thrilled right now—finally of age, finally allowed to meet their mates at the Moon Ball. But not me. I wasn’t like most girls. I was an omega.

The bottom of the pack.

Why would the Moon Goddess even bother giving me a mate? And if she did, what were the chances he’d want me?

Especially if he was someone like… Hunter.

The thought made my stomach twist.

Just as I was contemplating ways to fake an illness and skip the entire day, my bedroom door flew open.

“Rise and shine, birthday girl!”

Ashley.

Her curly brown hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, and she was already dressed in jeans and a hoodie, grinning from ear to ear.

I groaned and turned over, clutching the blanket. “Ashley, no. Not today. Let me die in peace.”

She yanked the blanket off me in one swift motion.

“Wrong answer,” she said cheerfully. “You’re eighteen, Jade! It’s your first Moon Ball! You have to go.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” I muttered, glaring at her from my pillow fortress. “There’s no rule that says omegas must parade themselves around for rejection.”

Ashley frowned and sat down beside me. “Okay, first of all, don’t talk about yourself like that. Second, you do have to go. All eighteen-year-olds are expected to attend. You know that. If you don’t show, you’ll just draw more attention—and not the good kind.”

I groaned again, louder this time. “Then let me sneak in, hide in a corner, and sneak out before anyone notices.”

“Nope.” Ashley shook her head. “You’re going with me." You’re going to get dressed. I’ll even do your hair. You’ll survive, I promise.”

Her voice was soft now, coaxing, and when I finally looked up at her, I saw the concern in her eyes.

“You’ve been hiding from everything for too long,” she said gently. But this… this is your moment too, Jade. You never know what might happen.”

I snorted. “Oh, I know. Either I don’t find a mate at all, or I do, and he’ll reject me the moment he realizes what I am.”

Ashley sighed. “You don’t know that. "The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”

“I’m not saying she made a mistake,” I whispered. “I’m saying maybe I just wasn’t meant to be chosen.”

Ashley’s lips tightened, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around me. “Then I’ll be there with you the whole time. We’ll face it together.”

Her warmth seeped into my skin, and something in me cracked—just a little. Enough to let the tiniest bit of hope in.

“Fine,” I mumbled. “But only if I can wear my boots.”

Ashley grinned. “Deal. And maybe—just maybe—you’ll find out that you’re more than you think you are.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t fight her anymore.

The rest of the day blurred past in a whirlwind of reluctant activity. Ashley practically dragged me out of bed, then made me eat a birthday muffin she smuggled from the cafeteria. We skipped classes—she insisted it was a “self-care day”—and spent the afternoon raiding her older sister’s closet for something decent to wear.

“You’re lucky she’s away on patrol,” Ashley said as she held up a navy-blue dress. “This would cost us our lives otherwise.”

I laughed for the first time all day. “It’s cute, but won’t people talk if I show up in something that fancy?”

Ashley gave me a look. “People already talk, Jade. Give them something to be jealous of.”

By the time she curled my hair and added a bit of makeup, I hardly recognized myself in the mirror. I wasn’t stunning—not like the she-wolves Hunter usually flirted with—but I didn’t look like the ghost of an omega, either.

I looked… alive.

Still, nerves twisted my stomach as the sun began to set.

We stood at the edge of the Crescent Moon Pack Hall, where fairy lights shimmered above the entrance and the sound of music spilled out into the cool night air. Laughter, voices, footsteps—it all sounded like another world.

Ashley squeezed my hand. “Ready?”

I swallowed hard. “Not even a little.”

She smiled. “Good. That means you’re braver than you think.”

Together, we stepped into the light.

And the moment I crossed the threshold, something inside me shifted again. A shiver raced down my spine.

My wolf stirred with sudden awareness.

He was here.

Somewhere in the crowd, under the full moon’s glow… my mate was waiting.

But whether he would welcome me or break me?

That was a question I wasn’t ready to answer.

Not yet.