Moonbound Mistake

Act I: Chapter Two - The Red Moon Ceremony

The morning of the Red Moon smelled like ash and sage.

Every hallway of the White Moon Pack estate was alive with movement. Servants rushed, warriors barked orders, and my father's voice roared sharply through the walls as he oversaw preparations for the ceremony.

For everyone else, it was a night of destiny.

For me? A chance.

Seraphina barged into my room without knocking, draped in silk even though the sun had barely risen. She leaned against my doorframe, smiling like a queen surveying her kingdom.

"Try not to trip in front of the Elders tonight" Raina. I won't have you embarrassing me."

I clenched my teeth. "Good morning to you too, Seraphina."

She ignored me, twirling a strand of golden hair. "Lucien will be there. Strongest Alpha heir in the country. Handsome, powerful... everything I deserve."

Her eyes cut to me, cold and cruel. "Don't even look at him. He's not for you."

Heat burned my cheeks, though I said nothing. She left with a satisfied smirk, her perfume suffocating the air even after she was gone.

By midday, I slipped away to the healer's quarters.

Gina was waiting, her table cluttered with herbs, crystals, and bowls of strange powders. In her hand, a small vial glowed with liquid redder than blood.

"You came," she murmured, her expression unreadable.

"I said I would," I whispered back, though my throat felt tight.

She held the vial between us, her dark eyes sharp. "Raina, listen carefully. You must drink half before the Red Moon appears. Then you must give the rest to Elizer. Only then will the bond seal."

I nodded quickly, though my palms were damp.

"But—" she continued, voice lower, "this is dangerous. The Moon Goddess's will is stronger tonight than on any other. If the wrong wolf drinks this, you will not be able to undo it. The Moon will see it as law."

A chill crawled down my spine. "I won't make a mistake," I insisted, clutching the vial when she handed it to me.

Her gaze softened, but her frown lingered. "Be careful, Raina. Desire can blind you."

Dusk fell.

The ceremonial grounds were lit with fire, shadows flickering across the ancient runes carved into stone walls. Wolves from both White Moon and Silver Moon packs filled the clearing, their robes white and silver, their voices hushed in reverence.

The Red Moon had not yet risen, but its light already bled into the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of crimson.

I stood at the edge of the corridor of ceremonial chambers, clutching the vial so tightly I thought it might c***k in my hand. My heart pounded. That was it.

I uncorked the vial, lifting it to my lips.

The liquid burned as it slid down my throat—sweet and sharp, like fire wrapped in honey. My vision blurred for a moment, the air tilting around me.

I coughed, steadying myself against the wall, then tucked the half-filled vial into my cloak. All I had to do now was find Elizer.

One step at a time.

The corridor glowed with torchlight, every door marked with shimmering runes. Wolves entered their chambers, guided by instinct, by the Moon's pull.

My head spun as I searched for the White Moon crest. Elizer should be waiting there, his fate about to be sealed.

But then footsteps echoed behind me. Heavy. Confident.

I turned—and froze.

Lucien Drax.

The Silver Moon heir. My sister's intended mate.

He strode through the corridor like he owned it, his storm-grey eyes fixed straight ahead, his presence so heavy it made the air itself feel smaller.

And then, impossibly—he stopped in front of me.

"Why are you standing here?" His voice was low, commanding.

"I—" My throat dried. The vial burned cold in my palm.

Before I could react, he noticed it. His hand closed around mine with terrifying ease, prying the vial free.

My heart stopped.

"No!" I gasped, reaching out, but it was too late.

Lucien uncorked the vial with a flick of his thumb, his gaze never leaving mine. "You shouldn't have this," he said, almost accusing—then, without hesitation, he drank.

The world spun.

The potion's crimson shimmer slid past his lips, sealing my mistake with every swallow.

"No, no, no," I whispered, panic clawing through my chest.

But already, the Moon above us flared. The runes on the doors burned brighter, reacting to the bond that should never have been.

Lucien's eyes widened. His wolf stirred, surging forward, as though something inside him had recognized me.

And at that moment, the air between us ignited.

Fate had shifted.

Not to Elizer.

Not to Seraphina.

To me.

By the time I realized what had happened, it was already too late.

The Red Moon was chosen.

And I was bound to Lucien Drax.

The vial slipped from his hand, clattering against the stone floor.

I stared, horrified, as the last drops of potion burned away into the air, dissolving in the light of the Red Moon now cresting the horizon.

Lucien's breath hitched. His hand went to his chest, his jaw clenching as though something inside him had snapped free.

I backed away.

"No... this wasn't—"

Then the heat struck me.

It was like fire spreading through my veins, an ache that curled deep in my belly, clawing its way up into my chest. My wolf, silent all these years, stirred violently beneath my skin, pressing forward with a hunger I couldn't control.

Lucien's eyes snapped to mine—storm gray now blazing with gold. His wolf.

"No," he growled, though the sound was strained, guttural.

"This isn't—supposed to—"

But the Moon didn't care what was supposed to happen.

The runes on the chamber doors pulsed brighter, and before I could breathe, Lucien's hands gripped my arms, pulling me into the nearest chamber. The door slammed shut behind us with the force of unseen magic.

The air between us burned.

"Raina..." His voice was broken, half-human, half-beast. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. "What did you do?"

"I—I didn't mean—It was supposed to be Elizer—" My words tangled as the heat consumed me, tears stinging my eyes.

The truth is useless now. The bond was already alive, searing us together, wrapping invisible chains around our souls.

Lucien staggered forward, fists clenched as though fighting himself. "I can't—"

Then his mouth crashed against mine.

It wasn't tender. It was desperate, raw, as though the Red Moon itself had commanded it. My back hit the stone wall, his hands pinning mine above my head. The bond pulsed between us, each heartbeat louder than the last.

My body betrayed me, answering him with equal fire.

The world narrowed to nothing but heat and need and the electric crackle of two wolves colliding under the Moon's gaze.

Somewhere in the haze, his teeth grazed my neck. My breath caught.

"Don't—" I whispered, but my plea dissolved into a cry as his fangs sank in, sharp and final.

The mark burned like molten silver searing into my flesh.

Lucien froze the moment it was done, his chest heaving, eyes wide with horror at what he'd just claimed.

My hand flew to my neck, trembling over the fresh scar. A bond mark. His mark.

The Red Moon howled above us.

We were no longer strangers.

We were mated.

Lucien staggered back, fury and disbelief twisting his features.

"This wasn't meant to happen," he growled, his voice cracking as though he hated himself for the words. "You—" His eyes narrowed.

"You did this."

"No!" I cried, the taste of him still on my lips, my body still trembling from the bond's force.

"It was never supposed to be you! I swear, Lucien—I didn't—"

But he turned away, fists shaking.

The mark pulsed hot against my skin, sealing the truth neither of us could deny.

The Red Moon had bound me.

Not the boy I thought I wanted.

But to the Alpha himself.

Lucien Drax.