Chapter 10 – A Whisper of Fate

(Jasmine's POV)

The car ride home was quiet—too quiet.

Mira had been stealing glances at me since we pulled out of the venue, her hands gripping the wheel tighter than usual.

I kept my eyes on the city lights blurring past the window, but I could still feel the ghost of Draven's touch on my skin.

I swallowed hard. What the hell just happened back there?

The way he touched me—the way he looked at me, like I was something he had been waiting for—it didn't make sense.

Nothing about tonight made sense.

I had never felt anything like that before.

And it scared me.

"Okay," Mira finally said, breaking the silence. "You're gonna have to tell me what happened, because you look like you either got kissed senseless or saw a ghost. And knowing you, I'm betting on the ghost."

I let out a shaky laugh. "It wasn't a ghost."

"Then what was it?" she pressed. "Or should I say… who?"

I exhaled, tilting my head back against the seat. There was no use hiding it.

"There was a guy," I admitted.

Mira grinned. "I knew it. And?"

I shook my head. "And… he was—"

I stopped myself.

How the hell was I supposed to describe him?

Dangerous. Intoxicating. Overwhelming.

Like a storm I couldn't run from.

Mira waved a hand. "Come on, Jas. Give me something. Was he hot?"

I let out a dry laugh, thinking about those silver eyes, that sharp jawline, the way his touch burned through my dress.

"Hot is an understatement," I muttered.

Mira wiggled her brows. "Ooooh. And what did this mystery man do to have you running out of there like the place was on fire?"

I hesitated, biting my lip.

"He…" I trailed off, my fingers clenching in my lap. "He's intense, Mira."

"Define intense," she said, stealing another glance at me.

I exhaled, my skin still tingling from the way he pressed me against the wall, the way his lips hovered just over my jaw, the way his voice sent heat curling low in my stomach.

"The kind of intense that makes it hard to breathe when he looks at you," I whispered.

Mira's expression softened. "Wow. So, love at first sight?"

I scoffed. "Absolutely not."

She smirked. "Sounds like it to me."

I shook my head. "Mira, I don't even know him."

"Okay, but… what if you're supposed to?" she said, her voice turning a little more serious. "What if this is fate?"

I blinked at her. "You don't believe in fate."

She shrugged. "I believe some things happen for a reason. And maybe, you meeting him tonight was one of those things."

I hesitated.

I hated how badly I wanted to believe that.

Mira grinned. "Tell you what—if you see him again, you have to admit that this was meant to be."

I exhaled, crossing my arms. "Fine. If I see him again, I'll consider it."

The moment we pulled up in front of the shop, I felt it.

Something was off.

The lights were still on.

And standing at the door, arms crossed, eyes sharp and unreadable—Celeste.

My godmother.

My stomach dropped.

Mira parked the car and let out a quiet curse. "Shit."

Celeste's expression didn't change as we stepped out of the car.

But I saw it.

The way her fingers twitched at her sides. The way she breathed in deeply the moment I stepped closer.

"Inside," she said, her voice calm, but firm.

I exchanged a quick glance with Mira before we both followed her in.

The moment the door shut behind us, Celeste turned.

"Where were you?" she asked, her tone unreadable.

I hesitated. "We just—"

"Don't lie to me, Jasmine," Celeste interrupted. "Where were you?"

Something unsettled curled in my stomach.

Mira let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, you know! Just a little party! No big deal! Dancing, champagne—"

Celeste's gaze snapped to her, sharp and unblinking.

Mira clamped her mouth shut.

I frowned. "Celeste, how did you even know we went somewhere?"

Celeste inhaled deeply, exhaling through her nose.

"Because I could feel it," she said quietly. "Something changed the moment you walked through that door."

I blinked. "What?"

Celeste's blue eyes darkened slightly. "Jasmine, I have always known there is something different about you. And tonight, when you came home, your energy was… off. As if you had been somewhere you weren't meant to be."

A slow, unnerving chill crept over me.

Mira fidgeted. "That's a little creepy, don't you think?"

Celeste didn't look at her. "Where did you go?"

I hesitated. "It was just an event. A ball. A fancy gathering."

Celeste's expression didn't change.

Mira sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine. The invitation came with a midnight rose, and the address was in the middle of nowhere, like deep in the woods—"

Celeste's entire body went rigid.

Mira stopped talking immediately.

Celeste's breath hitched.

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

And then—she whispered something that sent a shiver down my spine.

"What was the address?"

I exchanged a glance with Mira before slowly reciting it.

Celeste's face lost all color.

For a long moment, she didn't speak.

Then, in a voice barely above a whisper—

"You were in a werewolf den."

I froze.

My stomach dropped.

Mira squeaked.

I let out a dry laugh. "That's not—Celeste, come on, you don't actually think—"

"I don't think, Jasmine," she snapped, her voice tight with something I didn't understand. "I know. That address belongs to one of the most powerful werewolf territories in the city."

My pulse roared in my ears.

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense. It was just—"

Celeste closed her eyes, exhaling sharply before marching forward.

She grabbed my wrist.

A sudden, sharp tingling sensation shot through me—like static, like magic.

Celeste's expression turned grim.

And then—she whispered:

"You've been touched by a werewolf."

My breath caught in my throat.

I felt Mira stiffen beside me.

Celeste let go of my wrist, her hands trembling slightly.

And when she looked at me again, her eyes were darker than I had ever seen them.

"You don't understand what you've done," she whispered.

Neither did I.

But something in my chest tightened painfully.

Something in my gut told me my life had just changed.

And I had no idea why.