Nora and Jeff seemed bewildered by Celeste's bold announcement. "What do you mean? How could not having your wolf out be your edge?" Celeste explained, "Well… I mean, I know Raymond. He's cautious. If he suspects me as a werewolf, he might very well run some tests first before he takes any action. And my wolf hasn't surfaced, so theoretically, I won't be affected if he acts against me in any way that will hurt werewolves." Before her wolf came out, she was just an ordinary human woman to the hunter. The perfect proof was that even a full blood moon couldn't do anything to her. So, she should be safe if Raymond cast any anti-werewolf magic on her. But why was it possible only theoretically? Because she was not sure about it. After all, as far as she knew, no werewolves had the death wish to risk their lives and test if the anti-werewolf method could kill them before they wolfed out. So, it was a gamble Celeste would have to take. "Even so, it's still risky. Besides, you don
Celeste texted Raymond back that she agreed to meet him tomorrow afternoon. But she insisted the location was for her to decide. Raymond had suggested she go to his place, saying that he could show her more about werewolves and werewolf hunting. Celeste shivered at the thought of the latter and denied it without hesitation. In the end, they decided to meet up again at the café last time. The café didn't have too many customers, which made it a good place to talk. And it was also busy enough as a public place to keep Raymond from doing anything sinister to her. Raymond pondered for a while before he agreed. Celeste wondered if she should give Jeremy a heads-up about her upcoming adventure. After all, they were twins, and they had promised never to keep secrets from each other. Well… at least the deal was that they didn't keep big secrets. Celeste snorted at the thought. They had made that promise when they were kids, and she didn't know if it was still valid. As far as she
Raymond seemed to be bolder this time. He had never stared at Celeste with such open interest in his eyes before. The knot between her brows deepened. "Why do you want us to meet?" "Well… I thought you'd be interested in werewolves." That was not the answer she was looking for. She knew Raymond wouldn't admit what he actually wanted yet. Fortunately, she had patience. "Are werewolf hunters all the same as you? Are you all so selfless and keen on sharing secrets about werewolves?" Celeste sneered. "Ouch!" Raymond rubbed his chest as if he was hurt by her sarcasm. "But I kind of like your sharp tongue." When Celeste said nothing, he put away his smirk and shrugged. "Fine! I can be honest with you. I just want to clear up all the misunderstandings you're obviously holding against me. Really, I'm not a pervert." Celeste rolled her eyes. "Proof yourself, then." "I can't! I do hope my genuine eyes would touch your icy heart, though." With that, he blinked at her. What a
Raymond's suggestion sounded like the devil's whisper in Celeste's ears. The temperature in the café seemed to have plummeted a few degrees. Celeste tried her best not to shiver. But she couldn't help with the hair that stood on the end of her skin. Did she want to touch the wolfsbane? No, of course not. She was not suicidal. "Why would I want to touch it? Wolfsbane is poisonous to humans, right?" A smile curled on Raymond's lips. But to Celeste, it reeked ominously. "It is poisonous, but don't worry. It won't hurt you in the short time as long as you don't have an open cut on your fingers." Speaking, he took a look at her smooth, long fingers. "And of course, it works the opposite on the werewolves. Just the sight of the wolfsbane is enough to make those beasts tremble in fear and run away while they scream. And the touch of the wolfsbane on their skin will burn their souls and take their lives in no time. Don't you think that's amazing?" His gaze was full of excitement w
Raymond's mouth twitched. He was swayed by Celeste's words. She could tell that, and she was ready to sway him even more. "You can go to the east to find the wolves yourself if you don't believe me. You're the werewolf hunter here. Although wolves are different from werewolves, I trust your expertise to trace them down." Celeste wasn't bluffing or lying to his face. The wolves did live in the east of the forest, far away from her pack. It was just that the forest was too wide and thick for Raymond to run into them. Now that he knew which direction to look into, his odds were much better. Before Celeste came to the café, she had expected Raymond to find something more solid about the existence of werewolves. So she was surprised and even a little disappointed at his theory. But that did give her an opportunity to distract the hunter. "But… How do you explain the increased wolf cries on the full moon?" Raymond asked. "As I said, you are the werewolf hunter here. You should b
The gathering was only a few days away. And Celeste was busy in the kitchen with the homemade snacks. She had made snacks at last month's gathering. And it turned out her food was quite popular. As a result, she was asked to do it again for the pack, which she was glad about. Nothing relaxed her more than working in the kitchen and making food. Besides, she wanted to prepare snacks this time since they were going to celebrate Jeremy's first shift. She wanted everything to be perfect. Celeste had a list in her mind. She could have made the same food as last month. But she didn't want that. This time, she would like to make something she had just learned from the book. Guacamole cups looked like an easy and tasty choice. Ding! The oven chirped in the fragrance, alluring Celeste to it immediately. She put the glove on and took the plate out. The golden brown told her the cups were just perfect. She hummed softly to herself as she picked up the cups and let them cool down. The
Jeremy snorted when Celeste's snarky tone sounded in his ear. "Oh! I was worried that they've cast some black magic on you. Turns out my worries are completely unnecessary." Celeste swore she could hear Jeremy rolling his eyes. "Oh! I was worried that you've been kidnapped by some alien. Turns out my worries are completely unnecessary, too!" Jeremy let out a hearty laugh. "Smartass!" Celeste laughed, too. Goddess! She hadn't realized how much she missed his laughter. But the moment was short. They both fell back into silence again. Celeste could hear his breath on the phone. The little noises seemed to have vibrated through her phone and stirred the air around her ear, tickling her skin. She shivered. "Uh… So… Why do you call me?" She couldn't stand the silence. That seemed to have brought Jeremy to reality, too. Because the next second, his deep voice rumbled. "And you have the gut to ask me why!? Well… No. Let me restart our conversation…" He took a deep breath bef
Celeste couldn't stop thinking about how she was going to face Jeremy when he came back. After what had happened that night, she didn't know whether they could act like normal siblings anymore. Yes, she and Jeremy had managed to talk normally on the phone. But when they talked on the phone, they couldn't see each other's faces. Even so, there were so much awareness and silence. She didn't know how awkward things were going to be when they were finally face to face. She had never had the gut to think about what was behind Jeremy's action. She couldn't. She cringed whenever she thought about it. Deep down, she sensed something. She had a vague idea of why he ran away like a coward. The waiting was long and excruciating. But good thing was that she could distract herself by helping with the gathering. Jeremy had promised to come back, but when the party was about to begin, there was still no sign of him. Celeste couldn't help but text him, "So, where are you?" To get his at
Jeremy blinked his eyes open, only to find himself perched atop the four limbs of his wolf. Right beneath his nose, a dagger glimmered with a silvery radiance, as if it held a secret power. His wolf recoiled at the sight of it, sensing something off about the blade. It exuded a wicked glow under the warm, flickering light of the orange-yellow candle, almost as if it dared to mock Jeremy. It teased and taunted, never daring to come too close. As Jeremy looked upward, his eyes met a round moon, dominating the sky after chasing away the dark clouds. The moon bathed everything in its gentle, mesmerizing glow, making the stars pale in comparison. A sense of awe washed over him as he beheld the celestial spectacle. With a deep breath, Jeremy lowered his gaze, steeling himself for what he knew he had to do. He gingerly pressed his chest against the razor-sharp point of the dagger, feeling a prickling sensation mingling with the coarse texture of his fur. A wave of se
The whole room exuded tranquility as if it held its breath. Jermey blinked his eyes open once more, stealing glances at the other werewolves nearby. To his surprise, most of them were slouched against the walls, snoozing away on their chairs. Ben's neck remained stiff, locked in a position fixated on the gloomy clouds above. But his tired eyes were twitching and his eyelashes seemed to engage in a battle of their own, struggling to stay shut. Jeremy's gaze landed on Kent, who was still wide awake and lost in contemplation of the cloud-covered heavens. As if sensing Jeremy's presence, Kent abruptly turned his head, forgetting for a moment that he had been stuck in the same position, resulting in a stiff neck. The contorted expression on his face confirmed this mishap. Despite the inopportune timing, Kent's unintended antics managed to tickle Jeremy's funny bone. Though they were now fighting on the same side, Jeremy still remembered that sneaky bastard h
Jeremy had waited for three days. Three long days. And tonight was supposed to be the night of the full moon. He could practically feel the anticipation in the air. But... "Quit your pacing, dude! You're making me dizzy. Take a chill pill," Kent blurted out. Jeremy came to a halt, but the fiery anger inside him refused to be tamed. He turned his gaze towards Kent, his eyes burning with frustration. "Calm down? How the hell am I supposed to calm down? Look at this freaking sky!" With an exasperated gesture, Jeremy pointed his finger at the outside world. Thick, menacing clouds raced across the sky, ruthlessly snuffing out any trace of starlight or moon glow. If anything could escape the clutches of those gloomy clouds, it would be the raindrops tumbling down from their murky depths. The rain wasn't exactly a downpour; it fell in a half-hearted drizzle, so faint that he could barely spot the drops unless he squinted. But the water puddles on the ground re
Jeremy recognized the familiar voice. Immediately, he snapped his head up. There stood his old Alpha, Byron. Byron had shouldered the burden of Jeremy's true lineage for all these years, even betraying the trust of their own wolf pack. When the truth came out, the pack's disappointment was palpable. Yet, in the end, they begrudgingly accepted Byron's presence, albeit stripping him of his leadership status. As fate would have it, just as Byron had hoped, Jeremy eventually rose to become the pack's new leader. However, Byron vanished without a trace. Though the pack had extended their reluctant embrace to him, Byron seemed incapable of forgiving himself. He had chosen to wander off on his own. But at this very moment, Byron stood before Jeremy, appearing considerably aged, yet Jeremy couldn't help but notice that the perpetual tension that had clung to Byron seemed to have dissipated. Perhaps, now that his secret was out in the open, it brought a sense of
It seemed like the hunter vanished into thin air, taking Celeste along for the ride. The werewolves had been tearing through Wolf Town all day long, desperately trying to sniff out any trace of their elusive hunter. But this place, despite its name, hadn't laid eyes on a single wolf. The poor werewolves were completely stumped. They had been at it since the crack of dawn, covertly searching while keeping their senses sharp for any hint of the hunter's whereabouts. But now, as the sun started its descent, painting the sky a blazing red, the pack gathered together, heads shaking in a shared disappointment. The look of defeat was written all over their furry faces. Jeremy's mood was growing increasingly restless. Since morning, he had been plagued by these annoying, erratic breaths that come out of nowhere. It was like someone's squeezing his heart every time, catching him off guard and causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. With each occurrence,
"We're here, Cel. No doubt about it!" answered Celeste's father, Jeff, as he glanced at Celeste with a worried look on his face. "Hey, sweetheart, what have they done to you?" Her mother reached out and gently caressed Celeste's cheek. Tears welled up in her eyes, visible to Celeste. Celeste shook her head, determined to push aside the lingering dizziness. Though a bit disoriented, she refused to let it bother her. The blasted silver chains held her captive, severing her connection to her wolfish powers. Normally, as a werewolf, she would have bounced back from the electric shock in no time. But now, without her wolf mojo, she struggled to fully recover from the hunters' torment. With watery eyes, she looked at her parents and couldn't help but let a sob creep into her voice. "Oh, gosh, I missed you guys so darn much! Jeremy and I have been on the hunt for you for ages!" All she wanted was to give her parents a big, warm hug, but their hands were tied t
Celeste had no clue when she zoned out. All she could recall was the jarring click of a switch, the sudden glow of crimson lights, and a jolt of electricity coursing through her body, causing her to let out a scream. She squeezed her eyes shut, almost envisioning a lightning whip crackling against her wolf-like form. The excruciating pain hit her like a sucker punch, making her body writhe and convulse, but the damned silver chains held her captive. Yet, this first wave of agony wasn't enough to knock her out cold. Thankfully, the electrical surge was only fleeting, disappearing as swiftly as it had come. As Celeste regained her wits, she gulped down air as if she'd been trapped underwater, her heart hammering against her ribcage while her surroundings swirled in a dizzying haze. Once she'd gathered herself to some extent, Celeste's gaze fell upon Kevin, who was also gasping for breath, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. Had he just experienced a shocking sh
Jeremy and the rest of the wolves finally arrived at Wolf Town. As soon as Jeremy stepped out of the car, a peculiar sensation tingled through his body, leaving him bewildered. His heart skipped a beat, and he could feel a distinct surge in the connection between him and Celeste as if someone had turned up the volume. Without a doubt, Celeste was here, but where the heck was she? Where were the hunters hiding her? Jeremy closed his eyes, desperately trying to follow the invisible thread that bound him to her. It felt like Celeste's presence was swirling in every direction, teasing his senses. With every breath, he almost caught a whiff of her intoxicating scent, but dang it, where was she hiding? He was utterly disoriented, like a compass gone haywire. This sensation felt all too familiar. It reminded him of when Celeste had slipped away with the rogues before. Back then, he had been plagued by the same feeling, an uncanny awareness that Celeste was clo
What the actual heck was happening here? Celeste's eyes widened as she watched her twin brother clamber onto the same seat, getting all strapped up like her. It was downright unbelievable. Seriously, what was he up to? And what the heck did these hunters think they were doing? Wasn't Kevin one of the hunters? Did these hunters plan to experiment on Kevin too? As Celeste glanced back at the other hunters in the room, she noticed that two of them had sauntered out, leaving behind the black-haired man. His face was a mixed bag of emotions, and when his gaze swept over Kevin, a flicker of concern and guilt flashed across his expression, though it vanished in a heartbeat. Kevin locked eyes with the man and flashed a tiny smile at him. Celeste blinked, wondering if she was seeing things. What on earth was the deal between Kevin and this guy? Suddenly, two lab-coated figures waltzed in. Compared to the hunters, they were on the scrawnier side, lacking t