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
Celeste shook her head when Nancy was far away from them. "I didn't know she was just mad at the food I made." "Nancy is very competitive. And I'm sure she's not just mad at your food." The Alpha returned his gaze to Celeste. "What else, then?" Celeste raised an eyebrow in question. "That's for you to find out." He winked at her. Celeste snorted. "Oh, by the way, you still don't feel like wolfing out?" She shook her head and let out a soft sigh. At least, she didn't receive any signal from her wolf. Byron patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. It's not unusual. Not all twins shift at the same time." "But it has been about two weeks, and I still don't feel anything. I even start to question if I really am a werewolf." She pouted, folding her arms on her chest. Byron chuckled and rubbed her hair, which result in a startled cry from her. "Don't be so dramatic, girl. I never doubt the wolf inside you. Remember how much you liked to bite me when you were this littl
The handshake Kent gave her was warm and confident. The man was gazing at her, a small smile curling at the corner of his lips. His eyes were brimming with curiosity as they roamed up and down and all around her. The handshake seemed to have lasted for too long. Celeste tried to pull her hand back, but the man's grip was tight. Kent cleared his throat as if he had just noticed that he was still holding onto her hand. He let go and apologized, "I'm sorry. Your beauty has left me dumbfounded." Celeste snorted. The man was a flirt. And she couldn't help but notice the way Kent commanded the attention of everyone he met. It wasn't just his rugged appearance, although that certainly played a part. His beard and piercing eyes only added to the rough-and-tumble image he projected. More than anything, though, it was the air of danger that seemed to surround him at all times. He moved with purpose, his every step graceful yet threatening all at once. Maybe that was why the young
Both Celeste and Kent stared at the bush, wondering who or what was hiding in there. The bush was short. Nothing dangerous could be lurking in there, right? Besides, the party was held in this secluded part of the forest. No one was expected to bother the wolves here. But the rustling of leaves made them both tense up. Just as Celeste was hesitating about whether she should toss something into the bush, a boy jumped out and dashed at Celeste. Startled, Celeste tried to step back, but her eyes recognized the boy first. Kent quickly stepped forward to protect her, but she held his arm and shook her head with a smile on her face. She was a little surprised by the man's gesture, though. "Thanks. But don't worry. The boy means no harm." Before Kent could raise any questions, the boy's short legs ate up the distance between them. Then he threw his arms around Celeste's waist in a tight embrace, almost knocking her over. "Cel! I missed you so much!" The boy looked up, his big a
A tumult broke out in the pack when a dozen werewolves walked into their territory. Their bloodthirsty expressions, their slowly approaching footsteps, and the weapons in their hands all screamed one word: rogue! The bad apples of the werewolves who got a kick out of killing their own kind! Celeste shivered as a chilling sensation ran down her spine. She turned her gaze to Kent automatically, almost as though seeking reassurance from the man. For a short second, she hoped the man didn't have anything to do with that. At this moment, Kent almost reached Byron. Celeste's heart raced. From her position, Celeste couldn't see the expression on Kent's face, but she could see Byron's very clear. It was like everything was happening before her in slow motion. Byron's forehead furrowed in confusion as he opened his mouth to say something to Kent, who stood calm and collected. But Byron paused because Kent cut him off. "No…" she mumbled. She felt her skin crawl. She had a bad fe
Celeste's cry distracted Kent, and it gave Byron a perfect chance to strike. The Alpha punched Kent in the jaw and knocked him to the ground with a thud. He wasted no time and was on Kent in an instant, pinning the man's hands beneath his knees and clasping his hands together to keep him from fighting back. Panting heavily, Kent struggled against Byron's weight, twisting and writhing under the larger man's grip. But his struggle was in vain. "You stupid piece of trash! Let go of me!" Kent threatened through gritted teeth. "Run, Cel!" Instead of responding to Kent's warning, Byron shouted at Celeste. Then he immediately snapped his attention back to Kent. The man was still struggling. "No! I won't run!" said Celeste firmly as she stepped closer to Byron and Kent. "This is my pack, and you're my leader! How can I help, Byron?" Byron growled, "You can't help! This is between him and me." Kent attempted to pull his wrist away from Byron's grip, but Byron firmly crushed it
Celeste's heart almost leaped out of her throat when she saw Alan charging at Scarface. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the boy ran right into danger. What was he doing here?! What did he think he was doing?! Didn't she tell him to run away? Damn! Celeste cursed under her breath, feeling a surge of fear mixed with anger running through her veins. But most of all, she blamed herself. She should have made sure the boy was far away and safe first! She should have protected him! It was her duty! She would never forgive herself if anything happened to the boy. As if things couldn't get any worse, Celeste watched in horror when the boy grabbed Scarface on his lower back and sank his teeth into his flesh. "Fuck!" Scarface bellowed in agony. Alan stepped away from the man, revealing a trail of blood seeping through the man's shirt. The boy bit like a real wolf. Then Celeste heard a dull thud. Following the sound to the ground, she saw Alan's father curled up in pain with his
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