Everyone stiffened. Jeremy looked in the direction of the arrogant speaker. It was him. The naked werewolf. The man who had taken down their Alpha. Jeremy furrowed his brows. He knew Byron was a very skilled fighter, and it would take an extraordinary opponent to defeat him. The man was young, and he stood naked as the day he was born. But he didn't seem bothered by his nakedness. Nor did he care about his pack losing. He sounded like he was the one winning. Jeremy didn't know him, but he knew the naked man should not be underestimated. The naked man should be the Alpha of the enemies. The idea seemed ridiculous judging by how careless the man looked. But when Jeremy saw hatred and determination deep and unsurpassed in his eyes, he understood. But Jeremy was equally confused. What had they done? What had the pack done to ignite such hatred from the man? "If you don't want your Alpha dead, let my wolves go," the naked man repeated in an equally confident tone. Although
Celeste had been unconscious for three long days. She hadn't shown a single sign of waking up since that horrible night when she got seriously injured. They stopped the bleeding from her wounds. And the next day, she had a severe fever. Thankfully, the fever was finally gone. But Celeste was still unresponsive. Jeremy spent almost every moment by her bedside. He had barely slept since everything happened. With such injuries, it was a miracle that Celeste was still alive. But the constant frown on her face showed she was going through a lot of pain. The slightest noise might jolt her back to consciousness, but she remains motionless, like a fragile porcelain doll. Jeremy grimaced as the memories resurfaced. He couldn't help but remember how despaired he had been that night at the sight of Celeste lying helplessly on the ground. After the enemies were gone, he frantically returned to her. But at that time, her skin was cold, and her breath was too shallow. He whispered her n
Celeste felt like she had a long, long dream. She remembered hearing Jeremy's voice before she was consumed by the darkness. Her shoulder and chest hurt, and her head was throbbing with stabbing pain. So when enticed by the grasp of the still, peaceful darkness, she closed her eyes to welcome it. Everything fell into silence. Time passed in a blur. Celeste couldn't recall how long it had been, perhaps it was only a few seconds, but a voice sounded in her head. A mysterious, strange, yet somehow familiar voice. It was as if it had been a part of her thoughts for years. But the voice was so muffled. It was like someone was trying to speak to her from under the water. She couldn't make out the words being spoken but could somehow sense the urgency and desperation in the tone. With sheer exhaustion clouding her senses, she wished nothing more than herself being consumed by the darkness. But the anguish and distress in the mysterious voice broke her heart. She shook her hea
Mate?! How was that possible? How could Jeremy possibly be her mate? Was she still in her dream? Celeste's eyes widened in horror. She must have heard it wrong. She must have! Her heart raced like thunder in her chest, the sound drowning out even the howling of the wolves in her ears. The silence around her was suddenly too eerie. Mixed emotions of fear and confusion crept into her bones as she was left with silence and the thunderous cry for her mate ringing in her ears. She couldn't believe it. No matter how much she denied it, Celeste could feel a strong pull bringing her to him. Deep down, she had an inkling about this. She had thought about Jeremy's strange behavior after his first shift. She forbade herself to think more about it, but she guessed she always had a theory hidden behind the back of her mind. The deafening thump of her heart threatened to wake Jeremy from his peaceful slumber next to her, but miraculously he remained sound asleep. She couldn't help
It was late at night, and Nancy's unexpected visit to Jeremy only raised more questions in Celeste's mind. What was she doing here? Were they always meeting this late? "Nancy? What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked icily. Okay, maybe not icily. It was just her imagination. Jeremy's voice was neutral with an unmistakable hint of confusion. "I… I had a nightmare. Can't sleep. I still haven't recovered from the vicious attack. Whenever I dream of those horrific scenes, I wake up terrified," Nancy's voice was frail as if seeking comfort and compassion. What?! Celeste stifled a gasp. She didn't believe a word from Nancy's mouth! The last time she checked, Nancy didn't look "terrified" at all in the "vicious attack". Celeste gritted her teeth. The urge to expose Nancy's deceitful act was almost too much to bear. She knew exactly what Nancy was up to. It was crystal clear to everyone in the pack that Nancy had a massive crush on Jeremy. And this was obviously a perfect opportun
Celeste was glad that Nancy was finally gone. Her patience was hanging by a thread. She wouldn't know what she was going to do had Nancy stayed for one more second. She thought Jeremy was going after Nancy, but she was glad when hearing the click of the lock. Turned out he just went to lock the door. And now… she and Jeremy were alone again. The heat of her anger had been scorching Celeste, but now it fizzled out entirely, leaving her feeling empty and hollow like a deflated balloon. She could feel Jeremy walking back toward her. Then, suddenly as a clap of thunder, realization struck her again. Jeremy was her mate. She wished she could just shrink and disappear from under the quilt. She calmed her breathing to maintain the illusion of her still being in a coma. Shame went through Celeste as she realized she was just a coward who ran away from her problems. But damn it! She just couldn't bear the thought of talking to Jeremy right now. Her mind raced as she recalled th
The still and peaceful night was broken by the rumble of her stomach. The rumble echoed in the room like thunder during one of those wild summer storms. Great job there! Perfect timing. Jeremy was silent and still. Celeste was silent and still, too. In contrast to the thunderous rumble of her stomach, now the death of silence was almost unbearable. Celeste froze on the bed. The air around her was squeezing oxygen out of her lungs, and time seemed to have paused for eternity. The moonlight crept through the window into the room. It felt as if the moon's light had turned solid and trapped them all in its grasp, suspending the air around them. Suddenly, without warning, Jeremy burst out laughing. The hearty laughter echoed through the empty room and filled the space, bringing life back to Celeste's paralyzed bodies. Caught up in the infectious laugh, Celeste's lips curled upwards despite her attempts to feign slumber. In the end, her laughter escaped from her lips, as
Time seemed to stretch out to Celeste. It felt like an eternity since Jeremy walked out of that door. But in reality, probably only a few minutes had passed since he left the room. She had never been so clingy. She had never felt such a need to be close to Jeremy. She guessed her wolf had quite a lot to do with what she was feeling. Her wolf within her had become restless for Jeremy. But she couldn't help with it. She didn't know if Jeremy was feeling the same, though. But when he turned back to look at her before leaving, she could sense his wolf wanting the same as hers did. The memory of Jeremy's first shift flashed in her mind. She remembered Jeremy's wolf frozen when she tried to touch him. And she remembered herself standing in front of Jeremy's room, with just a thin door separating the two of them. If he had known they were mates, how much had he gone through to keep himself locked away from her? How on earth did he manage to control his inner beast? Her wolf yearned
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