It felt like an eternity had passed before Celeste and Jeremy finally arrived home.
But as they turned onto their street, an uneasiness settled over them when they noticed two unfamiliar cars parked along the road. Jeremy hesitated and decided to park the car at a distance from their home. Celeste stepped out of the car, her eyes fixed on the strange vehicles with growing apprehension. She tried to talk herself out of her fear, but her wolf was restless inside her, sensing the danger lurking nearby. She couldn't fathom how Jeremy could remain so calm when their family could be in huge danger. She couldn't even hear the sound of his heart racing, but his steady demeanor was undoubtedly a comfort to her. However, when she saw the veins bulging in his hand as he shut the door of the car, she realized that he was probably just as worried as she was. He was just being strong for her. They couldn't both lose their shit. She drew in a deep breath, tryinMissing what? What were the hunters up to? Celeste and Jeremy locked eyes. The hunter's words had made them both tense, like a bowstring stretched to its limit. Jeremy squinted his eyes and clenched his jaw. Celeste could see the anger burning in those blue eyes like hot coals. The two of them retreated towards the woods, moving as quietly as possible to avoid being detected by the hunters. They knew that they had to be careful. One wrong move could mean the end for both of them. "Did you see Mom and Dad?" Jeremy asked when they were sure the hunters couldn't see them, his voice low and urgent. Celeste shook her head. "No. I couldn't see much from my angle. I only saw two hunters inside. But since there are hunters inside and outside guarding, they should still be in there. I wonder what these hunters are waiting for." "Are you sure there are only two hunters inside?" Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "At least two. I was trying to look at
Celeste crept silently towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She carefully peered through the house for her enemies. She saw the two hunters engrossed in conversation. Their backs were facing her. She held her breath, afraid they might hear her, but they remained oblivious to her presence. They didn't seem to even notice their guards were gone. Celeste wondered what kind of conversation they were having. She looked across the room and noticed the rifles were still resting on the table. She couldn't help but wonder what made these hunters so confident. Was it their recent success in catching werewolves after the full moon, or was it their deep-seated contempt for her kind? She knew one thing for sure though, their arrogance would be their downfall. The hunters continued to chat, their voices a mere murmur to Celeste's ears because of the distance. Celeste took a tentative step forward. And that was when she saw what was lying on the g
Raymond, the werewolf hunter, was standing right in front of Celeste with his gun pointed directly at her. The scene was somehow surreal to Celeste. She knew Raymond was a hunter, and it was true that he had shocked her several times. But he never actually harmed her. And after months of working together, Celeste still saw Raymond as a somewhat clueless colleague. Now there he was, a completely different person. His finger tensed on the trigger. The weight of gun seemed heavy in his hand. His eyes flickered with a complicated mix of emotions. Celeste's heart pounded in her chest as she stared down the barrel of the gun, her wolf instincts screaming at her to fight or flight. But she froze. "Let the man go, Celeste," Raymond said in a low voice, his eyes staring down at her. She froze when her name came out of his mouth. How did he recognize her? That was the first thought that came to her mind. It was her first time turning into a wolf, so
The sudden gunshot caught Celeste off guard and froze her immediately. The loud sound echoed through the room, reverberating off the walls and causing Celeste's ears to ring. She felt a surge of adrenaline as she braced herself for impact, expecting the bullet to hit her flesh and bone. But the anticipated pain never came. The bullet hadn't hit her. And then, she heard the furious growl of a wolf. Celeste snapped her eyes in the direction of the sound and saw Jeremy's wolf. Her heart raced as she searched eagerly along Jeremy's form, worried that he had been hit by the bullet. To her relief, he didn't seem injured. Jeremy's wolf stood tall, baring its teeth at Raymond. Its fur bristled, and its eyes blazed with fury as it faced off against Raymond. Then she realized she had been so focused on the situation that she didn't even sense Jeremy's presence. But she didn't have time to consider that, as Raymond once again raised his
Celeste didn't understand why Jeremy was avoiding her. Were they playing hide-and-seek again? Was he really hiding her? Right after everything they had just gone through? Hell! She couldn't even be sure of that. She looked over at him, trying to figure out what was going on, but Jeremy wouldn't even meet her gaze. Instead, he kept walking as if nothing was wrong. Celeste's wolf came to a stop and let out a disapproving growl. It was clear that she wasn't happy with Jeremy's behavior, and his wolf seemed to sense that. He stiffened for a moment, but then kept walking, assuming that Celeste would follow. But she didn't. Instead, Celeste stood her ground and glared at Jeremy's back. When he realized that she was determined not to move, he slowed down a bit and took a few steps forward before he finally stopped. He didn't turn around, though. Celeste was left wondering what was going on between them. It was frustrating, to say the least. And s
Before she knew it, Celeste was trapped between Jeremy and the wall, again. Her mouth twitched. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation and figure out what he was talking about. But Jeremy's expression was hard, his eyes fixed on her with a fierce intensity that made her skin crawl. "Let go of me, Jeremy!" she growled, trying to push him away. But he didn't budge. He was like a rock, unmoving and unyielding. And as she strained against him, she felt a rising sense of unease, like a trapped animal desperately fighting for her life. For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of doubt in Jeremy's eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by a burning anger that seemed to consume him from within. Celeste was now too familiar with the anger. It had been following them all the way here, after all. The anger had been building for a long time, simmering just beneath the surface until now, it finally boiled over. "What's your problem?" she shouted, her voice echoing of
The knocking at the door froze both of them, but Jeremy still didn't let go of Celeste. They both looked towards the door, hoping that the knocking would stop. However, it only grew louder and more insistent. Celeste looked up and saw Jeremy's frown deepening as if he already knew who was on the other side of the door. "Jeremy? Jeremy! Are you there?" Nancy's voice came through the door, sounding more grating than Celeste remembered. She wondered if Nancy's voice was designed to irritate her. She stayed quiet and looked at Jeremy, unsure if they should go back to their previous conversation. She could see the same impatience and annoyance in Jeremy's eyes, but he didn't say anything. "I know you're in there, open the door, there's a fight outside!" Nancy's voice was insistent, and it made Celeste's head throb. Jeremy muttered a curse under his breath and let go of Celeste. As he moved away from her, the sudden cold air took over his body heat and made Celeste shiver. She su
Alpha? Jeremy was Alpha?! Celeste turned to Jeremy. The words echoed in her mind as she stared at Jeremy, her eyes wide with shock. How could this be? How had she never known that Jeremy was an Alpha? She recognized the same disbelief and astonishment in Jeremy's eyes. But… How could this be possible? Their parents were both Beta, so the likelihood of him being an alpha was almost zero. And if Jeremy was an Alpha, why hadn't Byron identified and trained him earlier? It didn't make sense. Byron had always treated Jeremy like any other Betas in the pack. Or was he? A thought crossed Celeste's mind. She remembered her mother mentioning that Byron had asked her to inform him the moment Jeremy turned into a wolf. Did Byron know all along? Did her parents know? Celeste's gaze swept across the other wolves in the room, and she noticed that they, too, looked surprised when they absorbed the information. However, there was more to their expr