Summer weekend. The afternoon sun outside the window seemed less blinding now, but it was still strong enough to make the morning glories droop and nod in the occasional wind.
Celeste Sherwood looked up from her book and eyed the sluggish flowers outside. Her cookies were almost done. She could smell it. Five more minutes at most. She decided to enjoy the view from her window and relax her sore eyes while waiting, though the sweet, sweet fragrance already drew her attention to the oven. She took a deep breath. Yeah… Sweet. Her favorite. Now that she was home, she could make cookies as sweet as she liked … as long as the said cookies hadn't turned into piles of heated and cooled sugar. Celeste was notorious for her brutal and offending sweet tooth. That explained why she had to make two kinds of cookies. One with the normal-people amount of sugar, and the other with the lethal dose. Apart from the abuse of sugar, her cookies were surprisingly good and popular, which was why she was compelled to make different cookies these days. Even her twin brother Jeremy, who hates sweet foods in general, found her cookies fantastic … or "tolerable", quoting from him. Speaking of that twin brother of hers… She saw Jeremy trot into the yard, his back straight, sweat dripping down and wetting his T-shirt. His long legs were in tight rolls of muscles, supporting the tanned, wide-shouldered body. His biceps bulged when he moved them back and forth. His hair looked almost golden in the summer sun, under which were those eyes with the color of the indigo sky. Celeste snorted at a pang of unfairness that hit her all of a sudden. Despite being twins, she and Jeremy were quite the opposite. Things were not so different when they were kids, but now, Jeremy was not only taller and bigger than her, he towered over her like a mountain. The color of their eyes was the only thing they shared. Even so, her eyes were lighter than his. "I'm starving! What smells so good?" Sure, that was the first thing he said after he came back from a run. Celeste rolled her eyes. "I just don't get it. Why do you bother to work out if you eat right after it?" Jeremy walked into the kitchen, still sweating. "I told you. That's not a workout. I'm training myself for my wolf. He will be proud of this strong, beautiful body of his human." Celeste made a face. "Eww… Save that speech to your wolf." Jeremy shrugged. He took a deep breath and eyed the oven in anticipation. "You're making cookies?" Sweets were never his favorite, but he would make do with whatever he got since he was literally starving right now. Besides, the cookies did smell good. "Yup. These babies will be ready in a few… Ugh! You stink!" Scowling, Celeste wrinkled her nose and tried to shoo her twin brother out of the kitchen. "Hey! Don't shoo me like I'm an unwanted puppy! I'm sure you wouldn't mind me checking your black magic over there." Jeremy ignored her protest and ventured closer to the oven on purpose, keeping an eye on Celeste in case she caught him off guard and launched any attack. He almost laughed at the nervous look on her face. He and Celeste were no longer kids, but somehow they just couldn't stop getting on each other's nerves. He knew she always insisted on keeping a holy and undisturbed environment when she cast her black magic. Okay… In translation, she was a neat freak when it came to sweet foods. And of course, the bad smell was strictly forbidden in the process of cookie making because even the slightest would obviously and viciously eat away the fragrance of cookies. "You wouldn't dare!" Celeste shrieked in horror and pointed a finger at him, "Don't you pollute my cookies, you reeking ass!" "Ouch! Look at what you've done to my self-esteem! Pollute? That's a whole new level of insult! I feel hurt! Now prepare for my revenge!" Jeremy whipped the hem of his tee up and down as he jumped at her. "No!" Celeste ran away with a short cry. But before that, she caught a glimpse of her brother's abs. Holy shit! Since when did Jeremy get so ripped? Jeremy laughed behind her like the evil villain that he was. Just as he was about to launch the second attack, the oven let out a ding, saving Celeste's life. Celeste banished Jeremy to the table and went to the cookies. They were hot, but the smell was rather mouth-watering. Jeremy's stomach growled when receiving the signal from his nose. Although the cookies were burning, he managed to steal one away immediately when Celeste put a plate on the table. When the cookie was cool enough, Jeremy took a huge bite. Hunger must have taken over his brain because he would have detected Celeste's wicked plan from that suspicious grin on her face. It took a while before the shock buzzed into his brain. Then he grimaced and gagged at the cookie-shaped sugar in his mouth. He dropped to the floor, coughing and clutching his chest. "How … how on earth do you force this thing down your throat?" Celeste rolled her eyes and laughed, "Don't be that dramatic! It's actually good." "Yeah, sure. And not too sweet at all," Jeremy added. "Asshole. Now get up and get yourself clean." She reached out and tried to pull him to his feet. But Jeremy knocked her hand away and curled up on the floor. Celeste knitted her brows. "Hey! Knock it off! This is not funny, Jeremy!" But the man didn't respond. His eyes were tightly closed as he panted for breath. His face was pale, and his body was shivering. Jeremy seemed to be in pain. Celeste started to worry. She had never seen him sick or this helpless. "Jeremy…? Jeremy…! Jeremy!" Now Celeste was freaked out. She yelled at the door, "Mom! Dad! Something happened to Jeremy!"Upon hearing their daughter's cries, Dora and Jeff ran into the kitchen. Concern and confusion were plain on their faces. They knelt down to examine their son, and soon the worry on their faces was replaced by excitement. "Don't worry about Jer. He's transforming. His wolf is trying to free himself for the first time," Dora explained to her daughter. Celeste widened her eyes in surprise. She had never witnessed a first-time transformation in her life. Out of curiosity, she had read about shifting. She knew the first time could be difficult, but she never expected it to be as sudden and painful as it seemed in Jeremy's case. "Is the first time always this painful?" The question slipped out of her mouth. "It depends. Not all werewolves have the same experience. Sometimes the first time is painful." The mother rested her hand on her boy's hair. "But as long as you stop fighting your wolf and just make peace with him, it would be easier. Relax, Jer. Let him out. Embrace your wolf
When Celeste made it to the door, Jeremy was long gone. She was both frustrated and confused. "What's wrong with him?" The father shrugged. "Maybe he's just unhappy that you both treat him like a puppy. If it was my wolf, he would rather go out for a run! It's such a good day out there, after all!" The mother snorted, "Thankfully we live in the country. Can you imagine this happening in the city? The passers-by are going to scream in terror." "That's a mild way to put it. I believe a wolf the size of a bull is going to scare the heart out of them," Celeste corrected her mother. She was proud, but she was also very envious of Jeremy. Weren't she and Jeremy twins? Why had she not shifted yet? Jeremy was only ten minutes older than her! She should have transformed by now if there was any rule of nature! Or at least she should be lying on the floor and waiting for her wolf to surface. But nothing happened. She didn't even feel anything. "Mom, Dad, why haven't I changed? I don'
A trail of wolf footprints led all the way to Jeremy's tightly closed door. There were even two leaves resting on the floor. "Finally!" Celeste whooped, a thrill burning in her eyes. She already formed an interrogation plan while Jeremy was gone. Now, the only thing she needed was to get her hands on the man and squeeze the answers out of him. She made a beeline to Jeremy's door and held her breath, a smile on her face. She knocked. One second… Two seconds… Three seconds… Ten seconds… "Have you shifted back?" she tried the doorknob. It was locked. He must have shifted back. Silence was the only answer she received. The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a frown. She leaned closer to the door and listened carefully. It was suspiciously quiet. "Stop pretending you're not there!" She banged on the door. This time, she detected a small hiss from the room. "Ah ha! I heard you!" She waited for a few seconds, and the door remained closed. "Open the door, puppy! Or I'll
Celeste had no idea why she was suddenly so twitchy and grumpy. Maybe it was because she couldn't even feel her wolf. Or maybe Jeremy should be blamed for shutting her out. She didn't know. They argued a lot as all the siblings did. And it was not the first time Jeremy kept her out of his room. Hell, she had done the same to him, too. But this time, the fact that she couldn't see him annoyed and frustrated her like nothing else. She had no clue why it felt so different now. She should have been glad she didn't need to deal with her idiot brother. Finally, she gave in. Fuck! She didn't need him! She would probably shift tonight and had all the questions answered instantly. She puffed and lay on the bed. She heard the little noises the summer wind made when it ran between the leaves. A small part of it entered from her window and brought in the light scent of leaves and dirt, stirring the air of the room with the fragrance of the cookies. Celeste turned to her side, facing the
After a trip to the supermarket, Celeste drove to the place she worked. Her friend Sarah was chatting with Raymond. When the young lady laid eyes on Celeste and the jar of cookies in her hands, she cried in surprise and jumped at Celeste. Raymond rolled his eyes, "Yep… Like a monkey jumping at the sight of bananas." His voice was low, but Sarah didn't miss it. She shot him a dagger and returned her attention to Celeste. "Hey, Cel! I miss you!" Celeste chuckled, "I guess you miss my cookies even more. Here you go." Without a moment of delay, Sarah took the jar and picked up a cookie. She tossed it into her mouth and moaned in satisfaction, "You never let me down." Celeste smiled. She was always happy when her friends liked the food she made. She didn't make friends with too many humans, though. Not that she was racist or distrustful of humans. No. Or she wouldn't have taken this part-time job at the very beginning. It was just that humans grew old and died while werewolve
Celeste was a bit lost by the sudden change of topic. "I mean… You and Sarah have been curious about my secret, right? And now I'm offering it to you. So, let me ask again. Do you want to know my secret or not?" Weird as it sounded, she was intrigued. She shouldn't have cared about him since she no longer worked with him. But her instinct told her to say yes. She sensed something fishy, though. "Why? Why do you decide to tell your secret now?" she asked suspiciously. "Because I… I like you. I hope we can still be friends. I want to share a secret and earn a friend," Raymond answered, gaze fixed on her. That was a very strange reasoning. "Why on earth do you think I will be your friend after I find out your secret?" "Because you're not seeing me as who I truly am. If you know my real identity, you will change your opinions of me. I think you'll even consider me a hero." Celeste snorted. "You cocky ass must hype it up, huh?" That being said, she was curious. She pond
Celeste paled. Of course, she knew what werewolf hunter meant. But she never expected Raymond to be one. She couldn't even imagine him holding a gun and aiming at his target. Raymond was just a clueless, nerdy man to her. Hunters and werewolves were worst enemies for hundreds of years. Not that they had never made peace, but the peace had always been short-lived along with human life and perished as new generations grew. As time went by, suspicion and misunderstandings swelled into hatred and bloodshed. For example, Alpha Byron's Luna was killed by the hunters. Werewolves seemed stronger with their sharp teeth and power, but they were vulnerable under the moon. Hunters stood no chance if they were barehanded, but their weapons were getting more lethal to give them the edge. In the end, werewolves could only hide, as they did in this town. The moment Raymond admitted his identity as a werewolf hunter, Celeste felt the urge to run. To run for her life. To warn her pack. Notici
For several days, Celeste stayed at home to wait for her wolf to surface. After days of observation, she was convinced that Jeremy was avoiding her. No matter how early she got up and ran to the door, she was always one step behind him. And she always fell asleep before he came back and locked himself up in his room. Celeste had no idea what she had done wrong to deserve that. But she would find out tonight because it was the full moon, and Jeremy would have to stay at home after sunset. *** Celeste was thrilled when she saw the round moon in the sky, but that apparently was not enough to wake up the wolf inside of her. She sighed and shook her head. She sneaked to Jeremy's door and looked down at the crack between the door and the floor. It was dark. The smartass must have drawn the curtain. In fact, Celeste was impressed by how her twin brother was holding onto it. Their parents had shifted freely when the moon made her appearance on the dark stage of the sky. But Je