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
The beast on Celeste froze as if he had been struck by the lightning. The hungry fire died in his eyes when she twitched and screamed under him. The weight on her left. Celeste met his bluish eyes again and was greeted by something even stranger in the depth. Before she could look closer, the wolf jumped away from her and leaped out of the window. The wolf's pad landed on the roof, and then the grass, making soft noises. The noises grew farther and farther until it was no longer audible. It happened so fast and abruptly that she wondered if she was dreaming all about this. She stayed on the floor, studying her ceiling. Now her heartbeats were the only sounds knocking her eardrums. Her heart was coming down from its peak. But she could still feel the sensation of the beast's paws on her skin. His body heat lingered on her skin and trapped her on the floor. Celeste heaved a long breath. She didn't know what to make of it. She was certainly angry. And she was very much conf
What did Raymond want? Frowning, Celeste read the text. "Hey… Just want to say sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy. You have every right to be angry. I'm sorry. And I still hope we can be friends. So… Would you come out and meet me again? I know you're interested in werewolves. And didn't you want to know how I discovered the werewolves in the town? I'll tell you everything this time I promise." Celeste had no clue why Raymond was so obsessed about the part of them being friends. That sounded like a crappy excuse to her. Was this just some front of his true motive? Was this a trap for her? "What happened? You look concerned." Nora asked, knitting her brows. "Raymond… I mean the hunter in town texts me again. He … asks me out, promising to tell me how he found out about us." Celeste answered in hesitation. She didn't know if it was a good idea to let her parents know. "You're not going, are you? Smells like the hunter's trap to me." Nora commented. Jeff nodded in
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