Celeste asked Raymond more questions about the hunters. And one by one, Raymond answered her. Celeste was relieved to hear from his own lips that her parents were temporarily safe. And she even learned the exact location of the hunters.
As Celeste strolled out of the room, her eyes caught sight of Jeremy and Kent, each propped up against opposite walls. The tension in the air was palpable, their gazes locked in a fierce standoff. But, to her astonishment, they hadn't come to blows. She half-expected to find a gruesome scene of blood stains on the floor as she made her exit.
"How's it going?" Jeremy straightened up as soon as he spotted Celeste, a flicker of concern lighting up his face. His eyes scanned her from head to toe, searching for any signs of harm. When he found none, he let out a silent breath, visibly relieved. Celeste didn't utter a word, but her heart swelled at Jeremy's protective gesture.
Kent shifted his gaze inward, peering into the room. Bathed in a beam of bright light, he could clearly make out the ropes that had previously bound Raymond's hands, now undone. He raised an eyebrow at Celeste, curiosity etched on his face. "You untie the hunter?"
With a subtle nod from Kent, two rogues who caught sight of his signal strode purposefully into the room. Celeste didn't need to check to know that they were there to restrain Raymond once again.
"Don't make a fuss about it. I only untied his hands. His legs are still securely fastened to the chair," Celeste shrugged.
As expected, one of the werewolves snatched up the rope from the tabletop, proceeding to skillfully rebind Raymond, while the other stood guard, ever watchful for any sudden moves. Once Raymond was securely trussed up again, the pair of werewolves exited the room, shutting the door behind them.
"Honestly, you guys didn't have to go through the trouble of tying Raymond up and subjecting him to this torture. He simply doesn't trust you, but he's no threat to you," Celeste spoke up, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed.
To her utter surprise, Kent only emitted a chilling laugh at Celeste's words.
In that moment, Celeste's mind finally clicked. The hunters had pounced on Kent's rogue pack, which resulted in Kent nabbing Raymond. But in the midst of it all, Celeste had completely forgotten to ask if the rogues were injured. Judging from how the rogues treated Raymond, they must have suffered.
"So, did those hunters catch you folks off guard too?" Celeste blurted out. She did mean it, but when the words came out of her mouth, they sounded like a mischievous tease.
Kent paused for a beat before quickly regaining his composure. "Well, looks like your chit-chat skills are quite effective. He spilled the beans on this too," he replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"What riddles are you two talking about?" Jeremy protested, his discontent apparent on his face.
Celeste turned to Jeremy and explained, "Just like the hunters attacked our wolf pack, those rascals also swooped in on Kent's pack." Then, shifting her gaze back to Kent, she added, "So, you got hit too, huh? Otherwise, you wouldn't be sporting that reaction."
Kent had always prided himself on his wolfish vigilance, but now, after the surprise assault by the hunters, his confidence wavered ever so slightly. She could practically see it written all over his face—a subtle mix of discomfort and uncertainty. And given the werewolves' treatment of Raymond, coupled with Kent's reaction, it was clear that the hunters' attack had rattled them to the core.
"Did those hunters snatch away any of your fellow werewolves too?" Jeremy asked, clearly catching on. His brow furrowed, and his displeasure deepened when the topic of attack was broached.
"Those fucking bastards snatch three of us. And Kate got banged up pretty bad," Kent reluctantly admitted, his brows furrowed in a disapproving manner. His voice dropped to a hushed tone, as if he didn't want the other werewolves to catch a glimpse of his deflated spirit.
"Kate is hurt? Is Kate alright?" Celeste asked, genuine concern lacing her words. While she had anticipated some losses for the rogues following the hunters' ambush, she never expected that three werewolves would be hunted down away and Kate would be seriously wounded.
"Kate's injuries have settled down now. We sure do bounce back quickly. No need to fret. She just needs to lounge in bed for a couple more days," Raymond said, his gaze shifting from the closed door to Celeste. "So, how did your little chat with him go?"
With that, he gestured for them to move to another room, where they could have a more private conversation.
Celeste told them the information she got from Raymond, sharing every detail she had heard.
"Are you sure he's telling the truth?" Kent asked skeptically, a hint of doubt etched across his face. "We've put that guy through hell, and he didn't utter a single word. But the moment you show up, he spills all the beans. Frankly, when I went to find you, I wasn't too confident either. But now, it all seems too damn easy. Sorry if I ain't fully convinced."
"I get your concerns, but trust me, he doesn't have an ounce of faith in you guys. In his eyes, you might be even more savage than those hunters, especially after the torture you inflicted on him."
Kent fired back, "Hey, those tortures were all smoke and mirrors. We didn't actually harm the guy."
Celeste rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, just for show. All those wounds and bloodstains on him were purely for theatrical effect, huh? And you conveniently forgot to give him a drop of water, leaving the werewolf hunter dying of thirst."
Just as Kent was about to argue, Celeste raised her hand to cut him off and continued. "Bottom line, though, he didn't strike me as a liar. No matter what, he gave us the information about the hunters. We can send someone to gather intel and scope out the situation, and once we're sure, we can take down those hunter scumbags. Piece of cake!"
"We?" Kent and Jeremy chimed in unison, their eyebrows shooting up in surprise.