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 that robust physique. And Celeste noticed their slightly pale skin like they hadn't seen the sun in ages. Their eyes even had those dark circles going on.
Celeste scrunched up her face. Since when did hunters start donning lab coats? But hold up, it dawned on her that these two weren't hunters. Besides, they didn't have that distinct hunter stench about them.
But how the heck did regular folks end up mingling with hunters? Weren't hunters worried about blowing the lid off the werewolf secret? Sure, werewolves and werewolf hunters were mortal enemies, but they at least agreed on one thing after all these years–keeping the existence of werewolves under wraps.
Werewolves wanted to keep their furry existence hushed, to avoid unwanted attention from the outside world. And hunters wanted to shroud werewolves in secrecy too, because chaos and panic weren't their cup of tea.
But what unfolded before Celeste's eyes left her with a tinge of suspicion. Could it be that the hunters had formed an unholy alliance with other forces?
Suddenly, another character sauntered in–a man who didn't quite fit the hunter mold, either. He sported a shiny bald head atop a portly frame. His eyes gleamed with a wicked twinkle, and his complete lack of lab attire only added to the enigma. Observing Kevin and Celeste, the bald man settled himself onto a leather chair, nonchalantly propping up his legs like a lord of leisure.
As the bald man made his entrance, Celeste couldn't help but notice Kevin's muscles momentarily tense up. But he quickly let go of the tension, closed his eyes, and sprawled out on the seat. The other experimenters, including the dark-haired man, appeared somewhat taken aback by the bald man's arrival, but they held their tongues.
The bald man seemed uninterested in Kevin and the rest, his gaze fixated on Celeste's countenance instead. Celeste caught a glimpse of desire and greed flickering in his eyes. A shiver ran down her spine, and his gaze felt like slimy tendrils crawling over her skin, leaving her utterly unsettled.
But Celeste refused to avert her gaze. Despite the bald man's repugnant stare, she gritted her teeth and defiantly met his eyes head-on, as if daring him to look away first.
A smirk played upon the man's lips, seemingly amused by Celeste's defiance. Rising from his seat, he sauntered over to her, closing the distance between them.
"Well, well, no need to rush. I must say, I'm rather excited about this little experiment," the man drawled, his words accompanied by an intense, lingering gaze that never wavered from Celeste's face.
Celeste eyed the man with a mix of caution and discomfort. His intense gaze felt like a swarm of creepy crawlies squirming over her skin. His unnerving proximity made her squirm in her seat, and it took her a few seconds to realize that his voice matched the one she had heard through the camera.
So, this was the guy behind the camera? The one who sent Kevin to drag Celeste here?
"What are you so eager for?" Celeste mustered the courage to ask, fighting back her unease.
"Oh, you'll find out," the man chuckled, straightening up and plopping back into his seat. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he declared, "Let the show begin, Lucien."
Lucien, the young man with dark hair, nodded in response. Though his movements seemed a bit stiff, he obediently approached a mysterious contraption as instructed.
The other two experimenters joined in, each approaching Kevin and Celeste. They affixed round metal discs to their skin, resembling silver at first glance. Celeste braced herself, expecting a sharp, stinging sensation when the metal touched her skin.
But to her surprise, it felt like regular metal, connected by wires that led to another peculiar device. With their task completed, the two nerds stepped aside, watching intently.
As Celeste strained her ears, she caught a crisp, electrifying sound reverberating around her. Suddenly, the light beside her chair flickered to life, casting a menacing crimson glow that seemed to hunger for blood.
Celeste's heart pounded in her chest, her senses on high alert. Before she could fully comprehend the situation, an intense surge of electricity jolted through her body, sending waves of excruciating pain. Caught off guard, she couldn't help but let out a short cry. She gritted her teeth to silence herself, but it hurt too much.