A tumult broke out in the pack when a dozen werewolves walked into their territory.
Their bloodthirsty expressions, their slowly approaching footsteps, and the weapons in their hands all screamed one word: rogue! The bad apples of the werewolves who got a kick out of killing their own kind!
Celeste shivered as a chilling sensation ran down her spine. She turned her gaze to Kent automatically, almost as though seeking reassurance from the man. For a short second, she hoped the man didn't have anything to do with that.
At this moment, Kent almost reached Byron. Celeste's heart raced.
From her position, Celeste couldn't see the expression on Kent's face, but she could see Byron's very clear.
It was like everything was happening before her in slow motion.
Byron's forehead furrowed in confusion as he opened his mouth to say something to Kent, who stood calm and collected. But Byron paused because Kent cut him off.
"No…" she mumbled. She felt her skin crawl. She had a bad feeling.
Byron's eyes widened with disbelief upon hearing whatever Kent had said to him. The astonishment of those words seemed to paralyze him. The next second, Kent threw a punch into Byron's face and knocked the Alpha hard to the ground.
Celeste opened her jaw in shock, and a scream sounded in her ears. The crowd, broken apart in horror, was so loud that for a second, she thought the scream was from her throat.
She turned her head, and her heart nearly stopped in its tracks. The once joyful gathering was now a chaotic scene of terror and frenzy. She saw the members of her pack scattering in all directions.
The air was filled with the sound of panicked howling and shrieking as the ferocious enemies ran around. Some were tripping over each other, while others leaped over bushes and toppled trees in their frenzied scramble for safety. It was an eerie sight to witness, like watching a stampede of cattle being chased by predators.
The carefully prepared party food and drinks laid out on the table were now strewn across the ground. Wine bottles had shattered into shards, their sweet liquid mingling with the werewolves' cries.
The disorder seemed to further incite the enemy's bloodthirsty desire because as they rushed forward, their sharp fangs and claws were aimed at whoever ran towards them. In fact, the rogues were outnumbered by the wolves in the pack. But considering that there were children and those who hadn't wolfed out, the pack didn't gain the upper hand.
To ensure privacy and security, the place where they gathered now had two walls. But as the enemy was closing in, the walls undoubtedly hindered the pack from escaping. Luckily, the enemies had not completely trapped them yet, and the place was spacious. They still had a chance to make it out of the enemies' ambush.
But the situation was chaotic, and the threat of immediate danger only heightened the already existing tension within the pack. If the pack didn't calm down sooner, they wouldn't be able to run away.
Screams pierced Celeste's eardrums. Everything was happening too quickly she didn't know what to do.
She felt the grip tighten on her clothes. Celeste looked down and saw the fear on Alan's face. She almost forgot about the boy!
Celeste forced herself to calm down before she grabbed the kid's shoulder and stared into his eyes.
"Run, Alan!" She pointed at the woods, and the boy's gaze followed the direction her finger was pointing at. "Run into the woods and find a place to hide. Do you understand me?"
Probably affected by how serious she sounded, the boy nodded and ran into the woods without a protest. Celeste heaved a sigh. She was grateful that they were far away from the rogues. The enemies couldn't harm them for now.
After making sure Alan disappeared into the woods, Celeste ran towards the Alpah of the pack.
If Celeste had any doubts or hopes about Kent's identity, they all vanished into the air the moment she witnessed Kent knock Byron to the ground. And it couldn't be clearer when all the rogues were ignoring Kent and Byron.
Kent had planned this. He had lied his way into the pack and set them all up. He was trying to kill them all.
But as much as she tried to focus on the present situation, there was still a nagging voice in the back of her mind. She didn't feel like he was faking everything they talked. And how could the man who had just laughed with a little boy be so cruel? Also, how did he manage to pass the test from the Goddess herself?
Was the Goddess lying to them, too?
She couldn't help but wonder what other secrets were still waiting to be revealed.
"Why? Why did you do this to us? I trusted you!" Byron's accusation pulled Celeste back to reality.
"You asked me why? Don't you have any idea?" Kent sounded incredulous at Byron's ignorance. But soon, the disbelief was replaced by fury and humiliation. "After what you've done to us two decades ago, you have the audacity to ask me why!"
Two decades ago?
Byron froze as if struck by lightning when memories hit him. His face was pale.
"You… You were the boy that night. The night of…" His voice was too low and broken for Celeste to hear. She could only see his lips moving.
"So, you do remember after all?" Kent's voice signaled amusement and glee, though Celeste still couldn't see his face. "Lucky for you, son of a bitch. I would have been happy to make you remember."
Celeste shuddered at the implication behind his words. And then her previous conversation with him came to her mind.
We have to be mindful of our actions and their consequences.
Was he referring to vengeance? What the hell happened two decades ago?
"You're a hypocrite, you know? You don't deserve the trust and love of your pack. And tonight, I'll make you pay for what you did!" Before Byron could respond, Kent charged toward him, his sharp claws piercing through his shoulder.
"No!" Celeste gasped.
Distracted, Kent looked back at his shoulder and met her eyes.
She was pierced by the rage and hatred in his eyes.