Celeste had been unconscious for three long days. She hadn't shown a single sign of waking up since that horrible night when she got seriously injured.
They stopped the bleeding from her wounds. And the next day, she had a severe fever. Thankfully, the fever was finally gone. But Celeste was still unresponsive.
Jeremy spent almost every moment by her bedside. He had barely slept since everything happened.
With such injuries, it was a miracle that Celeste was still alive. But the constant frown on her face showed she was going through a lot of pain. The slightest noise might jolt her back to consciousness, but she remains motionless, like a fragile porcelain doll.
Jeremy grimaced as the memories resurfaced. He couldn't help but remember how despaired he had been that night at the sight of Celeste lying helplessly on the ground.
After the enemies were gone, he frantically returned to her. But at that time, her skin was cold, and her breath was too shallow. He whispered her name, but she didn't seem to hear him. His heart sank. He could feel the weight of the battle and the fear of losing her crushing over him like a dark cloud.
Desperate, he almost bit her to activate the transformation. He didn't know if it would work. He didn't know what side effects might come from the bite. But he was willing to try anything to bring her back.
He rested his fangs against her icy skin. The scent of her blood tantalized his senses. He had to pause for a moment, wondering if this was truly the right decision.
But then he heard it – the unmistakably faint but steady beat of her heart. It drew him in, almost hypnotically, as if he was under some sort of spell.
Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy coursing through him, connecting him to Celeste in a way he had never experienced before.
His wolf cried within him.
He was on the verge of tears.
Celeste's wolf was weak, but she was supporting her. The wolf must have sensed the danger Celeste was in and was finally there to help her.
With the wolf's immense regenerative powers, Jeremy was hopeful that Celeste would recover and wake up quickly.
Indeed, on the second day, the wounds on her started to heal. The speed astonished all the werewolves, because the faster the healing was, the stronger her power could be.
However, days had dragged by, and still, no sign of Celeste awakening.
Jeremy took a deep breath. His chest tightened as he took in the sight of her sleeping form.
Her face was calm, but his emotions were a whirlwind.
Guilt twisted in his stomach. His mind raced with thoughts of what if, if only, and why. He was a coward. Why had he been so weak? Why couldn't he have faced his fears and stayed at home? If only he had returned sooner. If only things could have been less complicated. If only he had been braver, stronger, and more reliable... But he hadn't been.
And now, as he watched her rest, a wave of guilt and regret washed over him. His wolf, sensing his distress, whined quietly within him.
Celeste frowned. And Jeremy's heart lifted. Was she in pain? Or was she having a nightmare?
He regretted not killing or torturing the wolf who hurt her. He regretted not punching Kent in the face.
"I'm here, Cel," Jeremy said softly, reaching out to take her hand into his. He wasn't sure if she could hear him, but he had to try. He squeezed her hand a little to let her know he was by her side. He wanted her to know she wasn't alone.
Jeremy didn't dare leave her side, unsure of when she would come around. He knew one thing for certain though. Celeste and her wolf needed him now more than ever.
From time to time, wolves came by to check on Celeste, but Jeremy turned them all away.
Right now, she only needed him.
He didn't care about what others thought. All he knew was that he needed to make Celeste feel safe and connected.
Even his parents urged him to go home and rest, promising to take care of Celeste themselves. Jeremy refused without a moment of hesitation. He wouldn't leave her side for anything.
"Probably it's just a twin thing. Just leave them alone," his father said, eventually managing to convince his mother to leave.
On the other side, Byron had finally recovered from his grave injuries after a day in a coma. But he refused to talk with anyone. So they left him alone.
From other werewolves, Jeremy learned about what had happened during the gathering. He wanted to talk to Byron. He had so many questions to ask.
He wondered how Kent had managed to pass the test of the Moon Goddess and enter the pack to harm them. He also needed to know what secret was hiding behind Kent's snide remark about their ignorance.
When Jeremy's gaze brushed across Celeste's face and her closed eyes, a surge of anger sparked in his chest again. Had Byron taken the pack's safety into consideration at all?
Jeremy huffed in frustration.
When the Alpha was absent, it was Jeremy who took charge and handled all the problems from calming down the pack to taking care of the injured and taking turns on the watch to prevent any attacks from the rogues.
It was strange. The pack seemed to see him as their leader, despite his young age and lack of experience. But there was something deep within him that he couldn't explain, a voice that told him he was meant to be a leader.
"It's weird, you know," Jeremy said to Celeste in a soft voice, her hand still in his. "Everyone keeps coming to me for answers "
Celeste remained still on the bed.
"Would you wake up already?" Jeremy shook his head, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "Don't you think this is weird? And the other day I found that I can even boss people around. You know, the way the Alphas do…"
He paused, expecting Celeste to ask what he had done or how he felt about his power. But she didn't.
He went on talking to her, his voice becoming smaller and smaller as the exhaustion finally caught up with him. His words finally trailed off into a faint whisper as the weight of the dream brought him down.
The curtain wasn't fully closed, so the sliver of moonlight streamed down into the room. The light danced across Celeste's face, casting shadows and tickling her skin.
Celeste's eyelashes fluttered and her eyes flickered open.