It was late at night, and Nancy's unexpected visit to Jeremy only raised more questions in Celeste's mind.
What was she doing here? Were they always meeting this late?
"Nancy? What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked icily. Okay, maybe not icily. It was just her imagination. Jeremy's voice was neutral with an unmistakable hint of confusion.
"I… I had a nightmare. Can't sleep. I still haven't recovered from the vicious attack. Whenever I dream of those horrific scenes, I wake up terrified," Nancy's voice was frail as if seeking comfort and compassion.
What?! Celeste stifled a gasp. She didn't believe a word from Nancy's mouth! The last time she checked, Nancy didn't look "terrified" at all in the "vicious attack".
Celeste gritted her teeth. The urge to expose Nancy's deceitful act was almost too much to bear.
She knew exactly what Nancy was up to. It was crystal clear to everyone in the pack that Nancy had a massive crush on Jeremy. And this was obviously a perfect opportunity for her to cozy up to him.
One thing was confusing for Celeste, though. How the hell did Jeremy end up in Nancy's clutches after just one nightmare? Were they living together now or something? That was when she remembered the werewolves had a secret hideout. A place where they could all gather and hide when danger was lurking. The pack should be living in the hideout, right?
"You shouldn't have come here like this, Nancy. And did you just pick the lock?" Jeremy asked in a stern voice.
"But where else can I go?" Nancy pleaded, ignoring his question about lock-picking. "Who else can I turn to?"
Celeste thought she heard tears in her voice. Seriously?
Jeremy coughed, and his voice softened a little. "So you came running to me then? Don't you have a roommate who can lend an ear?"
"But she's fast asleep, and I didn't want to disturb her," Nancy replied meekly.
"And yet you had no problem barging in here and waking me up?" Celeste could already imagine Jeremy raising an eyebrow at Nancy. She almost snorted at the thought.
"You're being awfully unkind. I was so scared!" Nancy accused him. And Celeste pictured her saying that with her lips pouted in annoyance. She rolled her eyes without hesitation. They couldn't see her, anyway. Even if they did, they would just consider that as a sign of her having a dream.
"You're safe here, Nancy. Those rogues can't hurt you." Jeremy sighed heavily. "Are you feeling better now? Can you go back to sleep?"
Celeste wished to nod along with him, eager to have Nancy gone so they could both get some peace. She was pleased that Jeremy hadn't fallen into her silly trick.
Celeste held her breath and waited for Nancy to reply. But for a long while, she didn't hear anything from her. She wondered if the woman had left already.
"Is there anything else you need?" Jeremy asked, his voice dripping with impatience. This time, Celeste wasn't sure if it was her own imagination or if Jeremy was indeed impatient.
"Can I ask for one more thing?" Nancy spoke up hesitantly. Celeste didn't like that.
"What do you want?"
"Can you give me a hug? Just to make me feel better so I can go back to sleep?"
Celeste almost jumped out of the bed to say no. This was just a stupid trick Nancy was playing. And Jeremy would not fall for this. Celeste expected Jeremy to say no immediately and sent her away.
But Jeremy was silent.
What the hell? Was he actually considering giving her a lovey-dovey hug? Celeste wanted to get into the man's mind and see what he was thinking.
The silence lasted for an excruciatingly long time. And now it was getting uncomfortable. Or was Jeremy trying to send Nancy away with his silent treatment?
Just as Celeste was expecting Nancy to run away because of the unbearable weight of silence, Jeremy spoke.
"Okay."
Somehow, his voice sounded so piercing in her ears.
Nancy was silent, too, as if she was also taken aback by his belated reply.
"Are you … sure?" She was the one who had brought up the idea, and now she seemed hesitant.
"Yes. Why not?" Without skipping a beat, Jeremy answered confidently. Celeste detected a sense of smugness and even a hint of amusement in his voice. And she recognized the way he spoke. He was speaking with a smile on his lips.
Was he flirting with Nancy?
The realization hit Celeste hard. She almost leaped out of the bed. Her hands itched to shake Jeremy's shoulders and drag him out of Nancy's little trick.
But then, as she was lying there pretending to sleep, she forced herself to suppress the boiling anger that threatened to spill over.
As she struggled to cool down, she was surprised by her own reaction. Why should she be so angry? Jeremy was her twin brother. She had never felt possessive toward him before. Why would his new identification as her mate make such a difference all of a sudden?
Was that her feeling or her wolf's? She couldn't tell.
The next second, a heavy thud sounded in her ears, wresting her focus entirely from her thoughts. It took her a second to realize that Nancy had just sprinted over and thrown herself into Jeremy.
She could almost visualize the victorious smirk on Nancy's face.
The hug lasted for a few seconds before a smack broke the silence. Then came the footsteps. Celeste was bewildered for a moment before it dawned on her. Did Nancy just kiss Jeremy?!
She would have snapped her eyes open if she hadn't heard Jeremy's surprised and cold voice. "That's out of line, Nancy. Please leave."
The words were followed by a short silence, stamping sounds of shoes on the floor, and then a snort. Celeste could hear Nancy walking away.
But she could hear Jeremy following to the door as well. She wondered if the man was going after Nancy to apologize. But his feet stopped at the door. Finally, she heard the door was shut and locked with a click of the lock.