Celeste's heart quickened as she sensed Jeremy's wolf pacing outside her window.
She strained to hear the delicate tap of his paws landing on the roof and feel the vibrations through the air. She could practically sense the beating of his powerful heart just beyond the glass and the curtain.
What was Jeremy planning? Celeste couldn't help but wonder.
But soon, the noise outside ceased, leaving an eerie quiet in its wake. She listened intently and picked up the faint sound of the wolf settling on the rooftop.
That only added to her confusion.
Celeste glanced at the clock, noting that Jeremy had been gone for less than one hour. Why had he returned so soon? Had something gone wrong? But if so, why was Jeremy now frozen in place? What was he waiting for? With Jeremy's enhanced sensation, surely he knew she was aware of him. So what was he doing outside her window?
Celeste's mind was full of questions, unsure of how to react.
Despite the disorientation, Celeste could feel a sense of calm wash over her as Jeremy returned to her side. However, the familiar torment of having the mate so tantalizingly close yet out of reach gripped her once again, twisting and turning inside her.
Deep within her heart, she could hear the primal call of her wolf, her desire for mate raging like wildfire. She suppressed the longing again, but this time, her wolf whined and clawed at her from within, refusing to be silenced.
With each passing moment, her anxiety mounted. She wondered if Jeremy might hear the howl and come rushing in through the window.
Her eyes were fixed on the window, her fingers twitching with anticipation, but there was no movement outside except for the occasional rustling of the curtains in the breeze. Not a single trace of Jeremy's movement.
She started to question her own sanity, wondering if Jeremy was really out there or if she was trapped in some kind of hallucination. The uncertainty was maddening. She couldn't help but feel a sense of desperation creeping in.
Despite her better judgment, she let her feet carry her to the window. As she peeked through the crack in the curtains, her heart skips a beat at the sight of Jeremy's silhouette resting just inches away from her.
The moon had reached her window now, casting a soft glow on the rooftop. But the moonlight was weaker than she had expected, lacking the brilliance she had imagined.
Peering out from her vantage point, she could just make out the moon, shrouded in a thin veil of clouds. Its once-potent aura seemed to have diminished as if its powers had been sapped by the night's subtle atmosphere.
Then the realization hit her like a thunderbolt. The power of the moon tonight was restrained by the cloud, which helped Jeremy tame the wildness of his wolf. This explained why he was able to keep his impulses under control. He was driven by his emotions to return to his mate, but his rationality, which had yet to be fully chased away by the moon, held the beast back from rushing in.
Outside, under the dim moonlight, the wolf's silvery-gray coat seemed to radiate a soft glow. Celeste gazed at him through the window, the thin curtains barely separating them. She couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the wolf's majestic presence and wondered if he could sense her just as keenly.
Of course, he could.
Jeremy's wolf seemed to have caught Celeste's gaze. The wolf turned his head in her direction, wagging his tail in excitement.
Celeste knew that her room was dark because she didn't turn on the light, and the moonlight outside was bright enough to keep herself from Jeremy's gaze. Also, she was hidden behind the curtains. But she could still sense Jeremy's gaze on her.
It only then did she realize that she and Jeremy's wolf were separated only by a thin layer of glass and a flimsy curtain. The powerful pull between mates could easily awaken the beast in Jeremy's heart. And he could stand up and pounce on her at any moment, just like that night when there was just a door between them.
Standing by the window, Celeste couldn't help but feel a thrill of something running through her body. She couldn't explain what it was, though.
She knew she was playing with fire by just standing this close to the wolf. She didn't know if it was the effect of the moon on her own wolf, but even with the curtains covering the moon, her heart was still driven by it. She longed to see, feel, and touch her mate, and the thought made her hand itch with anticipation.
Touch? The word echoed in her mind, and suddenly everything around her seemed to fade away. Her fingers twitched, yearning to reach out and touch him, to feel the warmth of his fur and the beating of his heart.
A swish broke the silence of the night.
Celeste didn't know what was driving her, but she felt compelled to yank the curtains open. And she did.
A sharp inhale escaped her lips as she saw Jeremy's wolf just beyond the pane of glass. The barrier between them was shaky. If Jeremy wanted to attack her, he could easily shatter the glass and leap into her room.
She stared at the wolf. And the wolf held her gaze.
Then, to her own surprise, her hand reached out and pushed open the window, letting in the chilly night air.
The wolf seemed taken aback by her movement, too. He froze in place, his tail motionless on the roof. His piercing eyes remained locked on hers, the turbulent energy within them palpable.
This time, Celeste didn't avert her gaze. She held Jeremy's intense stare. A smile somehow managed to tug at the corners of her lips.
Jeremy's wolf stood up and began to saunter toward her, his movement deliberate and languid.
When he was only a few feet away, he lunged forward, launching himself at her with fierce determination.