For some reason, Celeste was more upset about Jeremy running away from her than the fact that he may have caused her harm.
She had no idea why she felt that way. Maybe she was just a bit hurt because she was shut out by the person she cared about.
She knew she was being unfair. Jeremy was just trying to protect her in his way. But as she spoke, the words that came out of her mouth were tinged with the raw emotions she couldn't keep hidden.
Jeremy seemed to be taken aback by that.
"I'm sorry," he uttered, his memory failing him as to how many times he had apologized to Celeste. In the presence of his wolf, he felt like a coward – a spineless individual who could only flee.
"In the end, you don't believe in your wolf," Celeste let out a soft sigh, trying to release a heavy weight on her chest.
"Yes, at least at that time I didn't trust my wolf at all." He nodded slightly.
At that time? What about now? Did he trust his wolf now? Did he trust him even a little?
Celeste's mind went back to the previous night when his wolf had pounced on her. She had expected to be knocked down and hurt by the animal, but the wolf had controlled his own strength. His tail had cushioned her fall, preventing her from getting hurt.
And then she thought about the past few days. Her own wolf was weak and vulnerable, while Jeremy's was strong and imposing. The pull between them was palpable. Yet, despite that, Jeremy's wolf had shown remarkable restraint. He had not made any move to harm her or assert its dominance over her.
Slowly, Celeste realized that the wolf was not just a primitive, selfish beast as they had expected. He had an innate sense of control and restraint. He could be trusted.
"…you?" asked Jeremy.
"What?" she had been lost in thought and didn't realize Jeremy was talking. It was not her fault, though. His voice was soft as a whisper and was easily blended into the rustling of the leaves. Celeste blinked as she tried to refocus her attention on him.
Jeremy pursed his lips, a trace of nervousness and unease flashing across his face. "Do you trust my wolf?"
"I…" She felt a sudden warmth spread across her cheeks and ears. She couldn't quite explain the sensation, but something about the way he asked the question made her feel a little self-conscious. "If I didn't trust your wolf, I wouldn't have opened the window and let you in last night."
The sun had set by now, but the sky was still bathed in a deep, fiery red. Celeste hoped that the crimson rays would mask the blush on her face, but as she looked at Jeremy, she realized that his face was also tinged with the same reddish hue. It was an oddly intimate moment, with the two of them bathed in the warm, golden light of the setting sun.
A faint smile appeared on Jeremy's face, and Celeste couldn't help but grin back at him.
"So… when you're able to trust my wolf, you're able to trust yours and talk about our mate bond with me." He commented.
Celeste paused for a moment. She had been grappling with her own feelings for a while now, unsure of how to address them. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet but firm. "You could say that. But there's another reason."
"What is it then?" With his curiosity piqued Jeremy blurted out automatically. But the moment the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize what Celeste was going to say.
There was a short silence before Celeste let out a short breath. "Because it's not fair to you, or to me. We both feel that–"
Attraction. The word was at her lips, but it was frozen by a moment of hesitation and vanished into the air,
"–pull to each other. But we've both been silent about it, unwilling to address it. We're twins, and there's no other way to handle it."
The admission hung in the air like a heavy cloud. Familiar silence fell between them, but Celeste felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had finally said what she had been thinking for so long, and it was a relief to have the elephant pointed out in the open.
"I know…"
Jeremy murmured, turning his gaze towards Celeste.
But she didn't hold his gaze. Her eyes looked at the distant forest.
This time, the silence was longer. They both stared out at the fiery red sky in the distance. The sun was below the horizon, gradually taking away its light. Celeste and Jeremy were soon surrounded by darkness. Even the rustling of leaves seemed to stop.
Celeste knew what they needed to discuss next, but she didn't want to break the peaceful silence. She relished the quiet moment, feeling the cooler air of the night on her skin and knowing that Jeremy was right there with her, sharing the moment.
Neither of them wanted to address the elephant.
As the darkness deepened, they could hear each other's breathing and the sound of their hearts beating. It was as if the whole world had gone quiet, leaving only the two of them in their own little bubble of silence.
Finally, when the darkness had fallen completely, the first star appeared behind the clouds.
Celeste exhaled, her heart was pounding in her chest. She could feel every beat like a physical blow. She wanted to stop breathing, to stop speaking, to sink into the darkness that surrounded them, and to stretch this moment till the end of the world.
But she couldn't.
She had to speak the words that were weighing so heavily on her heart.
She could feel a sharp pain in her chest like her wolf was crawling inside her. She wanted to cry out in pain. Her mouth opened, and the words, tinged with pain, flowed out. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"So... Jeremy, we need to perform the rejection."