Celeste was caught off guard by Jeremy's sudden movement.
Without warning, his strong hands grasped her shoulders, and she was spun around. Her back was slammed against the cold wall. Before she could wince in pain, Jeremy's weight was right on her. His right hand held her shoulder in a vice-like grip, his fingers digging into her flesh with enough force to leave bruises.
Celeste's heart raced as she stared straight into Jeremy's eyes.
For a moment, she was paralyzed, unable to move or speak. It was only when Jeremy's grip tightened that she found the strength to struggle and fight back. "Jeremy, let me go! You're hurting me!"
Jeremy snapped out of his trance, releasing her immediately and backing away.
Celeste rubbed her shoulder. It was not so painful, but the sensation of his grip lingered. She kept her eyes on Jeremy, wary of any sudden movements.
"Sorry," Jeremy returned to his stuttering self again, then muttered to himself in a low voice. "Guess my wolf just hates that asshole's stink."
He looked apologetic, but his eyes betrayed a wave of simmering anger. What was he angry about? Celeste couldn't quite decipher what it was. How could Kent's scent sparkle such a reaction from him? Was he actually angry at his scent or the fact that she and Kent had met on such an early morning?
It took Celeste a moment to process what Jeremy was mad at. Was he jealous of her meeting with Kent?
His expression seemed to suggest so. He wouldn't even speak the rogue's name.
But before Celeste could say anything, a jarring ringing sound shattered the quiet of the room.
Celeste felt a bit of relief at the interruption, but also a pang of curiosity about the caller. Who could call Jeremy this early in the morning?
Jeremy stood motionless, his brow furrowed in frustration. The ringing continued, grating on their nerves. After a few seconds, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and muted the phone without a glance at the screen.
Celeste raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not going to answer that?"
Jeremy shook his head. "No. I'm sorry for pinning you on the wall, but I feel like we still have unfinished business. Why did Kent come to meet you? How long did he stay?"
His gaze was intense, fixed unwaveringly on her. She could feel the weight of his words and knew how serious Jeremy was.
Celeste suddenly felt a wave of unease wash over her as she looked at Jeremy, who seemed to be pressing in on her with each step. She furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes, trying to place what was so off about him at that moment.
Just as she was about to speak, the sound of the ringing phone pierced the air once again, breaking the tense silence. Jeremy sighed and pulled out his phone again, glancing at the screen in annoyance.
He was going to ignore the call and continue their conversation, but his expression changed as he saw the caller ID. His brow furrowed even further, and he hesitated, unsure of what to do.
"It's Byron," he said, confused.
Celeste frowned, wondering what could possibly be so urgent that Byron would call this early in the morning. "Just answer it," she urged. "It could be important."
Jeremy let out an exasperated sigh before pressing the answer button and activating the speaker. He knew it was the Alpha on the other end of the phone, but the interruption was unwelcome. "What?" he barked, his tone laced with impatience.
"Sorry. I know it's early," Byron apologized, mistaking the reason for Jeremy's annoyance as an interruption of his dream. "I was just wondering if you've heard anything from Bill lately?"
Bill? Celeste shot a puzzled look at Jeremy, who returned the same expression.
"No, I haven't. What happened?" Jeremy replied, a hint of concern creeping into his voice. That was when Celeste remembered that Jeremy and Bill were friends. No wonder Byron called him. But at this time? Did something happen?
"A few days ago, Bill said he was coming over to pick something up from me, but he never showed. I've been trying to reach him, but he's not answering his phone. Now I'm at his house. The door was wide open before I came in, and no one is home."
"Why are you at his house at this hour?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow.
"I ... just happened to pass by during my morning run," Baron tried to explain, but they didn't buy it.
Celeste furrowed her brow. Did all werewolves love to pass by others' houses early in the morning? Surprisingly, that was the first thought that popped up in her mind.
"You passed by his house at this hour?" Jeremy asked, voicing Celeste's thought.
"Anyway, that's not the point," the Alpha huffed. "The point is that the town isn't very peaceful right now. Do you know where Bill is since you're his friend? And where did his family go?"
"You mean Bill is missing, and his whole family too?" Celeste blurted out without thinking, her curiosity getting the best of her. However, as soon as she spoke, she cursed her mouth again.
There was a moment of heavy silence on the phone, and then Byron said, in a chirpy voice, "Oh, hi Celeste. Good morning."
"Um, it's not what you think..." Celeste stammered, trying to explain herself. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that just made it even more suspicious. What did Byron imagine was going on between them? Celeste suddenly felt like she was caught in a bind, unsure of how to proceed.
Byron seemed to have sensed something off between them. And she didn't need to fuel him with more suspicion.
Celeste cursed her tongue for the umpteenth time today, frustrated with herself for being so impulsive. "Um, never mind that. You mentioned the door is wide open, so what's going on inside? Is it a mess?"
"Everything's in order," Byron replied, refocusing on Bill.
If Bill and his family had gone somewhere else, they would have locked the door. The town was safe, but it wasn't safe enough to leave the door wide open when no one was home.
Kent's face suddenly flashed through Celeste's mind, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was involved in Bill's disappearance. Kent had admitted he took care of something earlier. What had he done?
"Are those rogues up to something again?" Jeremy growled, his anger palpable.