It was totally reasonable for Jeremy to suspect the rogues.
After all, the rogues' loathing for the wolf pack was blatantly evident. Their previous attack was still fresh in the wolves' memories. Given how notorious rogues were among werewolves, it wouldn't be strange if they started to attack the pack again.
But Celeste had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right about it. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it felt like there was more to the situation.
As she thought about it, she realized that Kent didn't seem like the kind of person who would adopt underhand tactics to take down the wolf pack. She remembered how he attacked them previously, surrounding them all at once instead of taking them out one by one. And even though Kent hated Byron, he never besieged him.
Celeste understood clearly that she didn't know Kent well, but she couldn't shake the inkling that Kent would have preferred a more direct approach, facing the enemy head-on, instead of relying on sneaky tactics. She also heard that he had a soft spot for the defenseless, which made it hard for her to believe that he would suddenly change his strategy altogether.
But again, she didn't know him well enough to make a judgment call. She couldn't be sure what his intentions were or whether he had any ulterior motives.
"I can't say for certain if the rogues are behind this," Byron spoke hesitantly. " We've been keeping an eye on them, but there's been no word of any action from them. There seemed to be some sort of internal disagreement among them. And Kent has been strangely elusive as of late…"
Jeremy interjected, his voice low and contemplative, "It's not like he's vanished without a trace."
As Celeste raised her gaze, she caught Jeremy's piercing stare. She couldn't decipher the emotions flickering across his face, but the tone of his voice carried a subtle undertone of discontent.
Her brow furrowed in frustration as she recalled their unresolved conversation.
Was Jeremy trying to discuss it right in front of Byron, who remained an onlooker in this?
A sense of annoyance gnawed at her. Suddenly, she was uncertain of the target of Jeremy's anger. Who was he mad at? Kent or her, actually?
"What do you mean? Have you seen him recently?" Byron asked in surprise.
"No, it wasn't me who saw him. And I'm very sorry about that. Otherwise, I would have punched that creep so hard he'd be seeing stars," Jeremy's voice was surprisingly calm, but Celeste could see the anger simmering just beneath the surface. The veins on his hands bulged.
"What the hell happened between you two? Is there some kind of secret you're keeping from me? I smell trouble," Byron said with a hint of suspicion in his voice.
Celeste and Jeremy stiffened. Did Byron sense something off?
When he said, "you two", was he referring to Jeremy and Kent, or Jeremy and Celeste? For a few moments, the three of them were in silence.
Celeste and Jeremy locked eyes. She thought he should be blamed for raising Byron's suspicion. But he was still unhappy about her early meeting with Kent. Neither of them was saying anything. Neither of them would back down first.
"Are you still there?" Byron's voice broke the silence.
Celeste heaved in frustration, giving up her silent competition. "I saw Kent this morning. He was at my window, and I caught him in the act."
As Celeste spoke, she kept her gaze fixed on Jeremy. She knew that he was trying to read her expression and figure out what had happened. Jeremy's frown deepened, and she could see the worry etched on his face.
"Did he do anything to you?" He stepped forward, ready to defend Celeste already. She could see his muscle tensed up. Her heart skipped a beat at that.
Celeste shook her head and didn't back down this time when he moved closer to her. "He's been lurking outside my window when I woke up. He's alone, but I don't know how long he's been there."
"Did he get in and lay a finger on you?" Jeremy asked, his brow knitting tightly at her words.
Celeste shook her head again. "No, he was outside the window all the time."
Jeremy let out a breath silently. He had been on edge since he found out about the rogue. And now, he seemed visibly relieved. But he didn't step away from her. Their gazes were still fixed on each other.
"What was he doing at your window?" Byron asked abruptly, oblivious to everything happening in the room.
His sudden question made them both jump.
Celeste cleared her throat uneasily before she answered, "He said he was just passing by."
"Passing by?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Like Byron passing by Bill's house?"
Celeste shrugged, ignoring the sarcastic comment about Byron. "That's what he said. He told me he had some business to take care of and then he passed by my roof. But he did warn me to be careful. He said there have been some strangers in town recently."
"Why would he tell you all those things?" Byron's voice crackled through the phone.
Celeste shook her head. She had wondered the same since Kent had left her rooftop. Realizing that Byron couldn't see her, she spoke, "I don't know. It's weird that he was up here so early in the morning, but I don't think everything he said is a lie. Maybe we need to start paying attention to who's coming into town. We need to be careful."
Jeremy scoffed, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black."
Celeste couldn't help but roll her eyes. Jeremy had never stopped hating Kent. She suspected that even if Kent had never crossed the wolves, Jeremy would still have found something to dislike about him. She wondered where that hatred was from, though.
"Maybe so," Celeste said at last. "But he did warn me to run with Alan when the rogues attacked. I think he might not be completely evil."
Jeremy froze at her words.
But before he could say anything, Byron spoke up again. "Celeste has a point. I'll look into the strangers in town and keep an eye on those rogues. You two stay safe." Then he hung up.