Raymond, the werewolf hunter, was standing right in front of Celeste with his gun pointed directly at her.
The scene was somehow surreal to Celeste. She knew Raymond was a hunter, and it was true that he had shocked her several times. But he never actually harmed her. And after months of working together, Celeste still saw Raymond as a somewhat clueless colleague.
Now there he was, a completely different person. His finger tensed on the trigger. The weight of gun seemed heavy in his hand. His eyes flickered with a complicated mix of emotions.
Celeste's heart pounded in her chest as she stared down the barrel of the gun, her wolf instincts screaming at her to fight or flight. But she froze.
"Let the man go, Celeste," Raymond said in a low voice, his eyes staring down at her.
She froze when her name came out of his mouth.
How did he recognize her? That was the first thought that came to her mind. It was her first time turning into a wolf, so there was no way Raymond could recognize her as a wolf. Did he see her before she transformed? But if he did, why didn't he just shoot her before she took down the first hunter?
However, Celeste was just a wolf now. It was not that she could ask him directly. So she just stared at Raymond.
The hunter beneath her stirred, trying to free himself from her grasp while she was distracted. But Celeste was quick to react. Her powerful paw slammed down on his chest, crushing him against the ground. The hunter let out a muffled groan of pain, but he didn't move again.
"Let him go. I promise we won't hurt you," Raymond said. But his gun was still pointing straight at Celeste while his finger remained on the trigger.
That wasn't convincing at all. Celeste's wolf let out a short breath that sounded like a snort.
Raymond clearly noticed that. He pursed his lips in hesitation.
His finger twitched on the trigger, and Celeste tensed. But then he slowly moved it away.
But she wasn't impressed. Even though his finger was no longer on the trigger, Raymond still didn't put down the gun. He could still kill her immediately if he wanted to, and Celeste did not doubt that the gun had silver bullets in it.
"Just shoot the bitch!" But the hunter beneath Celeste's wolf was clearly horrified when he saw Raymond move his finger away from the trigger.
He struggled again, trying to free himself from her grasp. But Celeste held him tight, using her weight to keep him down. The man's face twisted in pain as Celeste tightened her claw, but he still refused to be silent.
Celeste's wolf swiped at the hunter again with her claw and bared her teeth at him as a warning. He was now her hostage, and if it weren't for that, she would have ended him by now. But her claw and teeth didn't seem to intimidate the hunter.
He struggled and shouted at Raymond, "Just pull the fucking trigger! What are you waiting for? We don't need her! We've reached the number!"
What number? What did he mean?
Celeste tightened her claw even more, trying to squeeze the explanation from the man. He groaned. But clearly, he didn't know what Celeste wanted.
Raymond's frown deepened as he watched the man struggle. "Shut up!" He warned the hunter, his voice echoing through the house.
The hunter's mouth hung open. Clearly, he was trying to argue, but Raymond's angry shout silenced him. "I said shut up!"
Celeste was surprised by this turn of events. What was Raymond's position among these hunters? Again, she was unable to ask since she was a wolf now.
"Relax, Celeste," Raymond said as he slowly lowered the gun under her gaze.
But he didn't put the gun down. His body language seemed relaxed, but she couldn't tell if it was just a façade or if he was truly confident that the wolf wouldn't hurt him.
Celeste didn't relax, of course. She remained wary and on guard.
"Just listen to me, Celeste. I promise they won't hurt you," he said, his eyes locked onto hers, trying to convey his sincerity.
She knew she was a wolf, but in this situation, the hunters in front of her seemed more like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Sometimes, hunters could be more cunning than wolves.
But in this situation, she was undoubtedly on the weaker side. She couldn't fully trust what the hunters were saying, but she had no other choice.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blood on the ground and the two familiar wolves lying on the ground. This undoubtedly weakened the credibility of Raymond's words.
Celeste couldn't help but wonder if these hunters had said the same thing to her parents. And when the wolves put away their sharp teeth and claws, they were met with a silver bullet and the fate of lying in a pool of blood.
She snarled at Raymond.
Raymond clearly noticed the irony of the situation. He coughed lightly and shifted his gaze from the two wolves to her.
"Look. We didn't want that. But they resisted. I'm sorry, but our goal isn't to wipe you all out," he explained.
What was their goal, then? Celeste waited for Raymond to explain, but he said nothing.
"I don't want to hurt you, really. So listen to me and release the man. I won't hurt you if you do. I won't say it again. Don't force me, Celeste" Raymond warned her the last time.
Celeste weighed her options.
If she killed the hunter below her now, she had no doubt that Raymond's silver bullets would find their way to her. If she surrendered, the hunters who murdered her parents would escape, and they would most likely take her with them.
If she was kidnapped... She knew Jeremy would never let her be taken away without a fight.
Till death do us part.
For some reason, the words suddenly sounded in her head.
Probably this was a chance to free them both.
She bared her sharp teeth at Raymond and extended her claws, ready to finish off the hunter below her. But the hunter seemed to see the determination in her eyes. He struggled violently and managed to escape from under the wolf.
Celeste jumped forward to hunt down the hunter, and then a loud gunshot rang in her ears.