Before she knew it, Celeste was trapped between Jeremy and the wall, again.
Her mouth twitched. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation and figure out what he was talking about.
But Jeremy's expression was hard, his eyes fixed on her with a fierce intensity that made her skin crawl.
"Let go of me, Jeremy!" she growled, trying to push him away. But he didn't budge. He was like a rock, unmoving and unyielding. And as she strained against him, she felt a rising sense of unease, like a trapped animal desperately fighting for her life.
For a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of doubt in Jeremy's eyes. But then it was gone, replaced by a burning anger that seemed to consume him from within.
Celeste was now too familiar with the anger. It had been following them all the way here, after all.
The anger had been building for a long time, simmering just beneath the surface until now, it finally boiled over.
"What's your problem?" she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. "I said let go of me!"
She struggled to move her shoulders to break free. But Jeremy was unresponsive, his lips pressed into a thin line as he held her in place.
And then, in a low voice that sent shivers down her spine, he spoke.
"If I let go, would you please stop risking your own fucking life?" His lips twitched with the effort of restraining himself, but his grip on Celeste remained firm.
She froze and stopped struggling.
She was caught off guard by his words. She had expected him to understand her reasons for leaving, but now she realized it was a mistake.
"But ... you were gone for so long. I couldn't just wait around forever. The hunters inside would get suspicious," she said, her voice shaking slightly with nerves. As she spoke, she remembered how Jeremy had asked her to wait for him before he left. She had ignored his request, and now the man was clearly unhappy with that.
She felt like he was making a fuss. She was safe now, wasn't she?
"Besides, I turned into a wolf, I wasn't risking my own fucking life," she added, trying to defend herself.
But somehow her words fell flat, sounding more like a feeble excuse than a self-defense argument. She wasn't sure if she would wolf out when her feet decided to take her to the house.
"Okay, I shouldn't have gone without you. I'm sorry, okay?" Celeste said, hoping to diffuse the situation. She thought that by apologizing, Jeremy would understand and release her, and his anger would dissipate.
But as she looked up at him, she saw that his anger had not lessened in the slightest. He glared at her with an intensity that made her feel like he could devour her alive.
Just as Celeste thought they would continue to stare each other down, Jeremy spoke up with a low growl. "That's not why I'm angry."
"Well, then why are you angry?" Celeste asked, trying to sound confident. But then she realized she wasn't in the right and added weakly, "I'm not a mind reader. Stop playing this game with me."
"Do you really not know, Celeste?" Jeremy's voice was low and dangerous. "When that Raymond hunter warned you to release that piece of shit on the floor, what the fuck were you really thinking? Huh? Do you know that if I had moved just one second later, there would have been a third wolf body in that house?"
His low voice echoed in the narrow bathroom, ringing in Celeste's ears like a bell.
As Celeste stood in the bathroom with Jeremy, she finally understood the reason behind his explosive anger.
She had no idea when Jeremy had returned to the house, but it was clear that he had heard her conversation with Raymond. And even worse, he had seen through her façade. Her heart sank.
She thought she had hidden it well, even if Jeremy had heard their conversation, he surely wouldn't know what she was thinking, but she was too naïve. Celeste suddenly felt a little ashamed.
She couldn't stand the intensity of his stare, and so she shifted her eyes away, unable to bear the heat of his anger.
The silence in the bathroom was deafening. Celeste could feel Jeremy's eyes on her, waiting for her to respond. She tried to speak, but her voice failed her, and she was left standing there, feeling helpless and small.
A part of her knew that she could have chosen to save herself by doing what Raymond said, but those who hurt her family would get away with it. She couldn't bring herself to do it. The bond between her and Jeremy was too strong, and she knew that it would only be broken by death. She didn't want to commit suicide, but that choice was just too tempting. She thought that her choice might make them both free.
As she tried to defend herself, her words faltered, and she was left stuttering and unsure.
"Did you think you were sacrificing yourself? You would have only added more pain to me! Don't make that decision for me! You're the only one I've got…" Jeremy's voice was low and hoarse, almost like a whisper, but his words carried a weight that sent shivers down Celeste's spine. If it weren't for their proximity and the thin layer of air between them, Celeste almost wouldn't have been able to hear him.
She felt as if he had peeled away all her defenses, leaving her raw and exposed. Her heart ached at the sight of him, and she could feel the intensity of his emotions radiating from his body. The air between them was thick with tension. She could almost taste the electricity in the room.
As she looked up at Jeremy, she saw the moisture in his eyes, and that was when she knew that she had hurt him. Her heart sank, and tears began to well up in her own eyes. She felt a sudden urge to comfort him, to wipe away his pain and make everything right again. But how could she, when she was the cause of his suffering?
Jeremy's grip on her hand tightened. She could feel the warmth of his fingers on her skin. It was as if he was holding on to her for dear life. She knew that she couldn't let him go. She took a deep breath and tried to speak, but her words caught in her throat.
"Jeremy... I..." Before she could say anything more, there was a sudden and urgent knocking at the door, jolting them both out of their thoughts.