The sudden grip that seized her wrist caught Celeste off guard. The force was so unexpected and abrupt that she felt like a coiled spring, pulled tautly and then suddenly drew back. She couldn't believe that Howard had run up to her and grabbed her so forcefully.
But when the angry and familiar voice entered her ears, the protest and accusation at her tongues froze. Celeste looked up and saw Jeremy's equally angry gaze.
The anger in his eyes pierced through her and sent shivers down her spine. Celeste pursed her lips and held his gaze. His grip tightened around her wrist, hurting her a little.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?!" the man repeated, his voice low and menacing. The anger and warning were clearly audible in Celeste's ears.
Anger and warning? She was somehow ignited, and the emotion that had been suppressed seemed to flare up again. Her wolf whined in her heart, but Celeste chose to ignore her.
"Let go of me!" Celeste struggled to break free, but Jeremy wouldn't yield. That only made her even more frustrated. "What's it to you? Go back and play Alpha with Nancy. Figure out what to do with her, okay? Just leave me fucking alone!"
The mention of Nancy seemed to catch Jeremy off guard. He hesitated for a moment. The anger in his eyes flickered for a moment before he spoke again, confusion and frustration seeping into his voice. "What the hell does Nancy have to do with this?"
His grip on her wrist loosened a little, so she shrugged him off. He quickly took a step forward, as if trying to grab her again. But Celeste took a step back and crossed her arms in front of her chest, assuming a defensive stance that gave Jeremy pause.
"Are you... are you jealous?" Jeremy asked, his voice filled with uncertainty as he looked at Celeste, hoping for a positive response that would relieve the tension between them.
Celeste was momentarily lost at that question. Jealous?
She couldn't help but let out a short, incredulous laugh. Oh, Goddess! Yes, she was acting like a jealous teenage girl. Hell. She even partly felt like a jealous teenage girl.
No. Jeremy, it was not just jealousy… It was disappointment. Despair.
Celeste worried her lips. If only it was that simple and ridiculous. She looked up at him and took another step back, her body language defensive and guarded. Jeremy's face fell.
"I'm leaving," she said, her voice tinged with ice.
"You cannot leave!" Jeremy's voice was suddenly forceful and commanding like an Alpha ordering the wolves beneath him.
Celeste couldn't resist the urge to sneer, "Already, the Alpha of the wolf pack can't resist exercising his power, can he?" she said, her tone biting and sarcastic.
Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise at the venom in her words. Celeste couldn't help but notice the way his body seemed to tense up. But then he deflated, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Don't," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and easily disappeared into the wind.
Celeste wanted to say something more, but when she saw the look in Jeremy's eyes, the words in her throat were swallowed down.
Jeremy let out a deep sigh of frustration as if Celeste was giving him a headache.
"Where are you going?" he asked again, his voice softer.
Celeste hesitated for a moment. Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she considered whether to tell him or not. She wasn't sure about her parents' situation. She didn't want to give him fake hope. In the silence, Celeste could feel Jeremy's gaze at her, waiting for her answer.
"Home," she finally admitted and looked up, her voice barely above a whisper.
The word seemed to hang in the air between them like a weight, and Jeremy's eyes widened as he struggled to process the meaning behind it.
"Home?" he repeated slowly, his mouth chewing on the word. His voice was laced with incredulity as if he was listening to an alien speak. He leaned closer to her, his voice lowered to a dangerous growl. "You can't be serious. Do you remember what we just went through? The hunters are out there!"
Celeste met his gaze but didn't say a word. Her lips pursed into a thin line.
"But…" Jeremy obviously had more to say, but his voice traced off and nothing more came out. Celeste wondered if his mind was racing as he searched for a way to make her see reason.
He took a deep breath and squeezed out a word through his teeth. "Why?" The word came out sounding like a sigh.
"I… Maybe they're still alive," she said quietly. "We can't be sure before we confirmed that! I have to go back and make sure."
He took a step closer to her, his eyes boring into hers as he struggled to make her see the truth of their situation.
Celeste could already predict the rebuttal that was about to come out of Jeremy's mouth. He was obviously searching his memory, hoping to come up with a strong argument against Celeste. But he seemed to find nothing. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
Jeremy's face turned red. After a while, he put his hands on his forehead in frustration.
"So stupid…" he grumbled under his breath. Celeste wasn't sure if he was referring to her or him. Maybe both.
He lifted his gaze to meet Celeste's. "I'll go with you," he said, his tone firm and unwavering.
Celeste parted her lips to voice her thoughts, but Jeremy swiftly raised his hand, cutting her off. "But not now," he said, his voice clipped and authoritative. "We'll explore at night, and you'll come with me then."
"I can't wait," she said, her impatience getting the better of her.
"Do you think I can wait?" Jeremy heaved a weary sigh. "We've been away from the house for too long. I'm sure the hunters have retreated by now. But it's not too long until dark, so don't move around on your own. Stick with us. You're my family. I can't let you get harmed."
Jeremy's intense gaze bore into Celeste's, his eyes full of seriousness and warning. Celeste's heart skipped a beat. It was the second time today that she found herself having this kind of conversation with him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Jeremy continued to stare at her without flinching. Celeste knew that he wouldn't back down until he received a response from her.
She couldn't decide if she wanted him to back down or not. She yearned for time to halt at this very moment, free from the hunters' interference and the inevitable complications that would follow their relationship.
But time never stopped for her, no matter how much she wished it would.
After a few moments, Celeste finally gave a reluctant nod. "Okay."