Celeste's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She was desperate for the need to quiet it down.
She returned to the place where the investigation team should be gathering and waited for everyone to arrive to begin the job. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
They should have been gone by now, but there was still no one there except her.
Obviously, everyone was still in the meeting room, probably discussing Howard's proposal. Celeste didn't know what they were discussing. Should they have a new Alpha? Or how wonderful it would be to have a Luna?
At the mere thought of the word "Luna", Celeste's heart raced. She felt a twitch in the corner of her eye. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the idea from her mind.
To take her mind off things, she started preparing for the upcoming investigation, packing some weapons and dry food. She tried to keep her mind occupied with the task at hand, but her mind kept wandering off to the meeting room and the discussions that were taking place there.
Luckily, she didn't have to wait long while her mind tortured her. She heard the footsteps of the other werewolves.
"I'm not sure either. You know, I've never thought about the possibility of a new Alpha," Emma's voice reached Celeste's ears first before she and Ben showed up at the door.
"Oh, you're here, Celeste!" Emma walked into the room and spotted Celeste, looking a little surprised. "I was wondering where you went just now?"
"Uh, I came here in advance," Celeste spoke the obvious fact, struggling to keep her voice steady. She was relieved that Emma didn't seem to notice anything unusual about her.
"You mean you sneaked away from the meeting? When did you leave? I didn't even notice," Ben said as he walked over to his own spot and began preparing his equipment.
Celeste shuffled her feet, unsure of how to answer. She had hoped no one would notice her slipping out, but apparently, she wasn't as quiet as she had thought.
"It's when Howard started yapping?" Emma answered for her.
Celeste wasn't sure whether to be grateful at Emma's reply or embarrassed by her sharp observation. She hoped they didn't ask why she left at that specific time. Thankfully, Emma quickly continued speaking again as her face lit up with a memory. "Oh, that's right. Jeremy stood up after Celeste left."
Ben's brow furrowed as he tried to piece together the sequence of events. "Oh! That was when you left! So, Jeremy got up to find you, right?"
Celeste's heart skipped a beat at the thought of Jeremy looking for her. She wasn't even sure if he had noticed her leaving. "I … I don't know," she stammered.
"Of course, Celeste wouldn't know! Byron asked Jeremy to stay, so he didn't get to look for Celeste," Emma chimed in, her tone laced with disdain at Ben's poor observation.
Ben shrugged, not harmed at all by Emma's disapproving glare. His attention already drifted back to his work.
Emma went to her backpack, sifting through its contents for the things she needed. But it was obvious that the excitement of the new situation had not worn off yet.
"So, Celeste, what do you think about Jeremy becoming the new Alpha? We were all caught off guard by this idea. I mean, who would have thought we could have a new Alpha? But, I have to say, I really like Jeremy. He's got what it takes, you know? Although I'm a big fan of Byron, it's clear that he wants Jeremy to take the lead. And, it's not like Jeremy is shying away from the challenge. He's young, sure, but he's proven himself twice over now. I definitely vote for Jeremy," Emma gushed.
Ben couldn't resist commenting, "Vote? It's not that they're running a campaign or something. And let me guess, you 'vote' for Jeremy also because of his handsome face, right?"
"Oh, shut up, you dog!" Emma shot Ben a death glare, but she couldn't hide the blush that crept up her cheeks.
Turning back to Celeste, Emma chirped excitedly, "So? Who do you think should lead the pack? I know you love both Jeremy and Byron. But it must feel different when your twin brother became the Alpha of the pack, right?"
Twin brother...
The words hit Celeste like a bolt of lightning, freezing her in place.
"Celeste?" When Celeste hadn't spoken for too long, both Ben and Emma turned to look at her, their faces puzzled.
By some miracle, Celeste was able to force a smile. Although she was not sure if it looked like a smile or a snarl to the both. She shook her head. "I don't know."
"That's not the answer I was looking for," pouted Emma. "Think about this then. If Jeremy becomes the Alpha, our pack can have a Luna, too! A Luna! A pack with a Luna will be even stronger and unbeatable. What reason do you have not to choose Jeremy? With a stronger pack, we can kick the ass of those rogues and hunters! And most importantly, even the Moon Goddess likes the idea of Jeremy being our Alpha!"
"And... who do you think will become our Luna?" Celeste's words felt foreign and unnatural on her tongue, like she was speaking in a different language. Celeste couldn't believe she was asking Emma that question. When she uttered the first word, she was startled by what she was about to say. She wanted to swallow the rest of her words, but her tongue seemed to have a mind of its own and forced the words out of her mouth, anyway.
Celeste waited with bated breath for the answer of "Nancy" to slip out of Emma's mouth. But the reality was different from her expectations.
"Well... I mean..." Emma trailed off, her cheeks turning a shade of pink.
"You're not thinking about nominating yourself, are you?" Ben said, his eyes rolling.
The red on Emma's face grew deeper, and without a second thought, she delivered a swift punch to Ben's arm, causing him to wince in pain.
"Okay. Let's get ready, ladies. We're already late for patrol," the other wolves walked in and urged them to go.