Celeste's body stiffened and her heart raced as she felt the hands of her attacker tighten around her. Her mind went blank for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden assault. Panic and fear took hold of her as she struggled to break free from the grip that held her down.
But her body acted faster than her brain and she instinctively began to struggle. But as she fought, the attacker's hold only grew stronger. The more she struggled, the harder the person held her against his chest. His palm covered her face, preventing her from screaming.
In that moment of desperation, Celeste's thoughts raced. Was this the hunter coming back to take her away? The memory of her parents' attack flashed in her mind, fueling her fear and anger.
No, she wouldn't let these bastards get what they wanted. A wave of anger erupted from within her and Celeste struggled even harder. She pushed her elbows back with all her might, trying to hit the man and break free of the hold. But the attacker was obviously cautious, and his grip only tightened in response.
But the man was distracted, and his hand on her face loosened a little. Celeste seized the opportunity to turn her head to sink her teeth into the hand that covered her mouth. The man released her from his grip immediately and let out a gasp of startle.
But the gasp sounded a bit too familiar in Celeste's ears. And all of a sudden, as her brain registered, the scents of her attacker smelled very familiar, too.
That bastard!
Celeste immediately jumped forward, putting some distance between herself and the man. Unfortunately, she didn't get to taste any blood on her teeth. Her eyes searched the darkness and recognized the familiar face. Her brain instantly began to process the scene before her.
"Have I mentioned you have a sharp tongue? Well, turns out you have sharp teeth as well," the man commented playfully as if he hadn't just trapped Celeste in his arms. Even in the dark, Celeste could see that shit-eating smile on his face. "Your lips are … soft, though. Just as I had imagined."
"Why the hell are you here, Kent?" Celeste ignored his teasing and went straight to the point. "No, what the hell was that? Were you trying to kidnap me?"
"I would love to kidnap you, trust me." The rogue winked at her and took a step forward, the smile wider on his face. "Relax! I was just kidding around with you."
Celeste took an alarmed step back, not believing in a word from his mouth at all. Her eyes were still fixed on Kent with a wary look. "Do you expect I'll believe you? Come on, what are you up to being here?"
"Oh, come on! I never intended to harm you," Kent shrugged, his eyes scanning Celeste with a hint of mischief. "If I wanted to hurt you or kidnap you, I could have done it already while you were sleeping." He purposely drew out the last word, clearly hinting at something.
Celeste remembered Kent's presence outside her window and wondered just how many times he had watched her sleep.
Kent took another step forward, trying to close the distance between them.
Celeste hesitated for a moment on whether to step back again and decided to stand her ground, her eyes still on Kent, observing his every move.
When Kent attempted to take another step forward, Celeste furrowed her brow and shot him a warning look. Kent clearly noticed Celeste's icy glare and hesitated, pulling his foot back and raising his hands to show that he had no ill intentions.
"You haven't answered my question yet. What are you doing here?" Celeste frowned as she watched the man in front of her.
"That interested in me, huh, Celeste?" When he mentioned her name, his lips curled slightly into a smirk, his eyes glinting with mischief. But perhaps he finally noticed the growing suspicion and impatience on her face, so he quickly added, "Since you want to know so badly, I'll tell you, then. I'm just here to take care of some business."
"Some business?" Celeste crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Do you mean to take care of the body of your pack member?"
Kent's face twisted into a scowl, his brow furrowing deeply. "Well, strictly speaking, he was no longer a member of my pack."
Celeste cocked her head, waiting for an explanation. But Kent hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. He seemed torn as if he didn't know whether he should confide in her or not. Finally, he let out a sigh and shrugged. "I banished him because he refused to follow my order."
"Which were…?" Her eyes narrowed.
Kent shrugged again, but Celeste could sense a hint of discomfort. He let out a breath. "Well… I told all the wolves not to harm the defenseless, especially children who can't shift yet. And if you have a good memory, I'm sure you will remember what he had done," he said, his lip curling in disgust.
The image of Scarface standing intimidatingly in front of Alan flashed through her mind. She could see the vicious snarl on his scarred face as his claws tore into her shoulder. She shivered a little. But she quickly composed herself and erased the memory from her mind.
Did Kent really have such a requirement? But it also seemed somewhat ironic, given that it was Kent who led a group of rogues to brutally attack their pack. And he had told his pack not to harm the defenseless?
"Why are you telling me this?" Celeste stared at him in confusion.
"I'm just answering your question." Kent spread his hands.
"Okay. Forgive me for being shocked that you were actually kind enough to remind your packs to spare the defenseless before you tricked your way into our pack, attacked everyone during the gathering, and left us all half-dead," Celeste said.
"Well, thanks for the compliment?" Kent chuckled at her words. "My intention was not to wipe out your pack, after all."
"What was your intention then?"
"I'd prefer to keep that a secret. At least for now. And I don't think we're here to have a heart-to-heart conversation today, right? Even though I really wish we could have one." He winked, his light and even a bit flirtatious.