Kent's eyes traveled up and down Celeste's body, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Celeste felt a shiver run down her spine as she realized how uncomfortable she was under his gaze. In the darkness, Kent's eyes reflected the dim light around them. She could see a range of emotions flickering within them, but their true nature was indiscernible to her.
"What brings you here exactly? You still haven't given me a straight answer," she demanded, eyebrows knitting tightly together.
"I'm not here to take Scarface's body if that's what you're thinking. Ugh, I'm not interested in even seeing his body." Kent shivered a little at the thought of his former pack member. "Besides, he's already been taken away by those hunters, anyway. I'm just here to look for any clues that may have been overlooked."
"You know he's been taken away by the hunters?" Celeste asked, surprised.
A few days ago, Celeste and a group of werewolves had visited Raymond's cabin, only to discover that Scarface's body had already been taken away. They had suspected it was the work of the hunters, but they couldn't be certain. After all, the rogues were still out there, lurking in the shadows. They could be the ones who had collected Scarface. But now, Kent, the leader of the rogues, stood before her, openly admitting that the hunters had done it.
"My Beta saw those hunters taking away the wolves. He almost got caught himself," Kent explained.
Wolves? So that confirmed what happened to Celeste's parents, then.
"The wolves were taken away by the hunters? Are these wolves still alive?" Celeste asked, taking a step closer to Kent despite the fact that the man was still a potential threat to her.
Kent watched Celeste with a keen interest, his eyes fixed on her with an intense focus. A sly smile played at the corners of his mouth as if he knew a secret that she didn't. "Are you asking me if your parents' wolves are still drawing breath out there somewhere?" He said, his voice low.
Celeste's heart skipped a beat at his direct answer. She could feel her pulse quickening as she took another small step closer to him. "Do you know if they're alive?" Her voice was trembling with anticipation.
"I don't know. My Beta doesn't know what your parents look like." Kent shook his head, and a hint of softness seemed to flash in his eyes. But Celeste was too distracted by the wave of disappointment to carefully discern what the fleeting expression on Kent's face meant.
She tried to hide her disappointment, but she knew Kent could sense it. "But my Beta did mention that some of the wolves were alive," he added. His voice seemed to be softer, too.
Celeste snapped her gaze at his face, her heart in her throat.
"But they're weak and sick, and the hunters have them in cages. They're not doing very well."
Celeste felt a surge of anger as she pictured the wolves trapped in cages. "Why are they doing that? What do they want with the werewolves and the corpses?" she demanded, her voice rising.
"I don't know," Kent admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But I can tell you one thing – the hunters are satisfied with their harvest this time and have left the town already. In fact, you and your friends don't have to go out and look around the corner every day. It's just a waste of time." He flashed her a mischievous grin. "Although I have to say, I do like seeing you come out occasionally. And your wolf is very beautiful."
Celeste frowned, wondering how many times Kent had been watching her without her noticing. Had he been lurking in the shadows every time she went out? And why hadn't she or any of the other werewolves spotted him? Goddess… Looked like their team was not vigilant enough.
Despite the frustration and her efforts to remain composed, Celeste could feel a subtle heat rising in her cheeks. She couldn't quite understand why her face felt warm, but she was relieved that the dim light in the cabin would at least mask any unusual expression she might be displaying.
And for some reason, she couldn't help but notice that Kent's smile had grown even wider.
"Okay. Thanks, I got it. And from now on, you can stop stalking me," she said, now suddenly realizing how close she and Kent had been. She wondered if she should take a step back, but she decided that would only be too obvious and made her look weaker.
"But I had so much fun stalking you," Kent replied, taking a step closer under her watch and further eating up the distance between them. "And it's not like you or your pack can even notice me. No offense, but your defenses are weak."
Celeste was alarmed by his proximity. And with a smile on his face, the rogue walked even closer to her. Just as Celeste was wondering if she should punch the man in the face, he walked past her and headed towards the door.
And now his back was exposed right in front of Celeste. He seemed to be very confident that she wouldn't suddenly jump up and attack him.
"Oh, by the way," he stopped before opening the door and turned back to look at Celeste, "for whatever reason, if you're not happy with your wolf pack, we'd be happy to have you join us. As you can see, our wolf pack is much stronger than yours and much more alert."
Celeste instinctively opened her mouth to defend her pack, but she had nothing to say because what Kent said was true. If he had said this before, Celeste might have laughed at him, but now, after learning so much, she really did agree their pack was unprepared. The pack had grown accustomed to a peaceful life, and even if they were suddenly thrown into a fight, they couldn't turn into fighters immediately.
"I know you want to find your parents, but with your pack's current strength, it'll be hard to track down those hunters. This has been proved again when the hunters came at you. If I hadn't tipped off your Alpha, your pack would probably be torn apart right now. If you join my pack, I'll do everything I can to help you find them. And let's be honest, we both know there's something between us," Kent said with a sly grin.
What the fuck?