Celeste's mind struggled to process what tangled web of information Kent had just unleashed upon her. She didn't even know where to begin.
So Kent was the one who told Byron the hunters were coming at them? Byron had mentioned in the meeting that he had been tipped off before the attack, but he refused to tell them where the message was from. So, it was from Kent? It would certainly explain why Byron was reluctant to share the information with the rest of the wolf pack, especially given that Kent had led the rogues to attack them not too long ago.
But why? Why did Kent help them? And what was the relationship between Kent and Byron? Kent had almost killed Byron, and yet here he was, telling Celeste that he had informed Byron of the hunters' movements. It was evident that there was a hidden secret between them, one that no outsider was privy to. Celeste couldn't help but wonder if they had been communicating with each other all along.
As Celeste struggled to make sense of the situation, a memory suddenly came rushing back to her. It was the day when Kent had unexpectedly appeared at her window, spouting off a series of cryptic warnings. Had he already detected the hunters' presence back then and been trying to subtly alert her to stay safe?
It dawned on Celeste that without Kent's warning, she would never have reported to Byron to investigate the missing werewolves. The wolf pack would have been caught off guard, and the hunters could have inflicted even greater damage on them. Looking back, she realized that like Byron, she had also received an early warning from Kent.
But why did he do it? What was Kent up to in all of this? The more Celeste thought about it, the more questions she had, and the more elusive the answers seemed to be.
Let's be honest, we both know there's something between us.
His words registered in her mind.
Since their first meeting, Kent had displayed a certain intentional or unintentional flirtatious behavior towards Celeste, and she could clearly see the interest in his piercing gaze. But Celeste had never paid much attention to it. Her mind was consumed by thoughts of Jeremy, the bond they shared, and the depth of their connection. Her mind had been too busy to fathom the idea of being with anyone else.
Now, Kent had expressed his interest in Celeste, and his invitation to join his wolf pack. He seemed to have even noticed the struggle in Celeste. A flurry of emotions was ignited inside of her. How much did he know? How long had he been watching her? Did he know what was going on between Jeremy and her?
Celeste's mind was a whirlwind of questions and thoughts, all tangled up like a ball of yarn. She wanted to take a step forward, grab Kent, and demand answers. But she was afraid of the answers she might get from him. Kent left Celeste with a sly smile, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of danger. Then he rested his hand on the door and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Celeste called out, her voice echoing through the empty room.
Kent paused briefly, only turning his head slightly to look at Celeste. His eyes locked onto hers, a flicker of amusement dancing in their depths. "You need some time to process the information. I'll give you enough time to think about it."
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Celeste to ponder the mystery of his intentions.
Somehow, Kent's appearance always startled her and brought her something unexpected. Raymond was the same. Every time he showed up, he surprised Celeste. The silver bullet, the wolfsbane, and the threat in her house. And in the end, Raymond became their enemy. Celeste had no idea if Kent was just the same as Raymond.
After Kent left, Celeste felt compelled to explore Raymond's basement again, hoping to uncover new clues, but her search turned up nothing, just as she expected. She couldn't help but feel disappointed, knowing that the most valuable information she received today came from the mouth of an "enemy". Celeste remembered Kent's comment about their pack's weak defenses, which added to her frustration.
And then her mind wandered back to Kent's words. He said she could join them.
Celeste couldn't understand why she was even considering Kent's offer. She knew she should ask him to go to hell immediately, but she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that his offer was somehow irresistible. She needed an escape, a way out of her and Jeremy's current situation. And Kent had handed her this way out.
When Celeste returned to the base, the darkness enveloped her like a cloak. The night wind blew on her skin with a chilly touch, sending shivers down her spine. For some reason, after what Kent had said, Celeste found herself even more reluctant to return here.
But as soon as her feet stepped into the base, her reluctance was immediately driven away by a restlessness that permeated the air.
It was then that she saw Emma in the corridor. Emma's face was etched with worry, but the moment her eyes met Celeste's, they lit up. She practically flew towards Celeste, her eagerness to see her palpable.
"Where have you been?" Emma exclaimed, her voice betraying her relief. "I've been trying to reach you for ages! I received your call, but when I tried to call you back, you didn't pick up. We were all so worried! If you didn't come back, we would have had to go out and look for you. Are you alright?"
Celeste sheepishly checked her phone, realizing that she had missed several calls. "Sorry, sorry. My phone was on silent," she mumbled, feeling guilty for causing her friend so much distress. "I just suddenly remembered that we hadn't searched Raymond's room yet, so I called you."
"It's okay, I'm just glad you're back." Emma's expression softened. "So you went to Raymond's room after that? Is everything okay?"
Celeste hesitated for a moment, her mind replaying the events of the past few hours ago. Should she tell Emma about the strange encounter she had in Raymond's room? But her body seemed to react faster than her brain. She shrugged. "Yeah."
Emma raised an eyebrow. But before she could press further, her expression changed once again. "Oh, right! You need to go find Jeremy. He was so mad when he realized you didn't come back with us."