The sound of knocking on the door jolted Celeste out of her thoughts, bringing her back to the present moment. She lifted her head and saw a head peeking out from behind the door. It was Kate, the first rogue who had talked to Celeste.
Celeste remembered vividly the day when Kent had brought her to the rogues. The wolves had surrounded her curiously, their eyes fixed on her, their expressions revealing curiosity. But they didn't show any surprise or hostility, almost as if they had been expecting Kent to bring back a new member. Some of them even recognized Celeste, but their faces were devoid of malice. Instead, they looked at her with a mixture of reverence and expectation, as if they knew something Celeste didn't.
When Celeste first arrived in the pack, she felt like an outsider. None of the rogues approached her or talked to her as if they were afraid of her. But Kate was different. She was the first rogue to approach Celeste and introduce herself. They had known each other for only a few days, and now Kate had become Celeste's friend among the rogue pack.
However, there was one thing that troubled Celeste. Kate kept calling her Luna, even though Celeste had told her repeatedly not to. She explained that she was not the rogues' Luna, but Kate just gave her that mysterious smile and continued to call her Luna the next time. The other rogues seemed to have the same misconception about her, too. Celeste couldn't help but wonder if Kent had said something to them that caused misunderstandings.
"Can I come in, Luna?" Kate called Celeste by that name again, just like she did before.
Unlike the other werewolves who treated Celeste with respect but some distance, probably because of the "Luna" thing, Kate acted like she had already become BFF with Celeste. Just like now, before Celeste could answer, Kate had already walked in through the door.
"Uh... sure... come in..." Celeste arched an eyebrow and answered. Kate seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Celeste's tone, and her smile never wavered.
"And I already told you, don't call me Luna anymore. I'm not your Luna," Celeste added.
"Just keep denying it, I know you're just too embarrassed. The Moon Goddess has already said that you are our Luna. So you're my Luna no matter what," Kate retorted, her voice laced with a hint of smugness.
The Moon Goddess said so? Celeste couldn't even imagine it. And she didn't believe it at all. Now after every false prophecy, Celeste realized that she no longer had much trust in the Moon Goddess. If anyway, the goddess was now nothing but a deceitful entity to her.
But Kate was still a fanatical and loyal worshipper of the Moon Goddess. When Celeste wanted to speak out against Kate's naive ideas and the Moon Goddess's obvious deception, she saw the look on Kate's face and hesitated. Perhaps it was best not to shatter her illusions just yet.
"I brought you breakfast." Kate seemed pleased that Celeste didn't argue with her, and placed a box on the table next to Celeste.
Celeste was suddenly a little flattered. She was a newcomer to this pack, but they treated her as the Luna of the pack. Now they even brought breakfast right in front of her. Her stomach growled in hunger, though.
But when Kate placed the box on the table and opened it, it took Celeste a few seconds to figure out what it was.
"Is that a ... huge chocolate cookie?" But it was a bit too huge, right?
"Well…, this is actually bread that I made..." Kate shook her head and explained in a low voice, her face a little red. "It's just that they got burnt, but this one was less burnt."
For a moment, Celeste didn't know what to say. Now she realized she was probably not as hungry as she thought.
Kate carefully extended the freshly baked "bread" towards Celeste, observing her reaction with a hint of nervousness and eager anticipation. Celeste hesitated for a moment, conflicted about whether or not to accept it. But she couldn't resist the look on Kate's face and eventually grabbed the bread, clutching it tightly in her hand. Goddess, the bread was hard as a stone.
She lifted the bread to her nose. And it didn't even smell like bread at all. Celeste wanted to say she wasn't hungry, but seeing the look on Kate's face made her swallow her words.
With a determined heart, she brought it to her mouth and took a bite. It was incredibly hard and Celeste wondered if it would break her teeth. For a moment, Celeste even suspected that Kate had brought a rock to trick her. She chewed on it and unexpectedly found a delightful aroma.
"How was it?" Kate asked expectantly.
"This cookie, I mean, bread is surprisingly good?" Celeste raised an eyebrow and said uncertainly. "So, you know how to bake?"
Kate blushed deeply and sheepishly scratched her head, "I'm learning."
"Maybe we can bake together next time," Celeste said.
Almost immediately, Kate's eyes lit up and her voice was clearly filled with excitement and anticipation, "Do you bake, too?"
"I do, actually. I love baking, especially sweet treats," Celeste replied, a slight smile spreading across her face.
Kate grinned from ear to ear. "I can't wait to show you my kitchen," she said, practically bouncing on her feet with excitement.
Celeste couldn't help but smile too. It had been so long since she had baked anything, she had almost forgotten how much she enjoyed it.
Just as they were beginning to discuss their shared passion for baking, there was a loud knock at the door. They paused for a moment before the door was open, revealing Kent.
"Celeste, I have news about your parents."