Jeremy paced around the room, his footsteps echoing against the walls as he muttered to himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. He couldn't believe that Celeste had just up and left just like that. It was as if she had vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of her presence behind.
At first, Jeremy had assumed that Celeste just needed some time alone. The pack needed him to make decisions, so he went to the meeting room. He didn't come back that night, but during the meeting, his mind kept wandering to the feeling of Celeste's cheek against his and how he felt when he held her in his arms.
Earlier, he had been so close to taking things further with Celeste, but Nancy had ruined everything. The memory of her intrusion made Jeremy's blood boil. He had felt so annoyed and frustrated when she had interrupted them, but now he couldn't help but feel relieved that she had broken the mood. If Nancy hadn't, who knew what might have happened? He shuddered at the thought of hurting Celeste, the one person he cared about more than anything in the world.
When the meeting finally ended, Jeremy hurried back to the room, hoping to find Celeste waiting for him. But as he opened the door, she was nowhere to be found. He collapsed onto the bed, burying his face in his hands. He felt lost without her, and he didn't know what to do. He thought Celeste needed more time to herself, so he waited.
As the night dragged on, Jeremy found it hard to sleep. He tossed and turned, his mind racing with thoughts of Celeste. He kept replaying how close they had been in his head, wondering what he could have done differently. He couldn't even close his eyes for a moment, fearing that she might come back while he was asleep.
But morning came, and Celeste was still nowhere to be found.
Jeremy knew that if Celeste was going to go on patrol, she needed to confirm with him first, at least notified the other werewolves who were joining her. But as the morning wore on, there was no word from her. He anxiously checked his phone, hoping for a message or a missed call, but there was nothing. He called and texted her, but she didn't reply.
It was then his anxiety turned into worry.
With a sense of dread, he made his way back to their shared room. As he entered, he felt a sudden emptiness, and the silence echoed loudly in his ears. The room was just as he had left it. There was no sign that Celeste had returned. The scent of her lingered in the air, but it was from the night before.
The worry in his chest grew with each passing second, and his mind raced with worst-case scenarios. What if Celeste had been taken by the hunters? What if she had left him? He couldn't bear the thought of losing his fate mate.
With trembling hands, he tried calling and texting her again, but there was still no response. His anxiety and fear threatened to consume him as he paced back and forth in their room, searching for any clue or sign of her.
He forced himself to calm down and focus on his breathing. He closed his eyes and tried to feel her presence through their mate bond. It was the only thing that gave him a shred of hope, the only thing that kept him from completely falling apart.
He could sense that Celeste was safe, but the lingering worry over her whereabouts was driving Jeremy insane.
The pack needed him, and Nancy seemed to have something to discuss with him. But Jeremy was completely preoccupied, unable to deal with these matters right now. His top priority was to find Celeste. His inner wolf told him that if he didn't act now, he would regret it and Celeste would only grow further away from him.
His heart raced as he dialed her number once again, only to be met with the deafening silence of her unanswered phone. "Damn it! Where the hell did you go?" Jeremy growled in frustration. He cursed himself for letting her leave the previous night, knowing that it was his own reckless behavior that had put her away.
Without a second thought, Jeremy bolted out of the base and into the dense forest. Miraculously, he could still smell traces of Celeste, a heady blend of lavender and vanilla that always drove him wild. Jeremy focused on their mate bond and chased after her lingering scent to a creek, but her scent was blocked by the water. Jeremy cursed under his breath.
Jeremy's mind raced as he recalled their conversation from last night, and Celeste's mention of running into Kent in Raymond's cabin. His heart sank as he wondered if Celeste could be over at the hunter's place.
Driven by worry, Jeremy didn't hesitate to transform into a wolf. He didn't care if there were hunters out searching for wolves, his only thought was finding Celeste. Sprinting through the town, Jeremy's paws pounded the pavement as he ran with all his might towards Raymond's cabin. He could have easily turned back and taken transportation, but his mind was clouded with fear and the urgency to find his mate.
As he approached Raymond's cabin, the scent of Celeste was unmistakable, but what sent shivers down his spine was the even stronger scent of Kent. They were here not long ago, and the thought of Celeste being alone with Kent filled him with a sense of dread.
Jeremy followed their scents and was led to the side of the road where the wind carried their scent away. The frustration and anger mounted as he realized that he had lost the clue again.
Where did they go? Did he take her? Did he kidnap her? Fuck! That son of a bitch must have kidnapped Celeste!
The thought of Celeste being kidnapped by the rogue sent Jeremy over the edge.
Rage took over, and he growled, feeling his wolf instincts kick in.
The damn bastard had had it coming, and he was going to make them pay for what they had done to his Celeste.