Celeste was talking to Kate when Kent strode into the room with the news about her parents.
Celeste stood up and locked eyes with Kent. "What? You have news about them? Do you know where they are?" Her voice was eager, desperate.
She had left her own pack and joined the rogues partly to escape her twisted mate bond with Jeremy. And it was also because of Kent promise that he would help her find her parents. Unlike her own pack, who had grown accustomed to life in the small town, Kent's pack had roamed far and wide, gathering information and resources along the way. They knew better how to track down hunters.
Celeste had been with this pack for a few days now, and Kent had been working hard to keep his promise. There had been hunters in the city before, and Kent had taken Celeste to the places where they had been seen before, but like their own town, the hunters had only stayed briefly before disappearing without a trace.
They still didn't know what the hunters were after, and their brief searches of the places where the hunters had been had yielded no useful information. It seemed like the hunters were always a step ahead of them. But regardless of the circumstances, Celeste was determined to find the hunters and her parents.
"No. Sorry, Celeste. I don't know where they are." Kent shook his head, and Celeste felt another pang of disappointment. It was clear that Kent saw the disappointment in Celeste's eyes. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. "But I finally got in touch with my Beta. I sent him a picture of your parents' wolves, and he recognized them. Your parents are still alive."
Celeste's initial disappointment was swept away instantly. She had hoped against hope that her parents were still alive, but until this moment, she had never dared to believe it for sure.
Kent had mentioned that his Beta had seen the hunters taking the live and dead wolves away in batches. But since the Beta didn't know what Celeste's parents looked like, he couldn't determine if their wolves were still alive.
It was possible to quickly find the Beta and confirm the wolves' status, but because the Beta was still tracking the hunters outside, Kent couldn't reach him.
Now with the confirmation from the Beta, Celeste was able to breathe a sigh of relief. She felt a renewed sense of purpose and determination. She was going to find her parents, no matter what it took. As long as her parents were alive, she had hope. She had a chance to find them and bring them back. It gave her the strength to keep moving forward, even in the face of uncertainty.
But what exactly did these hunters want? Why did they capture the werewolves? As far as Celeste knew, hunters and werewolves were mortal enemies who couldn't wait to kill each other on sight. She had never heard of hunters kidnapping or collecting werewolf corpses as souvenirs. Celeste couldn't help but think of what Raymond told her that day. He promised they wouldn't hurt Celeste. So what were they up to?
Celeste shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the doubts and fears that had been creeping in. For now, the most important thing was that her parents were still alive.
Kate seemed to sense Celeste's relaxed mood. "That's fantastic news! With this breakthrough, we can now focus our efforts and work toward finding your parents. And who knows, maybe we can even have another celebration when they're back safe and sou–" Kate cut herself off suddenly, which made Celeste raise an eyebrow.
"Another celebration?" Celeste eyed the lady.
Kate stuck out her tongue and shrugged, "Err… Can you please just pretend you didn't hear what I said?" But her attempt at diversion had the opposite effect, and now Celeste was even more curious. What exactly were they up to? Were they planning to celebrate something? Celebrate what?
Kate attempted to brush it off with a joke, but Celeste's intense gaze locked onto her like a target. She coughed uneasily and looked toward Kent with a silent and desperate plea for help. This only piqued Celeste's curiosity even more. What was going on between them? What kind of trick were they planning?
Since it was clear that Kate would not yield and give her any clue, Celeste shifted his attention to Kent and arched her eyebrow at him. Although Celeste had only been with the rogues for a few days, through their interactions, she had known the rogues and Kent better.
When she first came here, Celeste had been cautious and guarded around Kent. While there were no extra rooms in the pack, Kent generously gave up his own quarters for her. Celeste didn't keep her guard down at first, but Kent had not made any moves toward her, which made Celeste trust him a little more. Besides, Kent had put forth an effort to help Celeste find her parents, for which Celeste was grateful.
Their interactions had been tinged with hostility and defensiveness after the rogues attacked her pack, but Celeste had now become more natural in her interactions with Kent. But as they grew closer, Kent's playful teasing of Celeste had become less frequent. In fact, Kent seemed to have become a bit more reserved overall.
Like now, for some reason, his ears were a little red. "Well, actually, we've prepared a surprise party for you tonight, to celebrate your coming to the pack."
Was he feeling shy now? Celeste couldn't help but stare at his red ears. She found it a little strange since Kent had always acted wild and free-spirited in front of her.