Celeste was a little surprised by Kent's seemingly shy reaction, but she wasn't sure if it was really shyness. What was there to be shy about, anyway? It was then she realized he was talking about a surprise party.
"A party? A surprise party?" Did they throw a party every time a new member joined the pack?
"Yes, a surprise party. But it seems like the surprise is gone now. Now I guess it's just a party," Kate said, sounding a bit disappointed that she had spoiled the surprise for her.
"You really don't have to do this for me," Celeste scratched her head. She never expected the rogues to throw a party just for her arrival. They were enemies not too long ago, after all. And suddenly, she was a member of the pack, and they wanted to throw a party for her. It felt a bit strange to her.
"Of course, we have to throw a party for you! You're our Luna!" Kate pouted.
Celeste sighed. Kate was speaking nonsense again. Celeste never agreed to be the pack's Luna. She shifted her gaze to Kent, but the man just shrugged.
Kate added, anticipating Celeste's objection to being called Luna, "And now we learn that your parents are still alive. That's good news and worth celebrating with a party." She then placed her hands on Celeste's shoulders and guided her back to her seat. "Besides, our pack loves to have fun, and throwing a party is always a good idea."
That was the truth, indeed. One of the defining characteristics of rogues was their love of noise and commotion. Probably it was just a trait shared by all werewolves, but rogues seemed to take it to another level. They celebrated everything with gusto. And Celeste's arrival was a good reason for partying.
That being said, Celeste was grateful for what they were doing for her. Ever since she left her old pack, she had been feeling a bit lost and disconnected. She was with the rogues now, and everyone here treated her well, but she still had a sense of not belonging. She had felt a strange sense of detachment. And now, knowing that they were making an effort for her made her feel a little more at ease. She felt like she was a member of the pack, at least for that moment.
But this feeling also made her realize even more that she had left her old pack behind. A strange feeling was tugging at her. She felt like she was missing something like a part of her was missing. She was a rogue now, far away from her old pack and the mate she was given by destiny.
The thought of it made Celeste's heart race again. She had been trying to suppress her wolf these past few days, trying not to feel her. Her wolf was sad. And Celeste could tell that she blamed her. But she didn't have a choice. All she did was ignore her wolf all the best she could.
But now, she felt her wolf's presence again. Her heart had a strange sensation again. She felt her heart rate increase a little, and she sensed the restlessness inside her. Was she expecting something? Or perhaps someone? But what was there to look forward to?
Kate and Kent were still talking, and their words reached Celeste's ears. She shook her head and chose to tune out her wolf's whining and ignore her once again.
***
The party was held at the place where the rogues were staying that night.
Though the size of the rogue pack was smaller than her old pack, they were just as noisy and rowdy.
And it seemed like with the help of alcohol, many of the wolves had become bolder and were engaging in more conversations with Celeste. She was getting to know the members of the pack better. But she still couldn't get used to it when they all insisted on calling her Luna.
During the party, she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something outside the window. She looked out of the window a few times, but she found nothing. Her wolf was restless again, but she just tuned her out.
Feeling tired, she stepped out of the house and retreated to a table by the pool. This corner was relatively quiet compared to the chaos inside the house. Looking up at the sky, she noticed that the moon was shrouded in layers of clouds. The weak moonlight filtering through the clouds was barely noticeable against the lights from here.
"Oh, there you are hiding," a familiar voice sounded from behind her. Celeste turned to see Kent walking toward her.
"I'm not hiding," Celeste retorted, watching Kent as he grabbed a chair and sat down next to her. "Why did you come here and hide?" she asked.
"Same as you, I'm not hiding either," Kent shrugged and returned Celeste's words. "I just prefer the view here."
Celeste snorted. There wasn't much of a view to speak of. They could only see the lights reflecting off the pool water, and in the distance, there was a dark thicket of bushes that hardly constituted a scenic view.
The noise of the werewolves partying could still be heard from inside the house, but here they could also hear the chirping of crickets from the trees. Neither Celeste nor Kent spoke. Both were enjoying the peaceful moment.
The table was not very big, and Celeste and Kent were sitting close to each other. When Kent moved a little, his leg brushed against Celeste's. She could feel the heat emanating from him, which was particularly noticeable on this slightly chilly night.
A gust of wind blew, and she could smell the scent of Kent. It was very light, completely different from the smell of grass on Jeremy. She couldn't even describe what kind of scent it was.
It was the first time Celeste had actively tried to identify the scent on Kent. She had no idea why Jeremy was so sensitive to this scent. If Kent hadn't been so close to her, Celeste wouldn't have noticed his scent.
Thinking of Jeremy, Celeste realized that her inner wolf began to be restless again. She seemed to be able to pick up a different yet familiar scent from the air. But it was elusive, and she couldn't believe what she was smelling. Just as she was trying to identify the scent further, Kent's hand landed on her own hand on the table.