Both Celeste and Kent stared at the bush, wondering who or what was hiding in there.　　The bush was short. Nothing dangerous could be lurking in there, right? Besides, the party was held in this secluded part of the forest. No one was expected to bother the wolves here.　　But the rustling of leaves made them both tense up.　　Just as Celeste was hesitating about whether she should toss something into the bush, a boy jumped out and dashed at Celeste. Startled, Celeste tried to step back, but her eyes recognized the boy first.　　Kent quickly stepped forward to protect her, but she held his arm and shook her head with a smile on her face. She was a little surprised by the man's gesture, though. "Thanks. But don't worry. The boy means no harm."　　Before Kent could raise any questions, the boy's short legs ate up the distance between them. Then he threw his arms around Celeste's waist in a tight embrace, almost knocking her over.　　"Cel! I missed you so much!" The boy looked up, his big a

　　Celeste's cry distracted Kent, and it gave Byron a perfect chance to strike.　　The Alpha punched Kent in the jaw and knocked him to the ground with a thud. He wasted no time and was on Kent in an instant, pinning the man's hands beneath his knees and clasping his hands together to keep him from fighting back.　　Panting heavily, Kent struggled against Byron's weight, twisting and writhing under the larger man's grip. But his struggle was in vain.　　"You stupid piece of trash! Let go of me!" Kent threatened through gritted teeth.　　"Run, Cel!" Instead of responding to Kent's warning, Byron shouted at Celeste. Then he immediately snapped his attention back to Kent. The man was still struggling.　　"No! I won't run!" said Celeste firmly as she stepped closer to Byron and Kent. "This is my pack, and you're my leader! How can I help, Byron?"　　Byron growled, "You can't help! This is between him and me."　　Kent attempted to pull his wrist away from Byron's grip, but Byron firmly crushed it

　　The grey wolf had its muscles tensed, ready to pounce at Celeste at any moment. His eyes were burning with intense ferocity. As he stared at Celeste, his mouth curled into a menacing snarl, revealing razor-sharp fangs.　　But something seemed to hold him back. Perhaps it was the sharp, gleaming blade in her hand that gave the beast pause. The wolf knew it would be foolish to underestimate this small human girl and her dangerous weapon.　　Scarface, even in his wolf form, still had his hideous scar stretched across his left eye. That only made his already fierce gaze even more intimidating.　　Celeste knew she couldn't show a hint of fear or weakness. The wolf in front of her would catch on to even the slightest vulnerability and tear her apart with those sharp claws and teeth.　　She gripped her knife tighter and stood her ground. Scarface growled menacingly, gradually inching closer to her. His piercing gaze never faltered, calculating every move she made.　　Celeste felt sweat wetting

　　Everyone stiffened.　　Jeremy looked in the direction of the arrogant speaker. It was him. The naked werewolf. The man who had taken down their Alpha.　　Jeremy furrowed his brows. He knew Byron was a very skilled fighter, and it would take an extraordinary opponent to defeat him.　　The man was young, and he stood naked as the day he was born. But he didn't seem bothered by his nakedness. Nor did he care about his pack losing. He sounded like he was the one winning.　　Jeremy didn't know him, but he knew the naked man should not be underestimated.　　The naked man should be the Alpha of the enemies. The idea seemed ridiculous judging by how careless the man looked. But when Jeremy saw hatred and determination deep and unsurpassed in his eyes, he understood.　　But Jeremy was equally confused. What had they done? What had the pack done to ignite such hatred from the man?　　"If you don't want your Alpha dead, let my wolves go," the naked man repeated in an equally confident tone. Although

　　Celeste felt like she had a long, long dream.　　She remembered hearing Jeremy's voice before she was consumed by the darkness. Her shoulder and chest hurt, and her head was throbbing with stabbing pain. So when enticed by the grasp of the still, peaceful darkness, she closed her eyes to welcome it.　　Everything fell into silence.　　Time passed in a blur. Celeste couldn't recall how long it had been, perhaps it was only a few seconds, but a voice sounded in her head. A mysterious, strange, yet somehow familiar voice. It was as if it had been a part of her thoughts for years.　　But the voice was so muffled. It was like someone was trying to speak to her from under the water. She couldn't make out the words being spoken but could somehow sense the urgency and desperation in the tone.　　With sheer exhaustion clouding her senses, she wished nothing more than herself being consumed by the darkness.　　But the anguish and distress in the mysterious voice broke her heart.　　She shook her hea