Celeste made it back to her room, feeling drained from the eventful day. She plopped down on her bed and took a deep breath, trying to have a moment of peace. She looked around the room. Jeremy was not here.　　He did not return with her.　　Celeste closed her eyes. Her thoughts drifted to their encounter in the forest, where he had stopped her from leaving. She shook her head and tried to push the memory aside.　　After Jeremy left, Celeste ran into Howard again. She expected Howard to ask questions about their relationship, or at least arch a curious eyebrow at her. But the man acted as if he hadn't noticed the way they interacted with each other at all. Whatever Howard thought about them, Celeste was glad that the man kept it to himself instead of bringing it up. She didn't have the energy to explain things.　　As night fell, the werewolves gathered together to prepare for their mission. And to her surprise, Nancy was among them.　　Celeste couldn't help but

　The sight in front of Celeste made her want to take a step back.　　She wondered if the images were about to engrave themselves into her memory, leaving her PTSD. She closed her eyes, hoping to shut it out, but even then, the image in the dark lingered in her mind, refusing to fade away. The metallic scent of blood in the air only made it worse, making the picture more vivid than ever before.　　Suddenly, a faint but unmistakable whimper reached her ears, and she snapped open her eyes to see a wolf lying on the ground, its eyes open a little and emitting a dim light in the darkness. The woman who had been keeping her head down also looked up, revealing the relief on her face when she saw her companions.　　"Thank the Goddess," Celeste breathed, finally allowing herself to exhale the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.　　Sarah's voice trembled as she spoke, her hoarse tone barely above a whisper. "Byron is hurt. The hunters almost caught us."　　"Are

　　Celeste stood there, uncertain why she didn't have the courage to finish her whole sentence. The rest of the words seemed to stick in her throat. Even she wondered if Jeremy could even figure out what she was trying to say.　　"I don't know if they're still alive," Jeremy said, shaking his head. "But either way, we'll bring them back, and the damn hunters will regret what they have done."　　Celeste took a long breath, and the two of them headed back to the house. The wolves searched around the house, looking for any signs of what the hunters were up to. But the hunters seemed to have covered their tracks well, leaving behind no evidence of their whereabouts.　　They had been out for too long. Plus, with Byron badly injured and needing care, the wolves returned to their secret base.　　The journey back was an equally silent one, the excitement that had filled them earlier replaced with a sense of disappointment.　　***　　Over the next few days, the wolf pa

　　Celeste had no idea why Byron and Howard were suddenly looking at her. And she couldn't figure out the meaning behind their gaze. Jeremy followed their line of sight to her and seemed to be surprised at her presence in the room.　　Byron's voice was low and somber as he spoke, and the silence in the meeting room seemed to amplify his words. "You're right, Bobby. I owe you all an explanation," he said. "Hunters have invaded our town. When I asked you to seek refuge here, I wasn't entirely certain about the situation. It was all so sudden and I had only just received the news. But I was attacked by the hunters and injured, so we must remain vigilant. The danger is still in our town."　　Byron leaned forward, pulling back a bit of bandage to reveal the grotesque wound on his chest. The wound was slowly healing, but the newly grown flesh was tender and reddish through his chest. It was evident that he had been in grave danger. Some wolves gasped.　　Byron had always been a

　　Celeste's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She was desperate for the need to quiet it down.　　She returned to the place where the investigation team should be gathering and waited for everyone to arrive to begin the job. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.　　They should have been gone by now, but there was still no one there except her.　　Obviously, everyone was still in the meeting room, probably discussing Howard's proposal. Celeste didn't know what they were discussing. Should they have a new Alpha? Or how wonderful it would be to have a Luna?　　At the mere thought of the word "Luna", Celeste's heart raced. She felt a twitch in the corner of her eye. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the idea from her mind.　　To take her mind off things, she started preparing for the upcoming investigation, packing some weapons and dry food. She tried to keep her mind occupied with the task at hand, but her mind kept wandering off to the meeting