Chapter 3

　　When Celeste made it to the door, Jeremy was long gone. She was both frustrated and confused. "What's wrong with him?" 　　The father shrugged. "Maybe he's just unhappy that you both treat him like a puppy. If it was my wolf, he would rather go out for a run! It's such a good day out there, after all!" 　　The mother snorted, "Thankfully we live in the country. Can you imagine this happening in the city? The passers-by are going to scream in terror." 　　"That's a mild way to put it. I believe a wolf the size of a bull is going to scare the heart out of them," Celeste corrected her mother. 　　She was proud, but she was also very envious of Jeremy. Weren't she and Jeremy twins? Why had she not shifted yet? Jeremy was only ten minutes older than her! She should have transformed by now if there was any rule of nature! Or at least she should be lying on the floor and waiting for her wolf to surface. But nothing happened. She didn't even feel anything. 　　"Mom, Dad, why haven't I changed? I don't even have any feelings for it." 　　Jeff shook his head and turned his gaze to his wife. Nora was also clueless. "Maybe Byron knows. He knows more than any of us do. He can even ask the Goddess. Oh! Right! He asked me to inform him the moment Jeremy transformed. I should go give him a ring." 　　"Did Byron mention me, too?" Celeste asked in anticipation. 　　Byron Bloomfield was the beloved Alpha of their Shadowed Pack. Although his wolf was obviously not as big as Jeremy's, he was a great leader and an unstoppable fighter. In his prime, he led the Shadowed Pack and dominated the west. If not for the cunning hunters, he would have achieved more. The hunters had tricked him and severely wounded him in a battle fought two decades ago. But that was not the saddest part of that battle. The forever loss of the pack's dearest Luna broke all of the wolves' hearts. 　　Byron never begged the Goddess for another mate. He loved his Luna deeply and settled the pack in this small town as his Luna had wanted him to. The town was peaceful and quiet, free from the harm of any hunters. The pack had thrived in the past two decades, and the wolves all praised the Alpha and the Luna who lived in their hearts forever. 　　Byron was a caring, charming leader. Even if he was not as strong as he used to be, he was still the Alpha they respected and admired. He took care of every member of the pack. And his smile was always warm, which drew Celeste and Jeremy to him naturally. 　　"Sadly, no, darling," the mother answered. 　　Celeste huffed, "He always pays more attention to Jeremy. That's unfair." 　　Nora chuckled. "I'll make sure he learns his lesson and apologizes, attention seeker. And don't go out today. You might shift at any moment. You and Jeremy are twins, after all. Even if you two don't transform at the same time, it wouldn't be too long for your turn to come." 　　Celeste was happy to hear that. She returned to the cookies and was pleased to find the cookies cooled. She took some out for the family and put the rest away for her friends. 　　Now there was nothing she could do except for enjoying her sweet, sweet cookies. But the longing for the sweetness she felt earlier was now gone along with Jeremy's wolf. She looked out of the window. The morning glories were still listless. Now she felt for them. 　　She went out of the house to water the flowers, already forming a bunch of questions for Jeremy in her mind. How did it feel when the wolf surfaced? Where was the human when the wolf dominated? Was the human hidden? How did it feel to run on four for the first time? Did he want to howl? Had he howled? Had he hunted? Had he sensed his mate? What did she feel like? And where was she? 　　She sighed. Jeremy was not coming back to answer her in a short while, was he? All she got were scattered footprints on the ground that reminded her she wasn't hallucinating about Jeremy's first-time transformation. 　　The rustle from the bush startled her when she was lost in thought. 　　"Jeremy?" She squeaked in excitement and rushed over. When she bent over, an orange cat almost jumped into her face. She yelped at the cat's ambush and instantly felt the itch to chase after him. But the little thing disappeared into the end of the woods in a blink of an eye. She didn't even manage to get a good look at him. 　　"Well… I can't even outrun a kitty in my human form." Celeste grumbled to herself. Jeremy's wolf would have caught that cat in no time. She looked into the distance, but there was nothing but greenish plants of the country. 　　Disappointed, Celeste went back to her room. She waited for a while, pacing back and forth. When she couldn't stand the boredom, she sat down and wrote down all the questions she had. 　　At dusk, when the room was dim and the sky outside was golden, she heard the click of the door from the room across the corridor. Celeste paused for a second before she jumped up in excitement and slammed her door open.