Chapter 2

Upon hearing their daughter's cries, Dora and Jeff ran into the kitchen. Concern and confusion were plain on their faces. They knelt down to examine their son, and soon the worry on their faces was replaced by excitement.

"Don't worry about Jer. He's transforming. His wolf is trying to free himself for the first time," Dora explained to her daughter.

Celeste widened her eyes in surprise. She had never witnessed a first-time transformation in her life. Out of curiosity, she had read about shifting. She knew the first time could be difficult, but she never expected it to be as sudden and painful as it seemed in Jeremy's case.

"Is the first time always this painful?" The question slipped out of her mouth.

"It depends. Not all werewolves have the same experience. Sometimes the first time is painful." The mother rested her hand on her boy's hair. "But as long as you stop fighting your wolf and just make peace with him, it would be easier. Relax, Jer. Let him out. Embrace your wolf."

Jeremy nodded a little and loosened up. He looked in peace almost immediately.

Celeste stared closely at him, trying her best to devour every detail of his shifting.

She had been looking forward to her transformation. She loved wolves. In fact, she was proud of being a werewolf, even though they had to lead a double life and stayed away from the hunters who wanted them dead. She was always happy and envious at the sight of the wolves in her pack, and she never stopped wondering what her wolf would look like. When would her wolf surface? She couldn't wait to meet her.

Celeste eyed Jeremy in envy. She always believed she would transform sooner than Jeremy. Although they were twins, Celeste was obviously more mature than her brother, though she was ten minutes younger than him. Jeremy was just an idiot.

Speaking of Jeremy, his transformation seemed to pause a little. But he was at peace now, judging from those relaxed muscles.

Bored, Celeste grabbed a cookie resting on the plate and took a bite. She almost moaned in satisfaction as the perfectly sweet cookie melted on her tongue. She tossed the rest of it into her mouth and reached for another. That was when her mother decided, "Cel, help me take off his shirt."

Celeste almost spat out the cookie. "What?! Why?"

"Because I'm kind of busy taking care of his shoes," the mother didn't even look up.

Celeste protested, "I think Dad can do it."

"You forgot I'm still angry with him?" The father raised an eyebrow. Oh right… Jeremy broke his favorite car and almost started a storm in their house.

Celeste rolled her eyes. "I think you two should just grow up and move over it."

"Hurry!" her mother prompted.

"Fine…" Celeste kneeled down. "Ahh! He stinks! I think we should just leave that shirt to its destiny. You don't even have to do the laundry for it!" Whining, Celeste took the cloth in reluctance.

The shirt was still a little damp with Jeremy's body heat. But what surprised her was the stark contrast between the feeling of the fabric and his skin. The shirt was soft, but the skin was smooth with hard muscles under it. She didn't rest her fingertips on him for too long, but she could feel it was hard as marble. The shirt was removed, and his well-built upper body was exposed.

Celeste was a bit lost in thought. Since when did Jeremy become so fit? Since when did they become so different from each other? They had been hanging together since they were kids, and he had always been that soft, chubby boy in her mind. But he was a man now! She didn't realize that until this very moment. Yes. She had all these clues. They quarreled every day, but they were not as close as they had been as kids. And they didn't share secrets with each other anymore.

Never before had reality hit her so hard as it did now. She didn't know what to make of it. There was certainly a little disappointment, but the majority of her emotions feel like a jumble of wool she couldn't sort out.

She didn't have time to sort that out, though, because Jeremy was transforming. And it was fascinating.

Celeste couldn't tear her eyes from him.

Jeremy curled up on the floor. A low grunt escaped his throat as if his wolf was ready to jump out the next second. His fingers and toes turned into sharp claws and his teeth into pointed canines. His limbs began to stretch. When his pants were too small for the wolf's large form, the claws tore them apart without hesitation. Then the long, furry tail appears from the lower part of his back. And the grayish white fur spread out over his smooth skin. Then the wolf opened his eyes, the blue of the sky pulling the unsuspecting soul into the depth of his mind.

Celeste let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. A grin appeared on her face of its own accord. The wolf was beautiful.

He stood up and looked at his family. He was huge and almost the same height as the table. Certainly, he was the biggest wolf Celeste had ever seen. He was even bigger than Alpha Byron. But Celeste was not intimidated at all. She stared in awe at the beast right before her. She couldn't help but rest her fingers on his grayish fur. It was surprisingly soft and silky. But she knew what kind of power the beast had under this softness.

The wolf rubbed his head against her hand and made little noises, melting Celeste's heart in no time. She couldn't help but pet the wolf. But the muscles under her hands suddenly went still. Celeste frowned in confusion as the wolf jumped away from her. Her hands chased after him automatically, but the wolf dodged the touch.

"Hey… Why do you run away from me!" She grunted, feeling a little hurt.

But the wolf didn't run away when Nora rested her palms on him. Celeste tried to get closer, and the wolf jumped away. He ran out of the kitchen and stopped next to the door of the house. He paced back and forth for a while before dashing out of the house.