Chapter 212

Lily’s POV The meeting went more smoothly than expected. Probably because the wolf packs present had all suffered terribly at the hunters’ hands. Sharing a common grievance, forming an alliance against a shared enemy met almost no resistance. We agreed to share all intelligence on the hunters and to respond jointly at the first sign of any large-scale operation. After seeing off the allied Alphas and representatives, my throat felt parched. Only then did Ren find a moment to tell me Celena had come looking for me earlier. The young wolf girl was Jacob’s pride and joy, and one of our primary concerns. I decided to check on her immediately. Reaching her door, I knocked. There was no response. “Celena? Sweetheart, are you in there?” I knocked again, still no answer. A vague unease crept over me. Pressing my ear to the door, I strained to listen and could faintly hear breathing inside. “Celena!” I knocked harder, then stepped back and slammed the door open! There she was, collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Celena’s POV I woke up groggily, my head spinning and heavy, with a wave of nausea. The first thing I saw was Lily’s concerned face. “Thank goodness you’re awake! How do you feel?” She held my hand, her voice urgent. My heart swelled with emotion, and my nose stung. “I’m okay… just a bit dizzy and nauseous.” Ren quickly came over to examine me and concluded there was nothing seriously wrong. “Probably just the aftereffects of yesterday’s hangover, plus your body not being used to alcohol yet. Don’t worry, werewolves aren’t that fragile,” she reassured me. I found myself lying on the bed in the room, and everything around me looked… perfectly normal. As if nothing had ever happened. Could that middle-aged woman, that story… all had been an overly vivid dream? “Did you… hear any noises just now? Or see anyone strange come in?” I couldn’t help asking. Lily and Ren exchanged glances and both shook their heads. No, there was a meeting downstairs just now. It was very quiet. Even the most lively Maya, Rose and the twins went out on a date. No one had ever come. I didn’t say another word. Perhaps… Was it really just a dream? However, the scent of that woman’s perfume, that cold and mysterious aura, still seemed to linger on my nose at this moment, terrifyingly real. I tried to call out to my wolf in my heart. This time, the one responding to me was again that “rash dog” from before. It was rubbing around affectionately in my mind, making whining sounds, completely different from that “intermittent sister” just now. What on earth was happening? I was utterly baffled. After a moment of restlessness, the “dog” gradually calmed down, seeming to revert to its previous erratic state. Jacob heard I’d fainted and rushed over, his face etched with worry, trying to comfort me. But my mind was too chaotic to deal with him. Even as I felt the “dog” inside me stir slightly at his approach, I kept a cold face and shooed him away. “I’m fine. Just need some space.” Jacob’s POV I was so damn confused! What was going on here? It was fine in the morning. Although she was covered with the quilt and angry, it seemed more like shyness and awkwardness. Why, after just half a day, she became so cold and even impatient? I couldn’t figure out a woman’s mind at all, which made me instantly irritable, like a Wolf trapped in a cage, just wanting to find a place to vent. I ran to find Max and vented to my buddy, who was just as clueless about women. Max scratched his messy hair, equally perplexed. “Sometimes I find it weird too. Celena’s wolf… seems different from ours. Sometimes it’s super active, other times it’s so calm it feels like it doesn’t even exist. But then again, hers awakened late, so maybe it’s just got some weird quirks… Not exactly surprising?” He paused, spreading his hands helplessly. “But dude, you and me studying this… isn’t that a bit beyond our capabilities?”