She was no better than Calhoun. Celine found her thoughts drifting momentarily as she stared at the handsome young man with all the muscles placed perfectly on his body.
"Celine?"
Calhoun's voice broke through her daze. She averted her eyes, determined not to lose her focus.
Summoning a deep breath to clear her mind, she said, "You promised to disclose information about my sister once the night had passed. Please, tell me where she is. That's why I'm here—to find her."
"Really? You're not curious about what happened last night?" Calhoun asked, taking a step closer, which made Celine instinctively retreat. To say that Celine wasn't scared would be a lie.
She had never experienced any supernatural phenomenon in her life. She was an ordinary human with a bit of a fucked-up family; werewolves and vampires were creatures she knew solely from books and movies.
Though her curiosity tugged at her, she also realized it was probably better not to pry too much if she wanted to preserve her life.
"I promise I won't breathe a word about your identity as werewolves as long as you give me the information I need," Celine said carefully.
Calhoun scoffed dismissively, "And do you think I can trust you with that? You are a human, the most deceitful creature out there." His tone dripped with contempt. "Especially after seeing how easily a vampire could hypnotize you. Trusting you with my secret would be foolish."
Celine sensed Calhoun's deep-seated prejudice, sparking a flurry of questions in her mind.
'Why did he save me if he harbors such disdain and animosity towards humans? Is it connected to this 'mate' thing he mentioned last night?' Celine wondered.
"Then, what do you want from me then? You promised to tell me everything last night," Celine persisted. "Are you backing down on your promise? I never knew an Alpha could be so cowardly."
Marc's expression shifted, and Andrew looked concerned. The atmosphere grew tense as Calhoun's eyes flashed golden for a split second.
Celine realized she was on thin ice right now. Another wrong word, and she might actually lose her head. But she needed answers about Monica, she had to push through his limit despite Calhoun's evident distrust and bias against humans.
The heavy atmosphere lingered, and Andrew grew worried Calhoun might act impulsively.
So he tapped his Alpha's shoulder to snap him out of his anger, "Calm down, Calhoun, it's better to talk with her with a clear head."
Calhoun smirked, "You're right. I shouldn't let her provoke me. She's a human; she knows how to twist her words."
Celine had underestimated Calhoun. She thought her bait would easily pull the truth about Monica and her fate from his lips.
But at least she knew which buttons to push carefully in case she needed to get more responses.
"Why don't we continue this conversation inside? Perhaps the summer heat is getting to us," Marc interjected awkwardly, attempting to diffuse the tension.
Without a word, Calhoun firmly grasped Celine's wrist and led her into the mansion.
He directed her to a sofa, positioning himself across from her. Andrew and Marc stood behind Calhoun.
Separated by the coffee table, Celine felt the weight of the gaze from three formidable shapeshifters that could kill her in the blink of an eye.
Celine felt her back wet with cold sweat as fear began to creep inside her, but she steeled herself, determined to fulfill her mission, even if it meant risking her life for as long as she could get clarity of her sister's fate.
"Please, tell me about Monica. She's all I have left," Celine said. "Thomas mentioned last night that he'd take me to Monica. Does that mean she—"
Celine couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, the weight of the possibility was too much for her to bear.
Calhoun leaned back on the sofa, regarding the fragile woman before him. "Your sister is beyond help. It's best for you to forget about her and move on."