Chapter 1 Celeste
Celeste’s POV
Every morning, my duties as a mother of two boys and a mate begin in the kitchen.
My lips smile, and I enjoy the cold air that blows into the room when I open the window. My mate needed sunlight to wake him up.
I leave the room, passing my two sons' rooms, whose doors remain closed. Then I descend dozens of stairs and walk a few steps to reach the kitchen.
‘Good morning, Celeste,’ greets my wolf, Alea, who has just been awakened by the smell of meat in the refrigerator.
‘Good morning, Alea,’ I say cheerfully.
I made mashed avocado and beef steak for me and my mate. Liam always had chicken soup and an apple for breakfast. Then Levi liked to eat roast chicken and banana.
“Good morning, Mommy.” Liam and Levi said in unison.
They came into the kitchen holding hands. Liam rubbed his eyes, and Levi yawned. They were so adorable.
"Good morning, my dear sons," I said as I bent down to their height, kissed their cheeks, and chuckled as they competed to kiss mine. We then hugged each other.
“Hey, hey, why didn’t you guys wait for me?” Benedict pouted at us.
“Daddy’s sulking.” I looked at Liam and Levi. They smiled with playful sparkling eyes and hugged me even tighter, teasing Benedict.
“Mommy’s ours.” Liam stuck his tongue out at Benedict. Levi nodded with blinking eyes, he was still sleepy.
“Who said Mommy’s yours? I could have taken it from you.” Benedict walked towards us with a serious face.
Liam and Levi looked at him questioningly. Then, they were stunned when Benedict carried me easily
“Benedict.” I glared with my cheeks red with embarrassment.
“Put Mommy down.” Liam and Levi smacked Benedict’s thighs and tugged at my shirt.
Benedict stuck his tongue out at them, then kissed my face again and again. Liam and Levi fell silent; they looked like they were so done with the whole scene.
I felt hot, my heart racing and butterflies fluttered in my stomach—even though Benedict was like this almost daily.
“Benedict.” I tried to cover my face, but he kissed my hand. Indeed, the most effective way was to put my hand on his lips.
The drama that morning ended. We enjoyed breakfast.
After eating, we had a habit of listening to Liam talk about his school, and sometimes Levi would share stories about his friends at the playground before we left the dining room to exercise.
An hour later, after giving our stomachs time to digest breakfast, we ran ten laps around the house.
Many people were jogging. This group was never quiet. No one here was lazy–their work demanded that they constantly train their skills.
“Bye, Daddy.” Liam waved at Benedict as he walked towards the car.
“Hey, don’t you want a kiss?” Benedict stood on the porch, looking at Liam sadly.
“I’m a big boy.” Liam turned to Benedict before he got into the car.
“You’re five years old. Who said you’re a big boy?” Benedict frowned. He hadn’t prepared himself for seeing his children grow up.
I smiled and kissed Benedict on the cheek. “We’re going now.”
“Be careful, My Love.” Benedict kissed my hair and didn’t forget to kiss Levi’s cheek, who was in my arms.
The white car took Liam, Levi, and me to Liam's kindergarten school. The location was quite far, and it took us an hour because we had to go through a road that no one had ever passed.
"Liam's school." Levi pointed out the window when we arrived.
"Yes, you're right." Liam patted Levi’s head as he sat in the car seat next to him. “See you later.”
“Yes. I’ll wait for you.” Levi nodded happily.
"Listen to your teacher carefully," I told Liam.
"Yes, Mom."
Liam kissed my cheek, opened the car door, and jumped. He smiled widely because he landed perfectly.
Liam entered the school with cheerful steps, and his face lit up happily when his friends approached him; they walked to class while chatting.
I smiled in relief. It seemed that Liam was starting to like his school.
Liam wasn't like his friends, who had been in school since he was two. However, he had already memorized and written the alphabet and numerals from zero to one hundred and was learning to read.
“Yay, slide.” Levi's eyes sparkled happily when I put him down on the sand. Levi, only three years old, immediately ran towards the slide.
The playground was in the woods and not too far from Liam's kindergarten. We didn't go home because Liam was only there for two hours.
A rogue man, a forest ranger, swept the fallen leaves from the trees. Autumn also made the leaves on the trees no longer green.
"Good morning, Celeste." A rogue woman who always wore her blonde hair in a bun patted my shoulder.
"Good morning, Margot." I smiled at her kindly. We sat on a bench under a tree while munching on Margot's homemade meat pie. This was the most strategic place to keep an eye on our children.
Levi has many friends. I have Margot. Margot loved to gossip, I suspected she knew more than my mate and his men.
“I’m surprised there’s a rogue-hating organization on this planet,” Margot said with knitted brows and an angry face. “I don’t understand why they hate us.”
“Thank goodness they’ve been eradicated. I hope all members of that organization are truly wiped out.” That was the prayer I prayed to the Moon Goddess last night when I saw the news on television.
“I hope so.” Margot nodded. “I don’t want to live in fear.”
The organization made me more protective of Levi. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him.
I was surprised when Levi ran towards me and into my arms. “Liam.” He shouted happily.
My eyes immediately glanced at my watch, and then my hand stroked his head. “You seem to have an alarm in your head. You always know when Liam will come home.”
Levi grinned widely, showing his teeth, which hadn't all grown in yet.
I said goodbye to Margot. Then I held his hand, and we walked side by side to the car. Our driver rushed to Liam’s kindergarten school at a moderate speed.
We arrived five minutes after the bell rang loudly.
Levi and I walked to the front yard of the school. All the children were being picked up by their parents.
“Liam!” Levi pointed at Liam, who was standing on the school porch.
My eyes narrowed to see Liam staring at a man. Liam glanced at us, looking relieved, and immediately ran towards us with a scared face.
“Mommy.” Liam hugged me tightly.
“What’s wrong?” I stroked his back.
“The alpha werewolf is scary. He glared at me sharply,” Liam said, his voice shaking.
Levi was confused, but his hand patted Liam’s arm, calming his brother down.
When I lifted my head to look at the man, my eyes widened, my body froze, and my heart stopped beating. All the memories I had forgotten flooded my mind.
‘That bastard!’ My wolf growled.
The blond man walked with firm, calculated steps toward us.
Alarm bells sounded in my head. Without thinking, I carried Liam and Levi. My feet moved as quickly as my heartbeat, and I didn't notice my surroundings.
The driver opened the car door, Liam and Levi immediately sat down; and when I was about to get into the car, I shuddered in horror when the voice pounded on my eardrums.
“Hey.” Without me realizing it, the man was chasing us. “Why does your son’s face look like mine?”
Time seemed to stop for a moment. His question was like a sledgehammer hitting my head.
Liam looked shocked and hugged Levi as if he needed protection.
I slowly turned my head towards him, met those gray eyes again that I hadn't seen in years, and still radiated mystery.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.” I hurriedly got into the car and asked the driver to step on the gas. I hugged Liam with a tense body.
Why did you make us meet him, Moon Goddess?