Chapter 13 Celeste
Celeste's POV
“I want to wear this.” Levi eagerly took the clothes from the closet. He put them on without any assistance, his smile as bright as the morning sky.
“You’re wearing a nice outfit for Dad.” Liam nodded twice. His frown disappeared when he realized why Levi had been so busy searching for the clothes he wanted to wear for several minutes.
I sat on the sofa, smiling as I watched them. Liam combed Levi's hair, and Levi straightened Liam's clothes. As a mother, I hoped their bond would last forever.
Then my face darkened, and my smile faded as I remembered Alpha Eiden. Liam was his son, and if he had a second mate, Liam would be his firstborn.
‘So Alpha Eiden got close to Liam just to build a father-son bond because he plans to make him the next Alpha,’ my wolf guessed.
'I don't know, and we shouldn't think that way,' I said.
I didn't want to think about my wolf's words, but it made me think worse.
Alpha Eiden rejected me simply because he didn’t like me. I’m afraid he’ll forget about Liam once he finds his second mate and has children. That strong bond between them could end up breaking Liam’s heart.
If that really happens, what am I supposed to do? I couldn't just suddenly distance Liam from Alpha Eiden.
Liam had agreed to stay at Alpha Eiden's house, even though it was only because he was interested in seeing his paintings.
However, it was undeniable that it would bring them closer. I would be cruel if I separated them. Liam would definitely hate me.
'You need to know that man’s true intentions so we can stop assuming and misjudging him,' my wolf said. 'But, yeah, maybe he does love Liam.' She shrugged.
I nodded. 'Let’s stay positive, but we can’t drop our guard.' Frowning a little. 'Overthinking isn’t always bad; it keeps us from getting our hearts broken too deeply.'
‘Of course, I keep my positive and negative thoughts balanced,’ my wolf grinned widely.
“Mom, are you okay? Why is your face so serious?” Liam brought me back to reality. He stood in front of me, staring at me questioningly and with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Levi approached me, holding my hand. My heart melted at the genuine concern from my two sons.
“I’m fine, my dears. Just having a little argument with my wolf.” I held Levi’s hand, stroked Liam’s head with my other hand, smiling brightly.
They stared at each other for a second before looking back at me, removing fifty percent of the worry from their faces.
“Even though we’re still kids and probably can’t give you the right advice, you can still talk to us, Mom. It might help,” Liam said, his calm tone and mature words always leaving me speechless.
"Yes, I'll listen to you." Levi nodded, even though I doubted he truly understood what Liam was saying.
"I'm so happy to have you. Thank you so much, my dears." I took them in my arms and kissed their cheeks. It felt so warm and comforting when their little hands gently patted my back.
We walked to Benedict's grave. The cemetery was only a hundred feet from our house.
We returned smiles to those who smiled at us and greeted everyone who greeted us. It was beautiful and peaceful to be part of this group.
When Benedict first brought me to this pack and I learned who they were, fear nearly consumed me. Rogue assassins were known for their cruelty and cold-bloodedness. And Benedict, of course, was no less terrifying to me back then.
It took me a month to believe that everyone in the Black Birds Group wasn't who I thought they were, and I completely dismissed the rumors circulating about them.
“Dad, hello, good morning. How are you?” Levi said, walking with a spring in his step toward the tombstone with Benedict’s name engraved on it. He placed the chocolate candy he always used to share with his father on the grave.
"We visited you, Dad." Liam smiled broadly and placed a bottle of water on Benedict's grave.
Liam stood next to Levi. They told Benedict about their week.
I looked up at the sky with a smile, confident that Benedict was watching and listening to us.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I agreed with Alpha Eiden to stay at his house,” Liam said suddenly, a regretful look on his face, though a brief flicker of excitement crossed his eyes.
"Is Alpha Eiden your biological father?" Levi asked again. He was still confused about why he and Liam had different fathers. Luckily, he didn't ask any questions that would only upset Liam.
"Yes." Liam nodded. “You and Mom will stay at Alpha Eiden’s house too,” Liam added.
“Are we going to live together?” Levi asked, his voice trembling as his eyes welled up. “Are we going to sleep together?”
That's what I worried about when Liam stayed with Alpha Eiden. If I'd known Alpha Eiden would appear in our lives, I would have made Liam and Levi sleep in separate rooms.
"Yeah, of course." Liam nodded twice and grinned broadly.
I gazed at Benedict’s tombstone with the wide smile he used to love.
You died three weeks ago, but it feels like you died just yesterday. All our memories—your voice, your smile, and your face—are still vivid in my mind.
Don't worry. I'll take care of our children for you. They'll grow up to be handsome, charming, intelligent, and strong men like you.
I believe Benedict can hear the words I speak in my heart. I’m too embarrassed to say them in front of my sons.
We lingered at the cemetery for more than an hour.
Liam was almost late for school. He would cry if the gates closed and security asked us to go home.
Levi played in the playground near Liam's kindergarten, and as usual, I chatted with Margot.
I was so glad Alpha Eiden hadn't come to Liam's school today. He'd made Margot suspicious.
There was no way he didn’t know about scent-masking perfume. He’d hired rogues more than once to dig up information.
Gossiping was so much fun until we suddenly realized the kindergarten bell had rung loudly. Margot and I quickly went to pick up our kids. Levi was the most excited one, waiting for Liam.
"Mom." Liam hugged me before he hugged Levi. He loved me so much.
We returned home in the car driven by the warrior.
In situations like this, my heart would beat twice as fast, and I'd constantly glance in the rearview mirror, worried that someone would suspect us and follow us.
I shouldn’t have been worried, though, because the other four warriors had already blended into the shadows to protect us.
Liam and Levi ate their smoked beef with relish.
Liam told Levi about a classmate who cried because he forgot to bring a lunch box, and then he and the others shared their food with him.
Levi clapped and said that Liam and his friends were very kind and that he felt sorry for Liam's crying friend.
I reached for my vibrating phone in my pocket and held back a snort.
\[Has Liam gotten home from school yet?\] Alpha Eiden never forgets to ask me that because I don't want to contact him first.
\[Yes. We're on our way home.\] I type quickly. \[He's fine. He's cheerful as usual.\] I know what he's going to ask me next.
\[Thank you.\] He replies. He'll text me again every mealtime and every time Liam sleeps.
“A lot of people asked me why I’m a werewolf,” Liam said suddenly, catching me off guard. I blinked in surprise, not sure why he brought that up. “They don’t bully me. They’re just scared of me.”
I turned to look at him. His expression was calm, honest, not a single hint of a lie on his face.
Liam looked at me and smiled reassuringly. “I’m okay, Mom. They’re nice to me. They often ask me to come over to their house, but I always say no, so they bring their toys to school.”
“They’re nice,” Levi said. “I have good friends, too.”
“We should be grateful to have good friends.” Liam patted Levi’s head.
What worries me is the thought of Liam being bullied at school, though I’m fairly certain the rogues aren’t biased, as long as Liam is kind to them.
And the principal and the teachers have promised Benedict and me that they'll make sure Liam is safe at school.
Alpha Eiden certainly wouldn't stay silent if Liam were bullied at school, right?