Chapter 15 Celeste
Celeste's POV
Liam was going to sleep over at his dad's house. Alpha Eiden was so happy when he heard that, and he asked me about Liam and Levi’s favorite foods and preferences. I still couldn’t believe he actually paid attention to Levi.
We were going to his house tomorrow, but I forgot to tell them. Who were they? Beta Dylan, Gamma Silas, Delta Giana, and the two elders, of course.
That afternoon, after lunch, I asked them to come to my house. They brought four civilians—though, honestly, we didn’t really have civilians in this group; everyone had a role except the babies and children.
“I’m sorry I’m only bringing this up with you all today,” I said, starting the discussion while meeting the eyes of those sitting on the sofa in the living room.
I turned to my right when I felt Liam squeeze my hand. Worry filled his eyes. I gave him a calming smile.
I looked at the nine people again. They were patiently waiting to hear what I had to say to them. Only Beta Dylan furrowed his brows, trying to guess.
"Alpha Eiden wants to get to know Liam better. Therefore, he invited Liam to stay at his house. Liam agreed to stay. We'll go there tomorrow afternoon." I took a deep breath silently.
It felt like a weight had finally been lifted off my chest, but in less than a second, their sharp, slicing stares landed on me, and their expressions shifted to disapproval.
“Why did you make such an important decision by yourself?” Beta Dylan was the first to scold me. “This concerns our group’s safety, your identity as our Alpha, and Levi, our future Alpha.”
Beta Dylan was the one most afraid of our group being exposed to the public, even though we wouldn't let them find our base.
“I’m sorry.” I had completely forgotten to discuss this with them first. At that moment, all I could think about was how to tell Liam about Alpha Eiden’s request.
“Do you really want to live with your biological father?” the white-haired elder asked Liam gently, careful not to make him misunderstand his intention.
“I, I…” Liam stuttered. He gained his courage when I stroked his hair. “Yes, I want to stay at his house.” He hesitated before adding, “I want to know what it’s like to live in a werewolf pack.”
Everyone fell silent and thought for a moment before answering. Beta Dylan seemed to calm his emotions, as nothing could change fate. No matter how much we tried to deny it, Liam was still Alpha Eiden's biological son.
"How many days are you staying there?" the elder asked again.
"We'll be back here on Sunday afternoon," I replied.
“Where will you be staying?” Beta Dylan looked back at me. I needed his approval because everyone listened to him. Sure, I was the Alpha, but he made many decisions.
“Liam will be staying at Alpha Eiden’s house. Meanwhile, Levi and I will be staying in the house behind his.” I just realized now that I trusted Alpha Eiden so completely. What if he was lying?
A bad thought crossed my mind. There’s no way Alpha Eiden has ulterior motives, right? I won’t let him take Liam through underhanded means.
"You know it's very risky to stay in his pack, even if he has 1,000 warriors stationed around his home." Beta Dylan leaned back, crossing his legs and resting his intertwined hands on his lap.
"What if someone sees you? One photo could change everything."
Everyone nodded, indicating they shared Beta Dylan's thoughts.
“People who see you at Liam’s kindergarten—people who usually don’t even pay attention to you—might suddenly become interested and claim they know where you usually are.” Beta Dylan shook his head, hoping his worries wouldn’t come true.
“The woman who always chats with you while you wait for Liam at the playground has also seen that Alpha werewolf’s face. What if she tells people your name, and your sons’ names?”
I wasn't surprised that Beta Dylan knew about it. Our people look after my sons and me wherever we are.
"I know all of your worries." I nodded, stroking the back of Liam's hand. My eldest son's face was pale, even though the people wouldn't be angry with him.
“Alpha Eiden already knows about Liam, and he’s not going to stop asking him to stay at his house. How long am I supposed to keep refusing? And keep lying, saying Liam doesn’t want to go?” I said, looking at them as they carefully considered my words.
Even though we know everything—even things no one else does—at the end of the day, we can never predict the future.
They couldn't blame me because it was Benedict who enrolled Liam in that kindergarten. He never expected Liam to meet his biological father there.
"Alright. Here's what I think." Gamma Silas finally spoke up. "You don’t have to cancel your plan to stay at Alpha Eiden’s place."
I could already guess what he was going to say next.
“Why are we so worried about that? People fear us, don’t forget that.” Gamma Silas stood and looked at us all. His firm words brought our confidence back.
“I’ll figure out a way to sneak into the River Dectagon Pack. We’ll protect you like we always do—that’s what we’re here for.” Gamma Silas winked and flashed a smile at Liam and me.
Beta Dylan let out an overly dramatic sigh. He knew Gamma Silas was right, and he had no reason to stay anxious. “Just be careful. We won’t know what’s happening while you’re in that house.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll be careful,” I said, looking at them seriously. “We don’t want our real identities exposed any more than you do.”
I wasn't used to dealing with them. Usually, I sat next to Benedict, just listening.
Since I've acquired Alpha status, I've often spoken with them about important matters that could threaten our group's exposure.
Last night, I helped Liam and Levi pack. Yeah, we didn’t bring much. We were only going to stay there for two days.
I felt nothing yesterday. But the moment I saw Alpha Eiden waiting for us in the woods near Liam’s kindergarten, my heart started pounding, and my stomach twisted with nerves.
“Hey, you two. We meet again.” Alpha Eiden high-fived Liam and Levi as we got out of the car. Since when were they this close?
"Have you guys eaten?" Alpha Eiden asked them, even though he'd already asked me.
"We have," Levi replied. Liam nodded. He seemed to be avoiding his biological father's gaze.
The suitcases were already loaded into the car that would drive us to the rogue clan’s border gate. My body stayed tense the entire ride. Their conversation couldn’t shake off the tight feeling crawling up my chest.
We moved to Alpha Eiden's car, parked in front of the border gate.
My breath caught in my throat, even as I smiled as I watched Liam and Levi sing as the car sped toward the werewolf clan.
It had been ages since I last set foot there. I couldn’t even remember the last time I visited the graves of my parents, or my aunt and uncle.
"You guys, stay calm. Don't panic, okay?" Alpha Eiden reassured us as we neared the werewolf clan's border gate. "Just leave it to me." He acted like a hero. Of course, he had to ensure our safety.