Chapter 32 Celeste
Celeste's POV
The ranger refused to eat lunch with us.
We ordered food online and laid out a picnic mat near the lake.
The thick trees shielded us from the harsh sun, and the cool breeze made everything feel peaceful.
The picnic mat belonged to Alpha Eiden. He had the idea for a picnic in the forest, simply because he'd heard last week that Liam wanted to see the lake.
I don't know if this is good for us. Alpha Eiden can't even open the hood of his jacket and hat, and he's trying to eat while keeping his face hidden, but he doesn't show any regret about this idea.
"The leaves are attacking us again!" Liam shouted, clutching his food container.
"Don't let them land in our food." Levi covered his food container and drink cup with his small hands and glared at the leaves drifting toward them.
Liam and Levi were having a great time picnicking in the forest, even though we had to rescue our food every time the wind blew dry leaves at us. Their laughter brought a smile to my face.
I glanced at Alpha Eiden, who was smiling and holding back his laughter at my two sons' antics.
I munched on my roast beef as I looked out into the forest. We weren’t far from the road, so we could see vehicles and wolves passing through.
My four men watched us from the shadows; no one could guess where they were hiding.
Alpha Eiden never brought his warriors to the rogue clan so that he wouldn't be too long at the border office.
I don't know if he's confident or if he's not afraid of people who might do bad things to him.
"Is the food good?" Alpha Eiden always asked my two sons. He couldn't just focus on Liam.
"It's delicious. I like it." Liam nodded.
"I ate it all." Levi showed us his clean food container.
“You did great.” Liam and I said in unison. I gave him a big smile while Liam patted his head.
“Do you guys like picnicking in this forest?” Alpha Eiden asked with sparkling eyes and a hopeful expression, but I could see a hint of worry in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to please my two sons.
“Yes, I did.” Liam smiled faintly as he looked around. Then his eyes landed on the lake. “The view is beautiful.”
“I love it, too.” Levi nodded twice. “That time we had a picnic with Dad in the backyard.”
Liam nodded. Their faces looked gloomy. I hadn't realized they were still grieving Benedict’s sudden, tragic death.
I was relieved Levi hadn't mentioned that the forest at our base was used for training assassins and wolves, not open to the public.
"Shall we have another picnic someday?" Alpha Eiden was enthusiastic about the plan.
"Yeah, that sounds great." Liam nodded, not making his agreement too obvious.
"Let's have a picnic here again." Levi patted the picnic mat with a happy smile. "Sit and eat by the lake." He pointed to the lake with a cheerful expression.
I smiled widely with a feeling of anxiety in my chest and many questions popping up in my head.
How could Alpha Eiden make an appointment with us as if he didn't know Alpha Jackson already knew about my two sons and me?
I didn't say anything the entire time we were having lunch near the lake. I even ignored Beta Dylan, who asked us to leave the forest immediately.
We got in my car and headed to the mall. I’d made sure there was nothing that could make Alpha Eiden suspicious about our real identity.
My look was casual, almost like a housewife waiting for her late husband’s pension check every month.
Alpha Eiden looked awkward sitting next to the driver. He glanced back to make sure we were still there.
"It's too bad I don't have much time. I really wanted to go to the movies with you guys," Alpha Eiden said when we saw a banner for an animated movie playing in theaters at the mall’s entrance.
"It's okay," Liam said shyly. His gaze was fixed on the floor. "We're going to the arcade." He took Levi's hand as we continued our walk to the arcade.
Alpha Eiden gasped at Liam’s words. He blinked before a smile spread across his face. I gave him a small smile when our eyes met for a second, then hurried after Liam and Levi.
They were playing in the arcade. I sat near the entrance. Alpha Eiden could look after them; I trusted him.
I held onto the hem of my shirt as it hit me that this was our first time here again since Benedict’s death.
Liam missed the arcade. Levi immediately agreed to his idea of playing there. They didn't mention Benedict, which was good, rather than them coming to this mall sad.
My eyes widened when I recognized a familiar figure. Alpha Yon stood by the door, gave me a smile and a nod, then quickly walked away.
"How long has he been standing there? Did he see us before coming in?" I muttered.
Alpha Yon is one of the Alphas of the rogue assassin group. His group is ranked below me.
He's friends with many werewolf Alphas, rogue Alphas, and even Lycan Kings—unlike the leaders in my group who are closed off. Look at me, I even have to hide my face every time I meet a client.
“He’s probably gathering information,” I muttered, my eyes still fixed on the spot where Alpha Yon had stood. “Or he’s meeting someone here.”
It would be quite dangerous if Alpha Yon saw Alpha Eiden. He could sell the information to Alpha Eiden's enemies. But he would definitely think twice since I caught him standing there.
I touched my head. Why was this so complicated? I didn't know what to think about first.
An hour later, Alpha Eiden, Liam, and Levi finished playing. Their faces were beaming with joy.
We bought ice cream and chatted before heading home. I didn't join in their conversation because I didn't know anything about games.
"When do you guys want to stay over at my house again?" Alpha Eiden asked with a big smile.
I was shocked to hear that. I quickly averted my eyes when Alpha Eiden turned to me with a confused expression.
I really wanted to ask him if he didn't know Alpha Jackson knew about my two sons and me. The information he had wasn't complete, but what if he was interested in looking for us in the rogue clan?
"I'll think about it," Liam replied, glancing at Alpha Eiden. "I'll let Mom know, and Mom will let you know."
"Okay. I'll wait to hear from you." Alpha Eiden nodded. I studied his face, which showed no sign of worry.
I bit my lower lip. How was I supposed to tell Liam about Alpha Jackson? If I didn't talk about it, he'd be shocked and confused when Beta Dylan forbade him from staying over at Alpha Eiden's house.
“Do I need to buy more toys for you? Are the ones at my place not enough?” Alpha Eiden asked.
"No need." Liam shook his head. "Your house has plenty of toys."
Alpha Eiden breathed a sigh of relief.
"How did your wolf fight with Alpha Jackson's wolf go?" Liam asked. I was shocked to hear the name of the Alpha werewolf.
“My wolf won, obviously,” Alpha Eiden said smugly, then started telling Liam how he beat Alpha Jackson’s wolf.
I was annoyed that Alpha Eiden didn't really think about why Alpha Jackson was asking his wolf to fight. His enemy already knew he had a son! Oh, Moon Goddess.