Chapter 75 Celeste
Celeste's POV
That afternoon, a chill hit us, signaling that autumn was coming to an end.
This might be the last time I see the leaves fall, carpeting the ground. It was beautiful, even though they would eventually be thrown away.
We pushed open the cemetery gate with all our might.
The fence was very old, but no one wanted to replace it because it had witnessed everything: the heartbreaking cries of those who had lost loved ones and those who came bearing their longing.
The silent cemetery welcomed us warmly. I could feel their joy at our visit.
“Grandma, Grandpa.” Levi waved at the two graves beside each other. “We meet again.” He smiled brightly.
Liam didn’t say anything. He just stared at the graves and bowed his head, wishing them happiness on the moon.
Ever since Liam learned he was Benedict’s stepson, he had stopped calling Benedict’s parents "grandma" and "grandpa" because he was afraid they wouldn’t consider him their grandson.
I'd assured Liam that Benedict's parents recognized him as their grandson because Benedict loved him so much, but that didn't change Liam's anxiety.
Benedict's mother died a year before I met him. Meanwhile, his father died when Benedict was 10.
They died because it was time for the Grim Reaper to take their lives.
They were approaching one hundred years old. They were the second-generation Alphas and Lunas.
That's why I sometimes wonder why Benedict died so young.
If that tiger hadn't attacked him, he'd still be alive today.
My fists clenched tightly, my jaw clenched.
My hatred for those four men grew. We would definitely make them tell us who ordered them.
“Good afternoon, Benedict.” I smiled at the headstone engraved with my mate’s name. “You must be watching us. I know you’re happy we’re doing well.”
My heart warmed as all the memories I had of him came flooding back.
We rarely fought. Love made us always want to give our best to each other.
"Dad." Levi and Liam called out to Benedict cheerfully, smiling broadly as if they could see him sitting on his grave, wanting to hug them but unable to.
"I miss you, Dad." Levi sat to the right of Benedict's tombstone, while Liam sat to the left.
They placed a bouquet of hibiscus flowers and poured Benedict's favorite wine on the grave.
Longing filled their eyes as they held back tears, forcing smiles and cheerful words, hiding the rasp in their voices.
"Dad, yesterday I played hide-and-seek with three boys who joined us to become assassins and spies," Levi recounted enthusiastically.
"Playing with them was so much fun." Levi played with the pebbles on the ground, glancing at Benedict with teary eyes.
"They don't have parents, don't know who their parents are, and some don't even want to remember them," Levi said. "I feel sorry for them."
Levi loved to surprise me. Like everyone else, I couldn't believe he was only three years old.
"They joined us because they don't want pity. They want a much better life and to be recognized by others," Liam said something unexpected.
I didn’t know whose words Liam was repeating, or if that was simply how he viewed the twenty children.
"So I shouldn't pity them?" Levi asked Liam with an innocent face.
"Yes." Liam nodded. "They've found a new life here."
Levi rounded his mouth and nodded twice.
I smiled at them, even though my chest ached because they were growing so fast—Liam especially, as he showed more and more that he was Alpha Eiden's heir.
"Dad's dead. I'm sad." Levi stared at Benedict's tombstone. Then he looked at me with a big smile until his eyes narrowed. "But I still have Mommy who loves me very much."
"Of course, my dear." I sat next to Levi and stroked his hair. "You and Liam are the most precious things in my life." I kissed the top of his head.
“Liam has a father.” Levi pointed at Liam. “Alpha Eiden is kind.” He looked at me questioningly. “Is he my father too?”
Liam and I were both stunned and at a loss for words.
My wolf was shocked, too.
Even the wind stopped, curious to know my answer to Levi’s question.
Levi was very smart.
He saw Benedict love Liam even though he wasn’t his biological son.
Then, when he found out that Alpha Eiden was kind to him, he wanted the werewolf Alpha to consider him as his son.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know about that,” I told Levi honestly. It was better to stop his hopes now before they got too high.
“It’s okay.” Levi’s frown was a stark contrast to his words. He glanced at Liam, his brows knitted together. “I’ve never heard Liam call Alpha Eiden dad.”
Liam gasped, pushing himself back, as if a knife had stabbed him in the heart.
Liam asked me through his gaze if he should force himself to call Alpha Eiden father.
“Liam’s still shy,” I told Levi while fixing his hair, messy from the wind. “Liam just met Alpha Eiden. It’ll take him some time to call another man his father.”
“I get it.” Levi nodded twice after a few seconds of processing my words.
“Thank you for understanding me, Mom.” Liam smiled bitterly at me. I stretched out my arms, and Liam shyly approached me and snuggled into my embrace.
I hugged my two sons, kissed their hair with my gaze fixed on Benedict's tombstone.
I arrogantly told him that I could raise our children alone. I was sure Benedict was smiling in amusement.
It had been over three months since Benedict left us. He would certainly never take his eyes off us.
“I thought you had forgotten about Benedict.” Beta Dylan came into my office empty-handed.
He gave me a scornful look, and his tone was sarcastic. “I think your mind is filled only with your ex-mate now.”
My two sons and I had just returned home. We were delighted to have met Benedict and our ancestors.
I went to my study. Meanwhile, my children were playing in the playroom.
I didn't see Beta Dylan around. How quickly he had walked into my house just to say something unimportant to me.
"I don't understand what you're saying." I ignored him, focusing on the documents in my hands.
However, it felt like a slap in the face as his words echoed in my head. I realized I rarely thought about Benedict, but I wasn't just thinking about Alpha Eiden; I was thinking about many other things.
"Why don't you just love me?" Beta Dylan placed his hand on the edge of my desk and stared deeply into my eyes, hoping to plant the seed of his love in my heart.
I wasn't afraid. I met his gaze, challenging him. He needed to know that my heart was not easily swayed.
"Benedict won't be sad if we're together. Trust me, he won't be happy to see you with your ex-mate who already rejected you." Beta Dylan kept repeating that sentence every day. He was truly stubborn.
“Please, stop,” I said gently, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “Find your mate. She’s probably waiting for you. You just need to spend more time going out.”
“I said I won’t look for my mate.” Beta Dylan hit the table, his face red with anger, his gaze sharp, like a wild animal watching its prey. “You will be my mate. Everyone will bless us!”