Chapter 76 Celeste
Celeste's POV
The sun hid behind layers of clouds. Cold air brushed harshly against my skin, and the soft rustle of falling leaves had always been my favorite sound.
The birds flew merrily. No one cared where they went.
It was clear that rain had hit the ground last night. If we weren't careful, we'd slip on the soft soil.
We warned the children to stay away from the still-wet soil, which no one knew when it would dry.
It would be a headache if the soil got on their shoes and pants.
I rarely paid this much attention to my surroundings.
I'd been daydreaming, leaning back in the chair under the tree, since Margot had gone to the bathroom at our child's kindergarten. There were no bathrooms in this playground or the surrounding woods.
I didn't want to go home.
I watched Levi chatting with his friends. They were sitting at the bottom of the red slide. They were excitedly talking about the cartoon they watched last night.
Levi had five friends. Liam had two. I only had Margot.
At the base, Liam and Levi had plenty of friends. I didn't have any. Even Delta Giana never talked to me about anything other than work.
I didn’t have friends back in school. I wasn’t good at socializing and preferred silence. Watching from a distance felt safer.
Yeah, my personality hasn't changed to this day. Plus, I became the Alpha of an assassin group, which encouraged me to hide my identity.
The job suited me perfectly.
When Benedict was alive, we rarely left the base, and I wasn't afraid of our identities being revealed because Benedict was around.
Should I try to make friends? No. Finding someone I could trust wasn’t easy.
Come on, Celeste. Why were your thoughts so random? You won't be able to make friends with civilians.
Margot was my friend at this playground. She never asked where I live, and neither did I.
Why would I even look for new friends? I couldn't even make plans with Margot to go shopping at the mall.
'You’re so noisy, Celeste,' my wolf scolded. She woke up from her slumber. 'It’s giving me a headache. Can’t you do something to stop daydreaming?'
I grinned broadly, scratching my cheek. 'I’m sorry. I’ll stop daydreaming.'
I sighed through my mouth, looking up at the sun, which was no longer obscured by clouds.
Since I didn't know what to do, I played with my phone.
I closed my mind link because I didn't want to communicate with Beta Dylan and wanted to enjoy my time away from the base, but he was able to tell me important things through messages.
\[Aren't you bored sitting alone? Do you want to talk to me on the phone?\]
I rolled my eyes. This was the first time Beta Dylan had sent me a message that wasn't work-related.
\[I'm not bored. I enjoy spending time alone.\] I replied to his message, feeling annoyed.
\[You're just daydreaming, making me worry.\]
I glanced around without moving my head. Where were the agents guarding Levi and me? I wanted them to stop sending Beta Dylan updates about us.
\[Thanks for worrying about me. But I'm fine.\] I shouldn't have replied to his message if I didn't care about manners.
I couldn't keep my distance from him. He was a Beta. We often had discussions, though lately Beta Dylan had been constantly talking about his feelings for me and that I shouldn't like Alpha Eiden.
By the Moon Goddess, I didn't understand why he thought I liked my ex-mate.
I was on good terms with Alpha Eiden because he’s Liam’s biological father. It was awkward between us, but we tried for the sake of my children.
I was stunned when I remembered Levi's words when we visited the graves of Benedict and our ancestors.
Levi hoped Alpha Eiden would consider him his son. Meanwhile, Liam couldn't yet call his biological father "dad."
I hope Levi didn't ask Alpha Eiden that.
Wait a minute. My eyes widened as I sat with my back straight. The funny videos on my phone were no longer interesting to watch.
Alpha Eiden couldn't consider Levi his son because he and I weren't related in any way.
Moon Goddess. Why was I only realizing this now?
Levi certainly didn't know about that, and I couldn't guess what Liam was thinking when he heard Levi's question.
'You finally realized it,' my wolf said sarcastically. 'Your brain is so slow to think.' She sneered at me.
I snorted with a pout.
'I was shocked by Levi’s question and only thought of an answer Levi would understand.' I defended myself. 'Then I didn’t think about what he said yesterday.'
I had to make sure Levi didn’t ask Alpha Eiden about it. I didn’t want him to misunderstand.
We couldn’t get back together. I never considered that possibility.
"Hi, sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I have a really bad stomachache," Margot said as she sat next to me. Her body was limp, and she was rubbing her stomach, her face pale and tired.
“I regret eating that spicy lamb last night. It was really spicy—my lips are still swollen,” Margot said, her eyes bulging dramatically.
I smiled. “Don’t eat spicy food again in the future. You can’t handle it.”
“Yeah.” Margot nodded. “You know—” She was cut off when the kindergarten bell rang, signaling it was time for them to go home.
“Remind me, I’ll tell you about this tomorrow,” Margot said. She preferred to talk in person rather than texting.
“Mommy, it's time for Liam to go home from school.” Levi ran toward me happily. I smiled at him.
We walked toward Liam’s kindergarten. David was standing under the tree next to the school building. He nodded at me, and I did the same.
Honestly, I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to see Beta Dylan, but I couldn't find a good excuse. I really felt uncomfortable.
Locking my office yesterday only made Beta Dylan angrier. He even threatened to move his office into my house. That man was unhinged.
"Mommy, Levi." Liam approached us with a big smile. He waved to his friends who were getting on the school bus.
"Come on, let's get in the car."
We walked toward the forest next to Liam's kindergarten. David walked behind us. Our driver waited for us in the black car.
The driver wasn't a civilian. He was one of our warriors. There were no civilians on our base.
A feeling of unease gripped my chest. I didn't want to go home, but there was nothing I could do because my two children were excited to play in the playroom with Eliot.
\[Hi. Good afternoon. Is Liam home from school yet?\]
Alpha Eiden's message distracted me.
\[Good afternoon. Yes, we're on our way home.\]
Alpha Eiden is a good father. I didn't expect him to accept Liam as his son without question.
\[I'm relieved to hear that.\]
I couldn't imagine the look of relief on his face. Instead, I remember his smiling at me every time he greeted me.
\[Are you getting death threats again?\] I was really curious about it, and exchanging messages with him allowed me to ignore this uneasy feeling.
\[I got a death threat this morning. Someone threw a stone onto my mansion's terrace.\]
My brow furrowed. It was terrifying. \[I hope you find the perpetrator soon.\]
\[Yes, I hope so too. My spy team and elite team warriors will not stop investigating this until they find the perpetrator.\]
\[Perfect. I'm sure they'll find him.\]
Alpha Eiden didn't ask for help from the rogue intel or the rogue assassin. He did the right thing by entrusting the matter to his warriors.
I glanced out the window as we entered the long, quiet tunnel. Who were the people terrorizing him?
I doubt it was the work of his enemies, because they weren't that cowardly.