Chapter 19 Celeste
Celeste's POV
“You go right, I'll go straight,” Liam told Levi.
“Okay.” Levi nodded. “Let’s go catch him.”
“Not too fast! Be careful!” I called out.
“Okay, Mom,” they shouted together before running off in different directions.
I smiled and occasionally laughed as they played cops and robbers. Liam and Levi were the cops, trying to catch Alpha Eiden, who was as quick and slippery as an eel.
I could only remind them to be careful when running because the floor was a bit slippery and ask them not to run up the stairs.
I sat in the living room with my phone in hand. Beta Dylan often asked for my opinion, even though he usually made decisions without checking with me first. He was confident that I would agree.
I considered telling him off for always leaving me out of decisions and acting like I wasn't his Alpha.
But I was too afraid to stand up for myself. Everyone there hated me. They only tolerated me because Levi was my son, the future Alpha.
“I shouldn’t have thought about that,” I muttered as I read a new message from Beta Dylan. He’d attached a file with information about an Alpha werewolf to my email. “Why do I have more work than when I’m at home?”
'I suspect he’s making you work on purpose,' my wolf said. 'He doesn’t want you to take a day off. You have to keep working wherever you are.'
Yeah, I really shouldn’t complain. When I was crowned Alpha, I promised I wouldn’t ever abandon my responsibilities, and that the Black Birds Group would be my second priority after myself and my kids.
At least they didn't make me put the group before everything.
“Ah, tired.”
I gasped in surprise when Alpha Eiden suddenly sat down on the same sofa as me. I was so focused on reading the file that I didn’t hear his footsteps or smell his scent.
“I’m sorry I startled you.” Alpha Eiden scratched his neck. Sweat was dripping down his face, and his breathing was labored.
“I’m fine.” I quickly turned off my phone and slipped it into my pocket, doing so gracefully so he wouldn’t get suspicious.
I stared at him intently and, without a second thought, grabbed a tissue from the table and handed it to him.
When I saw him startled and thank me, I realized what I'd done, but I didn't regret it because I couldn't stand the thought of him not wiping his sweat.
"I need to sit and figure out where I’m supposed to hide from them. I’ve already hidden in every place," Alpha Eiden chuckled, wiping his face and neck.
Then his brow furrowed. "I don't want to get caught." He glanced at his watch. "There's 30 minutes left."
“It’s hard to stop them when they’re playing that enthusiastically,” I said. “The only trick is to pretend you’re out of breath and can’t stay on your feet.”
Unexpectedly, Alpha Eiden laughed. He had underestimated the energy of my two sons.
“I won’t lose to them,” he exclaimed confidently, clenching his fists. I don’t know how long our gazes met. “Wish me luck.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t.” I shook my head. “I certainly hope my two sons win this game.”
“I know that.” Alpha Eiden nodded. For some reason, he had a big smile on his face. “You’re a good mother and love your children so much. Thank you.”
I froze for a moment and blinked. Even after he stood up and walked away, leaving me behind, my eyes stayed on him, and I just hoped my cheeks wouldn’t turn red.
Who wouldn't feel happy hearing a compliment like that? I wasn't sure if I was the mother my two sons hoped for, but I would keep doing my best.
I clicked my tongue as I pulled my phone from my pocket. It had been vibrating every minute. The number of missed calls from Beta Dylan didn’t surprise me.
I still don’t get why they didn’t appoint Beta Dylan as Benedict’s replacement. He’d stay a Beta, sure, but he’d have the same authority as an Alpha, just like Alpha Romeo, who held the position until his future Alpha was ready to take over.
It would be more fun being Luna. I wouldn't know anything about the people of this world. And I could focus on raising my two sons.
After all, even though I was the Alpha, Beta Dylan was in complete control.
I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back. I kept complaining about my situation, even though I knew deep down I’d never have the chance to change my fate.
I headed to the living room when the timer went off, signaling the end of the cops-and-thieves game.
Liam and Levi came in, frowning, soaked in sweat and gasping for air. They sat beside me, clearly disappointed.
“Hey, don’t be sad,” I said, patting Levi’s head as he sat next to me. "You lost to Alpha Eiden at Cops and Thieves, but you won at the Rubik’s Cube and the basketball toss," I said.
Liam and Levi immediately looked at me, and their faces slowly lit up with smiles.
"Alpha Eiden can't get a basketball into the hoop at all," Levi chuckled. He was the one who won the basketball game.
“Alpha Eiden is awful at Rubik’s Cube. He literally has no idea how to match the colors,” Liam said, shaking his head. He’d spent six months learning to solve one, and now he could finish it in three minutes.
“Hey, hey, I’m not that bad.” Alpha Eiden walked into the room. He put his hands on his hips.
“I can play basketball. I lost because the hoop was too short and I had to crouch down to your height when I shot the basketball,” Alpha Eiden protested with enthusiasm, refusing to accept Levi’s assumption that he couldn’t do it.
“I can play Rubik’s Cube. I lost because you were too quick to solve it.” Alpha Eiden clicked his tongue as he glared at Liam in annoyance.
He was even more annoyed when we laughed. We didn't expect him to explain to us in detail why he lost those two games.
We chatted for a while before dinner. Liam asked a lot of questions about the River Dectagon Pack, and Alpha Eiden happily shared them.
I was touched to see Alpha Eiden treating my two children with such tenderness. He was serious about getting close to them, not just Liam.
The sun was about to set, and my two sons and I were getting ready to return to our group. The group members who were to pick us up were waiting for us in the woods near Liam's kindergarten.
Alpha Eiden drove us home because we wouldn’t be able to get through the River Pack Clan and Werewolf Clan border gate without him. I didn’t want to deal with a three-hour interrogation that could expose my sons and me.
I asked Alpha Eiden to drop us off at a small hut twenty steps from the rogue clan gate. We waited for our group members who would come pick us up.
“I had such a great time playing with you. I hope you don’t regret staying at my house, and it would be wonderful if you were interested in staying over every Saturday and Sunday,” Alpha Eiden said to Liam and Levi.
"We'll think about it," Liam replied. Alpha Eiden was surprised to see Liam speaking like an adult.
I made eye contact with Alpha Eiden, and we smiled at each other.
Our relationship would grow closer because of my children, without us even realizing it.