Chapter 43 Celeste
Celeste's POV
Beta Dylan allowed my two sons and me to stay at Alpha Eiden's house. I only needed his permission, as the others wouldn't challenge his decision.
However, if Alpha Eiden were to be careless again, letting his other enemies know about my sons and me, Beta Dylan would forbid us from seeing him and force Liam to attend school at the base.
That morning, after breakfast, we boarded a car that took us to the lake near Liam's school. Alpha Eiden was waiting for us there. He arrived at the rogue clan an hour ago to face interrogation at the border office.
We used to meet a few steps in front of the rogue clan gate; now the meeting place has changed. Alpha Eiden didn't say why, but I could guess he probably assumed his enemy's warrior spies wouldn't see us in the forest.
“Hi, good morning.” Alpha Eiden smiled broadly at us.
“Good morning,” Liam and Levi replied in unison. Meanwhile, I just smiled at him.
Alpha Eiden hurriedly put our suitcases into the car garage. I made myself comfortable and tried not to show my anxiety. I was relieved to see Liam and Levi looking relaxed.
I wondered if we would be able to get through the border gate easily. If the windows were down, I really hoped no one, but the warrior rogues, would see us.
Of course, people were curious about who I was and why I was by Alpha Eiden’s side. It would be hazardous if they started digging into my background. That fear weighed heavily on my members, especially Beta Dylan.
Okay. Please, brain, stop overthinking. You just need to trust Alpha Eiden and enjoy your days outside the base.
I could only calm myself down, even though I could no longer trust Alpha Eiden with my safety and that of my two sons.
“You didn’t bribe them?” Liam looked shocked and confused as the rogue warriors opened the ten-foot-high black gate without so much as checking our car.
"Yeah, I know a high-ranking official at the border office," Alpha Eiden said proudly, tucking his phone into his pants pocket.
I didn't receive any information about that, or perhaps the agent collecting information on Alpha Eiden didn't consider it essential. No. Whatever it was, it should have been written down in the file.
The black car rolled through both the werewolf clan border gate and the River Pack clan gate without a single delay. Alpha Eiden said the warriors had grown tired of checking him, and they trusted he would never bring danger to his own clan.
I tensed every time I entered the River Dectagon Pack, as if the people there would immediately know who I was.
I glanced out the window anxiously. There was no one along the street, as if it had been sterilized. I was sure my spies had merged with the shadows, silently watching us.
The large and magnificent Alpha Eiden mansion, hundreds of years old, would be our place to stay until tomorrow afternoon. No, no, don't forget Levi and I actually had a small house behind the mansion.
“Welcome to my home.” Alpha Eiden couldn’t hide his delight.
“I apologize to you. Could you please wear these robes?” He handed us oversized robes that drowned us.
I stared blankly for a few seconds, not understanding why Alpha Eiden had given us robes, and the garage closed immediately after the car entered.
The mansion had a garage. The car was parked there. We got out of the car and walked a few steps to reach the main living room.
“You guys, sit down for a moment. Sitting in a car for three hours isn’t fun, is it?” Alpha Eiden invited us to sit in the family room and ordered the omegas to carry our things to Liam’s room.
“Yeah, it’s uncomfortable.” Levi touched his bottom. “My butt hurts.”
“This couch is soft,” Liam commented, patting it.
“You can lie down if you want,” Alpha Eiden said with concern. “I’ll go, so you’ll be more comfortable.”
“No. We’re not lying down,” Liam decided. Levi nodded.
As usual, I wouldn't join in their conversation. I had let Alpha Eiden handle it.
"Are you thirsty?" Alpha Eiden asked, but he didn't wait for our answer; instead, he scolded the head omega for not immediately providing us with drinks.
A few minutes later, Liam and Levi were bored with sitting in the room. Liam shyly told Alpha Eiden that he wanted to see his paintings. Alpha Eiden nervously led us to a room upstairs.
“Whoa, there are so many.” Liam gaped.
Walking inside felt like entering an art exhibition. The colorful paintings lit up the space, creating a cheerful atmosphere and bringing a sense of calm deep into my heart.
“You’re talented at painting,” I complimented Alpha Eiden. “This is the first time I’ve been in a gallery where all the paintings are so beautiful.”
“Thank you so much, Celeste.” Alpha Eiden smiled, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
I admired each painting with awe and a broad smile, even though I couldn’t always tell what some of them were meant to be. Each piece carried meaning for Alpha Eiden.
Liam asked Alpha Eiden many questions. The alpha werewolf happily shared all his knowledge with his son.
A painting caught my eye. I thought anyone could draw the sunrise we could see from a mountaintop, but I could feel Alpha Eiden's joy as his struggle to reach the summit paid off after seeing that sunrise.
I had once climbed a mountain in high school. It was a fond memory before I faced adulthood, which wasn't quite what I had imagined.
"Hey, Celeste."
I gasped in surprise when I heard his voice. “Yes?” I turned around only to find Alpha Eiden, Liam, and Levi staring at me pleadingly.
"Let us paint you," Alpha Eiden said, pointing to the painting equipment ready. I don't know when they had agreed to make me their model.
I hoped my cheeks wouldn't flush as I remembered what Alpha Eiden had said on the phone a few days ago. He misspoke at the time, but he's really going to paint me now and invite my two sons to come along.
"Okay." I nodded. "What should I do?" I sat down in the chair.
"Just sit comfortably," Alpha Eiden said, sitting in front of his canvas. "You're beautiful in any pose. Keep smiling."
He said it casually, but my heart wasn't; she was overreacting. I hoped they couldn't hear my racing heart.
Alpha Eiden told Liam and Levi to start painting by drawing a circle for my face.
Both Liam and Levi were deeply focused on painting me. Seeing Liam with a brush didn’t surprise me, but when I noticed Levi, I nearly laughed. Blue and black acrylic paint streaked his chin.
I avoided looking at Alpha Eiden, but deep down, I wondered if I looked beautiful on his canvas.
I don't know how long I had been a statue. My lips are stiff from smiling for so long, and my back hurts.
"Are you guys done?" Alpha Eiden asked, his face breaking into a relieved smile.
"Just a minute!" Liam shouted in panic.
"I don't know what I drew." Levi stared at his painting in confusion, scratching his head. He almost made me want to burst out laughing.
"I'm done painting you, Mommy." Liam smiled happily as he clapped his hands.
"I want to see myself in your paintings." I was very enthusiastic about observing the paintings of myself one by one.
Alpha Eiden painted me so perfectly that I couldn't believe it was me. He always paints with sincerity and puts all his attention into each piece.
Liam paints delicately, not in too much detail. For his age, he's already very talented. He just needs to keep honing his skills.
"I'm embarrassed." Levi lowered his head.
"Why are you embarrassed?" I stroked his hair. "You did your best. You're great." I kissed his cheek. He blushed.
I thanked them, and they thanked me in return.
Yeah, being their model wasn’t so bad after all. In their paintings, I would be immortal.
“I’ll put our paintings here.” Alpha Eiden pointed to the empty wall in the right corner of the room. Liam and Levi agreed. I smiled sheepishly.
My excitement distracted me from the fact that one of Alpha Eiden’s enemies already knew about us.
'You two must always be careful, and if possible, you and Levi should not leave Alpha Eiden’s mansion. You should just stay in his mansion.' Beta Dylan never failed to remind me of the dangers that threatened me and my two sons.