Chapter 46 Eiden
Eiden's POV
I woke up before Liam. The sun had just risen. The warriors were ready to run around our territory.
A warm feeling filled my chest when I saw Liam's calm face. I wouldn't have to wonder when we would sleep together again, and if this would be the first and last time.
I winced. Liam didn't know I was sleeping next to him. What if he felt uncomfortable and distanced himself from me?
We were already quite close. I didn't want to ruin it. Gaining someone's trust wasn't easy.
I hurried out of Liam's room without making a sound.
I froze in front of the door, my hand still on the doorknob, when a question struck me.
Wouldn't Liam be mad at me if I kept this a secret? I should have told him I had fallen asleep in his room without realizing it.
'You keep overthinking, Eiden,' my wolf reprimanded. 'You don’t need to think about this until your head is spinning.' I rolled my eyes. 'If you want her to trust you more, you have to be honest with her.'
'Thanks for bringing me to my senses and giving me advice, Arlo,' I said sincerely to my wolf.
I took a deep breath and let it out. My hand slipped from the doorknob as the anxiety I had managed to push away left me.
I went to my room to wash my face and brush my teeth.
Then my feet took me to the kitchen, and I was surprised to find Celeste there.
“Good morning.” Celeste turned around just as I was about to enter the room. I looked like a thief caught by the owner of the house.
“Good morning.” I returned her wide smile as I walked towards the table to fill my glass, then I downed my drink.
"What are you doing?" It was clearly a stupid question. I saw Celeste cutting the beef with my own eyes.
"I'm getting the ingredients ready," Celeste replied. She sliced the beef swiftly and neatly, moving with the ease of a professional chef.
For several minutes, I did nothing but watch Celeste. Her joy in making breakfast for us that morning was unmistakable, but I wasn't sure if she was going to give me one.
Not only was I impressed by her cooking skills, but her appearance also captivated me. She wasn’t wearing luxurious clothes or heavy makeup; she looked natural and elegant.
Her soft, beautiful face and her love for her children were what made her attractive to me. She was both beautiful inside and out.
“Do you need something? You’ve been standing there for a while,” Celeste asked, looking at me curiously. There was no blush on her cheeks. Either she wasn’t easily flustered, or her heart was already closed to me.
“There’s nothing I need.” I shook my head, scratching my neck. “I just wanted to watch you,” I said in a low, whisper-like voice.
“Don’t worry. I can cook,” Celeste said. “I often make breakfast for my kids.”
“You misunderstand,” I muttered. Celeste raised an eyebrow. Yeah, just let her think like that. I don’t have a good reason.
“I just suddenly wanted to make breakfast for you guys,” Celeste said. I smiled in relief. She hadn't excluded me.
“I can’t wait to try it.” I sat across from her, my chin resting on my palm.
“You’ll love it.” Celeste smiled shyly. I liked her confidence.
“I trust you.” I nodded twice.
“I slept with Liam,” I said after a few seconds of silence. Celeste was preparing to grill the beef steak. “I didn't leave right away when Liam went to sleep, and I didn't expect to fall asleep next to him.”
“So you slept sitting up?” Celeste glanced at me.
“Yes.” I nodded. “I’ll tell Liam since I already told you.”
Celeste smiled, amused. I was stunned. My wolf stared at her without blinking.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Celeste’s question jolted me out of my thoughts. Oh my gosh. I didn't think about that.
“I didn’t have a nightmare.” I shook my head, a wide smile spreading across my face. "I slept soundly without dreaming anything." I slammed my fist on the table in shock when I realized this.
"In fact, I slept from 9 PM to 6 AM." I glanced at the time on my phone, a rush of happiness as if I had just won the lottery. “This is the first time I’ve slept more than eight hours!”
Celeste smiled broadly. Her gaze showed she sensed my joy. Seeing her sincerity made my heart skip a beat.
“That’s good.” Celeste nodded. “Hopefully, you can find a way to stop the nightmares soon.”
“Yeah, I’m optimistic,” I said.
‘You don’t have nightmares when Liam is with you,’ my wolf said. Yeah, we were on the same page. ‘But that’s not healing, it’s dependency.’
'You’re absolutely right, Arlo.'
Asking Liam to move in with me isn't a solution because Liam won't be with me forever. When he grows up, he might sleep over at a friend's house, go somewhere with his friends, and then decide to live alone after high school.
It sounds like I'm overthinking it, but what if those nightmares are just hiding, they're not really gone? They're waiting for me alone, without Liam?
We had breakfast. Celeste's food was delicious.
“Mom’s food is always good!” Levi said, giving Celeste a thumbs-up with a wide grin that showed his not-quite-grown teeth. “I love Mom’s cooking!”
"Mom's food is better than anything else." Liam nodded twice.
"I'm glad you like my food, but please don't over-praise me like that." Celeste blushed. Her blush was so cute. It was the first time I had seen it.
"I think your mom once entered a cooking competition and won third place," I said.
Liam and Levi smiled.
Celeste looked at me, annoyed and shy. Her ears were turning red. Her reaction was so cute.
My lips couldn't stop smiling as I tried to push away the thoughts in my head that were telling me to imagine what it would be like if we were a happy family.
Celeste, Liam, Levi, and I were getting closer, but I knew this wasn't the right time to have serious discussions about our future. I even hesitated to discuss the issue of an heir with Liam.
“Look, this is my childhood photo album.” I set the two albums down on the table.
We were in the living room. Liam and Levi weren't playing right after eating, afraid they had thrown up.
"Whoa, you look so much like Alpha Eiden." Levi stared in disbelief at the kindergarten photos of me and Liam, who was sitting next to him.
Liam looked at the photos with a smile. He didn't comment or ask any questions, even though he was the one who asked me to show them my photo albums.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw Celeste looking at my photos with a smile, amazed that Liam looked so much like me.
It didn't take a DNA test to prove Liam was my son.
'Alpha.' I frowned, receiving a mind link from Beta Serena. 'Alpha Jackson and his warrior squad are on their way to our pack.'
My eyes widened. Damn that guy. He must know Celeste, Liam, and Levi are staying at my mansion.
‘Tighten security around my mansion and the surrounding area,’ I ordered Beta Serena. ‘Stay with Celeste, Liam, and Levi.’ They would surely panic while my wolf fought the enemy attacking the pack.