Chapter 5 Celeste
Celeste's POV
Exactly a week after Benedict died, they crowned me as the interim Alpha until Levi came of age and was ready to lead.
There was no time to grieve. In our group, death wasn't a surprise.
But I couldn't be like them. I couldn't accept Benedict's passing yet.
"Why does the Moon Goddess enjoy taking the people I love so much?"
I was orphaned when I was 12 years old, and then when I turned 17, my aunt and uncle died.
Even though I had been abandoned by people who loved me several times, it was still difficult for me to accept death.
“First day as an Alpha, huh?” I chuckled and then heaved a heavy sigh through my mouth with my shoulders slumped.
‘I hope you adapt to your new responsibilities soon,’ my wolf said.
I sat nervously on the chair in Benedict’s workspace, which was now mine.
Benedict’s scent still hung in the air as if he had just left and would be back.
I panicked, wondering what would happen if his scent disappeared in the next few days.
My heart felt so empty, and I felt the temperature in this room was colder than winter, but I didn’t shiver; I felt comfortable and lonely.
“I can’t believe it’s been a week since Benedict left this world.”
I have so many memories with Benedict in this room, and they are all happy. We never fought. He was a patient, calm, and wise person.
Benedict made me complete.
I didn’t know if I could go on without him, and I wasn't sure I could be an Alpha like him.
‘You can’t give up and be pessimistic, Celeste,’ my wolf shook her head. ‘You have Liam and Levi. They need you. And then you have me.’
‘Gosh. You’re right, Alea.’ I wiped my face roughly. ‘I feel so guilty. Liam and Levi would be disappointed if they knew what I was thinking.’
‘Trust me, Benedict will be sad if he sees you not enthusiastic about living your life.’ My wolf said softly like a wind that soothes my heart. ‘He is watching you in heaven. Don’t make him sad.’
Benedict was already in heaven with the Moon Goddess. Because of his great love for us, he must have begged the Moon Goddess to allow him to see us.
I nodded with my fists clenched tightly, gathering all my spirit to stand strong even though I was living without a mate.
‘Thank you, Alea. I would continue to be depressed if I didn’t have you.’ I stared at the laptop on the table with strong determination in my eyes. “I am ready to finish all my work.”
The Black Birds Group only had 204 members, but they were no ordinary people. Assassins were their main occupation.
I was never trained to be a rogue assassin, but now I was their leader.
I was responsible for carefully reviewing the client's request and deciding who would carry out the assassination assignment.
“We have a lot of new information to sell.” Beta Dylan entered my room with a flash drive.
“Okay. I’ll read it all.” I accepted the flash drive.
I used to not care about this information, but from that day on, I had no reason other than to know everything. We made quite a bit of money from selling information.
“Will Liam meet his biological father this afternoon?” Beta Dylan asked. I couldn’t read his expression, but I knew he didn’t like me leaving the group to accompany Liam.
“Yeah, they only meet once a week,” I replied. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. I risk my life to protect our identities, and Liam and Levi know about it.”
Beta Dylan nodded hesitantly. He wanted to accompany us to ensure our safety, but the group couldn’t be left without a leader.
“Can’t the future Alpha be left at home? I’ll take care of him,” Beta Dylan said with worry in his hazel eyes.
“You know that’s impossible.” I shook my head. “Levi is very close to Liam; if Liam isn’t around, he’ll be at peace with me. Plus, he often looks for his father.”
I lowered my head with teary eyes. My chest felt tight, and my breath was short. I clenched my fists on my thighs.
Whenever I wanted to cry, I forced my brain to remember my beautiful memories with Benedict, but that morning, I remembered our last day together.
“Alpha.” Beta Dylan patted my shoulder gently. “You know the late Alpha Benedict loved you very much, and he was happy that you were his mate. He wanted you to always be happy because your smile is so beautiful.”
I wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks, but a smile spread. My heart was filled with joy knowing how Benedict felt about me from someone else.
The Moon Goddess only destined Benedict and me to live together for more than five years, but I was sure we would meet again in heaven and live together forever.
“Mommy.” Levi ran while holding his milk bottle when he saw me enter his room. I crouched down to welcome him in my arms.
“You smell nice already.” I kissed him, and Levi chuckled.
Not long after that, Liam came in with a sad face. I hugged and kissed his cheek.
“What’s wrong with you? You should be happy.” I stroked his hair. Liam hid his face on my shoulder. “If you’re sad, Daddy will be sad too. Let Daddy be happy in heaven.”
“I’m afraid of forgetting Daddy,” Liam said in a low, trembling voice.
“Oh, my dear.” I stroked his back with pain in my eyes.
“Don't worry, we'll celebrate Daddy’s birthday and honor his memory every year." I could feel Liam nodding.
“Mommy, can we visit Daddy’s grave tomorrow?” Levi looked at me with tears streaming down his red, chubby cheeks. “I miss Daddy.” He sobbed.
I wanted to appear strong in front of them, but Levi's cries ripped at my heart. Nobody could possibly prepare for losing their life partner.
I sat on the floor with my two sons in my arms. We cried.
My wolf shed tears, too.
I'm sorry, Benedict. Every day for the past week, we've cried whenever we think of you. You mean so much to us.
Even though it was raining on our group that afternoon, I didn't cancel Liam's meeting with Alpha Eiden because I had already cleared my schedule.
“Did you get caught in the rain?” Alpha Eiden asked, observing our appearance, which wasn't exposed to rain because we were wearing raincoats.
“No.” Liam shook his head.
Alpha Eiden waited for us in the shopping center lobby. It seemed like Liam would make the five-story building a place to meet his biological father.
Alpha Eiden studied our faces once again with knitted brows. He seemed to want to ask, but for some reason, he hesitated.
Levi wanted to eat ice cream, and Liam immediately held Levi's hand to walk to find an ice cream shop.
I walked behind them and side by side with Alpha Eiden. Of course, I kept my distance from him. I didn't want people to think we were mates.
We sat near the entrance of the ice cream shop, which was quite crowded.
I sat next to Levi. Meanwhile, Liam was next to Alpha Eiden. I didn't like this sitting position because I was across from Alpha Eiden.
Liam and Levi enjoyed their ice cream, and I saw their smiles for the first time in a week.
I smiled while eating my strawberry ice cream.
Alpha Eiden asked Liam about his school and his friends. Liam told him everything and tried to look his father in the eye several times. The awkwardness between them was still clearly visible.
"Daddy died eaten by a wild animal." Suddenly, for some reason, Levi said with tears threatening to fall, staring at his empty ice cream cup.
Liam immediately fell silent and lowered his head.
I was worried that they would cry because I always cried with them.
Unintentionally, I made eye contact with Alpha Eiden. His gaze was still the same as before, unreadable to me. When I nodded, he looked shocked.
“My condolences.” His voice seemed sincere, or was it just me who thought so?
Moon Goddess, if you can hear me, please give me some guidance. Should I trust a man who once chose to reject me for his girlfriend and now wants to atone for his sins by fixing his relationship with our son?