Chapter 90 Eiden
Eiden's POV
All Alphas dislike their elders. That's a given.
The elders are fussy and meddlesome. They need to know everything about their Alphas, especially when it comes to mates and heirs.
This was the second time I'd come to the elders' residence to listen to them ramble about my former mate and my son.
I sat in front of the eleven oldest men, who recognized themselves as the wisest in the pack.
“Last month you told us that you actually met your mate a few years ago, but you rejected her, and then you only found out she had a child with you a few months ago," said the oldest elder in a tone of voice that was not very clear because he only had three teeth left.
"Yes, that's true." I nodded politely. I didn't really need to hide my annoyance. "You promised me you'd keep my secret."
"We keep our promise. Don't worry," the youngest elder quickly reassured me.
"We'll wait until you tell all your members about it. We'll throw a grand party to welcome your son to our pack," he added, beaming at the thought of the unknown future.
“We’re looking forward to the ceremony and the party.” The elders looked impatient. I was worried they would summon Liam without my knowledge.
“You don’t have children with your ex-girlfriend, do you?” the youngest elder asked me with a worried and curious expression.
“No.” I shook my head. The eleven elders breathed a sigh of relief in unison. I wasn’t as reckless as they thought.
"You've been getting closer to your son for months. How's the progress? Has he accepted you as his father?" asked the elder sitting on the right end of the sofa.
"I don't know about that because he didn't say it, but he never refuses when we make appointments, we talk on the phone, and he's also willing to talk to me in person," I explained with a wide smile on my face.
“I’m glad to hear your son isn’t distancing himself from you,” another elder said.
“It seems your relationship with your son has grown closer, Alpha,” the youngest elder said.
I hesitated to nod. I didn’t know why I couldn’t say that the father-son bond between Liam and me had already developed.
“How’s your relationship with your ex-mate?” I hadn’t expected the oldest elder to be curious about that.
"She hasn't met her third mate yet, has she? If your relationship is getting closer, it would be better for you two to get back together." The youngest elder expressed his opinion with sparkling eyes and a straight back.
"Your ex-mate is your true destiny." The oldest elder held his staff with trembling hands. "You were foolish to reject her, but there's no harm in you two getting back together."
“You two pray to the Moon Goddess on the Sacred Mountain and believe that she will answer your prayers.” The youngest elder leaned closer, his eyes wide. “Pray sincerely, ask her to bind you together as mates once more.”
The elders agreed with the idea.
I was embarrassed to tell them that I'd been thinking about it for a long time. They didn't need to advise me and tell me how to tie my fate with Celeste.
"You're smiling with sparkling eyes." The youngest elder pointed at me with a teasing smile. "You love your ex-mate."
"We're waiting for good news from you. Both about your relationship with your son and your ex-mate."
I lowered my head for a moment. I hadn't realized I'd been smiling the whole time they were talking about my ex-mate.
The elders prayed for me to win Celeste's heart. Hopefully, the Moon Goddess would answer our prayers.
I went to the pack company. I rarely go to my office, as I've been more comfortable working in my study in my mansion lately.
I attended the annual meeting, which always takes place before winter. We discussed many things, especially the pack budget.
I instructed Beta Serena to ensure food supplies were available during the winter and to keep prices stable.
Gamma Nolan and Delta Sophia ensured that all the warriors' needs were met and that they didn't lose their enthusiasm for training during the winter.
I leaned back in my office chair with my eyes closed. I'd talked a lot today. My jaw ached.
“Alpha.” Beta Serena knocked on the door. “Let me in. I have some exciting information for you.”
I frowned. It seemed she couldn't be lying. “Come in.”
“Alpha.” Beta Serena stopped in front of my desk, breathing hard, her face pale with worry. “Someone is spreading news online that an Alpha werewolf has a child with a rogue.”
I instantly straightened and took her phone. My brows drew together as I read the post, already flooded with thousands of likes and comments. Countless people were speculating about the Alpha werewolf’s identity.
“Since that person didn’t mention whether the Alpha werewolf was male or female, it made everyone suspect all Alpha werewolves, but you can rest assured since you never brought our warrior squad to attack the rogue group,” Beta Serena said.
"Yeah, we don't need to overthink this news, but we can't let our guard down. If anyone mentions my name, we have to investigate why they suspect me." I handed the phone back to Beta Serena.
“I understand, Alpha.” Beta Serena nodded obediently. “I’ll monitor the comments on the post and see how far the speculation goes.” She knew exactly what she had to do.
“Thank you so much, Beta, but don’t focus too much on that post. You have work to do,” I said.
“Thanks for looking out for me, Alpha.” Beta Serena blushed. “I can manage my time between working and checking that post.”
“Perfect,” I commented, inviting her back to her office.
I tried to focus on my work until I finally gave up because my mind was so preoccupied with that post.
"Who posted that news? Who is he talking about? Why am I so anxious? It's not necessarily a post to tell me that my secret with Celeste is already widely known."
I turned my office chair towards the window behind me, looking at the clear sky in deep thought.
'I suspect the person who sent you those messages. He knows Celeste pays a lot of people to keep her secret.' My wolf reminded me of the first message I received from that unknown number.
‘You’ve always been the most reliable when it comes to memory, Arlo,’ I said, praising my wolf.
I sent Celeste a text and then called her when she had time to talk.
"Hello, Alpha," Celeste's gentle voice instantly eased the tightness in my chest.
“Hello, Celeste. How are you?” I wasn’t making small talk. I genuinely wanted to know.
“I’m fine, as always,” Celeste replied calmly. “What did you want to talk about?”
Yeah, I didn’t expect her to ask how I was.
“Did you see someone’s post saying an Alpha werewolf had a child with a rogue?” I asked.
“Yes, I read that post that went viral,” Celeste said. “Are you worried that person is talking about us?”
"Of course." I nodded. "If our guess is correct, that means that person recognized me. The mask, hat, and body odor-concealing perfume I used were completely useless.”
“Maybe he recognized your eye color.”
I reflexively touched my eyelids. “You might be right.” I slapped my forehead. “I was so stupid not to think of that.”
“Don’t worry, Alpha. No one suspects you.”
“But what if that person drops another clue or uploads our photos or spreads our names?”
“Those are certainly things to think about, but we shouldn’t let them make us dizzy,” Celeste said casually.
"If our secret gets out, let it happen," Celeste said something unexpected. "There are two choices: we reveal it ourselves, or someone else will."
"You're right." I sighed heavily, massaging my temples. "Does Liam know yet?"
“Yes, I told him,” Celeste admitted. “He was worried, but he accepted that the secret might come out sooner than we expected.”
My brow furrowed. I didn’t want Liam to be forced to acknowledge me as his father simply because the information had spread beyond our control.