The Alpha's Unwanted Mate
The Alpha’s Unwanted Mate Chapter 144 Book 2 Chapter 76: Epilogue

Zillon hesitantly patted the tombstone he stood before, fingers shaking. He didn’t want to be here or rather, he was afraid to be…

Beside him, his mother stood and behind them were Celeste and the kids…they were three years old now and somehow, Celeste had got them into practically forcing him to come here.

‘Grandpa…’ they had said, that evil, little smile smothered across their face. He really didn’t know how such devils slipped from an angel’s womb and he would never know.

These kids were cute and funny, but they were hard to control. They ran around the house as though it was a track field and threw his ornaments as though they were balls. Sometimes he wished he could throw them out, but then he remembered that they were his kids and moreover, he was the one who spoiled them.

They weren’t fond of listening to Celeste either and the only way they’d listen to him was if he got all serious…even now they were running around for no god damn reason.

Zillon glared back at them, but turned back to the tombstone when his mother spoke. “Have you still not forgiven him or me?”

This one question was one he wish she’d never ask. He didn’t know if he forgave them or not, the fact that they broke him and Xavier apart for such a reason made him hate them, but they were his parents, weren’t they?

How could he hate them forever?

“I don’t know…”

“Then why are you here?”

“Celeste forced me to come, I didn’t even know you’d be here…if I did, I probably wouldn’t have stepped foot out that house.”

Celine chuckled, the sound sad. “That girl is always trying to fix the huge gap between us…every time she cooks she brings me dinner…a real sweetheart. I guess she’s the reason why the pack is running so smoothly, her pureness is probably what keeps you from leading with your pride instead of your heart. Why couldn’t I do that for Gregory? He was such a good man and yet it seems I wasn’t suited enough to be beside him. Why couldn’t I have stopped him? And like Celeste, why couldn’t I have saved him?”

“I don’t…” Zillon clenched his jaw. “I don’t think it had anything to do with you. It was all about him, he himself said you tried, what more could you have done?”

“I could’ve tried harder, been braver…it’s been killing me inside for so long, knowing that he wasn’t mine, knowing that he was stolen…every time I looked at him I’d feel sad which was why I hardly did. He must hate me too, all the poor thing wanted was attention and I…I couldn’t even give that to him.”

A tear streamed down her cheek and Zillon’s hands fisted in order to stop himself from reaching for her. “He’s probably getting loads of attention now. He’s an alpha king and he deserves it. For all he’s been through, I think it’s time for him to gain the recognition he wanted, time for him to be happy. Stop dwelling in the past, even if you wanted to take back all the bad things you did to him, you can’t.”

“Gregory must’ve wanted him to live through the war…that’s probably why he got so angry and stormed out when he heard he’d join it. He must’ve thought that the Forester pack didn’t deserve his help, not when he was the sole reason of that said war.”

“I don’t care what he thought.”

Celine looked over at him. “You should. He’s sorry you know, he’s been sorry for so god damn long. The guilt had been eating him up, he’d smile, he’d laugh, but as soon as we were alone his facade would go missing and he’d break down in my arms. I pitied him, alongside his brother, he probably felt just how Xavier felt when he stood alongside you. Envious and not enough, that must’ve been why he did what he did.”

She sniffled, her sad eyes drifting over to the tombstone. “Forgive him, if not me, then please forgive him. He loved you with all his heart and even though it didn’t seem like it, he loved Xavier too.”

“I don’t care.”

“Zillon…”

Zillon clenched his fist tighter, turning away from her when his eyes blurred with tears. “I don’t care, I hate him and I hate you. You both were wrong.”

“And we owned our wrong, it might’ve been late, but we did.”

“I don’t care. He should’ve never done it. He…He…” Zillon stopped as soon as he could taste the salty water of his tears and his voice kept breaking, muck like his heart.

“I know how you feel, it had been hard to forgive him that night too, it took me two weeks to look him in the eye and not call him a coward, and not tell him that I hated him, but in a way, I understood him. I’m not saying he’s right because he was totally wrong, but I understand why he did it.”

“I don’t…” Zillon wiped his eyes, kicking at the low grass beneath him. “If I wasn’t portrayed as strong from a young age, would he have shunned me the same way he shunned Xavier? I keep thinking about that..what if I had acted weak? What if I had lost that battle? What would he have done?”

“I’m certain he would’ve loved you either way. He was so elated when you were born. That man walked you around the pack house every morning just to tell his pack that he had a son now despite the fact that they all already knew. Anything you wanted, he’d get it for you and right now, an exact toy like the ones he bought you lays in a box under our bed. Every time he got you a new toy, he got one for Xavier too, but he hardly ever gave them to him. He didn’t want to act like his father when he knew by heart that he wasn’t. He felt guilty…that’s why.”

“He deserves to feel that way.”

“I know, but please…at least for me, forgive him.”

Zillon shook his head. “No.”

“Zillon please…”

“I…I—”

“Go on, Zillon say what’s in your heart, not what comes to your mind.”

Zillon looked back at Celeste then at his mother. “I…I…” He unclenched his fists and flashed his fingers. “I’ll think about it all.”

“You will?”

Zillon nodded, the movement so reluctant that it could hardly be seen.

From behind them, Celeste smiled, both her babies hands in hers. “You know he worries about you all the time, especially about your health. He’s always telling me to check up on you when I can and to bring you food too, but he just doesn’t want you to kn—”

“Celeste…” Zillon warned.

“It’s the truth, just forgive her if you want to, it’s all in the past now…and your dad, he deserves forgiveness too, he was a good man…despite all he’s done.”

“I do—”

“Daddy being a baby…he crying.”

Zillon looked towards his beautiful baby girl Layla. “Men cry too, not just babies.”

“Nah…” She giggled, her blue eyes shifting towards Taylor. “Daddy telling lies again, what should we do?

“Kick him…!”

They both pulled their hands out of Celeste’s and ran forward, kicking Zillon on the foot. “Only babies cry.”

And then they ran off. Zillon looked at his mother, then at Celeste before chasing them, catching them both in his arms with little to no effort. “What did I say about kicking daddy?”

“You said not to…”

“Then why did you guys do it?”

“Because…because…” Layla started, but Taylor finished for her. “Because it’s fun.”

“Bad…you both are bad little angels, but daddy loves you guys anyway.”

“Love you too…!” both girls yelled in unison and Celeste couldn’t help but smile from where she stood beside Celine. “They love him more than they do me, honestly…”

“It was the same with Zillon and Gregory…” Celine chuckled. “They both stuck together like glue…and now…”

Celeste sighed. “He’ll come around, I promise. He’s still sad about the whole thing, but soon enough…he’ll be able to visit you and be happy again.”

“I hope so…”

“And I think the girls love hearing those stories you’d tell them about their grand dad.. I wish he got to meet them…they’d probably love him.”

“They probably would.”

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A/N// And this is where we cut it. The end of the book😩I’m going to miss Celeste and Zillon so bad …I love them both.