Nelly simply sat on the bed.
Watching the retreating figure of Ben heading toward the bathroom, one could tell what he was going to do there, even without him saying a word.
At that moment, Nelly couldn't help it anymore. Her eyes welled up with tears.
Alpha Kilian stood by silently, watching the mother and son.
Once Ben had left for the bathroom, Nelly 's tears began to fall. Only then did Alpha Kilian walk over to her. Without saying a word, he reached out and pulled Nelly into his embrace.
Nelly leaned into his embrace, and even though she was sad, she felt a sense of relief, as though a great burden had been taken off her shoulders.
Otherwise, she couldn't express how weary her heart was from having to face their various lies to the children every day.
Nelly longed to see them yet feared their probing questions. As a result, she found excuses to avoid them every day. Now, she was free to see them whenever she wished without any reservations...
Leaning into Alpha Kilian 's embrace, a faint smile still lingered on Nelly 's pale face. At that moment, she said softly, “Alpha Kilian , you're right. Now, I really don't need to pretend anymore.”
Alpha Kilian lowered his gaze to look at her. “Have you thought things through?”
“I'd long come to terms with letting them know about it, yet I still felt that delaying their knowledge by just one day meant giving them one more day of happiness.”
Alpha Kilian looked at her palm-sized face, feeling an indescribable heartache. “Fool!” he said, pulling her tightly into his embrace.
Leaning on his shoulder, Nelly spoke after a long silence, “Alpha Kilian .”
“Hmm?”
As she spoke, Nelly glanced in the direction of the bathroom and uttered, “The little one must be crying in there now...”
With that, she averted her gaze and looked up at Alpha Kilian . “I might need you to comfort Ben later, I'm out of energy...”
After having her blood drawn and chatting with Ben for a while, she felt as if she had exhausted all her energy. Now, her mind was foggy, and all she wanted to do was to lie down and have a good sleep.
Listening to her exhausted tone sent a wave of bitterness washing over Alpha Kilian . He lowered his gaze and nodded. “All right, you rest well. Leave everything else to me.”
“Okay!” Nelly replied with a smile.
Afterward, Alpha Kilian laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
“Don't overthink it. Take some time to rest well.”
Nelly nodded, wanting to say something more, but her eyelids felt extremely heavy. In the end, she softly mumbled a response and immediately fell asleep.
Alpha Kilian sat by the bed, looking at her with an indescribably complex gaze.
At that moment, an image flashed in his mind. It was the first time he had seen her after she returned to the country.
Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes, a flash of determination glinting in their depths.
“Rest well,” Alpha Kilian said as he bent down to gently plant a kiss on her forehead.
Inside the bathroom, Ben stood in front of the mirror.
He didn't even know what was happening, but tears were uncontrollably streaming down his face.
His hands were trembling, and so were his legs.
He used to be fearless, never knowing the meaning of the word “fear.” But now, for the first time, he truly understood what it meant.
Yes, he became afraid.
He never imagined that one day, Nelly would leave them.
Even when he thought of her with white hair, aged and frail, he had never imagined a scenario where Nelly would leave them.
In his mind, it seemed as if Nelly would never leave.
Even though they were raised in a single-parent household, Nelly provided them with a sense of security, both emotionally and materially. They never lacked anything. It was this sense of security that prevented him from ever considering a different scenario where their mother was no longer around.
Now, however, having seen the effects of the poison on Thalia before, he knew how much pain Nelly must have endured.
Ben failed to put his frustration into words.
He beat himself up for failing to notice how thin Nelly had become thin in just a few days.
Ben continued to chastise himself fiercely in front of the restroom mirror.
Gradually, Ben lifted his gaze, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The next second, his fist slammed down hard on the basin.
He pummeled the solid basin over and over again.
It seemed that only such a release could make him feel a bit better inside.
He kept going until his fist felt so numb that it no longer hurt. Only then did he stop.
Ben stared at his reflection in the mirror. There was a fleeting moment when he thought he was looking at a stranger.
His thoughts had begun to wander when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Ben turned around, his gaze directed toward the door.
“Ben , it's me.” Alpha Kilian 's voice echoed from outside.
Ben looked on, remaining silent.
“I know you must have a lot on your mind. Come out, let's talk!” said Alpha Kilian .
Ben stared at the door, unmoving.
Alpha Kilian sighed and continued, “I don't have much time. If you're willing to waste it on this, I can always come back and chat with you later. I'll give you three minutes to think about it.”
Still, Ben stood quietly in the bathroom, his gaze fixed intently on the door.
Outside the bathroom, Alpha Kilian no longer urged his son to open the door. Instead, after checking the time, he began counting down the seconds as he waited.
The seconds ticked away.
As the three-minute mark approached, Alpha Kilian let out a sigh and announced, “All right then. Let's talk about it when I return.”
Rather than comforting him, Alpha Kilian had more important things to do.
Seeing that Ben had no intention of coming out, Alpha Kilian turned around and left.
However, just as he turned around, suddenly, the sound of a door opening rang out behind him.
Alpha Kilian froze, turning his head around, only to see Ben standing at the door, looking at him.
Alpha Kilian gave him a once-over, his brows furrowing upon noticing his son's slightly swollen hand.
“Daddy, take me with you,” Ben suddenly said.
“Where should I take you?” Alpha Kilian asked.
“I know you're planning something tonight, and I want in,” Ben said.
Upon hearing his words, Alpha Kilian 's eyebrows furrowed tightly. “What can you do?”
“No matter what it takes, I'll do it. I'll avenge Nelly by taking their lives!” Ben muttered. His voice choked with emotion as he uttered the word “revenge.”
Listening to his words, Alpha Kilian sighed helplessly. He walked toward Ben , reached out, and gently patted his son's head. “I know you're angry right now, but Ben , now is not the time to let your emotions run wild...”
“Daddy, even if I can't do anything, I want to see them fall one by one. Daddy, I promise I won't cause any trouble. I want to go!” Ben declared, stressing each word.
Looking at Ben 's resolute demeanor, Alpha Kilian knew that if he didn't take his son along, the boy would surely find other ways. If that happened, Ben 's safety wouldn't be guaranteed.
With that thought, he lowered his gaze. “You can go with Tony .”
“Tony doesn't need my help at all. He can handle it on his own, not to mention he has people from the dark web. My presence would be pointless,” Ben said.
Alpha Kilian narrowed his eyes.
“Daddy, I know I'm young and can't do much, but don't worry, I'll just watch. I promise not to cause any trouble,” Ben assured, emphasizing each word.
Alpha Kilian looked at him for a long time. Perhaps he understood his son too well, which was why he compromised.
Hence, Alpha Kilian nodded. “All right. No problem.”
Ben was slightly taken aback. “Really?”
“Really.” Alpha Kilian nodded. “I understand that actions speak louder than words. If that's the case, then let's do it together.”
A glimmer of light gradually lit up in Ben 's eyes.
“All right, you should get ready now. We'll set off together tonight,” said Alpha Kilian .
Ben looked at him and nodded emphatically.
Night was drawing near.
The number of people in the castle was steadily increasing, and the atmosphere seemed to grow more tense.
The people downstairs were all dressed up and ready to go.
At that moment, Dave looked at Tony . “Later, let Mike take you to the base. Everyone there is ready.” As he spoke, he pulled out something that looked like a card from his pocket. “This is for you.”
Tony frowned. “What is this?”
“The cryptographic key to the dark web,” Dave said.
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Mike, Luke, Alexia, and others on the side all changed.
“Dave.” Mike looked at Dave. His brows furrowed in concern.
Tony being allowed to enter the base and used the dark web was already shocking to people. Yet, Dave was handing the boy the cryptographic key to the dark web. It was the equivalent of handing over half of the organization to a kid.
If the dark web were to be breached, all the base's secrets would be exposed to the world, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Tony , being a regular netizen, certainly understood that.
Looking up at Dave, he seemed slightly surprised. “Alpha Dave...”
Dave looked at him. “Take it.”
Tony found the situation somewhat tricky as he stared at the key.
“What's the matter? Afraid to take it?” Dave asked him.
“No...”
“Take it then,” Dave insisted.
After much hesitation, Tony finally took it from Dave's hand.
At that moment, Dave, who was standing by, spoke up. “I know what you're all thinking, but there's something I need to tell you. The dark web was attacked once before, and I'm sure some of you know about it. The one behind this was Midnight fang pack . Their people infiltrated our base and left a set of variable numbers in our system to use against us. The person who discovered this was Tony !” As he spoke, Dave glanced at the child standing nearby. “If it weren't for him, our base would have faced a disaster these past few days. Therefore, what we're doing now is not just for Alpha Kilian , but also for our base as well as our future lives and careers.” Dave spoke emphasized each word.
Upon hearing that, everyone looked at each other.
“Is there anything else you all want to say?” Dave asked.
Snapping back to reality, Mike immediately shook his head.
It was not that he didn't trust Tony . It was just that he felt that would break the rules they had previously set. However, rules didn't matter when lives were on the line.
Presenting a united front was what matters most.
Seeing Mike shaking his head, Luke also spoke up. “I have no objections!”
“I don't have any either!” said Alexia softly.
It was not that she trusted Tony . Rather, she had more faith in Alpha Kilian , and that his child couldn't be too far off from him.
Seeing that everyone had agreed, Dave grinned. He then lowered his gaze to Tony . “Are you at ease now?”
Tony was not one to be overly dramatic. He understood well that it concerned the survival of DX and Nelly . Thus, he didn't hold back any longer.
“Alpha Dave, rest assured, the task will be completed perfectly by tomorrow!” Tony said assuredly.
Dave looked at him, smiling wordlessly, and affectionately reached out to pat the boy's head.
Just then, Alpha Kilian and Ben descended the stairs.
“What are you talking about?” asked Alpha Kilian .
The moment they saw him, several people greeted him. “Boss!”
“Alpha Kilian !” A few people greeted him.
Alpha Kilian nodded, his gaze sweeping over them. “Tonight, I'm afraid you'll have to work hard!”
“Boss, your business is our business.”
“Yeah!” several people said.
Alpha Kilian looked at them before his gaze shifted to Alexia, who was standing to the side.
At that moment, she was also gazing intently at him. Her initially tranquil eyes were reignited with a bright light when she noticed his gaze was focusing on her.
Even if she knew it was impossible for them to be a couple because he already had someone he deeply loved, it didn't matter to her.
No one could tell her that she couldn't secretly harbor feelings for him.
Still, it wasn't like she wanted to do anything special. She just wanted to be able to meet him.
Upon seeing her, Alpha Kilian frowned. Nonchalantly, he glanced at her before looking away as if he hadn't seen her at all.
Alexia furrowed her eyebrows upon seeing that.
She knew Alpha Kilian did it on purpose. Even though she felt uncomfortable, she quickly collected herself.
All she wanted was to do something for him, repay him, and see him. It wasn't anything much. That was all she needed. As for how he treated her, it didn't matter to her.
With those thoughts in mind, Alexia took a deep breath.
At that moment, Dave glanced at Alpha Kilian before at the boy with reddish eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. “Alpha Kilian ?”
Alpha Kilian spoke up. “Dave, find someone to accompany Ben . Keep him far away!”
Tony also noticed the redness in Ben 's eyes. He understood Ben just as Ben understood him. He doesn't cry easily, so what brought tears to his eyes?
With that thought, Tony knitted his eyebrows. Then, he looked up at Alpha Kilian . “Daddy? Are you taking Ben with you?”
Alpha Kilian looked at him and nodded.
Tony 's brows furrowed. Just as he was about to say something, Ben interjected, “Tony, I have the same idea as you. No one can stop me!”
For a moment, Tony didn't know what to say. Clearly, Ben 's words had already revealed what he knew.
“Still, it's dangerous for you!” said Tony .
“Daddy already said it, didn't he? I'll stay far away. I won't get close.”
“But—”
“If you were in my shoes, you'll definitely want to go too, won't you? I know I can't make much of a difference, but if I don't go, I won't be satisfied,” Ben muttered, choking up as he spoke these words. However, before anyone else noticed, he quickly composed himself.