"Oh, they're so cute! I thought they were going to be white cubs, but grey and black are also really nice colors, huh?" Duncan pointed out to Max and gestured to the babies, but suddenly he received the glare not only from his friend but especially the Alpha himself.
One look from Leland was all that it took and Max immediately gestured for the rest to follow him out as he pushed Duncan out of the door and went out.
The rest of the lycans quickly followed alongside Dinah who left the room, so Sophie could talk privately with their Alpha without any hindrance whatsoever.
However, being alone with Duke Romanov only made Sophie feel more nervous.
What was she going to say to him? He had told her that he was a lycan, the Alpha of this pack, and he didn't seem to mind that Sophie gave birth to lycan pups.
But… how did he view her and her children's situation now?
Sophie's mind was full of questions.
When it was finally just the two of them alone, Leland slowly stepped forward and held out the small bottle towards her. "When they are awake… you can let them drink this so they can become strong."
Sophie batted her eyelashes and said, "Pardon me, my lord… but Dinah explained that it's just water exposed to the moonlight? I'm not really sure if I'm comfortable letting my children drink that."
"Oh, my apologies." The Alpha blinked and looked at the tonic in his hand. He immediately started heading for the windows and said, "I can throw this out then."
Sophie's eyes bulged and she waved a hand at him. "Wait, you don't have to throw it out, my lord."
Leland stopped in his tracks. He felt himself hesitate for a moment and then looked at her.
"If you have no use for this then it deserves to be disposed of."
"What? No!" Sophie shook her head. "You don't have to throw it away just because I said I wasn't comfortable using it. Your people's practice is also important too and I want to respect it."
Sophie and Leland stared at each other for a moment, the two of them felt like they were actually having a real conversation for the first time. Prior to this, the two of them held up masks and walls.
Now it was a little more different. Leland didn't think that he would voice out his opinion and have Sophie oppose him.
"You wish to respect the pack's practices?" Leland asked.
Sophie nodded slowly and then took a deep breath before deciding to tell the duke a little bit more about Nicholas. She was sure that the Alpha didn't have a clue as to how she gave birth to lycan pups or knew her story. Perhaps, this was all just a coincidence which he apparently didn't mind.
"There is a reason I want to know more about lycans." A sad smile formed on Sophie's lips. "I know that my husband… my first husband didn't actually want to be a lycan because he felt like it was a curse to him. He… he was turned."
Leland frowned at Sophie's words but chose not to say anything. He now realized why Nicholas decidedly made bad calls and decisions that resulted in him losing his life.
So, the man was turned and wasn't born lycan like Leland. He saw his condition as a curse. Nicholas must have hated that side of him that he did whatever it took just because he wanted to rid the 'curse'.
Sophie glanced at Leland. "I mean no offense to you or your pack, but that was how he saw things. It was one of the few moments I saw him actually with such a serious expression."
"I see."
"So… now that my children are actually lycans just like their father, and I'm uh, fortunate enough to have been found by you," Sophie bit down on her lip and gauged his reaction. "I feel like… I have to be open to you about my situation."
Leland simply stayed silent and didn't move at all, as if waiting for her to continue. Sophie on the other hand was glad that he didn't seem mad at her for bringing up useless topics that probably didn't matter to an Alpha.
"Well, I would like to see them grow up loving themselves," she said at last.
"I understand." Leland slowly nodded. It was surprising that Sophie was talking about Nicholas. Did it mean that she was slowly accepting and trying to recover from her husband's death?
The Alpha was sure that she was only trying to give context and explain her actions.
Even if it pained him to some extent to hear Sophie talk about Nicholas, Leland wanted her to express herself and open up to him.
Even if he couldn't obtain her love, if the two of them could understand one another, it would be nice. Now that Sophie decided to talk to him, Leland thought it was a good sign, that she had started to trust him.
"Thank you once again for helping me and my children, my lord," Sophie said. "You must have taken such a huge risk by choosing to help me when I could potentially endanger the pack if I learned about your identities."
"It is nothing," he said.
He was someone who grew up feeling that the person he could depend on was only himself and if it weren't for the fact that being the Alpha had its perks, then he would have preferred to live by himself.
Even though it was dangerous for a lycan to not live with a pack, Leland believed he could do it just fine. He had no need for anyone. He took that position to be their Alpha in the first place because his mother threatened him with the Hansleys' safety.
Now that Sophie showed interest in their people's practices, though, it seemed like it was also his responsibility to help her.
This content is taken from free web nov𝒆l.com