"Yes, Leland…?" Sophie batted her eyes adorably at the man's word. As she looked at his face, covered with a mask, the curiosity and desire to see his real face resurfaced. Now that she knew who he was… she wanted to see the real him.
Even if he was badly disfigured, she wanted him to know that she didn't mind. She accepted him for who he was.
He was her Lee.
"I… I asked you to marry me so I can make you my mate," Leland spoke honestly. "After the incident that you were almost drowned in the river, I know the only way for me to protect you is if you are my mate."
He waited for her reaction before he continued. If Sophie showed any signs of feeling offended or angry, he would apologize and use better wording to express his feelings for her.
Sophie didn't say anything. She wanted him to speak more before she could understand what happened. So, Leland continued.
"In our society, lycans only choose one mate, their soulmates, to spend the rest of their lives with. We are loyal to our spouses and, usually, the mate bond is unbreakable…" He paused a little. "Lycans can share everything with their mates, be it their feelings, or even their strength."
Sophie remembered reading about this in their school books. Lycans mated for life and in the rare cases that the mate was rejected and abandoned, the pain was so great that they usually didn't want to live any longer.
When she found out how loyal the lycans were toward their mates, Sophie actually thought it was romantic. She never expected that one day she would marry not only one but two lycans.
"I had to establish the mate bond between us so that whenever you are in danger, I can feel it and come to your rescue," Leland explained. "And when you need my strength, you can use it."
Sophie furrowed her brows. Slowly the memory of their first night together returned.
Mate bond.
Was that the reason why Leland bit her shoulder when he ended their intercourse?
As if reading her mind, Leland nodded. "Part of the mating ritual to establish the mate bond was… what I did to you when we consummated our marriage."
"Oh…"
"I am sorry for the pain," the Alpha said apologetically. "It was necessary."
He hoped Sophie would immediately understand that he did the bare minimum because he didn't want to take advantage of her and really only did it to establish the mate bond.
"I would never hurt you…" he added with a solemn expression. "I promise your mother to protect you with my life. I would die before I let you get hurt."
Sophie was in awe. She believed him one hundred percent. The memory came flooding in and she realized he was holding back so much when they consummated their marriage for the first time.
He only did the bare minimum and did the deed as quickly as possible. The consummation was necessary, but he didn't want to have sex with her when he knew she was still mourning for her dead husband.
Now, the passionate kiss before they had sex and small hints here and there made Sophie believe that the man actually wanted to do more but he stopped himself.
This revelation touched her heart so deeply that she never thought it was possible.
"I know…" she whispered. Tears started falling down to her cheeks again. "Thank you for… for accepting me into your life, and making me your mate to protect me."
Leland's confession touched her so much, but then it also made her question something.
If... Leland decided to make her his mate because he wanted to protect her… and lycans only mated once for life, didn't this mean, Sophie took Leland's chance to find his true mate? Someone he loved and wanted to share his life with?
By marrying Sophie and binding himself to her with the mate bond, Leland would never be able to find another mate. Someone who was better suited for him with his status as the Alpha.
"However…" she swallowed. Her words made the Alpha startled. Why was she looking at him despondently? Did she not want to be his mate?
"Yes?" Leland felt his throat parched. What was it that she wanted to say?
Did she think they shouldn't be together, now that she knew who he was? Did she want to reject him?
Suddenly, the man was filled with panic. Perhaps Sophie's feelings for him now changed into platonic because she knew he was Lee?
Leland thought of this possibility before and was conflicting between telling her the whole truth, or just covering the fact that he was Lee until after her feelings for him became deeper and he had avenged her parents' death.
With that, he could buy time to woo her and make her fall in love with him. Then, all the awkwardness would be gone and it would feel just right to be Leland's mate.
Sophie bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. She was grateful that Leland chose her as his mate so he could protect her, but now she also felt guilty. She had become a burden that weighed on his back.
Now, he was stuck with her because she couldn't even care for herself. She was too weak. So, Leland had to take that drastic measure by mating with her to make her his mate, so she could share his strength and get his protection.
Sophie looked up and see the man carefully. She realized he had sacrificed so much for her. By becoming mates with her, Leland had closed the door for him to get his own happiness. He was stuck with her and her children for the rest of his life.
He was stuck because lycans couldn't break the mate bond. Even if Sophie wanted to free him from his burden, she couldn't. Leland would suffer great pain and he might even prefer death.
At this point... Sophie had only one thing to do.
She had to appreciate his sacrifice and treat him well.
Secretly, Sophie made a promise in her heart. She would love this man and serve him well. She would be a good wife to him and care for his every need.
He could have chosen to abandon her and found another female lycan from his tribe, someone so much better than Sophie to be his Luna, but he chose to get stuck with her.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺