In any other moment or day, it would almost seem like Duke Ariam Romanov had taken a good number of his garrison from Frisia and ordered them to come here.
However, to a lone guy on horseback, the royal messenger, it almost seemed like he was going to be swallowed alive by them.
The guy was sweating and looked like he wanted to dart back up the hill and return to the royal villa. What to do? He was at war with himself. This dark duke truly lived up to his reputation.
If it wasn't for his lovely and charming wife, all the nobles in the capital would fear him and took their distance when it came to the duke, even though he brought business to Riga.
"Coward. He isn't even prepared to die for this banner he serves." Isolde commented to her son. Her nose scrunched up in disgust.
Leland glanced at his mother and still found himself at a loss for words. He never thought that a day would come where she would talk sweetly to him and treat him like an actual son. This time, her disgust was directed at a stranger, not at him.
It felt so... surreal.
He was still wary and suspicious, and Isolde knew that very much but when the older woman flashed him a smile, Leland felt a wave of shock overcome him.
"What's wrong, son?" Isolde asked again. Her voice was gentle and doting.
"I will deal with this matter by myself. Please halt our men temporarily," Leland said.
The Alpha thought that having Sophie's love was enough for him. He had the respect of his pack and Sophie's two boys loved him.
However, now that his mother, Isolde Salazar was dangling the idea that Leland and she could get along and act like an actual family, Leland was ashamed of himself.
The little boy who sought after the recognition and acceptance of his parents were still there and happily wagging his tail at the thought that his mother loved him.
How ridiculous!
Leland made his horse go faster to meet with the lone royal messenger. He didn't think that he would be receiving anything but it seemed like he would.
However, when the lone messenger saw Duke Romanov wearing his dark leather mask and swiftly rode towards him like an angel of death, the royal messenger darted forward.
At the same time, he also saw a woman come out of the castle. Compared to anyone else, she seemed like a good person who wouldn't dare hurt him.
So, he decided to ride forward and halted his horse in front of Sophie. The woman blinked and looked up in surprise.
"Yes…?" She asked the royal messenger.
A part of her was actually a tad afraid that the royal family discovered that Duke Romanov was actually a lycan, but they would have sent an army to vanquish them if it had been the case.
"I am bearing a message from the king, the future king." the royal messenger clarified as he handed Sophie a scroll. "Two days from now, the royal coronation will be held in the center of Livstad."
"If you have anything to say, you should redirect it to me." Leland thundered behind the royal messenger and narrowed his eyes at the man for coming near his mate.
He was incredibly protective of his wife and wanted to keep anyone related to the royal family away from her.
***
After the commotion in the morning that came from both the royal family and a large number of the Blood River Pack coming in, Leland would swiftly start to command his peoples. He ordered his second-in-command and his Beta to help accommodate the influx of lycans.
Lucas was his Beta who was ordered to stay behind in Frisia to manage their pack but Lucas was powerless to deny Isolde's request to bring their most formidable soldiers to Riga.
When Leland met Lucas, the Alpha immediately understood that his mother must have oppressed his Beta to follow her whim. Lucas must not be able to say no to her out of respect to Leland and his late father, Alpha Leon.
Leland couldn't blame Lucas. He didn't even show any reaction on his face. The Alpha didn't say anything to scold his Beta and only asked him to help him in Riga. He would take care of his mother on his own.
"Hey… I am so glad you're home," Sophie's sweet voice instantly elevated Leland's mood. She appeared with her nightgown and shawl and that made her look vulnerable. The Alpha immediately felt unease. Was Sophie sick?
She was smiling so brightly and seemed in a fantastic mood. So, she must be okay. Probably a bit tired. Leland immediately removed the thought from his mind. He smiled soothingly at her.
Sophie wanted to help and assist her mate, but Leland had taken one look at her and gently kissed her forehead. He was thrilled to see her but the letter that came from the royal family bothered him.
They were invited to attend the coronation?
Duke Romanov hadn't even been able to meet with the rather elusive crown prince so he had no idea why he was invited. There was so much to do, a lot of opportunities waiting to happen, but first, the Alpha needed to get the entire Blood River Pack with him in order.
"Can I do anything to help, Leland?" Sophie asked.
Leland smiled and gently kissed his mate's head. The weariness of traveling all the way to meet his mother and rush back evaporated at the sight of his beloved partner who took away all of his stress.
"I am glad to see you again, but please let me handle it. Instead, you can have breakfast without me," he said.
"She could have breakfast with me," Isolde suddenly said.
Both Sophie's and Leland's heads snapped to look at Isolde in surprise and wariness. Sophie was actually surprised to see such a beautiful woman who looked so different from those in the Blood River Pack.
While the others like Dinah had fairer skin and even unruly hair sometimes, Isolde looked enchanting with her dark skin and her silver hair accentuating the curves that she had.
She looked like the queen of a faraway desert kingdom.
Sophie now understood why Leland had such… luscious tanned skin. He must have inherited it from his mother's side. The two of them looked like siblings when standing next to each other.
.
.
______________________
From Missrealitybites:
So, they are invited to attend the coronation. It must be Nic's tactic to be able to see Sophie again. What do you think? XD
Btw, I will publish 3 chapters today as my thank you because SO MANY of you purchase the privilege, I am now over the moon.
Hopefully, it will help this book when WN is judging participants to win the werewolf contest.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is fre(e)webnovel