TRIGGER WARNING: The loss of unborn babies.
Please skip this chapter if the scene is triggering for you. Writing this chapter is very hard for me too.
.
.
.
.
__________________________
"Get out of my room, Leland," Isolde curtly said. "I have places to be."
"Where are you going?" Leland asked and desperation was evident in his tone. "Did you bury the antidote somewhere else before coming here? Did you hide it outside of the castle? Somewhere else? Frisia?"
"How many times do I have to get it through your thick skull that I don't have the cure?" Isolde snapped at him. "If I did, I would have also gone through what you said and used it to obtain power, but I didn't, right?"
Leland stared at her helplessly and threw Isolde's bag against the wall. Frustration ebbed within him as he stared coldly at his mother. "You're going to run away, aren't you?"
"What are you talking about?" Isolde frowned at him. "I have realized that I am unwanted here in your castle, so why should I stay here any longer? The attack on Riga is also canceled. So, why would I stay here?"
Leland growled underneath his breath. "I wish I could kill you now with my own bare hands. I… I could have done it so long ago but I never did it. Have you never wondered why?"
"I'm your mother, Leland." Isolde smiled.
"Blood means nothing between the two of us!" Leland glared at her. "You used me to get to Alpha Leon but since it didn't work, you found no use for me. Don't you dare bring up blood relations!"
Isolde laughed despite the bitterness of remembering her mate and then looked at Leland coldly.
"Deep down, even if you refused to admit it to yourself… I will be the only one who will understand you. You're showing your good side to this Sophia, but what happens when she sees the monster that you are?"
"Leave, Isolde. I do not want to see your face ever again." Leland glared at her. "You are not welcome here in Blood River Pack any longer."
"Casting me away from the pack? How silly when the truth is that you want to kill me." Isolde smiled. "And yet you're holding yourself back again. You're trying to tell yourself that you're better than me or your father. You know what? I don't even want to be here any longer. You are an unfilial son. I know I'll always regret the day I gave birth to you. Ungrateful brat!"
Leland stood in silence as Isolde brushed him aside and grabbed her bag. She didn't want to stay any longer.
***
Another day had passed and the coronation was coming up fast and yet the Alpha couldn't care one less about the crown prince ascending and becoming king.
All he cared about was his mate. Sophie was still unconscious and he could feel her body become weaker and weaker. Leland couldn't think about anything else but how he would stay strong and kept Sophie alive.
Fortunately, there were many servants in the manor that could help around the estate and take care of Jan and Luciel while their parents were in a very upsetting situation.
The boys were distracted by new toys and so many treats. Duncan and Max also took them running around outside to see the beautiful scenery for hours and hours, much to the boys' delight.
That way Leland could focus on Sophie and all the doctors and healers they summoned to the manor. He could at least get his mind off of the twins.
When the lycan healers couldn't do anything, all of the best doctors from Livstad were summoned. Similar to the conclusion that the healer from before said, the word they gave to Leland was enough to make the Alpha lose hope.
"She is dying." All of them agreed and made that conclusion.
"No." Leland refused. "There has to be something. Anything to help my wife recover, she is strong and fighting until now. I can feel it."
All of the doctors were looking at each other and were at a loss for words. They didn't know what they could do to help the woman who looked so close to death and was already near the end.
Suddenly, a woman spoke from the back and looked at the doctors.
"My… lady is pregnant. Have any of you checked on it?" It was the midwife that checked Sophie two days prior. She spoke hoarsely and her eyes were stinging red.
Leland felt the strength suddenly leave him all of a sudden as he looked at Sophie. He remembered that his wife last told him that there was a special surprise that she wanted to tell him.
It all started to make sense. He cursed his bad luck and how he could never catch a break. This wonderful news came at such a bad time and it only caused him so much pain.
What happened to his wife's pregnancy? How far was she in? Was their child okay?
Gosh… Leland had to exert all his sanity not to cry in front of others. He listened to the midwife's explanation with a flat face.
"Do what she said," Leland told the doctors standing in the corner of the room.
All of the doctors looked at each other and murmured, starting to discuss the situation among themselves as Leland heard every single word that came out from their lips.
"Perhaps if we…?"
"The baby?"
"Is it a possibility?"
"Induce the woman to give birth?"
"What are the chances if the baby is the one that is making the woman sick?"
Each one was a direct attack on the Alpha's heart as he looked at his mate and felt tears prick his eyes. Sophie wanted to surprise him that they were going to have children, but now she was in a state like this...
The Alpha was heartbroken because he could already imagine having kids of his own with Sophie. Leland loved Luciel and Jan dearly like they were his own.
However, having his own children with Sophie was like a dream come true. A dream that he never knew he needed.
No.
Leland could see how much Sophie was suffering right now. If it was actually her pregnancy that had caused so much pain and burden for her, then the Alpha wanted to ensure her survival first.
"I want my wife to live," Leland said as he closed his eyes. "That should be your priority."
When the doctors finally checked on the situation, the truth was actually much harsher because it seemed that even before they made a conclusion to induce childbirth, the babies were already long gone.
They were gone from the moment that Sophie drank the poison.
After Sophie was induced, the midwife pulled them out one by one. There was a sad expression on her face as she gently wrapped each fetus with small blankets. There were two of them.
Leland felt his heart split open and yet when he looked at Sophie who still didn't regain her consciousness, he knew how this was going to eat his wife alive and it crushed him so much.
The Alpha stayed in their chamber and didn't leave his mate's side. Thoughts of revenge, justice, and other acts were out of his mind and all he cared about was waiting for his wife to wake up.
***
Leland stayed with his mate until the moment when Sophie's eyes fluttered again. After she opened her eyes, she weakly looked at Leland who didn't let her hand go all this time.
She was still feeling unwell and was very sick, but she had finally regained consciousness.
"Leland?"
"Sophia." Tears started to stream down Leland's face as he looked at his mate. He had been so afraid that he would lose her, but to see that she had finally woken up made him burst into tears.
This was the first time that Sophie saw her husband and mate cry like this. He suddenly looked so vulnerable around her. Her heart ached at the sight as she weakly but gently brushed the tears away from his eyes.
"I'm here, please don't cry," Sophie comforted him with a soft tone.
"I thought I would lose you," Leland whispered hoarsely. "I would have never been able to forgive myself if I had lost you, Sophia. You are my world."
Sophie smiled despite the pain and shook her head. She felt saddened that she had also let Leland feel the same pain that she experienced when she had lost Nicholas. She wanted to help ease his pain and reassure him that she was fine.
"Leland…"
"Please gather your strength, Sophia." Leland gently spoke to his wife and then softly kissed her hand. He was hopelessly devoted to his wife and wanted to see color back on her cheeks. "Are you thirsty or hungry? Let me fetch you something to drink or eat."
"I really don't have an appetite though," Sophie admitted.
"Please still try to eat and drink," Leland said.
"I really don't know what happened to me," Sophie said and looked down at her blankets."I apologize for worrying you this much, Leland. The last thing I remember is that you need to plan for the attack on the coronation, right?"
"Do not think about that anymore," Leland said. "What matters is that you need to recover your strength and get better."
She fiddled with her hands and felt rather guilty that she really made her mate concerned. Everyone was looking forward to conquering Riga and her situation didn't help them at all.
"I understand that… and the truth is that I secretly wanted to postpone the attack."
The Alpha felt his throat become dry. "Then it is good that we have halted all the operations. Please don't think about anything else, for now, Sophia."
He smiled sweetly at her and kissed her forehead. His heart was broken but he didn't want her to see how he was feeling devastated by the loss of their unborn babies. She needed to get better first. He could mourn alone until she was ready to receive the bad news.
.
.
_____________________
From Missrealitybites:
My heart goes out to anyone who has experienced losing their child/children at any stage of their lives. Words cannot describe my feelings.
Writing this chapter is very hard for me personally but it has to be written. I am just the storyteller and their life story needs to be told.
I intentionally kept the scene short, because it was tough on everyone, but there would be more mention about it a little bit more in the next chapter.
Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience