Sophie looked at Leland attentively and wondered how long since the last time he ate something while she was unconscious.
Did he stay with her all the time and forgo food? Leland refused to share that with her, probably because he didn't want her to worry.
Sophie turned to her children and asked them if they had eaten. Both Luciel and Jan opened their mouths, howled excitedly, and got ready to receive food.
"They have eaten," Leland explained with a smile. "But they are always hungry. It's normal for their age."
"Oh, that's a relief…" Sophie rubbed Luciel's and Jan's heads. "Well, we can eat together. There is plenty of food on the tray."
Leland nodded and cut some meat into small slices and gave them to Sophie so she could feed her children with her own hands. He thought she would love it since she had not spent time with them during meal times for several days. Luciel and Jan also missed eating with her.
Sophie mouthed her thank you and proceeded to give the meat slices to the boys who ate eagerly from her hand. It was such wholesome sight that Leland couldn't help but smile at seeing it.
For a moment, he could forget about the pain and just focused on counting his blessings. Soon, he would have to face the reality and find the best way to tell Sophie the bad news.
***
After they finished eating, Sophie spent some time cuddling her babies. Luciel and Jan ate so much and now could barely move. Finally, they snoozed on their mother's bed.
"Let me take them to their room," Leland offered after he saw Luciel and Jan curled up into two furballs and snored lightly.
He wanted to cry when he remembered he could have two more sons from Sophie but they were robbed from him before they were even born. All his life, he had never felt pain this great. He didn't know if he would ever recover from this.
Leland tried to make his voice sound normal when he continued his words. "You still need to rest. We can go out together to get some air after they wake up."
Sophie initially wanted the boys to stay by her side, but seeing her mate's strange expression, she decided to relent. There was something about Leland that day that didn't seem right. She wanted to talk with him about it without the presence of the children.
Leland gently scooped the pups one by one, trying not to wake them up. It seemed they became much heavier after the meal.
"I'll be back soon," he told her before he left the room to bring the pups to their nursery. Sophie could only watch him leave with so many questions in her heart.
Leland returned not long after. He maintained his flat expression, but he couldn't fool Sophie who had been his mate for almost one year. At this point, she had known him well enough to recognize the subtle expressions on his face and his gestures.
Her gut feeling told her something was not right.
"Leland…. why did you cancel the attack during the new king's coronation?" She asked him after Leland closed the door behind him. "Did something bad happen? Where is your mother? I haven't seen her."
She didn't know what happened to Isolde, but she thought as her mother-in-law, it was only logical that Isolde would want to know if Sophie had recovered and come to visit. However, she didn't show up. Leland also didn't mention his mother at all.
She was wondering what happened while she was unconscious. The last thing she remembered was she took a sip of the tea she received from Dinah and…
And then everything went dark.
"Leland…" Sophie looked up and touched Leland's arm. Cold sweat ran down her back and suddenly her mind was filled with so many questions. "Did something bad happen? Why didn't you say anything? Where is Dinah?"
The Alpha looked at his mate and felt hopelessness overcome him. He found something stuck in his throat as he looked at Sophie who knew that he was hiding something from her.
Even though Sophie had just woken up, she could already tell that her mate was trying to hide important news from her. Leland was once again trying to shield her from something.
"Leland, please tell me the truth." Her voice was hoarse. She gripped his arm harder, pleading, "Did something bad happen?"
Leland looked at her deeply. Suddenly, a sadness washed over him completely. However, he kept his cool and tried to be the strong one between them.
"We lost them," he said softly, then he sat beside Sophie and hugged her shoulders. His voice was calm when he continued his words. "I am sorry I couldn't do a better job at protecting you and our children."
Sophie needed some time to register what Leland just said.
"What are you talking about?" she asked him frantically. "They are just sleeping. We will see them later today and go out together."
Was he talking about their sons, Luciel and Jan?
Leland didn't say anything. He just gave Sophiee a loving squeeze on her shoulder. Right at that moment, she realized that Leland wasn't talking about Luciel and Jan.
"They are not Luciel and Jan, aren't they?" Sophie croaked her question. When Leland shook his head to confirm it, she started shaking her head in disbelief. It was as pale as cotton. "No… I haven't told you yet about it., I had not had the chance to…"
Suddenly she felt like she lost her ability to speak. She opened her mouth but no words came out. He heart bled and she was shocked beyond belief.
Leland couldn't help it any longer and pulled his wife into his arms. She was frozen and unyielding in his arms.
"Sophia, I learned about it while the doctors were trying to cure you when the midwife came…"
Sophie acted as if she hadn't heard him or rather that she couldn't accept what her mate had told her. Their children? She could already guess that it was not Luciel and Jan they were talking about.
A loud wail released itself from Sophie's chest as she cried out for her lost children. Grief engulfed her whole being as the realization came upon her. She continued shaking and trembling in Leland's arms.
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