After a couple of minutes, Sophie slowly backed away from Leland to look him in the eye. She took a deep and calming breath so she could talk to him without stumbling through her words or crying again.
"Leland can you explain what… What happened before I passed out?" Sophie looked at Leland deeply and her voice sounded so weak when she spoke.
However she decided she needed to understand everything, so she could grieve properly. She pointed out the window. "I do not recall that we planned on going on a short trip or anything like that. Where are we?"
Leland gently brushed his mate's hair back and knew he needed to calmly explain the situation. The Alpha made that decision to leave Riga when he realized the danger. With Sophie unconscious back then, he didn't ask her opinion on this, but normally, he would have discussed it with his Luna.
"What do you remember?" Leland asked. "I will fill in the details."
"Well, I remembered our conversation." Sophie bit her lip, fighting back more tears from dripping down her cheeks. She touched her stomach. "...and I also had a talk with Dinah. She had served me tea and I think it did not sit well with me."
The Alpha took a deep breath and gently squeezed her hand. "Sophia… I believe you were poisoned by Dinah."
"What?" Sophie's face was filled with shock and horror. "That can't be true."
Leland sighed. He knew that Sophie liked the female lycan who had served her as her maidservant for so long. He explained the situation to her gently. "I believe that my mother, Isolde made an agreement with that… that maidservant of yours. So she poisoned you and that led to your miscarriage."
"No, maybe there's a misunderstanding or something!" Sophie shook her head. "Dinah… she's my friend. She supported me to confess to you and she even opened up to the boys even though she was uneasy at first."
"I've already discussed it briefly with Lucas," Leland patiently said and eventually reached into his pocket. "Dinah is now gone and she confessed everything in the letter that she left."
Sophie stared at Leland silently as if uncomprehending but then took the letter from his hands to read it herself. After a couple of moments, she finally lowered her head and closed her eyes.
Leland watched his mate with worry, but eventually Sophie spoke again.
"I guess, Dinah's sudden cryptic words back then finally makes sense to me."
The Alpha knew that it was a difficult moment for Sophie and he let her take her time to process everything. He was surprised when she gently folded the letter and then looked at him with a serious look on her face.
"What is the matter, Sophia?" Leland asked. He expected tears to be shed because Sophie was close to her maidservant, but there was only a resolute expression on her face.
It bordered on a sense of fury in those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
"You warned me about your mother, that I shouldn't trust her, but where is she now?" Sophie asked as she gripped the letter tightly in her hands. "If you believe that it was your mother's fault, then where is she? Is she also dead?"
Behind them, the sound of Luciel yawning caught their attention momentarily, and the rather tense expression vanished from Sophie's face. Her expression softened at the sight of her child.
The anger in her disappeared because Sophie saw that she was with her children. However, Leland was reminded of the time when Sophie agreed to marry him.
She was not swayed by power, security or wealth that he offered as Duke Romanov back then, she had been moved by vengeance.
The Alpha looked at his mate and took a deep breath.
"Since we lacked substantial truth back then, it was Dinah's words against my mother's. We weren't truly able to convict her. I should have still killed her back then, haven't I?" Leland looked at his mate. "Do not worry, I will do it next time."
"You will kill her?" Sophie narrowed her eyes at her mate.
"I've already cast her out of the Blood River Pack, but if I were to encounter her once again," Leland said. "I will make sure that she will regret everything that she has ever done to us, Sophia. She has messed with our lives far enough."
"I…" Sophie bit her lip, suddenly didn't know what to say. She hated Isolde to the core if she was really the one responsible for her babies' death. However, the realization that Leland might really kill the woman who gave birth to him gave her a shudder.
"Sophia, I apologize that I didn't do it sooner," Leland said with a somber expression. "For a moment, a fleeting moment, I had actually hoped that she had a heart and yet I should have known better."
"You wanted your mother to love you, Leland," Sophie said weakly. "I can't fault you for that."
Leland laughed in a bitter tone. "No. She was never a mother. She only gave birth to me because she thought it was useful, Sophia. The next time I meet her, I will not hesitate any longer."
Sophie bit down on her lip as grief washed over once more. Could she really expect Leland to kill his own mother with his hands?
The thought was something that made her hesitate.
She was angry and rightfully furious because of everything that happened from the miscarriage to even Dinah, but a part of her had actually hoped that Leland and Isolde would get along.
That, perhaps, it was a second chance for both Leland and her. Even if it was difficult at first, perhaps Isolde would warm up to her son and Sophie and they would be happy like the old days with Sophie's own parents.
That was her mistake.
Once again, Sophie realized that one's own blood relatives could do more harm than good. The worst thing was that one's family was also great at manipulating you because they knew you well and understood your weak points.
More than ever, Sophie couldn't blame Leland for letting his mother get away amidst everything. She knew that Leland was also probably worried sick about her back then to do anything else.
Sophie only realized everything that happened now, but her husband was dealing with every issue while she was unwell.
As a mate and wife, she failed Leland and let him face the situation alone.
"I… can you just explain where we are going, Leland?" Sophie finally asked again.
"Complications occurred while you were still unconscious," Leland said. "The pack revolted and chose to attack the coronation despite my decision and that of my Beta telling them not to."
Sophie's eyes widened. "The pack revolted?"
"Moved to anger by Elder Brin." Leland's expression turned dark. "I am sure that a lot of the members of the Blood River Pack are now gone… but it does not matter. Those who remained with us are heading back to Frisia to avoid the royal family's attack."
"I see…" Sophie clutched at her chest uneasily. Too many people died in that short amount of time. "You had to postpone the attack on the capital because of what happened to me."
"Sophia, you didn't choose this to happen to you."
"That is something I'm aware of but…" Sophie shook her head and smiled a bit sadly. "I wish none of this happened at all."
The Alpha gently lifted his mate's chin up. He needed to encourage his mate and give her an opportunity to look at the bright side of things."I wish that were the case as well, but there is nothing that we can do but move forward, Sophia."
Sophie nodded slowly. "I know, Leland. It just means that we'll be leaving the country that I grew up in and…. I never got the chance to say goodbye properly to our kids."
Leland's expression faltered at those words, but he put on his best smile. "We shall return someday, Sophia. For now, let us put our concerns and cares to the present and to the living. Our other children need us."
Sophie finally looked at Luciel and Jan who both woken up at the hushed conversations of their parents. The two lycan puppies yawned cutely and then immediately nudged at Leland.
Both Sophie and Leland exchanged a look and gently picked up their children. Luciel and Jan quickly set off to work at perking up their downhearted mother and father by licking their faces.
"You're right, the kingdom of Riga is nothing more than just a place." Sophie said at last as she looked at Luciel and Jan. "Our boys need the best environment to grow in, and that lycan-hating country isn't the best spot at all."
.
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From Missrealitybites:
I hope you like the 3rd chapter. Thank you to everyone who has supported this book by voting power stones, writing comments and reviews, sending gifts and golden tickets to this book.
The winners of the Werewolf writing contest will be announced on January 27. So, it's less than 2 weeks. Crossing fingers that this book will win something. If it did, I will throw 10 chapters mass release on February 1.
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