As he promised, Leland took Sophie on a detour and visited her old home in Blackwoods before they continued the journey to Frisia. Seeing the rundown hut in the middle of nowhere brought Sophie to tears again.
Of all places she had ever stayed in, it was the shabbiest. However, this was also the place she loved the most. It brought her so much love and good memories.
Beautiful memories of her childhood with her parents and Lee, and the short wonderful memories she had with Nicholas.
"This place is almost crumbling…" Sophie muttered to herself when she got off the carriage and looked at her old hut. However, there was a beautiful smile curved up on her face. She wiped her tears slowly and took a deep breath. Then, she turned to look at Leland and said, "Thank you for taking me here."
Leland nodded. Seeing the handsome man by her side, Sophie suddenly remembered the last time she was in Blackwoods after she failed in her search for Nicholas. She was attacked by a bear and…
Her eyes bulged at the sudden realization.
"You…" She swallowed. "Did you save me from the bear and… and you left me a letter and a pouch of money?"
She was too distraught after losing Nicholas and finding out that she was pregnant. She didn't really think about her mysterious savior back in Blackwoods. Now, everything suddenly started to make sense.
Leland nodded lightly. "Yes."
"Oh…"
Sophie pressed her lips. Now she remembered what happened more vividly. She was attacked by a bear but someone saved her at the last second and took her back to her home.
He provided her with warmth, cooked soup for her to eat when she woke up, and even washed and dried her clothes so she would have something clean and dry to wear after she woke up.
Now, she realized it was not a dream when she thought she snuggled against a very warm and huge wolf when she was unconscious. Back then, Sophie thought she was dreaming of Nicholas.
But apparently, it was real and it was Leland.
Leland looked at Sophie's tears with questions in his mind. Did she feel offended by what he did back then? They were not mates but he dared to remove her clothes and snuggle with her in his wolf form.
Yes, he did it for her safety, but she might not see it that way and only felt disappointed because Leland violated her privacy.
Was she mad?
"I can't believe you are always there when I need you the most, even from before I know you," Sophie said with a hoarse voice. "I must be the luckiest woman in this world."
She staggered but she forced herself to walk to him and hugged him tightly. Her feet felt so weak and she almost fell to the ground by her sudden movement, but Leland caught her in time.
"Thank you," Sophie whispered amidst her tears. "I am grateful to have you in my life."
Leland had hugged her closer and supported her back. Seeing her reaction made his heart flutter, but at the same time, her fragile body pained him to no end.
How long would she be this weak? How far had the poison damaged her body? Would she ever recover completely?
"Do you want to go inside?" Leland asked. He decided to just carry her in his arms. Sophie hugged his neck and turned to look at the shabby hut. She nodded weakly.
"Yeah. I want to see it a little bit before we continue our journey."
"Okay."
Leland walked to the hut, followed by the eager pups who had jumped down from the carriage as well. Their sleepy eyes suddenly went round when they realized they arrived in a strange place.
The dark forest to the right looked scary but fascinating at the same time. They wanted to explore it. However, seeing their parents go to this shabby old hut, they chose to follow.
The other lycans only stood guard to make sure that no one bothered the Alpha and his family.
When Leland and Sophie arrived inside the hut, a wave of nostalgia immediately washed over them. They could see the place looked exactly like the last time they left it.
It was too shabby for anyone wanting to steal anything from it. There was barely any furniture, only one shaky wooden bed, a stool, a simple stove, and a few pots for cooking.
Sophie was dazed for a moment. She remembered the bed she shared with Nicholas after they got married. It was hard and shaky, but when she was sleeping in his arms, it felt like the fluffiest and most comfortable bed in the world.
Luciel and Jan sniffed around the hut and started playing with the pots. When Luciel accidentally kicked a pot to a corner and created a loud clanking noise, Sophie was startled and moved from her reverie.
She was embarrassed that she was thinking of another man while she was with Leland. Her face flushed red.
"I-I have enough…" she said weakly. She realized that being in this hut made her feel overcome by sadness and longing for Nicholas. It was disrespectful to her now-husband.
"Are you sure?" Leland asked."We can stay here longer. We are not in a hurry to reach Frisia."
"I am sure, yeah…" Sophie lied. She could stay here forever despite the hut's rundown condition and would still feel happy. However, she knew this would only make her think about Nicholas more and it was not good for her relationship with Leland.
This man was so kind and loving to her. He didn't deserve to have a wife who was still thinking about another man, even though the other man was already dead.
Recently, Sophie also had stopped talking about Nicholas to her sons. She thought it would be confusing for them to be doted on by Leland but Sophie insisted on showering them with stories about their biological father.
Perhaps, when they were older, she could have a sit-down and talk to them about Nicholas again.
Until then, let Nicholas be an exclusive part of her that she kept deep in her heart.
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