"Our blacksmith, Alpha?" Lucas blinked and looked up at the man with confusion. What did their Alpha need from someone who made armors, weapons, and other metal items?
"Do I need to repeat myself, Lucas?"
"Of course not, Alpha. I will summon our best blacksmith right away. Shall I send him here at the door or at the study?" The Beta asked.
Leland glanced once again over his shoulder. His mate was still fast asleep, but the Alpha didn't want to let his mate out of his sight if he had a choice. "Summon him here."
"I will do it at once."
"Good."
Lucas was unsure of what the Alpha wanted with one of their blacksmiths. It was a rather strange request that put even him, who was Leland's second-in-command, into a state of confusion.
As powerful lycans, they didn't usually require swords or other weapons for combat. Instead, their blacksmiths were mostly appointed in order to create other items like horseshoes, nails, and other materials that were useful for day-to-day life.
However, the Beta didn't question or pry into it. Instead, he did as he was asked and summoned their best blacksmith. The lycan blacksmith turned up hurriedly outside of Leland and Sophie's chambers not long after.
"What can I do to serve you, Alpha?" the blacksmith bowed.
Leland went still for a moment but finally, he took a deep breath and asked. "We have a lot of treasures and precious metals that came from the mountain. Can you craft me a pendant?"
Since Leland took over the identity of Duke Romanov, he took advantage of everything that the late man had to offer him. Included among them were the mine shafts that the man once owned.
He wanted a pendant that would last him for a long time.
"For our Luna? Most certainly, Alpha!" The blacksmith immediately said yes and bobbed his head.
"..." The Alpha stayed silent for a moment and knew that most would come to that conclusion. It was something that perhaps Sophie would like as well, but it actually wasn't for her. Leland felt a bit embarrassed to discuss with her.
It would be something just for himself.
If Sophie wanted one for herself, then Leland would quickly commission one for her. There was no problem with that whatsoever with him, but for now, it would be for him.
The lycan blacksmith certainly thought that their Alpha wanted to give his mate a precious gift. So, he smiled and brightly asked. "What kind of stones do you wish for me to use? What material shall I obtain for the necklace, Alpha?"
"No stone, just metal," Leland shook his head at last and clarified. "It is not for Sophia, it is for me."
"Oh… yes, the question remains the same, Alpha. What material shall I obtain for the necklace?" The blacksmith stared at his Alpha and wondered if he had gone deaf or his hearing became impaired. "Unless I misheard you, Alpha."
The lycan was talking to their Alpha who mostly went around the castle baretop and without a hint of jewelry at all. In the Blood River Pack, it was no secret that Leland didn't pay attention to his wardrobe or appearance at all.
When it came to terms of outfits, fashion, or other social etiquettes, their Alpha couldn't care less about those frivolous things.
They were not particularly important in lycan society. If anything, it was the battle scars and wounds that one received during combat, battle, and war that the lycans held on with prestige and honor.
A scar showed one's expertise in battle, one's ability to survive under tumultuous pressure.
That was something that their Alpha, Leland Salazar, was filled with all over his back.
Being lycans with strong regenerative abilities, scars meant the wounds were too deep to heal 100%, and so they left marks. Those were considered the battle scars that every lycans wore with pride.
"Is there a problem with your ears?" Leland narrowed his eyes at the blacksmith who started sweating on sight and shook his head. "Yes, I want to commission a pendant for myself. Does the idea trouble you? Make it with simple metal and use leather string to hang it."
"Understood, Alpha." The blacksmith cowered in fear when he saw the Alpha's sour expression. "I will start working on it immediately."
Without another moment's hesitation, the Alpha continued with his sudden order. "Spare no material or expense for this pendant so that it will last for a lifetime. I do not wish for any flashy jewels, but a gold pendant will suffice."
"Of course, Alpha." the blacksmith bowed his head. "Is there anything else that you require from the pendant?"
At the other man's question, it was when Leland finally slowed down and looked the blacksmith in the eye. He hesitated on sharing it aloud, but he said it slowly. "Yes… I want you to engrave the following names, Morgan and Emery."
A silence followed as the blacksmith immediately bowed. "I will do it at once, Alpha!"
Once the blacksmith was gone, Leland shut the door at once and leaned against the door. The idea that he showed even just a hint of vulnerability was something that the Alpha was unused to.
Grieving was useless.
Tears were a sign of weakness.
Those lessons were embedded strongly within him even as a young child. When his younger brother, Lowell, died back then from a mysterious disease that afflicted him, Isolde only cried out in grief once.
She was allowed to cry because she was a woman. No matter how heartless she had been with Leland and how tough she looked on the outside, she was free to grieve and the Blood River Pack accepted it as normal.
For someone like Leland though, it was disallowed and considered strange for him to cry. Luckily for him, he wasn't close with the golden child. Back then, he only attended Lowell's burial with a sense of agony and dread within him.
However, that wasn't what stuck in the Alpha's mind at most. It was his father.
Not one tear was shed by the man.
The Alpha lost his youngest son but there were no sounds of pain, a sniffle, or even a single tear. If Alpha Leon was upset that his second son died, he never showed it through any normal means.
Leland didn't get how his father managed it, because thinking of his two lost sons filled him with so much grief now.
After the blacksmith left, the Alpha covered his face with a hand and took in a deep and shaky breath. He stood unmoving for a moment until Sophie's eyes bleared open.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Mmm, Leland?"
The Alpha dropped his hand and stepped forwards towards his mate.
"Yes, Sophia?" He asked with a smile. Leland didn't wish to add more trouble to his wife who was still in recovery. So, he put up a calm expression whenever he was around her.
If he could take care of this pain on his own, he would do it.
"I heard voices..." she furrowed her brows. "Were you talking to anyone?"
"Yeah. I called someone to discuss a matter of the pack," Leland said lightly. "It's nothing important. Do you want to have breakfast now?"
Sophie nodded. "Sounds good. I am hungry."
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