< Three Months Later >
Time passed quickly for the Salazar family and before Sophie knew it, she and her family settled down into a nice and comfortable routine.
Even though Sophie's throat was a little dry and she had a headache when she woke up, she looked up to see Leland watching over her with a loving look on his face.
"Good morning, Sophia." Leland greeted her.
It eased the uncomfortable feeling a little.
"Are you lycans really nocturnal?" Sophie rubbed her eyes and playfully glared at him. "I don't understand how you wake up earlier than me. I was an early riser in Hastings, and the same went for Hautingen."
"I know." Leland smiled and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.
The Alpha remembered little Sophie eagerly waking up Anne and Jack so they could harvest their vegetables. She had always been a ray of sunshine around him.
"What are you smiling about?" Sophie tilted her head and pouted. "You didn't even answer my question."
Leland stared at his wife and shrugged. "Well, I just like waking up early and get busy."
Sophie sat up and clutched Leland's cheek. She gave him a kiss on the lips and pulled back to give him a soft smile. "Well, I'm just glad that you're the first thing that I see everyday. I'm incredibly lucky to wake up to such a handsome face during the mornings."
Leland looked at her with deep longing in his eyes. It made Sophie's stomach churn as her entire face heated up. She couldn't help but glance at the covers and then back at Leland as another blush crawled up at her face.
The Alpha only gave her a raised brow look. "Were you looking for something?"
"No." Sophie shook her head wildly.
Leland smiled faintly. Before Sophie knew it, Leland moved closer and then kissed her on the lips deeply. When he pulled away, Sophie was a little dazed. Her mate showered her with kisses and affection and he treated her with so much love.
"Sophia..."
The atmosphere between them thickened, but Sophie's eyes suddenly focused on the pendant that hung around Leland's neck. She understood what it meant to her husband and knew that Leland was dealing with his grief in his own way despite not saying a word.
Her heart ached a little more, and she only managed a smile.
Somehow, his libido was betraying him. However, the Alpha controlled himself. He still kept checking on Sophie's health and didn't want to aggravate her. Every now and then, Sophie complained about mild ailments and though she brushed it off, he was always vigilant.
Leland also knew where Sophie's eyes trailed and knew that she was thinking about their lost sons.
"Shall we go on for breakfast now?" Leland asked. He changed the subject and distract his mind from intimacy. This was still not a good time to even think about such a thing.
"Yes." Sophie agreed at once and stood up. She held on to her husband's arms and walked with him out of their chambers. "I'm sure the boys are eagerly waiting for us."
"Unless they've started to scarf down their food eagerly," Leland shook his head. "I'm a little concerned that they're picking up a few bad habits from Duncan."
Sophie looked up at him and teased her husband. "Maybe you're just jealous that they've really warmed up to Duncan and Max?"
"No." Leland shook his head. "If Lucas wasn't so busy with being my second-in-command, I would prefer him to watch over my children. He would be a good influence on them. Max is alright, but…"
"Well, don't worry about it too much." Sophie squeezed his arm to reassure him. Although secretly, she had already thought about those two lycans like they were the uncles of her children. "Luciel and Jan adore you the most."
"Do you really think so?" Leland raised a brow. "Luciel always enjoys trying to beat me during our races. It's less adoration and more competitiveness, though I can respect that."
"He's just being silly." Sophie smiled at the image of her growing boy running about. "Although I don't know where he gets it from… Ahem, well… maybe he got it from me."
"Most likely." Leland agreed. "Did you remember when your father once brought us a rope? He made the two of us play tug of war although your mother wasn't too happy about it."
"All I can remember is me ending up in a mud pile since it was rainy the day before." Sophie snorted. "Though you were such a mess before because you were all white."
Leland grimaced. "That's true."
"Did you bring that up because you're going to make Luciel and Jan do it later?" Sophie asked.
"Perhaps?"
"As long as the boys have fun." Sophie grinned. "It doesn't matter if they get dirty."
***
And so the days went past for them like this.
Things were peaceful and each day was a blessing for Sophie, although, peaceful wasn't exactly the best word when it came to living with over fifty lycans underneath one roof.
Most of the pack members lived around the Alpha in his manor and they did everything together. The rest were scattered down in the settlement nearby.
"Good morning, Alpha and Luna!" The members of the Blood River Pack greeted them when they stepped inside the dining hall. Lucas stood up and went to greet the couple.
Luciel and Jan happily barked alongside the pack as they eagerly awaited for their parents to join them for breakfast. It made Sophie smile as she sat down beside her children and with Leland beside her.
She never dreamed that she would eat in the company of so many people.
It was another lycan culture she started to enjoy. Compared to human societies where a village was close together but still separate, she didn't realize that lycans were incredibly close-knit when it came to a pack.
"May the Moon Goddess bless this bountiful feast for us!" one of the lycans raised a goblet before they all started eating.
Ever since Sophie and her entire family arrived at Frisia, she didn't realize how happy moving here made her feel. This was truly the fresh start that she didn't know she needed.
In what felt like so long ago, Nicholas once asked Sophie what she would do if money wasn't an issue and her answer back then was traveling the world and going as far as she could go.
Truth be told, Sophie was only being whimsical at the idea because all she ever planned was to reach Hautingen, open an inn or tavern then live the rest of her days by herself.
However, life brought her an unexpected series of surprises.
There were both good and bad events, but if the Sophie Hansley of over a year ago could be here right now, she was bound to be shocked by the changes and would never expect that this was the life that she had now.
After a delicious breakfast with the entire Blood River Pack, her husband played with their sons, trained alongside them. Sophie loved to watch over and sometimes even joined them when she wasn't feeling exhausted or drained.
Although, Sophie couldn't stand around for too long. The damage to her health was too severe and doctors confirmed she might never fully recover.
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