"Leland... can we just go and leave everything behind?" Sophie looked at Leland pleadingly. "I don't want to see you and him got into a deadly battle and..."
She halted her words. She didn't want to imagine losing Leland... or even Nicholas if they fought to the death. What's worse... she might even lose them both. Men were prideful creatures and would sometimes go to the extreme to defend their honor.
In this case, Sophie could see Leland fight Nicholas to defend his claim over her and their children. Was that what happened last night? This time, both men survived with heavy injuries. What about the next time?
"Tell me, Leland... did you fight with him last night? Did he cause you all these injuries?" Sophie asked him again.
She was worried for Nicholas too because she knew Leland was very powerful and the damage caused by him must be severe too. However, Sophie held back and didn't ask about Nicholas' condition. She didn't want her mate to feel offended or hurt that Sophie was worrying about another man.
Leland nodded. "Yeah. You can guess that he was the lycan I fought against last night. The fight ended because of the appearance of the Royal Lycan Hunters."
He decided not to cover up the truth because he was worried Sophie would find out sooner or later. If she thought that he was dishonest once, it would be hard to get her trust back.
"Did he fight you as part of the Royal Lycan Hunter?" Sophie asked Leland to confirm.
Leland sighed. He remembered Nicholas warned him of the Royal Lycan Hunters and even mentioned that he wanted to free the two lycan children from Duke Romanov's captive.
So, in that sense, Nicholas was trying to do good. He was surely not part of the Royal Lycan Hunters. At least not at the moment.
However, since he was the king, it was hard for Leland to not see him as the enemy. Nicholas might be a lycan like them, but he would never be part of them.
Just because he wanted to do some good today toward the lycan pups he saw in the meadow, it didn't erase all the crimes that his family had committed for decades against the lycan race.
"He is still the enemy, Sophia," Leland said stubbornly. "I think the wolfsbane messed up with his memory and it suppressed his lycanthropy for years, and he just shifted again recently. So, he might still be in the adjustment stage and still don't know what he wants to do with his lycan side. For all we know, he might try to take more wolfsbane and get rid of his lycanthropy and go after us in full force."
"How did you know that he only recently shifted again? So... his lycanthropy was suppressed for years?"
"Yeah. When we were fighting, he started awkwardly, like he was trying to understand how to use his claws and fangs," Leland explained.
"Oh...." Sophie nodded in understanding. It made a lot of sense.
The reason why Nicholas didn't recognize her and didn't even know that Leland and his two men who came to the royal palace were lycans was that he lost his memory and he didn't have his lycan ability to sense other lycans.
So, what happened all of a sudden that triggered his recent shift? And did this mean... he started to remember her too?
This was Leland's and Sophie's biggest question and concern, though unspoken by both. What if Nicholas remembered his past and decided to claim Sophie and his sons? Where did that leave Leland's and Sophie's relationship?
Lycans didn't do human weddings. They mated once and for life. For Leland, his mate bond with Sophie was the strongest bond he could ever have with anyone. She was his mate and wife in every sense of the word in human standard.
However, Nicholas was also married to Sophie, and his claim over her was stronger and more valid because they were never divorced and he also had two children from her.
It was unfortunate that he got into an accident that changed his life and robbed him of the many years he could have had with his wife and children.
Should he be punished so severely for making a bad decision when he was young that resulted in losing his memory?
Sophie didn't want to be unfair to Nicholas. However, she was also stuck where she was.
"I understand that you want to go away from here," Leland spoke calmly. "You want to avoid confrontation between me and him. However, we must not run away from problems."
Sophie bit her lip and looked down. She squeezed her fingers in frustration. "I don't want to see any one of you get hurt."
"The fight is inevitable," Leland said. "Sooner or later, it will happen."
Sophie took a deep breath and raised her head to look at Leland deeply. "If I asked you to spare him... would you grant my wish?"
"He wouldn't spare me," Leland replied as a matter of factly. "I love you, Sophia, but I cannot grant that wish. Please ask me anything but that. I have an obligation not just to protect you and our family, but the whole pack."
His answer was just as Sophie had expected. Even though he said it was for the pack, Sophie suspected that Leland's decision also had to do with his hatred toward Nicholas and his family.
"Sophia..." Leland looked at Sophie deeply and touched her hand. "If you have to choose, between him and me, who would you choose?"
Finally, Leland decided to ask that important question. This had been bothering him for the longest time after he found out that Nicholas was still alive.
He realized he acted like such a coward earlier, trying to avoid this question because he was afraid of the answer. However, this conversation with Sophie today brought his logic back.
He couldn't avoid this issue forever. Soon, Sophie had to choose and Leland didn't want to be caught off guard by her decision.
Though deep inside he hoped she would stay with him, he wanted to be realistic. Nicholas was Sophie's first love and she gave birth to his children.
Didn't they say first love never dies? There was a possibility that Sophie would want to go back to Nicholas if the man came to claim her and the boys.
Wouldn't it be the life that every woman dreamed of? Nicholas was a king. Sophie would become the queen of this big kingdom and her sons would become princes if she got back to him.
"Leland, how could you ask me such a question?" Sophie furrowed her brows, visibly upset by his question. "Do you think what we have in the past six years means nothing to me?"
Leland held his breath. He thought he was dreaming. Did she really say that their relationship meant something to her?
The Alpha cursed himself for allowing his insecurity to mess up with his head. He always felt rejected by everyone who was supposed to show love to him. So, it was really hard to see that he was worthy of love.
Even though Sophie had agreed to become his mate five years ago, Leland was still struggling with proving himself worthy of her love and affection.
"I-I'm sorry..." he muttered awkwardly. "I just needed to know."
Sophie sighed and touched his cheek. "I will always choose you."
.
.
_________________________
From Missrealitybites:
This answer must be giving Leland such relief. However, I think it's easy for Sophie to say that she chose Leland now, when she knew Nicholas had forgotten about her, he hated lycans, and already had a fiancee.
But what if he remembered her, showed that he accepted his lycan side and their sons, and kick Karenina away? Do you think it will still be easy for Sophie to choose Leland?
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l