It was a very pleasant journey and it lasted all night. Sophie enjoyed the wind on her face and how she felt like flying when Leland ran so fast that the view around her became like a blur.
This filled her heart with so much warmth. She could understand what Leland and her sons must be feeling when they were in their wolf forms. They could run around freely and become one with nature.
Sometimes Sophie secretly felt jealous of the lycans around her. They had a much stronger physique than humans, they also had the speed and the sense of freedom that humans didn't have.
There were so many rules and customs in the human society, while with lycan, they were more relaxed about such things.
However, they had a strong relationship with the members of their pack. The bond they had with their pack members, their mates, and their family was very admirable.
She felt lucky to be part of them, but sometimes she was a bit sad because she was not truly one of them. Being physically different from everyone in the pack, and even from her children was something that Sophie needed time to accept.
She was grateful for those moments when Leland took her with him like this. She sometimes rode on his back when they were still in Frisia, and he would take her to the mountains and spend time just the two of them for several hours, away from the children and the pack members.
When he took her for rides, ran around freely in nature, those were the moments where she would feel a little bit like the lycans.
It was sweet and pleasant. They had not done it after they went back to Livstad for obvious reasons. The manor was located not far from the capital and it was surrounded by some human settlement. They didn't want to attract attention if humans saw wolves around the manor.
The nearest mountain was two days away. It was too far to take Sophie there just for a day trip. She also felt reluctant about leaving the children for a long period just to get a break.
However, this week things were different. Sophie badly needed that break, after what happened between them in the royal palace, and knowing Nicholas was still alive. Also, the boys were now old enough that she could trust Lucas and the others to watch over them.
It was a good moment to have a getaway.
When dawn broke, they finally arrived at their destination. Sophie didn't know exactly where they were. She only knew they were in the mountain. There was a small forest in front of them, a wooden hut to her right with a big oak tree and a shrub of blackberry on each side.
Leland crouched down on his four legs and let Sophie get down from his back, then he transformed into a human. Sophie took out his clothes from the bag she was carrying and gave them to him.
While Leland got dressed, she walked toward the hut and checked its surroundings. She realized that the hut perched on top of a cliff and when she looked down from the edge, she saw a canyon at the bottom with a small river looking like a green snake.
This area was really beautiful, she thought. It was surrounded by greenery and she could hear birds chirping from the trees. The sun was slowly rising in the east and providing lights for her to see better. She took a deep breath and felt a sense of peace and calmness engulfing her being.
"Is this hut abandoned?" she asked Leland when the man came to her.
Leland nodded. "Yeah. We found it by chance. It seemed like this was owned by a hunter many years ago. We saw some hunting equipment in this hut but the owner never came back. Maybe he died."
Sophie smiled at that. She was immediately reminded of her old hut in Blackwoods. She missed that place too. She was happy that Leland brought her here to satisfy her longing for her old home and Frisia.
Leland took her hand and led her inside the hut. It was empty and was dusty. The man immediately took her out again.
"Wait here," he said. "I will clean a little bit."
Before Sophie replied, he had closed the door and cleaned up quickly. Sophie could hear the sounds he made from the hut while doing the work.
She could only smile and shook her head. She was used to working and cleaning before she married 'Duke Romanov'. Just because she had maids for six years, didn't mean she forgot how to do it.
"It's good now," Leland said as he opened the door and let Sophie in. She found the hut was now very tidy and there was almost no dust on the surface. There was a wooden bed in the corner of the hut, near the fireplace.
On the other side, there were simple chairs and household equipment. It was such a simple hut, but Sophie liked it a lot. She really missed her childhood home in Blackwoods.
Leland took out a fur coat from the bag and spread it on the wooden bed. He motioned Sophie to lie down to rest. "You should sleep. We were traveling all night. You must be sleepy."
Sophie wanted to say she was not feeling sleepy, but suddenly, her mouth let out a big yawn. She chuckled and realized her mate was right. She nodded and took off her shoes before she climbed the bed. The fur coat provided a really comfortable surface for her to sleep on.
"Yeah.. I can take a nap," she said. Sophie reached out her hands toward Leland and asked him to join her. "Don't you want to sleep too? You are the one who did all the running."
"I am not tired,' Leland said.
"Well.. maybe just snuggle with me then?" Sophie asked again. "What are you going to do while I sleep? It must be boring to stay up alone."
Leland knew so many things he could do alone, but he agreed, it would be boring compared to snuggling with his mate. So, he did what she asked.
Leland climbed the bed and lay down beside Sophie, pulling her to his embrace. Leland kissed her forehead and then covered her eyes with his big palm. "You should sleep now."
Sophie smiled and realized he was serious about asking her to rest. She yawned again.
"What do you want to eat for lunch?" Leland asked when he suddenly remembered Sophie had not eaten anything all after they left Livstad. "I'll hunt prey for you."
"Hmmm.... maybe chicken?" Sophie pulled his hand from her eyes and looked up at him. "Wait.. maybe fish? I am suddenly craving fish."
After being together for six years, Leland knew Sophie was not really into fish. She could catch fish because it was free food from nature, but she was not really fond of it. So, her request to eat grilled fish this time surprised him.
Maybe this was really the craving she experienced because of her pregnancy? Ahh... thinking about it put a smile on the man's face. He nodded. "Very well."
"Can you find it here?"
"Yeah. There is a river down that canyon and there is also a small lake nearby," Leland explained.
"Ah, well then, I'd love to eat fish," Sophie was happy. She pulled Leland's face closer and kissed him, then she closed her eyes.
Leland spooned her until she was asleep and her breath became soft. He stayed with her for two hours, enjoying their intimacy, before he finally left to catch fish for his craving mate.
Leland was not worried to leave Sophie alone in this hut while he was out hunting. This place was far away from human settlement and they rarely came here. Animals also wouldn't dare to get closer because they could smell his scent all over the hut.
When the sun was high in the sky, the beautiful woman finally woke up from her peaceful slumber. She opened her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. A delicious smell of grilled fish wafted in the air.
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