Nicholas couldn't sleep well that night. His injuries from his last fight with Leland were not yet healed properly, but he already got into another fight. Gosh... He was not this aggressive before. Why did he suddenly become so easily agitated and get into fights?
Maybe it's his lycan side slowly showing his true self? He knew those monsters were animals and only knew how to fight and show aggression. It must be also the reason why that guard in the manor looked so hostile toward him.
Nicholas massaged his temple. He was lying down in bed naked in his wolf form. It was easier to sleep without clothes on so that his clothes wouldn't get in the way of the salve he used to medicate his wounds.
Once he was feeling so comfortable with himself, he shifted into a wolf without even trying. This made Nicholas realize that sleeping in his wolf form was the best for him in this condition.
Clothes wouldn't get in the way to heal his injuries. He was also kept warm from the cold temperature by his thick fur.
The man tossed and turned on his bed. He kept thinking about the two boys. Where were they now? Were they okay? Where was their mother... and their stepfather? How could Sophie leave Luciel and Jan with strangers for days and didn't return for them?
Romantic getaway my foot! Nicholas realized he was really jealous when he thought about how Sophie was away with Duke Romanov to have romantic moments.
Did she not think about him even once? Did she not recognize Nicholas in the royal party? Nicholas growled. Arrghh!!
His mind went back to the fight earlier. He remembered the annoying lycan who fought with him tonight was always there from day one and showed hostility toward him. When they fought so fiercely, Nicholas remembered thinking this was not the same lycan who fought with him in the meadow.
That one was a more formidable one. He thought if Duke Romanov really worked together with lycans, he would keep the strongest one near the children to protect them from the enemy's attack. However, that white wolf was nowhere to be seen. He also didn't help Lucas when the man was cornered and lost the battle.
Come to think of it... it's so suspicious.
Did Sophie know she was surrounded by lycans in that manor?
Nicholas suddenly shifted back into a human. His eyes bulged and his heart pounded so hard, it felt like it would leap out of his body.
That white wolf!
He slapped himself on the head. Why was he so slow??
That white wolf must be Duke Ariam Romanov himself! That was why he was not around when Nicholas came. The wolf was not there because he was going away with Sophie. That dark duke must be a lycan.
In fact, he might be the Alpha of the pack, seeing how much his men seemed to revere him.
So... did Sophie know the man she married was a lycan? Did she find out before or after they got married? Did that mean... she accepted the man for who he was? A monster and whatnot...
This made Nicholas look down at himself and smiled bitterly.
Did Sophie know he was a lycan too when she married Nicholas? If she knew and accepted him, then why did he bother trying to get rid of his lycan side?
Now that he was older and wiser, he realized he had made such a naive and awful decision back then. As long as the people who loved him could accept him for who he was, then the rest didn't matter.
He thought about it deeply and finally sighed. Nicholas realized the person he needed to accept his lycanthropy was actually not Sophie.
It was himself.
Nicholas realized he must have hated his lycan side so much and was so determined to 'cure' him from lycanthropy that he took that much wolfsbane that ended up ruining his life.
Meanwhile, Sophie accepted the other man even though he was a monster. Not only was he a lycan, but he was also deformed. Yet, when Nicholas saw her enter through the door with such a big smile on his face, he realized Sophie was really happy.
Tears started forming in the corners of his eyes. She would have accepted him no matter what.
Nicholas shouldn't have taken that risk. And now he had lost her.
He really wanted to kick himself in the head again, but he was injured everywhere and he didn't even have the energy to do it. So, he dropped himself to the bed and looked at the ceiling.
Things started to become clear to him. He now knew his past. He knew what happened to Sophie. He knew that he had children. And now he knew Duke Romanov and his people were lycans and their arrival back in Riga after five years was so suspicious, especially after the attack on Armeria.
Did they come here to do the same thing as the other pack did to the royal family of Armeria? Nicholas was not sure how much power and resources they got. The manor could hold over 100 people. Was that enough to attack and invade the kingdom of Riga?
Five years ago they tried with almost five hundred lycans and they failed. Would they be so stupid to try again but with less power and resources? Did they have more men placed somewhere hidden?
Did they also work together with the lycans who invaded Armeria to attack Riga at the same time?
There were so many things to think about. Nicholas became restless and worried. He had found out so much useful information just by being a lycan. All this important information had escaped his spies. He gritted his teeth, thinking how incompetent they were.
Wait...!
The two lycan pups that he saw in the meadow weeks ago...
Nicholas winced his forehead, finally seeing his stupidity. They must be Luciel and Jan.
Dammit! Why are you so dumb? Nicholas scolded himself. He sat up on the bed and buried his head in his two hands and growled angrily. He couldn't help but shed tears, crying for the lost time and missing opportunities.
***
The healers were quickly summoned to take care of Lucas' injuries. They took the wounded wolf to his room and tended to his wounds. When the men were busy fixing the damaged gate and saving their friends who were hurt by the collapsed wall, suddenly Luciel's scream pierced the night sky.
"Jan is hurt!! Help!"
The boy was found hugging his unconscious twin whose head was bleeding profusely. Apparently, big rubble hit Jan in the head during one of the moments when the walls and roof collapsed from the fight.
Luciel was hit too and he passed out. When he woke up, he found his brother was injured and didn't wake up. He immediately got up and checked Jan's condition. The boy's breathing was very faint and blood kept flowing from the wound on the back of his head.
Luciel immediately cried and screamed for help. Duncan got to him first. He felt his heart drop to the floor when he saw what happened. He felt like a failure.
He should have kept an eye on the boys every second, to prevent this freak accident from happening. He thought the boys were safe in their room. How could he know that the fight would be so fierce that it would cause such damage to the manor building?
Now, how could he show his face before the Alpha again?
"Oh, by moon goddess' grace..." Duncan felt like crying. "I am so, sorry..."
He crouched down and took Jan's body. He quickly take the boy to another building and screamed for healers to check on him. Meanwhile, Luciel ran quickly following Duncan. He wanted to make sure his brother was safe.
***
Sophie was glad Leland offered to return to Livstad immediately. The closer they got to home, the more worried she became. She didn't know exactly what happened, but somehow, she could feel something bad had happened.
"Please, faster..." she whispered weakly. Her hands hugged Leland's neck as and she started crying. She didn't know why. Her mind was a mess. Being pregnant didn't help.
Leland could run faster if he didn't have her on his back, but since he was carrying Sophie, he had to keep his pace slower so that she wouldn't fall. He could tell she was anxious and impatient, but there was nothing he could do to calm her down.
He felt so bad that he couldn't feel anything from the boys. They didn't have the same bond as what they had with Sophie. They were not his biological children.
This made him feel so angry.
.
.
.
__________________________
From Missrealitybites:
ODETTE & THE CURSED KING
I have been helping my mentee, Ogi, translate and edit her story "Odette & The Cursed King" for two months now and I have been crying and laughing throughout the process.
I LOVE that story, maybe a little more than I love my own. I feel so attached to the male lead who I think is a very complex man. I just love him! I even pay to turn the story into a comic because I really want to see the story come to life in pictures.
Because of that consideration, I have suggested Ogi not sign the book to Webnovel with an exclusive contract because then we won't be able to continue the comic.
Therefore, we plan to publish the novel through a third party in April. It will be available on Webnovel, but since it's through a third party, the author won't be able to respond to comments, much like translation books. The publishing would use a separate channel.
However, I really can't wait to share it with you now. Well, at least the early chapters, so you would know why I am so in love with the book. You can now find the book on Webnovel. Just search by the title "Odette & The Cursed King". The cover is green. You can see it in the comment.
Please go there, read the early chapters and let me know your thought.
LOVING THE CURSED WEREWOLF KING
My other mentee, Gigi, has published her story and I am so happy to see she finally wrote her first snusnu scene.. lol. Suprisingly... it is REALLY GOOD! I love the love scene between Ronan and Arielle. It is super sweet and wholesome. You will get to read it in a few days.
If you haven't read Gigi's book, go read now. It's really sweet and fluffy. The title is "Loving The Cursed Werewolf King".
As you can already guess, I came up with the titles.. hahahaha. I might have a penchant for cursed male leads.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ovel.com