Note:
Thank you, Kelly Goodwin dear, for the castle gift. Muahhh!! xx
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Now, everything started to make sense. Nicholas rubbed his temple and cursed inwardly.
WHY?
Why did Sophie have to end up with the Alpha of Blood River Pack who was, by all means, Nicholas' mortal enemy? It made everything harder for him. He didn't mind working together with anyone but Leland Salazar!
"So?" Lily looked at Nicholas and furrowed her brows. She could tell that there was something that was bothering the king's mind. Did he still hate the pack even though their old Alpha was dead? Or.. did Nicholas also have a history with the new Alpha? She was wondering what was going on.
Nicholas showed a bitter smile and patted her back. "I need time to think. Thank you for your hard work. Riga owes you."
"What do you mean? Aren't you going there with me?" Lily asked. She was now convinced that there must have been something going on between Nicholas with the new Alpha of Blood River Pack for the king to act this way.
"I have to think about it," said Nicholas. "While I do, why don't you come with me to the capital. I want to show you Livstad and welcome you to the royal palace as an honorable guest. That is if you don't mind."
"Hmm... I've never been to the capital," Lily said. "Very well. Sounds interesting. I will explore the capital while waiting for you to make a decision."
"Thank you."
Nicholas became so quiet on the way to Livstad. So much new information flooded his brain and disrupt everything he had thought about before.
He did feel so dumb for not realizing it sooner, that Sophie's new husband was the Alpha of the Blood River Pack who tried to invade Livstad more than five years ago. The timing was all on point, however, he still missed the clues.
Did that mean his spies were not competent or... were there any traitors among them who intentionally didn't provide him with the right information? Either way, he thought Leland Salazar or Ariam Romanov did a great job in infiltrating his kingdom.
***
Lily enjoyed her stay in the capital. Nicholas provided a nice place for her and the lycans who came with her and treated them to good food and a welcoming reception.
Nicholas didn't tell anyone in the palace that his guests were lycans, so Lily and her men could roam around freely without getting stared at and questioned. Nicholas also asked them not to transform as much as possible and not seek any conflicts with anyone.
He was worried that his vision to have peace in his kingdom between lycans and humans would be challenged by people who were still close-minded and still hated lycans.
He only revealed to the public that he was a lycan two months ago. He still needed time to get them used to the idea of having a lycan for a king. So, asking the people to be accepting of lycans as their fellow citizen was too much at this point.
"One day, lycans and humans could walk side by side freely without any prejudice," Nicholas said to them on the first night they arrived in the capital. "However, it will take time. I hope you don't mind holding back a little while you are in Livstad."
"Understood," Lily shrugged. "You cannot wipe out decades long conflict in one day."
"I am glad you understand." Nicholas was relieved to see Lily was so wise and clear headed. He wished Leland Salazar was like her. Things would be so much easier.
***
After three days of staying in the capital, Lily Moonchester was summoned by the king to his study. Nicholas had thought about what he should do regarding the Blood River Pack and finally made his decision.
His hatred for the pack, his animosity toward Leland, and his personal grudge and childhood trauma, shouldn't hinder him from trying to achieve his goal. At the end of the day, what he wanted was to make Riga a better place for Luciel and Jan, his beloved children.
He had wronged them and made unforgivable mistakes... not because he was evil, but because he was young and foolish and didn't make the right decision. He was so focused on getting rid of his lycanthropy no matter at what cost and ended up losing Sophie.
Now, he didn't want to make the same mistake. He must focus on his children and work hard to achieve his goal. He would swallow his pride and bury his grudge if those are what it takes to make Riga safe for Luciel and Jan.
This was just politics. Nothing more and nothing less.
He had talked to Noel about what happened in Riga around the year when Sophie's parents were killed. He remembered Leland hated him so much because the man said the Hannenberghs were responsible for Sophie's parents' deaths.
The accusation deeply bothered Nicholas. If his family was indeed responsible for the crime, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Even though he didn't have anything to do with it, he was part of his family and also the heir of the Hannenberghs. So, of course, he had to take responsibility.
He would beg forgiveness from Sophie and try to make up for what happened by doing anything... anything she wanted from him.
However, after Nicholas had the conversation with Noel, he found out that the Royal Lycan Hunter didn't have anything to do with the death of the couple found murdered in the Blackwoods Forest fourteen years ago.
In fact, Noel said that based on the evidence collected and testimonials gathered from the witnesses, the couple, Anne and Jack Hansley were probably killed by wild animals or... lycans.
Nicholas didn't know how Leland came up with the conclusion that the Royal Lycan Hunter was responsible for the murder. Did Sophie's parents have anything to do with lycans?
Nicholas remembered that humans who were accused of protecting or supporting the lycans in the past were considered the enemy of the state and they were also hunted by the Royal Lycan Hunter. However, he didn't think Sophie's parents were lycans supporters. Or were they?
Gosh... at this point, Nicholas realized he knew very little about Sophie. In the few months they were together, Sophie only told him that her parents died when she was ten. She said they died mysteriously and she was not even allowed to see their bodies.
He didn't probe because he didn't want her to be reminded of her horrible experience. However, now he regretted not asking more about it. He felt so inadequate as a man. Why didn't he care more?
Leland Salazar seemed to care deeply about Sophie's parents that his rage toward the Hannenberghs for causing their deaths was much more intense than Sophie's.
This made Nicholas feel bad about himself. No wonder Sophie liked Leland. She probably liked the man so much more than she liked him. Leland cared so much about Sophie and did everything for her, more than Nicholas ever did.
"Lily, I had made my decision. We will go to Hastings and talk with the Alpha of Blood River Pack," Nicholas looked at Lily deeply. "However, before we get there, there are some things that I wish you to know."
Lily's eyes glint in excitement. She KNEW there must be something between Nicholas and the Alpha of Blood River Pack. She was all ears.
"I am listening," she said with a smile.
"I believe I know Leland Salazar, and I have reasons to think that he doesn't like me," Nicholas said. "He might try to kill me if he saw me come. Are you okay with that? Do you think your safety is threatened if you go with me and he will try to kill me?"
Lily swallowed. "Uff... that bad, huh?"
Nicholas nodded. "Well, I also wanted to kill him. So, the feeling is mutual."
Lily exchanged glances with her men. They looked at her with a gaze that Nicholas couldn't decipher. He knew they must have their own code or language among them to discuss things like this.
Nicholas added, "I mean, you are welcome to wait outside. I don't want to endanger you all."
Lily finally shook her head. "Hmm... well, let's hope that he wouldn't want to kill me. His pack doesn't have any animosity toward Red Moon. If he is wise, he wouldn't want to look for problem."
"Are you sure you want to go with me?"
"Yes," Lily replied firmly. "Let's do this."
"Very well."
***
Nicholas' feelings were conflicting when he and his entourage arrived in Hastings. On the one hand, he hated seeing Leland and tried to talk about a peace agreement with him, knowing that he would probably say no. However, on the other hand, he was excited about the possibility of seeing his sons... and Sophie.
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