The hunting party went so well and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. This was Nicholas' first time hunting as a lycan and he enjoyed it very much. For once in his life, he felt like he belonged.
As everyone shifted into their wolf forms and started running to chase after the prey, he felt a surge of adrenaline in his veins. So, this was how it felt, to be free and comfortable in his own skin, he thought in amusement.
He was in awe when he saw his sons' wolf forms. They really looked like him. Luciel and Jan had black and grey fur and looked very similar if not for the colors of their fur.
This reminded Nicholas of the cute puppies he saw in the meadow in Livstad many years ago when he saw Sophie and fell in love with her at first sight. They were adorable and smart. He was a proud father.
Jan was a bit lazy, but Luciel was a passionate hunter. In no time he had brought many new preys, one fox, two rabbits, and one squirrel, unlike his brother, Jan who was happy with just one chubby rabbit.
Spending time in an active setting like this made Nicholas get to know his sons more. He realized Luciel's personality took after him more while Jan probably reminded him of his mother who was calm and more relaxed.
"You both did great," he praised them after they all went back to the castle with the preys. He wondered how they would eat so much meat within a short amount of time before the meat go bad.
"Thanks, Dad," said Luciel with a puffed-up chest. "You didn't do so bad either."
Nicholas chuckled when he heard Luciel's words. He noticed Luciel was a bit cocky and this made him wonder if he was seen as cocky too by outsiders. He hoped not.
"What are we going to do with so much prey?" Nicholas asked the nearest lycan.
Usually, when he and his men went hunting, they would only capture a few animals and it was enough for all of them. He was not used to doing this hunting party with lycans.
They seemed to get so much prey in just one hunting party. Maybe because they were lycans, they could hunt much better than humans and get more prey. The question was, what did they do with all the meat?
The lycan replied, "We will eat it raw, and then bring some for the females to cook. The rest will be distributed to the needy."
"Oh..." Nicholas was surprised to hear that. That was actually a good idea. Some people were so poor, that they had never tasted meat in their whole lives. It would be nice to give the meat to them because they would be able to appreciate it.
"That is a really good idea," he commented.
"Yeah, people around here know Duke Ariam Romanov to be a generous man," Duncan added.
Nicholas nodded. "He sure is."
He looked around and found the man was walking inside the castle quickly. He wanted to thank Leland for inviting him to join their hunt that day but he knew Leland didn't think it was necessary. So, he ruffled Luciel's and Jan's hair and bid them goodbye.
"That was fun," he said. "Maybe we can someday do it in the capital. Until then you have to study well and listen to your mother."
"Okay," Luciel and Jan replied in unison. They already had a lot of fun together today and didn't feel too bad when Nicholas had to leave.
"I will go back to Livstad soon. I will try to see you both before I leave," Nicholas said again. He cast his glance around them to look for Lily. The woman was talking to Lucas and they were laughing heartily about something.
"Miss Moonchester," Nicholas walked to them. "I think it's time to go back."
Lily batted her eyes at his words and then turned to Lucas who was standing beside her. Her voice sounded excited when she spoke. "I was invited to meet the Luna. What do you think?"
Nicholas was silent when Lily mentioned the Luna. She must mean Sophie.
He missed he terribly, but he must bury his desire to even see her, for the sake of keeping the peace that had been established between him and Leland.
The king faked a smile and nodded. "You should go. What about the others. Are they staying with you too?"
"No, they will go back to the inn with you," Lily explained.
"Hmm... then what time do you want me to send them back here to get you?" Nicholas asked again. "You are female, I won't let you go home alone."
Lucas cleared his throat and immediately stepped forward. He smiled. "I can take her back to the accommodation."
Even after everything, Lucas was still not friendly toward Nicholas. This made Lily wonder if both men had a past feud, and she was right.
"Very well, I trust you with Miss Moonchester," said Nicholas casually. He was not interested in getting into another argument with Lucas. He could tell that Lily was going to be just fine. He turned to Lily and patted her shoulder. "Have fun!"
"Thanks," said Lily with a broad smile.
She was excited about meeting the Luna of Blood River Pack. She wondered what kind of woman had both Nicholas's and Leland's hearts in her fingers. Besides, she was also interested in Lucas. She thought the man was very cool and this made her want to know more about his pack.
Nicholas was bitter because he was this close to Sophie but he couldn't even see her. It was hard and painful, but he was used to keeping his emotion in check, so he pretended as if that didn't bother him at all.
For the sake of maintaining peace, he had to get himself used to this situation. He had to stop thinking of Sophie.
***
"Gosh, you are all so dirty," Sophie commented when she saw Luciel and Jan enter the castle with muddied clothes and dirty hair. "Go take a bath now."
"Yes, mom," both boys replied in unison. Anne and Jack who came with their mother immediately ran after them with their chubby little legs. They could smell blood and excitement on their brother's bodies. They wanted to become part of the fun too, so they chased Luciel and Jan and then jumped together with them to the bathtub.
"Oh my god, what are you doing?? You are both not dirty," Sophie frantically fished out her babies from the tub and scolded them. "You have taken a bath an hour ago."
She pinched their noses and laughed. They were so adorable and she was never really serious when she scolded them. But both pups pursed their snouts and gave her their best puppy eyes, making them look like the most pitiful creatures in the world.
"Gosh... what should I do with you?" Sophie laughed again. She wrapped both pups with fluffy towels and dry them carefully. While she was busy with Anne and Jack, a maid came to tell her that her guest, Lily Moonchester was waiting for her on the terrace.
Sophie took her babies to the terrace and immediately greeted Lily. She held both pups in her arms when Lily saw her for the first time.
"Hello, Lily isn't it?" Sophie smiled at her. "Sorry, my hands are full. How are you? My name is Sophie Salazar. Nice to meet you."
Lily smiled back. "Hello, Luna. My name is Lily Moonchester, I came here with..."
She immediately remembered that Sophie, Nicholas, and Leland were involved in a complicated relationship. So, she thought it would be awkward to mention that she came there with Nicholas.
So, she revised her wording and didn't say anything about Nicholas.
"I am from Red Moon Pack and we were invited to join the hunting party earlier today. It was really fun."
"Oh, I am happy to hear that," Sophie motioned Lily to sit. "Please have a sit. I will ask our maids to serve you something to drink, while I dry these two brats."
"Thank you," said Lily. She tilted her head to see the two pups and then she chuckled happily. "They are so cute. What are their names?"
"Oh, this is Anne, and this one is Jack," Sophie replied.
"Those are such lovely names." Lily gushed. "How old are they?"
"Oh, almost two months old," Sophie replied sweetly. She always beamed with happiness whenever she talked about her children and her happiness rubbed off on anyone she was speaking too, including Lily.
Lily could easily see that these babies were Leland's because their fur was very similar to his when he transformed into his wolf today. For a moment, Lily was in awe. She thought Sophie was so lucky to have two mates and both were two very impressive Alphas.
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