Leland looked at Sophie deeply. He realized she was really bothered by the fact that she and he didn't have the same mate bond as those of pure lycan mates.
It was none of their fault. It's just how it was. There were some barriers between creatures of different species in communication and how they build connections with each other.
Lycans were superior in this regard compared to humans. They could smell their kind, they also could communicate in their lycan language, and for mates, they had the strongest bond of all creatures.
They could read each other's minds and understood their mate's feelings. Humans needed to use their verbal and body language to express their thoughts and feelings.
However, humans were superior in other aspects. For example, humans were more social and they had more complex systems in their society. Lycans tend to be more closed off and only cared about their packs.
Humans were also more keen on research and technology and they made up for their lack of physical prowess by developing technology to help their life. The hybrids were usually the ones who got stuck in the middle. They couldn't be fully accepted by humans and lycans.
It took them more effort to blend in and prove themselves in their chosen community. In some packs, a wolfless hybrid like Sophie would be outcasted by the lycans and she would be forced to live among humans.
The same goes for hybrids whose lycan genes were stronger and they were born lycans, but had to somehow live among humans.
They would be considered monsters and they could even get killed. This was especially worse for those who lived in kingdoms like Riga where lycans were considered the royal enemy. They would be hunted and killed.
Even though Sophie didn't talk about her insecurity a lot, Leland always knew what she felt and how it bothered her so much. That's why he tried to share with her as much as possible what he felt and thought.
When Sophie showed how much his sharing his life with her meant to her, Leland had made it a habit to talk to her before they slept.
That started when Sophie asked him to tell stories about her parents and their childhood together which she couldn't remember because she was too young back then.
Sophie was so touched when Leland told her about the beautiful moments with her parents that she rewarded him with kisses and passionate lovemaking. It was very wholesome.
After that moment, the quiet Alpha had learned to talk a bit more just because he knew how much it would make his mate happy.
"I am jealous," said Leland again. "Even though I have accepted him as part of your past, and the father of Luciel and Jan, it doesn't mean I can ever be friends with him... or stop feeling jealous."
Sophie smiled and jumped forward to hug Leland. She wrapped her hands around his neck and tip-toed to kiss him on the lips.
"I love you," she whispered before she kissed him. Sophie closed her eyes and enjoyed the meeting of their lips. "You are allowed to feel jealous. I understand."
Leland closed his eyes too. He could feel Sophie's honesty and that gave him a sense of relief.
He returned her kiss more passionately and he pulled her up so she didn't have to tip-toe. Leland used his hands to support her buttocks and Sophie instantly wrapped her legs around his waist.
She opened her lips a little bit and Leland's tongue slid through the opening. It ravaged the insides of Sophie's mouth and twisted her tongue in a fiery duel. She was almost out of breath when Leland ended the kiss.
"Lee... Leland..." Sophie panted when Leland slowly brought her to bed and lay her down. Then, he went down lower to her neck and gave it a small bite which made Sophie whimper.
His lips and tongue trailed down to her collarbone, while his skilled hands quickly stripped Sophie off of her dress. Sophie's eyes bulged when she realized what he was doing.
"Leland..." Sophie whispered in panic. "The babies... we will wake them up..."
She looked to the side, where the babies basket were placed. Their beautiful children were sleeping very soundly. Anne's nose crinkled as if sniffing the air and she growled softly, making Sophie's heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, Anne didn't wake up. She rolled around and continued her sleep with her back to them.
"They won't wake up," Leland chuckled. He understood Sophie's worry. "We have time."
Sophie bit her lip and hit his arm playfully. She loved that he was initiating sex before he left, it felt so sexy. However, at the same time, she was embarrassed to think that they were doing it in a place where they were visiting guests. It didn't feel right.
It almost felt like having sex in the open field and worried that suddenly anyone could walk in on them. Okay, the babies were sleeping, but what about the older kids?
Luciel and Jan stayed behind in the dining room to talk with the queen and their father. What if they suddenly came and knocked on the door while Sophie and Leland were doing the deed? What if the queen came too?
How could Sophie show her face again before Queen Marianne if that happened?
"Don't worry about them," suddenly Leland spoke in a husky voice. He looked up to see Sophie's blushed face and touched her cheek lovingly with the back of his hand. "I made sure the king knows that nobody should disturb us. He wouldn't let them come here until we're done."
GULP!
Sophie batted her eyes when she heard Leland's words. She was surprised to see the man smiling mischievously. It was a very rare expression that he was showing now and this made Sophie in awe.
Gosh... did he intentionally initiate sex with Sophie to mark his 'ownership' of her and warn Nicholas to stay away from his mate?
Okay, ownership was the wrong word, Sophie thought. Perhaps, 'claim' was a better wording.
Lycans were extremely sensitive to scent and sound. Perhaps, Leland made sure Nicholas could hear him and Sophie making love from the sounds they made and the scent he emanated to warn Nicholas of his place.
Being an Alpha Lycan himself, Nicholas' senses were so heightened that he could know whatever things Leland and Sophie were doing in their chamber.
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