Meanwhile, at the manor, Sophie was watching the healer who was checking on Jack and Anne. After Leland went away, the babies had been showing signs that they became weak. She assumed this was because they missed their father very much.
He doted on them and always spent time with them every day. So, she thought since they didn't feel his touch for days, they became sick out of longing for their father.
Sophie didn't think too much about it because Leland promised he would only be away for one week. Surely the babies would be fine and they could get used to without his presence for the time being. The older children understood that Leland was away, but the babies didn't.
When Sophie asked Luciel to talk to their younger siblings and explained, the babies were visibly upset and they didn't want to be nursed for the whole day. This stressed Sophie, on top of her concern about Leland's mission being successful or not.
After one week and there was no news, things became harder and more stressful. The babies looked sadder, but since they were hungry and Sophie kept coaxing them, they drank milk again, but their health was deteriorating.
This made Sophie cry every day. Nicholas' spy went and came back without news. Finally, after almost one month, Max and his friends returned to Riga to bring good news and bad news. The good news was Leland was safe, and so were they. However, the bad news was giving Sophie more worry.
Leland didn't come back immediately. He only told Max to tell Sophie he had something important to take care of and that he would return as soon as he was done.
However, at this point, Sophie couldn't trust him so easily. He said the last time that he would be back in one week, and it turned out he still didn't come home after one month. So, now when he said he would return but did not give the approximate time or period, Sophie became restless.
It didn't help that Leland was with Eloise, his old friend, whom Sophie suspected had some romantic feelings for her husband. She knew Leland considered Eloise important because of their past friendship and he even took the risk of infiltrating Armeria to free her from her evil husband, Alpha Elias.
What it... Leland and Eloise rekindled their past relationship....? What if something happened and...
Ah... Sophie pinched herself. She shouldn't let her mind be filled with negative thoughts. Her life was hard enough without those poisonous suspicions.
She must focus on things that she could control. Right now, they had returned to their home in the manor outside of Lievstad and were now waiting for Leland until he had finished his business and come home.
Sophie must take care of the pack and their children so he didn't have to feel the stress of things getting rowdy without his presence.
Right now, her biggest problem was her youngest children who were sick. The longer Leland was away, the weaker they seemed to get. Today both had a fever and were very weak. Their situation was more worrying when they did not want to breastfeed.
For three days they did not want to breastfeed at all. It made them lose weight drastically and today they could no longer lift their heads. This made Sophie feel stressed and sad.
"How are they? What happened?" She asked when the healer finished examining the two wolf pups and the healer shook his head. His face looked confused and sympathetic.
"I'm very sorry, Luna..." His voice was soft and sad. The healer had done everything he could to cure the two babies. He had even changed the medicine three times but, still, it had not made any progress. The babies even showed allergic reactions to the drugs given which made their condition worse.
Seeing the decline in the babies' condition, the healer didn't dare to take any risks by taking any action or changing their medicine again. If both babies die under his care, then Alpha would surely kill him.
"Sorry? Sorry for what? They're fine, right?" Sophie asked in a trembling voice. "Tell me what happened to them?!"
"I'm sorry, Luna. I can't find the illness. We have tried all methods and medicines..." The healer lowered his head dejectedly.
"What do you want to say?" Sophie's face turned deathly pale. She broke out in a cold sweat and her body trembled. Weren't lycans born with superior physiques to humans?
She remembered when Luciel and Jan were young, they were very healthy. Leland also confirmed that lycan pups were much more active and stronger than human children.
So, why were little Jack and little Anne sickly? Was there something wrong with them? Did she do something she shouldn't when she was pregnant with them?
Tears started streaming down her cheeks, even though she tried to look tough on the outside. She must not let her children see her cry. They would become sad too.
"I gave up, Luna. I am so, sorry..." said the healer. "Seeing their condition, I'm afraid they won't be able to last much longer."
"NO!" Hearing the healer's words, Sophie immediately fell. Her strength was gone. Luckily, Lily Moonchester who was standing beside her immediately held her body so Sophie didn't fall to the floor.
"P-please do something. I beg of you… sob…." Sophie didn't know how to describe her current feelings. Her worries for Leland who hadn't returned were still not over and now the healer said her children would soon die...?
No... she couldn't bear to lose them.
Lucas who was also in the room asked the healer if there really wasn't anything that could be done and the healer shook his head while looking at Sophie concernedly.
Lucas and Lily exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. The healers who were dealing with Jack and Anne were now the best healers in the group. If they couldn't cure the children... then nobody could.
They had also asked for human doctors' help when Sophie and the children were in the palace, but those doctors also didn't know what to do to treat sick lycans.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om