The King's Wife Is The Alpha's Mate

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When Sophie finally woke up, she found herself in bed and tucked comfortably in it. Somehow it almost felt like she had never left but she remembered the fear and adrenaline as she delved into the woods.

"How did I come back here?" Sophie nervously looked around at her surroundings but didn't see anyone at all. "Wasn't I supposed to be in the woods right now?"

She was so panicked when she realized she was naked under the thin blanket. After the initial shock, she quickly felt her body and tried to find any anomaly, but there was none.

At this, she heaved a sigh of relief. Nobody touched her inappropriately while she passed out. After thinking about it, she realized whoever saved her must have helped her take off her damp clothes to prevent pneumonia.

She was aware that someone had come and saved her or else the bear might have devoured her. And that person must know her well because s/he managed to bring her back to her home.

And judging from the way Sophie was tucked comfortably in her bed, covered by an old blanket from the shelf, she could guess the person was good to her. Who was he?

Was it Nic?

Who else could it be if not him?

Sophie's heart pounded at the thought. Tears started forming again in her eyes.

"Nic?" she called out uncertainly but there was no answer.

A part of her had hoped that it was Nicholas who saved her and her husband had come back, but it didn't seem to be the case.

Tears stung her eyes, but Sophie forced herself to her feet and looked around the small shack of her parents. She wrapped the blanket around her body and checked her surroundings. 

Sophie was relieved when she saw her clothes neatly hung to dry near the fireplace. She checked them and sighed. They were clean but still damp. If she wore them now, she would catch a cold.

Hmm.. maybe she could just wait until her clothes were truly dry before she put them on? It would be stupid to die of cold or pneumonia after she was saved from a scary bear.

Sophie continued checking her hut, to find clues as to who was the person who had helped her. There was a pot of soup on the kitchen floor. She could smell it from where she was.

So, Sophie crouched down and check the contents of the pot. Her brows furrowed at the chicken broth and meat. Who got the chicken for her? In the middle of the night?

This soup was very simple, but when she took a spoon to have a taste, she was pleasantly surprised to find it actually tasted quite good. Sophie felt her stomach hurt and her body was weak.

She knew should eat something to regain her strength. That person must realize this too. That's why they made the effort to make this soup for Sophie. She bit her lip and held back her tears.

Had Nicholas eaten - wherever he was now? Was he even okay?

She wiped her tears and filled a bowl with the cold soup and drank it to get some energy.

Slowly, she was feeling better.

Out of everything that happened, Sophie instantly found one thing that stood out.  There was a parchment on her table along with a money pouch. 

Sophie's eyes widened and she instantly took it and saw the letter was written in neat handwriting and contained a short message. It was perfunctory and direct to the point and it also made her heart tremble.

__________

Sophie, I have saved you in the forest from the bear. You shouldn't be going in the woods alone if you are not strong enough to handle it. Please do not go look for your husband any longer because it seems that he has deserted you.

Instead, please live happily and buy yourself several thick coats to keep you warm because it is winter and freezing. I believe our paths will meet again once I am finished with my duties. So, please focus on taking care of yourself.

- L

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"What are the chances that this… this is someone from Nick's family?" Sophie asked herself. "Something to distract me from the fact that Nicholas was taken away by them?"

Sophie knew well that she was a peasant while Nicholas was a nobleman. There was a certain gap between them that would always remain. He always spoke about his family's strictness and now she wondered if they discovered him and then took him by force.

That was a concern of hers that stemmed from how she saw Nicholas cry in pain because of the emotional suffering that his family put him through. 

Her husband actually thought that he was some kind of unlovable monster and Sophie was very upset that Nicholas's family made him feel that way at all.

Sophie thought it was more believable that this note was a fake one and was intentionally placed to make her give up on Nicholas. Someone like Valerie might have written a note like this to 'prank' her in a vicious and deceptive way.

If Nicholas' family knew that he married a commoner, they might have abducted him by force.

"I can't… No, Nicholas would never leave me intentionally," Sophie shook her head and then came to a decision. "I'm going back to Hastings and confirm it with his uncle. I am sure that it will be explained or he can tell me where Nic is."

At least, Nicholas didn't have anything terrible to say about his uncle at all. So, Sophie was confident that the baron would at least pay attention to her once she headed there.

If it turns out that Sophie needed to travel all the way back to Hastings and then the capital to look for Nicholas? She would do it in a heartbeat to find him again. 

There was no stopping a woman determined to reunite with her husband.

Even though Sophie didn't wish to touch the pouch of money that came from the person who sent the note, she took it and prepared her things.

She would board up her house and did a couple of last-minute repairs to ensure that her beloved parents' hut would remain safe.

After that, Sophie hailed a carriage and headed off the Hastings to look for answers.

.

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It's good that Sophie is headed to Hastings. Since Leland is also going there!