The King's Wife Is The Alpha's Mate

"Huh?" Sophie's eyes widened at how fast he moved and her heart pounded hard.

She looked at her reflection in the dresser and saw how close the nobleman was and it made her all the more on guard.

Her voice was hoarse and laced with worry when she spoke. "Pardon me, Lord Romanov, I am unsure of what you are referring to."

Nervously, Sophie licked her lips. The sight of it in the mirror was taunting and looked seductive that it affected Leland. A part of him actually liked seeing her be this way around him, a little nervous and on her toes.

He was tempted to come closer to her, tugged her chin, and kissed her luscious red lips. At first, he just wanted to keep his promise to Anne Hansley to protect Sophie, and he had made it his life goal after he found out about Jack's and Anne's deaths.

However, after that night, when he took care of Sophie when she got fever from being in the snow in Blackwoods forest, sometimes he would think about her and her soft skin when he undressed her to prevent her from getting pneumonia.

And when the nights were especially lonely, he kept having these unholy thoughts from when he kept her warm with his wolf form. Seeing her in bed under the blanket earlier, he kept thinking how nice it would be to snuggle with her.

The man felt his temperature rise. Why was everything she did now look so sexy and alluring? Leland didn't even care that she had given her first time to another man and married him.

Thinking about Nicholas made his blood boil. A dumb and reckless man like that didn't deserve this sweet woman at all.

Leland cleared his throat. "Your name. You have forgotten to introduce yourself, Miss."

"Oh."

Sophie's eyes widened and she realized that her memory of Nicholas made her forget to introduce herself. She was embarrassed by her rudeness.

Sophie quickly turned around and bowed low to the man. She said, "My name is Sophie Hansley. Lord Romanov. I am sorry for being rude."

"Sophia," Leland murmured. "That is a good name."

"Thank you, my lord." Sophie kept her head low. "I am eternally grateful for you saving me but I believe that I need to return back to Hauntingen and will no longer take advantage of your hospitality."

"I thought you mentioned how you do not have a home to return to."

"Well… I uh, I left my aunt's home last night after being unable to tolerate their treatment any longer." 

Sophie didn't know why she was revealing all of this information to a stranger, but it was difficult to lie to a nobleman, especially someone who looked so intimidating like this man before her. 

And what's with this mask? What was he hiding underneath the leather mask? Didn't his skin feel itchy or uncomfortable?

Leland's blood boiled upon hearing it and realized that Sophie must have activated the mark he put on her because she was fighting back or had gotten upset with how she was treated by her aunt's family. 

"I see. It is a pity to know that a lot of your family members disappoint you in such ways," Leland said. "I also understand what it is like to have your own flesh and blood despise you."

Sophie's eyes widened. She didn't even explain the details, but her words seemed to have triggered something within this man. It seemed to be a common thing amongst the nobility to have issues with their family.

It may have been the same for Sophie, but only because Aunt Helga wanted her grandfather's wealth. Either way, Sophie didn't know what to say to the Duke because they really had just met.

"Hauntingen is so far off from Hastings, it is at least a week of travel via carriage." Leland decided to say and point out. He motioned to the jewelry. "Do you plan to get there via selling these?"

Sophie nodded slowly. "Yes, are you interested in them? I can sell everything else but the ring."

Leland chuckled in surprise. "I will not suspect you as a thief despite the fact that was the only thing you had when you left, but I am afraid that if you try to sell or pawn these pieces of jewelry, your aunt may have already reported it to the local guardsmen and merchants."

Sophie bit her lip at the discouragement but still shook her head. "If that is the case then I will just trade the jewels to a carriage driver, Lord Romanov. I will find a way back to Hauntingen no matter what. I cannot stay here."

Leland knew how difficult it was to change the woman's mind. It must have been why Sophie braved the winter storm despite seeing the dangerous weather from last night because she was that type of woman.

Determined and bold.

Leland had no intentions of letting Sophie leave though and it was going to be a battle of wills at this point. "What makes it hard to stay here? Is it because you wish to avoid seeing your relatives?"

"Yes."

"Then I may have the solution for it," Leland said. He wanted to say that he could blot them out from the map here in Hastings, but he said something different instead. "I would like to hire you to work here, Miss Hansley.."

"Huh? Why?" Sophie batted her eyes. "I mean, Lord Romanov… you do not know anything about me. I am just a person you saved from the winter storm last night, you cannot tell if I can do anything."

"On the contrary, any person who chooses to leave their terrible relatives on a winter's night is as good a show of character as any other," Leland smirked a little in amusement. 

"That's not exactly… much of a testimony to my character," Sophie shook her head. The man in front of her was so strange. "It makes me look reckless and not as brave as you're trying to make me out to be, Lord Romanov."

"I can also see from our conversation that you have a good head on your shoulders," Leland said.. "I think it will be easy to find you a place here in the castle, Miss Hansley."