The King's Wife Is The Alpha's Mate

It was understandable that most lycans looked down on humans and didn't want to crossbreed. Anne was different from the others. She could see the good in Jack and her love for him had blinded her to the point that she betrayed her own people.

Once Anne and Jack mated, Anne could share her strength with her husband, and that's what made Jack a capable hunter with skills and strength above most humans, but still… it was not enough.

But Leland… he believed he was much stronger than Anne. If he could share his strength with Sophie, it would be enough for her to protect herself when he wasn't around.

However… he couldn't do it if Sophie was not his mate.

And the woman was clear with her feelings. She just lost her husband and didn't want to open her heart for another man.

"If you were my mate, you wouldn't be this weak…" Leland breathed out slowly and looked at Sophie still asleep in bed. He gently reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, her temperature was cold despite the fact that she was covered in blankets.

Should he force her to be his mate so he could protect her?

The mate bond could only be established when they mated… or in human language means to have sex.

It was the act of becoming mates that two lycans became one. What he gave her the last time was just a temporary mark and the effect waned over time. When the next full moon came, the mark would disappear again. 

Leland clenched his fists. Perhaps he would never gain her love, but it didn't mean that they couldn't be mates. Even if Sophie never loved him back, all Leland cared about was her own safety. His feelings didn't matter.

***

It took Sophie about a day or two for her to recover from the incident with Lucia and Valerie in town. When she finally woke up, she once again found herself in new clothes and at the corner of her bed was a table with a covered lid.

She opened up the lid and it revealed to be a hot piping breakfast waiting for her. Someone had left her a note saying that she didn't need to go out for breakfast and join them in the hall, all she needed to do was to recover.

"Oh, this is from Dinah…" Sophie whispered and then massaged her temple. "How long has it been since I fell into that river? At least one day if I made it in time for breakfast." 

Sophie looked at the plate of breakfast and didn't exactly find herself hungry. The sight of one meal only made intentionally for her was something that confirmed that she was alone and it made her feel incredibly lonely.

During the mornings when she was younger, both of her parents prepared breakfast and ate together, and when Sophie was with Nicholas? The man often surprised her with a meal and the two of them ate together.

Thinking about her husband made her heart ache again.

"Oh, Nic…" Sophie felt like crying.

She reached out to her neck and even found that the string that held her ring was missing. Sophie's eyes bulged and she immediately stepped down from out of her bed and ignored the food and padded out of the room.

Even though her legs were still weak, she needed to find it. Did Dinah have it? Surely she would have placed it in her room or did the maid keep it? Ugh... Sophie must ask Dinah and confront her.

That ring was the only thing she had from her husband. Since Nicholas told her it was his grandmother's ring and he wanted her to have it as her wedding ring, Sophie had considered that ring as her wedding ring.

That was the reason why she was so adamant about taking it back from her evil aunt.

And now she lost it again? She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if that was the case.

Sophie was so desperate to find it that when she stepped out of the room, she immediately bumped into the man who had been wanting to check up on her.

"Hey…" Leland caught Sophie in his arms before she could fall to the ground. He noticed how frail her form was and the fact that she was only wearing a nightgown. He cleared his throat and asked. "Miss Hansley, where do you think you're going?"

Sophie's eyes widened when she felt the man's arms around her and she looked up to him and then quickly apologized. She lowered her head and immediately broke free from Leland's arms. "I apologize, Duke Romanov. I was going to look for Dinah and ask…"

"Ask for what?"

Sophie swallowed uncertainly and said. "Ask if she had seen my wedding ring. When I went to Hastings, I wore it around my neck with a string but then I fell into the river."

The memory sparked some annoyance in Leland's memory and he had already severely punished Duncan for failing his job, but now he looked at Sophie and noticed how much she was looking for that ring.

"Have you ever thought of the possibility that it's gone?" The Alpha asked. "It may have gotten swept in the waters and could be gone for good. Which may or may not be a sign because I have a proposal for you."

"Pardon?" Sophie felt a flush of anger suddenly come through her. Did Duke Romanov just say that the fact that she lost her wedding ring was a sign for him? Even though he was a duke and she begged him for a job, something like this was important to her.

The Alpha was terrible with words. 

What Leland wanted to say was that it may have been a sign that perhaps Sophie no longer needed to be burdened by the sorrow of losing her husband. It may have also been a sign that the Alpha's idea would work.

However, his words came off as brutal and harsh.

"Miss Hansley, now that you have recovered, I have a proposal for you so if you could get dressed properly and then head into my study," Leland said and still noticed Sophie's attire of a nightgown. The sight of it distracted him and he tried not to swallow.

Sophie was still upset about what Duke Romanov had said but she suppressed the feeling momentarily because she needed to remain professional when it came to him. How could Sophie take care of her baby if she were to lose her job?

"Then I will meet with you shortly, Duke Romanov." Sophie bowed and then returned to her room. "If you could excuse me for a moment."

She needed the moment to deal with her anger.

The double doors shut in Leland's face and he even heard the soft click of the lock mechanism being used. Sophie locked the door properly and perhaps… she may have been wary of Leland coming in?

Perhaps the first impression of meeting a man in the place where Sophie had slept didn't really come off as a good thing? Leland sighed inwardly and knew that there were differences between them that needed to be overcome.

The Alpha headed into his study and would wait for Sophie to come and visit him in the study. While Leland was waiting for her to come, the man would practice alone and did it carefully with a steady voice.

There was no way that he could mess up something as vital as this one. The Alpha needed to come across as convincing and present it as an offer that Sophie wouldn't be able to refuse.

After some time, Sophie eventually knocked at his door and once the Duke gave her permission, she slowly walked inside and bowed. "Duke Romanov, I am here to listen to your proposal."

Leland nodded his head and motioned for her to take a seat near his table. "A thought occurred to me while I was in the capital and it may provide the two of us with something beneficial."

Sophie noticed that the duke immediately started off their conversation about benefits. It was something that she did not ignore and she bit on her lip. What was Duke Romanov trying to say?

Something that benefited the two of them?

"Miss Hansley, the two of us should get married."

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Do you think Sophie would say yes? Or no?