When Lnd heard from Duncan that Sophie had returned to Hauntingen, he had hoped that he could return and take her as his mate.


    However, apparently, someone else already captured her heart. That man called Sophie ''wifey''. She was also wearing a wedding ring on her finger. And… from their mixed scents, Lnd could tell they had consummated their marriage.


    She had found her mate, and it was not Lnd.


    Anger was slowly rising in his icy heart. He wanted to kill the other man and snatched Sophie away from him.


    If Lnd wanted to, he could tear the guy''s heart out regardless of him being a werewolf or not. However, the crystal clear expression of contentment in Sophie''s face made him hold back.


    Lnd took a deep breath to calm down his raging heart.


    Without another word, the Alpha turned away and sped off.


    ***


    Sophie shared a look of hesitation with Nichs. She pulled the nkets across her body but she was already eyeing her clothes. Whatever made that sound was far from an animal. She whispered worried, "Nick… can you stay here with me, please?"


    "Honey, I have to go out," Nichs told her gently as he picked up his clothes and changed. There was a grim look on his face, but without another word, he looked out and saw the decimated tree.


    A stump was left on the ground while the rest of its body had now fallen across the area close to the hut. Nichs''s gaze saw the hint of force applied on the tree trunk and felt his blood grow cold.


    That was no ordinary fall.


    All it took was one sniff in the air and Nichs realized that it was a werewolf. His eyes widened and panic seized his chest and he looked back to see his wifepletely safe in bed.


    There were no lycan assassins or monsters that were about to seize Sophie away from him. No Alpha monster was about to tear him away from his loved ones or remind him of what he experienced.


    This was not Nichs'' nightmares, but this was his reality and it was up to him to keep Sophie safe. Nichs approached his wife and quickly pulled her to her feet. "We need to go right now."


    "What? Why?" Sophie asked. There was an rm in her voice, but she was reluctant to leave her home.


    "Do you see those marks on the tree?" Nichs asked her, but he was already packing up her things and giving her a look. "Actually, forget about that, and let''s just go now to Hauntingen."


    Sophie looked at Nichs'' grim expression and nodded. "Okay."


    ***


    Lnd eventually returned to the mansion with a nk expression on his face. His men immediately started to greet him but they hesitated when they saw that he looked far more unhappy.


    The pack started silently questioning themselves and shared nervous looks. What happened when their Alpha went to Hauntingen? Some of the braver ones or knew the reason why Lnd went there drew closer.


    "Alpha?"


    Lnd''s gaze narrowed at them. "What is it?"


    Duncan gulped and looked at Max for help, but eventually motioned to himself. "Alpha, is there anything we can do for you? You look a bit more upset than usual. Was the mission to Hauntingen a failure—"


    Max pped Duncan in the head before he said anything else and instead bowed his head lowly to avoid incurring their leader''s wrath. Then, he spoke in a low voice, "We are waiting for new orders, Alpha."


    Lnd walked past the two of them. "Don''t bother with the rogue lycan in Hauntingen and the woman. I have finally aplished what I wanted. Let''s just proceed with our mission. Give me updates and reports in Hastingster."


    "Yes, Alpha!" His men chorused but all of them were ncing at each other in confusion.


    Most of the time, a rogue lycan was someone who was exiled from a pack due to crimes to their pack. It wasn''t strange for an Alpha or a pack to kill a stray lycan that wandered alone.


    So, why didn''t Lnd kill the rouge, and instead ask them not to bother him and that woman?


    They really couldn''t understand their Alpha. His mind was hard to guess and even though they had followed him for many years now, they didn''t really know him.


    Before the rest of the pack could say anything else, Lnd was already gone and stepped into his chamber''s balcony area to settle with his thoughts silently.


    The crisp and refreshing morning air blew past the Alpha and yet it failed to ease or calm his features. His expression darkened at the glimpse of sunlight. Even the morning''s rays felt like a nuisance more than anything to be soothed with.


    "The reason why I headed there was to protect Sophie by making her my mate," Lnd muttered to himself.


    When he arrived there, Lnd found out Sophie was already happy and he was not needed any longer. He realized that he ended up not checking which pack Sophie''s husband came from, but either way, even if he was a rogue?


    It didn''t matter.


    Their situation honestly reminded Lnd of Sophie''s parents. Remembering Jack and Anne Hansley filled him with a certain amount of grief at the fact that they were already gone.


    "I am sure that she will be well," Lnd told himself to quiet down the thoughts that he had in mind. All of these thoughts of his were telling him to head back there and rightfully take back his ce at Sophie''s side.


    Before this other man came into the picture, Lnd was already there.


    However, who was the person that Sophie loved?


    It clearly wasn''t Lnd and even though he felt like he missed the chance and opportunity to win the woman''s heart, he refused to give in to his primal instincts.


    "There is no way that she''d be able to love someone like me," Lnd muttered and then raked his fingers through his white hair in irritation andplete frustration.


    There was a dullness in his chest that he refused to acknowledge.


    All that was left for Lnd to do right now was dedicate his time and energy to his position as Alpha. He''d pour his entire self into avenging Sophie''s parents and all of the Lycans from thest great war.


    And yet a bitter smile still yed on his lips.


    "Was this what my father felt before?" Lnd whispered to himself.


    He could vividly remember his father''s brutality and rage, the way that the entire council and elders in their pack could do nothing but tremble before him.


    Alpha Leon''s tactics were preferring fear and respect over love and admiration from his pack. Lnd thought that was simply his father''s chosen path but as he grew older, learned more context in the past, now he realized how destructive love could be.


    It could eat someone''s heart out and leave them as a shadow of their former selves.


    Lnd strived to ovee that weakness. Instead of being wrathful like the previous Alpha, who was also his father, Lnd was determined to support Sophie in the shadows.


    Lnd said that to himself, but he couldn''t bear to take another step that would lead him back to Hauntingen.


    When Lnd closed his eyes, all he could see was her.


    He had done his best to imagine what a grown-up Sophie would look like when he was still growing his power but his memory failed to fully capture how stunning she grew up to be.


    Sophie was even more beautiful than he could even fathom and, though he was more nostalgic as to how she treated him when they were children, Lnd found himself mesmerized.


    Sophia Hansley had the faintest scent of something intoxicating to Lnd.


    Being born from only one lycan parent, Sophie''s scent was incredibly subtle and the rogue Lycan''s scent was almost insufferably overpowering at that time. Lnd felt like he was smelling a wet dog.


    However, he held on to the subtle fragrance in his mind''s memory until the very moment that someone strode into his chambers without permission.


    Lnd''s gaze snapped at the intruder.


    It was his mother''s spy. The lycan elder didn''t learn a thing, did he?


    Such arrogance irritated Lnd as he turned to greet the older man. His handsome face looked as cold as ever.


    .


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    _______________


    Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope you enjoy the mass release! ^^