Leland took Sophie to the balcony in his study not to talk with her or anything, but to let her have a fresh breath of air and relax. This was one of the things that he actually liked to do even when he was still in the pack.
There were countless stars out in the dark night sky and a chilly breeze blew past them. It was actually quite beautiful.
Sophie hadn't exactly expected that the two of them would be going out of the castle so she ended up feeling a bit cold and exposed to the winds.
However, before she could say something and ask the duke's permission to go back and fetch an additional coat, a thick fur coat was suddenly draped around her shoulders.
"Here," Leland said.
She looked up to him and saw that he would once again be wearing little despite the freezing temperature. Sophie did, however, feel the man's warmth in his coat. She swallowed for a moment and asked.
"What are we doing here, my lord?"
The Alpha glanced idly at her and then found himself attracted to the sight of the woman just standing beside him with his coat across her shoulders.
He had made it his new habit to wear something warm just in case she would need it from him. The cold never bothered him and before he was reunited with her, Leland didn't like adding extra layers to his body.
The pack members who often went with him must have noticed the change and they could tell he started wearing coats because of Sophie.
The coat was too big for her, even though it was only draped around her back. She looked incredibly small while wearing it and he was dumbfounded for a moment.
Leland inwardly refocused himself and then forced his gaze up at the stars. Compared to the sight of them twinkling beautifully in the night sky, they all seemed pale when he was standing right next to Sophie.
"Based on your questions earlier, I considered that you may have found staying here inside of the castle as suffocating," Leland told her. "It is, after all, small and the walls can make you feel a bit trapped, isn't it?"
Sophie shook her head rapidly and thought she had offended him. How could she sound so ungrateful that the man assumed she thought his residence was small and suffocating?
The beautiful woman gushed, "No! Not at all, the castle is very huge and spacious…"
"But you wish to go out?" Leland looked at her.
It was a question that stunned Sophie but she could see how the duke may have come to a conclusion that she did not wish to stay in the castle at all. All her questions were actually about going out for social gathering events, to fill her purpose, not because she felt suffocated behind the castle walls.
Sophie chewed her lip for a moment and lowered her head. She was lonely even though she was surrounded by many servants and she hated the feeling.
She thought she was being ungrateful for even complaining about it inwardly. Her life was really good here. She enjoyed delicious and expensive food every day. She slept in the best quality bed and now she even had a full closet of pretty dresses.
She didn't know how the duke could prepare everything she needed before she even asked for it. Perhaps… it was prepared by Dinah? But still… a servant wouldn't even think about what the lady of the castle needed. And the quality of the dresses was the best Sophie had ever seen.
It seemed, her husband-in-name really spared no expenses to provide nice things for her. She had not had a chance to thank him for them because things had been slightly awkward the past few days after… the deed, and she wanted to avoid talking with him.
"I am just wondering why you never took me to social events that you attended," Sophie spoke honestly. "Do you no longer need me for the role, my lord?"
She looked at him curiously. Wasn't that the agreement? He asked her to marry him because he needed his trophy wife for the social events, yet not once had he brought her with him. These contradictions, one after another made her feel confused.
He said he needed a wife for the social events, but he didn't take her to those events after they got married. He also said back then that he was interested in her, but now that she was his wedded wife, he kept her at arm's length, didn't even show an ounce of interest in her anymore.
Again, she didn't wish for him to desire her, she didn't want him to lust over her and demand them to have sex, breaking their agreement in the process. No, she was just confused and didn't know how to respond since the man had been unpredictable in all aspects.
Meanwhile, Leland was glad they mated and he could feel all her desires, worries, and confusion. It helped him a lot in taking care of her needs and alleviating her worries.
"I told you that I am not in a hurry and people would just assume we are still on honeymoon," Leland reminded her. "I guess my answer is not good enough for you."
It's true. The excuse was not good enough for Sophie after she thought about it again. Couples on honeymoon would spend their time together, yet Duke Romanov went places without Sophie. She started feeling that something was not right.
It was either she was no longer needed for the role, or Duke Romanov intentionally avoided her. But why? Was there something about Sophie that suddenly turned him off?
Sophie was really smart, Leland smiled to himself. It was not easy to fool her.
He did avoid her as best as he could, but… not because he was no longer interested in her.
It was actually the opposite. He was crazy about her and being around Sophie without being able to do anything was pure hell.
Lycans were one of the most passionate creatures. They were loyal, fiercely possessive, and protective of their mates. After Leland and Sophie mated, his desire for her burned even more intensely than before.
Her scent, her voice, her gesture, everything about her made him want to devour her and make love to her for days on end, venting all the desire he had been keeping for her all this time.
Acting casually or distant in front of her was hard work and emotionally draining. So, Leland preferred to just keep his distance and find things to keep him occupied.
How long would he keep this up? He had thought about this carefully and he decided that he would explain everything to her once he avenged her family.
He couldn't tell it to her sooner because this secret would come together with the fact that he tricked her into becoming his mate by pretending that, as Duke Romanov, he needed a wife-in-name for his social standing.
Would she take it well? Perhaps not.
However, once he could make sure that she had accepted him, Leland would have peace of mind and he could share with her everything she needed to know.
Right now was not the time. He could tell from her reluctance and discomfort that a secret this big would only make her upset.
Being her mate, Leland could feel what she was feeling and understand her mind. At this moment, she needed space and security. That's all.
.
.
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From Missrealitybites:
I have written the chapter where Sophie started falling for Leland and it's so damn beautiful (I am not biased just because I write this story... bahaha). I really can't wait to go there and publish that chapter for you to read.
Unfortunately... we have to follow the proper sequence and bear with the chapters before that one.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
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