Lily, who had been listening to the conversation between the two men, was surprised. She finally found out the reason for the fierce glare of hatred that King Nicholas and Alpha Leland directed at each other.

She could now conclude that the two men hated each other not only because of political problems and human and lycan problems but also because they were fighting over the same woman.

And what did the king just say? Sophie and my sons?

My sons? Did… that mean the rumors that had been circulating among lycans that the Alpha Blood River Pack mated to a married woman were true? And the woman he married was King Nicholas Hannenbergh's wife?

Lily covered her mouth because she was really shocked by the fact she just found out. However, Leland didn't react to Nicholas' agitation. The Alpha stood silently in his place, still glaring at the king.

Meanwhile, Nicholas immediately regretted his actions and cursed himself inwardly. He was supposed to be calm and kept his cool. He had practiced this so many times because he realized that in order for him to be back in Sophie's grace, he had to show her that he was a mature man who knew how to act with his head, not just his heart.

However, he failed on the first try. He hated himself for that. Fortunately, and this made him slightly relieved, he saw Leland was not provoked. He seemed to be more cool-headed than Nicholas in this regard.

Both men hated each other to the core and it would take only a slight provocation for them to attack their enemy, which luckily didn't happen.

If Leland was just as impulsive as Nicholas and both men engaged in a deadly fight and created a commotion, Nicholas knew he could kiss the peace agreement goodbye. Not only that, this whole town might end up knowing that he and Duke Romanov were both lycans.

Lily was quite used to seeing men fighting and arguing because her pack had so many more men than women and they lived in a region with harsh conditions. It was easy to get offended over little things there and fights would erupt often.

However, usually, those shows of force and intimidation or even fights were not serious. The lycans in Red Moon Pack were like boys who were fighting playfully with each other because it was what boys did.

However, with these two adult men before her, she could feel the air turn chilly and the animosity was so intense, that it almost felt like it could pierce the air. Her men were on their toes, and so were Alpha Leland's men.

Gosh... when Lily heard Nicholas mention his sons, her eyes bulged and she instantly thought the intense fight would commence. She was ready to break a fight.

Glad that she didn't have to do that.

"Are you done?" When Leland finally spoke he pretended not to listen to what Nicholas just said earlier. "I came here for this."

He tossed the letter that Nicholas sent to him through a messenger. Nicholas glanced at the letter and nodded. He knew this would get Leland to come and see him. So, it worked, he thought.

"That's the truth," Nicholas said. "I have done my investigation and found out that Jack and Anne Hansley were killed by lycans, not humans."

"Lies!" Leland gritted his teeth. "No thief would admit to their crimes."

"I am telling the truth," Nicholas said. "Their injuries are caused by lycans, not human weapons. We are innocent. You should probably check your own people."

"Before the attack, Anne sent my father a letter. She said her family was targeted by the Royal Lycan Hunter and she asked my father to protect them. And not long after, they are dead," Leland spoke coldly.

His words started making Nicholas feel confused. Even though Leland spoke with a flat tone, he could somehow recognize sadness in his voice. Why did Leland care so much? And why did Sophie's mother send Leland's father a letter?

"Why on earth did she send your father a letter and asked for protection?" He finally asked the question.

"Because Anne used to be part of us," Leland said. "She was the lycan king's daughter who was raised among the Blood River Pack. Of course, she came to us for protection when she felt threatened by humans like your lycan hunters."

When he saw Nicholas' confused expression, slowly a thin smile curved up on Leland's face. He realized Nicholas didn't know anything about Sophie. He was not aware of the fact that Anne Hansley was a female lycan, and that meant Sophie was a hybrid.

Nicholas came to the same realization and he became silent. So, Sophie was half lycan? Her mother was actually a lycan royalty? This made Nicholas feel so excluded. What else did he not know about Sophie?

So, judging from Leland's affection toward Sophie's parents, now Nicholas thought maybe Leland's and Sophie's relationship went way back.

Wait...

His eyes bulged and suddenly Nicholas started seeing Leland differently. He remembered Sophie telling him that her family kept a little white wolf when she was a child.

Was that wolf... Leland Salazar???

"Are you..." He swallowed. "Are you Lee?"

Of course, he must be Lee, Nicholas quickly said to himself. That explained so many things.

So that little white wolf was not an ordinary wolf, but a lycan. He had been living with Sophie and her family for so many years.

Leland finally smiled. It made him feel good when Nicholas finally realized that Leland had more claim over Sophie because their relationship went way back. He had been with her for almost her whole life. They were only separated when Leland was forcefully summoned to return to Frisia.

"So what if you and Sophie went way back." Nicholas gritted his teeth too. "Her mother sent your father a letter, begging for protection, but where was he when they were attacked and brutally murdered??"

Nicholas became so upset when he realized Sophie's parents could have been saved because they actually had access to lycan protection. Blood River Pack was quite big and formidable. However, they still ended up dead and Sophie had to suffer for so many years as an orphan.

His words struck a chord in Leland's heart. Nicholas was right. Even with the protection of a big lycan pack, Anne and Jack were still dead. How incompetent they were to let Jack and Anne be killed?

"Sophie told me you left when she was ten and her parents were killed shortly after. Why did you leave her? Why weren't you protecting her???" Nicholas became angry, seeing how the big and powerful Alpha before him had all the opportunity to protect Sophie in the past but he didn't.

Leland just left without news. Which meant, he was actually not better than Nicholas.

Leland had been feeling the same guilt for so many years and now, hearing it from Nicholas' mouth, he was angry too. However, he could only vent his anger at the enemy, at Nicholas, for saying things that he already knew.

"ARRGGH!!" Leland was finally provoked even though Nicholas didn't mean to agitate him. The Alpha growled and moved forward to attack. However, before he could touch Nicholas, a small hand brushed off his arm.

"Stop it!" Lily shouted as she immediately stepped between the two men. "Stop it, you two!"

Everyone there was shocked to see Lily's act of reckless mediation between two Alphas who were filled with anger. Fortunately, Leland and Nicholas managed to restrain themselves so as not to throw a blow that could make the woman die.

Lily swallowed hard for a moment. She realized that what she was doing was reckless but she had promised her father to help the king speak to all the Alphas in Riga including the Blood River Pack Alpha, Leland Salazar.

"I ask the two of you to calm down. Please," she said and then turned to Nicholas. "I hope Your Majesty doesn't forget our mission."

​ Lily then looked at Leland and Nicholas alternately then said, "Alpha Leland Salazar and His Majesty King Nicholas Hanenbergh, you two are the leaders and you are responsible for the lives of everyone under your leadership, okay."

She took a deep breath and calm down her nerve. She felt lucky to be born a woman because these two Alphas, no matter how angry wouldn't hurt her.

She continued speaking, "You have to think about your people. Don't let your personal problems hinder the peace agreement. The war between the lycans and the kingdom had cost us thousands of lives. So many people had to lose their lives because of problems that had absolutely nothing to do with them."

Upon hearing Lily's words, Nicholas' facial expression changed drastically. Changes in expression can also be seen on Leland's face but the changes are not very obvious because the man was very inexpressive.

Nicholas took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The jealousy he had harbored for months towards Sophie and Leland made him lose his cool when he saw Leland's face and forgot his main purpose in inviting Leland to meet.

If Lily hadn't intervened, he and Leland would be fighting it out right now. What Alpha Rad said was true, even though Lily was a girl she was reliable.

"You're right Lily," Nicholas said after suppressing his anger. He turned to look at Leland and said, "I'd like to have a one-on-one talk with you."

Hearing this, Lily nodded and asked everyone to leave the room. When she left, she pressed her chest, praying that the two men could keep calm and didn't kill each other in the room.

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