Leland had secretly and uselessly hoped that if perhaps the two of them were to marry each other and form a mate bond… a miracle could happen and Sophie could actually love him.
Maybe once the two of them had their own litter of lycan pups, Sophie would look warmly at Leland as she once did with her husband and then truly think of him as someone she could love.
However, since Sophie had a child from her previous husband, the woman's heart would never be truly his. It was now an impossible dream of Leland's. This was an unexpected blow and he was still processing it.
In his mind, Leland imagined how Sophie would always remember her first husband and look back on her past days with Nicholas with fondness as she took care of the child that was born from their love.
She would always have space in her heart for Nicholas and a reminder of what their love used to be like. That meant she would never be able to fully love Leland or even consider loving him.