Chapter 138: She serves me now
When the monster attacked, it released a dense cloud of sleeping gas across the village, keeping the villagers unconscious. It was clearly trying to isolate its prey from any interference.
During the battle, however, the creature couldn’t maintain that effect for long. As it faded, the clash of battle echoed through every corner of the village. It wasn’t that large to begin with.
And when that happened, the first thing Monica did was check on her dearest...and to her horror, Luke wasn’t home.
"Please don’t cry, or I’ll start crying too." Luke pleaded, pulling his mate close and gently coaxing her as she continued to weep.
Lex remained too stunned to speak. He had just heard from Luke that the being which attacked the village was a magical creature, and that Luke had fought it alongside the chief.
Seeing the faint battle scars scattered across his body, Lex already knew Luke had been in a fight. But the idea that it had been against a magical being refused to fully settle in his mind.
"How can I not cry when you go out and risk your life again for our sake?" Monica sniffled.
He rubbed her back gently. "Well, I’m alive and fine. You know me, I don’t dive headfirst into something too deep. So stop worrying now, and let’s go inside."
Monica nodded, forcing herself to calm down. He had just returned from a battle, yet she had made him stand there and comfort her.
She needed to be more understanding...but she knew that every time she saw him return home with wounds on his body, she would panic and cry just like this.
"I’ll go check on things," Lex said suddenly as they started heading inside, already moving toward the main gate.
"Should I come with you?" Dalia asked, knowing he hadn’t fully recovered yet.
But Lex shook his head and continued on without a word, not looking back even once. It was clear he wanted to check everything himself.
Luke didn’t stop him and stepped inside with his mate, Ginna, Gustav, and Dalia.
As they entered, Gustav pulled out a chair for him, while Ginna hurried inside to bring some water.
Luke smiled and thanked them before taking a few sips.
He pulled a chair for Monica as well and urged her to sit, but she shook her head.
"I need to wash your wounds first. Let me get some water." Before he could respond, she rushed inside.
Luke let out a small sigh, shaking his head in resignation. Such an adorable worrywart.
"Luke," Gustav called, "is it true the monster tried to enter our house first?"
Luke nodded. "It sounds frightening, even to me. Instead of attacking the chief right away, it came to us first. But it makes sense. It wanted to eliminate any support that might interfere with its hunt."
Dalia frowned. "But why this house specifically?"
Luke sighed. "Wait, let her return first."
The others exchanged confused looks, Ginna and Dalia glancing at each other, unsure of what he meant.
Just then, Monica returned, and Luke rose from his seat.
"Luke, why are—"
"Wait a second." He raised a hand, stopping her before she could continue.
Since she already told the Chief about it, he knew keeping it a secret for long would be foolishness.
"I’ve been meaning to tell all of you, especially you," he said, his gaze settling on Monica, "but I couldn’t find the right moment."
He picked up the glass and, with a simple snap of his fingers beside it—
Crumble
The hard wooden glass shattered into fragments. The sharp, amplified crack forced everyone to cover their ears.
Gustav was the first to react. "Luke...you’ve awakened magic?"
Every eye in the hall widened at the realization.
And then, Monica suddenly blinked in surprise.
She remembered, the night when they had an intense session here in the same dining hall, he somehow made her invisible and Dalia completely missed to notice her as if Monica didn’t exist.
That night, Luke had seemed eager to tell her something.
Was it about this...?
"You...can use magic?" Dalia asked, equally shocked.
Ginna was too stunned to say a word.
Luke nodded. "Yes. It happened some time ago. The changes you’ve seen in me are because of it. Awakening magic gave me the courage I needed to step out and do something with my life."
It sounded like a reasonable explanation for his sudden change.
He walked up to Monica and said, "I’ll take my leave now. I need some rest." Taking the bucket from her, he gently held her hand and led her away from the stunned group.
Once inside their room, Luke closed the door behind them and let out a quiet sigh. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier."
Monica shook her head. "I don’t mind... I’m just..." Her voice trailed off. She had only ever heard of magic before, that only the rarest of people awakened this supernatural power, becoming far stronger and more versatile than ordinary humans.
The chief, being the only magical human in the village, was a clear example of how far a magician stood above ordinary people.
"It’s okay, Monica. I’m the same as always," he said gently, resting his hands on her shoulders. "This power is just a tool to carve out a better life for us. So don’t overthink it. Help me clean my wounds first."
Her attention snapped back to his injuries, and all other thoughts faded away.
She quickly urged him to sit on a small stool, and Luke took off his shirt.
Monica gasped at the sight of numerous small cuts and one large gash stretching from his side to his ribs.
Without wasting a second, she soaked a cloth in clean water and pressed it gently against his bare skin.
Luke raised his arm slightly to let her tend to him properly as he asked, "This morning...did you go to check on Laila?"
Monica paused for a brief moment, then gave a soft hum in response.
Luke let out a quiet sigh. Laila had been naked when he left that morning, and Monica was not naïve enough to misunderstand what that implied.
In a calm voice, he said, "As you’ve probably guessed, Laila is my woman now, Mother. I’ve taken responsibility for her, but she won’t be my mate."
Monica blinked in surprise. "Not your mate?"
Luke shook his head. "I don’t trust her enough to give her that place. For now, she’s just serving me, fulfilling my needs in exchange for a comfortable life. That’s all."
Monica wanted to say something, perhaps to reassure him about Laila. But she held back, believing it was a matter between the two of them and not something she should interfere with.
And it wasn’t Luke’s fault to treat her like this and not trusting her. The two of them share a past like that.
...and, truth be told, somewhere deep inside, there was a quiet sense of relief that, for now, she remained his only mate.
In an equally soft voice, she said, "I will support whatever decision you make."
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A/N:- Your support is my motivation. Thank you for reading and being with me this far.