Early in the morning, when Luke woke up, he found Monica standing by the window, bathed in the gentle glow of the rising sun.

The sight brought an immediate smile to his face.

His day was already off to a good start.

Slowly pushing himself up from the bed, he asked,

"Did you sleep well?"

Monica clearly hadn’t expected him to wake up this early.

The sudden sound of his voice startled her.

Turning around, she offered him a faint smile.

"Yes. But are you sure you don’t want to sleep a little longer?"

Luke had stayed up late last night. She had gone to bed when he told her to, while he remained awake, busy with whatever he had been doing afterward.

Luke stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her gently against him from behind.

"Nah, I’m fine."

Resting his chin lightly on her shoulder, he continued,

"I usually sleep in because I’m too lazy to get up in the morning. But today, one glimpse of your pretty face was enough to keep me from going back to sleep."

A soft giggle escaped Monica’s lips.

"How can you compliment me when I look like this?"

She gestured vaguely toward herself.

Her hair was disheveled from sleep. Her eyes were still slightly puffy, and her clothes were hardly in perfect order.

Yet despite all of that, his praise didn’t feel like teasing or exaggeration.

It felt sincere.

As though every word had come straight from his heart.

Luke scoffed.

"I don’t need you looking all prim and proper to find you beautiful. My mate is always pretty."

As he spoke, he tightened his embrace for a brief moment, holding her a little closer.

Monica smiled softly.

Raising a hand, she cupped his cheek.

Her eyes drifted shut as she savored the familiar warmth surrounding her. For a few precious moments, neither of them spoke. The quiet comfort of his presence was enough.

Eventually, Monica opened her eyes and asked,

"Luke... are you going to do something dangerous today?"

The question caught him off guard.

"Why would you think that?"

Monica gave a small shrug.

"I don’t know... I just have a feeling."

Her voice was soft, almost uncertain.

Looking into his eyes, she continued,

"I know I probably sound like I’m trying to stop you every time you leave, but..."

"I know."

Luke nodded before she could finish.

There wasn’t even a trace of annoyance in his expression.

"All it tells me is how much you care about me."

A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"And that’s perfectly okay."

He rested his forehead lightly against hers.

"Every time you worry about me, every time you remind me to be careful, you also remind me of something important."

His voice grew quieter.

"You remind me how much I have to lose whenever I stand before an enemy."

For Luke, those words weren’t a burden.

They were a reason to return home.

Monica turned to face him fully, her hands coming to rest against his chest.

"Luke... can you tell me something honestly?"

The sudden seriousness in her voice caught him off guard.

Luke blinked, then nodded without hesitation.

"Yeah. What is it?"

Monica fell silent for a moment.

Her lips pressed together as though she were carefully choosing her words.

Then, in a quiet voice, she asked,

"What exactly is your relationship with Ginna?"

Luke froze.

Of all the questions he had expected this morning, that wasn’t one of them.

It had only been two days since they had grown closer, yet Monica had already sensed that something was off.

Women’s intuition truly was frightening.

Luke let out a slow breath.

There was no point avoiding the question.

More importantly, he didn’t want to continue their relationship with lies.

Meeting her gaze, he answered honestly.

"I won’t lie to you."

His expression grew solemn.

"I have a physical relationship with her."

The words lingered in the air between them.

Luke didn’t look away.

He remained standing there, waiting for Monica’s response, fully aware that some truths became heavier the moment they were spoken aloud.

Monica continued to hold his gaze.

Her expression remained calm, but Luke could tell she was processing every word carefully.

"When did this happen?" she asked.

"A few days ago, when we went to the forest."

Luke let out a slow sigh.

"It started raining, and we took shelter beneath a tree. One thing led to another and we ended up..."

He paused, running a hand through his hair.

"Haah... I know I’ve betrayed your trust, Monica. But I never intended to hide it from you."

His voice softened.

"I stayed silent because Ginna wasn’t sure what she wanted. She was afraid the news would reach her daughter and make things awkward."

It was the truth.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

Monica listened quietly.

After a long moment, she asked,

"So if one day we move away, would you invite her to live with us as well?"

Luke blinked.

That wasn’t the reaction he had expected.

Resting his hands on her shoulders, he replied,

"That’s up to you. If you don’t want her to be with me, then—"

"What are you saying, Luke?"

Monica immediately cut him off.

There was genuine disapproval in her voice.

"You can’t just abandon her after giving her hope."

Luke fell silent.

Monica continued,

"I’ve seen the way she looks at you these days."

A faint smile touched her lips.

"And I’ve noticed the changes too."

"Ginna is taking care of herself. She’s grooming her hair, paying attention to her appearance, and not spending all day under the sun without caring what happens to her."

Her eyes softened.

"Those might seem like small things, but they aren’t."

She looked directly into his eyes.

"They show that she’s given herself a second chance."

Luke remained speechless.

Monica gently squeezed his shirt.

"And that’s because of you."

Her voice carried neither jealousy nor resentment.

Only quiet certainty.

"You made her realize that her life doesn’t begin and end with taking care of others."

"That she’s still herself."

"A person."

"A woman."

"Someone allowed to hope."

A warm smile appeared on her face.

"Someone allowed to love... and be loved."

Luke’s shoulders fell at the words, "So...what do you want me to do? I can accept her in my life but won’t it hurt you?"

Monica shook her head and assured him, "I would rather be happy that my only friend would be with me. And now, we could talk about our favorite person together...and that is you." There was a genuine happy smile on her face when she said that.

Luke faintly smiled at that before he pulled her in a hug.

He was relieved to hear that he didn’t end up hurting his mate.

He might not have much thoughts about his relationship with Ginna since he was just physically attracted to her.

But now...when his partner has such high hopes from him, could he even think of their relationship casually?

Of course, not.

••••••••

A/N:- Ginna would be traveling alongside them. Despite conflicted opinions of my readers, I decided to not separate the two good friends. Thank you for reading.