Chapter 318: The new house
Silence settled over the room after Luke finished recounting everything that had happened during the trip.
He spared them the finer details, only mentioning the initial ambush, the incident involving the Chief, and the events that unfolded in the forest the previous day.
"We would’ve stayed another day if everything hadn’t descended into chaos," Luke admitted. "The place itself was beautiful. It’s the people living there who ruined it."
Gustav was the first to find his voice.
"So much..." he murmured. "You all had to endure so much. All this time, we sat around this table talking about how much fun you must’ve been having after being away for so long..."
His expression tightened.
"...while the truth was that you were barely making it through each day."
Even Lex, who had grown indifferent to most things lately, was too stunned to react.
He remained standing with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on the floor.
The trip that was supposed to become one of the happiest memories of their lives had instead turned into a nightmare.
"Laila..." Gustav called softly.
She flinched before slowly raising her head.
Gustav stood up and walked over to her.
"My daughter..."
He gently rested a hand on her head.
"I’m very proud of you, my child."
A warm smile appeared on his face despite the sorrow in his eyes.
"You did well."
Laila’s eyes grew misty.
The shell of courage she had wrapped around herself throughout the journey finally cracked beneath the familiar warmth of her home and the people waiting for her.
Only then did it truly sink in.
They were safe.
Far away from those mutts.
Her shoulders slumped as she closed her eyes, unable to find the words to say anything.
Nearby, Ginna knelt before Monica and pulled her into a silent embrace.
"I... I’m so sorry, Monica," she whispered. "You went through so much while I... I’m sorry."
She had spent all the time after they returned eagerly asking about their trip, where they had gone, and what they had seen, unknowingly forcing Monica to relive memories that were anything but pleasant.
Monica gently shook her head.
"It’s not your fault." She offered a faint smile. "Besides, it wasn’t all bad. I actually got to try quite a variety of food while we were there."
Ginna knew Monica was putting on a brave face.
Not for herself, but for Luke and everyone else in the room.
She chose not to press the matter any further and simply gave her one last squeeze before letting go.
After a moment of silence, Lex looked at Luke.
"Are you okay?"
The question caught Luke off guard.
There was no mockery in Lex’s voice.
Only genuine concern.
It was strangely surreal. The same man who once couldn’t care less whether Luke existed was now asking about his well-being.
It was both confusing and oddly amusing.
Luke slowly nodded.
"I’m used to it now," he said with a small smile. "But... yeah. Next time we leave the village, I’ll make sure we’re far better prepared."
Lex didn’t say another word.
He couldn’t see through the confident smile Luke wore like armor.
But one thing was obvious.
Luke had become far more cautious than before.
This journey had taken something from each of them.
Everyone in the room could see it.
....
After spending some time at home, Luke stepped outside with Ginna by his side.
Gary had told him about the new house, so he asked if she wanted to come along and see how the work was progressing.
She accepted the invitation without a second thought.
As they walked side by side, Luke reached over and took her hand in his.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
Ginna let out a small sigh.
"I should be the one asking you that."
Luke kept his usual relaxed expression.
"Didn’t I tell you? I’m fine."
She gently shook her head.
"No, Luke. You can’t act this calm and expect me to believe everything’s okay." Her voice softened. "You may be strong, but you’re still human. You still have emotions."
Her eyes met his.
"And I know exactly what you’re like whenever Monica’s safety is threatened."
Luke couldn’t argue with that.
Ginna, along with everyone close to him, had seen what happened whenever someone tried to harm his mate.
The image of Monica and Laila bound to a tree, completely at the mercy of that bastard, refused to leave his mind.
Ginna tightened her grip around his hand.
"If you want to talk about it, I’ll listen." She offered him a gentle smile. "And even if you don’t, that’s okay too. I can just stay by your side."
Luke looked at her for a moment before giving a small nod.
"I just need a little more time."
"Take it. You deserve it more than anyone else," Ginna said with a warm smile as they finally arrived at the house Gary had told them about.
"Well, this is a surprise," Luke remarked.
A familiar woman stepped out through the doorway, a dirty rag in her hand making it obvious she had been cleaning inside.
"So, you’re back." Nala greeted them with a faint smile. "I was asked to check if everything was in order. There were still a few places that hadn’t been cleaned, so I decided to take care of them." She lifted the rag slightly with an embarrassed smile.
"You always put so much effort into your work, Nala," Ginna praised. "Once we’ve settled in, I’d love to invite you over for a meal."
Nala instinctively looked at Luke.
She had expected him to frown or even reject Ginna’s invitation outright.
Instead, he simply watched her in silence.
"I... I’d like that," she replied after a brief pause. "I’ll bring my mate with me as well."
Ginna nodded with a smile.
Before long, Nala excused herself, leaving the two of them alone.
"Well then," Luke said, "let’s explore our new haven."
With that, he led Ginna through the front gate.
From the outside alone, the house was noticeably larger than the one they currently lived in.
Beyond the gate was an open courtyard with enough space to park a carriage comfortably before reaching the main entrance.
Fresh grass had already begun spreading across the yard, accompanied by patches of weeds.
Luke didn’t mind.
With a little work, it would become the perfect place to plant a few traps, with flowers growing above them to conceal their presence.
As they pushed open the front door, they were greeted by a spacious hall.
There was more than enough room for a large dining table, and even a bed if they ever decided to place one there.
"This is huge..." Ginna muttered in amazement as they ventured deeper into the house.
Luke nodded.
"We’ll need quite a few things to fill a place this big."
"But do we really?" Ginna asked, turning to face him. "We’ll probably only use two rooms. And since we’ll most likely leave this village for good one day, buying too many things now would only make moving more troublesome later."
Luke let out a quiet sigh.
"About that..."
Leaning against the wall, he folded his arms.
"Ginna, after everything that happened on this trip... I’ve made a few decisions."
His expression grew more serious.
"Once everyone has gathered tonight, I’ll tell all of you."