"What?! Are you serious?" Zuri asked in astonishment after hearing Monica reveal the truth behind the changes that had taken place recently.

Monica slowly nodded.

"Yes. I’m telling the truth."

Zuri scratched her head, still struggling to process it.

"It’s just... so sudden. We weren’t gone for that long, and somehow Luke has not only become the guardian of the village..." She paused before blinking. "He’s your mate now too?"

Monica nodded again.

"Well... it didn’t happen all at once. The way he cared for me, the way he showed his love..." A gentle smile appeared on her lips. "For the first time, I felt like someone saw me as more than just a caregiver. It touched my heart."

Zuri studied her expression.

She had never seen Monica look so... happy before.

The warmth in her eyes reminded Zuri of the day Monica had held Lex in her arms for the very first time.

There was only sincerity in that gaze.

And from what Zuri could tell, Monica held no regrets about what had happened.

"I always thought things were good between you and Gustav," Zuri said carefully, feeling somewhat guilty for bringing it up. A part of her couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man.

Monica lowered her gaze.

"We actually talked about it," she said quietly. "I haven’t even told Luke about it."

She let out a soft sigh before continuing.

"Gustav admitted that he was hurt. But he also confessed to something else." Her expression softened. "He said the way Luke treats me, the way he loves me... he could never give me that."

A faint smile lifted the corner of her lips.

"And because of that, he decided it was better to let me be with someone who truly cherishes me."

She clasped her hands before adding, "...and Luke...was the one for me."

.....

They soon reached the forest.

Despite the heightened security surrounding the village these days, none of the guards stopped them.

Of course, Luke rarely got stopped anymore, but today they also had a man well over six feet tall walking alongside them, someone nearly every veteran recruit in the village recognized.

"Ah, Terek! That’s quite a nice scar you’ve got there."

"Still alive, mate? Hope your feet are moving as fast as ever."

"Looks like the Head Tribe hasn’t managed to kill you yet."

Terek laughed and traded jokes with them as they passed.

The ease with which he spoke to the guards made it obvious how well-known he was throughout the village.

It wasn’t surprising.

This place had always been his safe haven.

Whenever he received time off from his duties and wanted a break from the pressures of the Head Tribe, he came back here to spend time with his family.

Luke found himself a little surprised by the relationship between the two brothers.

In this world, strength dictated almost everything.

People grew stronger, moved on, and often abandoned those they considered weak, burdensome, or incapable of keeping up.

Yet Terek had done the opposite.

When Gustav lost his arm, Terek hadn’t distanced himself.

He hadn’t treated his brother as someone broken.

Instead, he remained by his side and helped support his family when they needed it most.

Even years later, he still returned whenever he could.

So yes...

Luke envied that bond.

Even in his previous life, Luke had never had a brother or sister.

And in this life...

Well, it was better not to think about it.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, Luke studied the surroundings before speaking.

"That area is probably filled with smaller beasts at this hour."

They were approaching the stream, a place where larger predators rarely roamed during daylight. Most preferred staying hidden until dusk, leaving the area relatively safe for smaller creatures to gather near the water.

Gustav and Terek exchanged a glance.

Gustav looked mildly surprised.

Terek, on the other hand, grinned.

"So, what kind of beast are you planning to hunt, kid?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Most of the time, we hunt croctiles or hares for meals. But someone who’s already hunted a magical beast probably isn’t going to be satisfied with that."

Luke chuckled.

"You say that as if you haven’t hunted one yourself."

Terek snorted.

"That’s different. I hunted with proper backup and a trusted hunting partner by my side. You...on the other hand, were all alone and yet came out victorious."

"That’s just an assumption. I had the chief’s support too."

Terek scoffed, "Like hell. I have heard everything. Just say you are now addicted to blood bath."

Luke shook his head, amused.

The older man wasn’t entirely wrong.

After facing stronger prey, it was difficult not to become curious about what else lurked deeper within the wilderness and challenge the unknown

Still, Luke wasn’t reckless enough to chase danger for the sake of excitement alone.

"Let’s see what we find first," he said. "No point deciding before we’ve even spotted any tracks."

They continued walking for a while before Gustav scratched the back of his head.

"So?" he asked. "What exactly are we searching for?"

Luke shrugged.

"Why don’t we head a little deeper to the east and let the jungle surprise us?"

Gustav stared at him in disbelief.

"The eastern region? Isn’t that the area infamous for the legendary magical beast killer?" He frowned. "Luke, have you spent a lot of time over there?"

Luke nodded.

"Yeah, I have. But I’ve never found anything particularly dangerous there, so don’t worry."

In truth, he had explored nearly every corner surrounding the village before, and nothing truly remarkable had ever appeared.

The most troublesome creature he had encountered was a Greyshide Hawk, and even that was only because of its incredible speed in flight.

So, all things considered, Luke wasn’t particularly concerned about running into anything dangerous in this area.

Just then, the bushes rustled and something massive rushed towards them.

Luke grinned, "Didn’t have to wait for long."

••••••••

A/N:- I hope you liked the Chapter.