Chapter 426: Child*

Monica was taken aback. Only moments ago, she had been busy smoothing the hearth with wet clay, trying to reshape its edges after several people had stumbled against it while passing through that section of the house.

She had been so absorbed in her work that she hadn’t even noticed Luke’s approach until he called her name.

Yet now, instead of finishing her work, she found herself being led away from the kitchen and toward her mate’s room, her hand firmly clasped in his.

"Luke, my hand is dirty," she tried to warn him, glancing at the clay smeared across her fingers.

"Doesn’t matter. I want you. Now." Luke flashed her a smile before pushing open the door and leading her inside.

He closed the door behind them and finally turned to face her. For a few moments, he simply stood there, gazing at her without saying a word.

Under the warmth of his eyes, Monica gradually settled down. The initial surprise faded, leaving behind a comfortable silence in which neither felt the need to speak. She watched him curiously, wondering what had prompted this sudden urgency, but before she could ask, Luke stepped closer and slowly drew her into his arms.

He hugged her tightly, wrapping both arms around her frame and pulling her against his chest as though he wanted to hold her so close that nothing could ever separate them.

His chin rested near the top of her head, and for a while, he seemed content to remain exactly where he was, with Monica safely nestled in his embrace.

"I’ve missed you," he murmured at last. "Even though I never went anywhere, I feel like I’ve been away for far too long."

It was a peculiar feeling, considering that he had only been separated from her for a handful of hours. Yet those eight hours inside the dungeon had felt considerably longer than they should have. After returning, he had been surrounded by people, each wanting to speak with him or hear about what had happened. By the time he finally had a moment to himself, exhaustion had caught up with him, and he had promptly passed out.

He hadn’t even gotten the chance to hold Monica properly.

Perhaps that was why he felt such an overwhelming urge to make up for lost time now. He simply wanted to stay close to her, without anyone interrupting them or demanding his attention.

After a while, Luke loosened his embrace just enough to look at her face.

"Is everything fine? You didn’t look well yesterday, but I didn’t ask you about it."

Monica looked up at him, her lips drooping slightly as though she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to.

Luke hummed in surprise at her expression. "Why didn’t you ask?"

She hesitated, her fingers curling slightly against his chest before she finally gathered the courage to answer.

"I... am trying to change myself," she admitted quietly. "I don’t want to keep worrying about you all the time and make you feel as though I’m becoming a burden."

Luke tilted his head, studying her face with a hint of disbelief.

"Did I fall in love with someone who didn’t worry about me?"

Monica fell silent.

There was something about the simplicity of his question that made it difficult to answer. She knew how much he cared about her, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that her constant concerns might eventually become a burden he would have to carry alongside everything else.

"But if I keep asking you where you’ve been and what happened to you every single time I feel something is wrong..." She trailed off, struggling to put her thoughts into words. "Wouldn’t that become tiresome? Especially when you’re already dealing with so many things?"

"I won’t mind." Luke’s answer came without the slightest hesitation.

He reached for her hand again, gently clasping it between his own before continuing.

"Monica, if there’s no one questioning my actions regularly, I might grow reckless at some point. I might start taking unnecessary risks because no one is there to remind me that I have something to lose."

He leaned closer, holding her gaze as he asked, "Would you want that?"

Monica shook her head immediately.

Of course she wouldn’t. The very thought of him becoming careless with his life was enough to make her heart tighten.

"Then..." She swallowed softly, her grip on his hand growing a little firmer. "Tell me. Did something happen to you yesterday?"

Luke hummed, considering how much he should tell her.

"You could say I was trying to protect a few people because someone I know and trust asked me to. It was kind of a task."

"Did it endanger your life?"

The question came almost immediately, and her fingers slipped between his until their hands were intertwined.

"Kind of," Luke admitted. "But nothing serious. I was always in control."

That much was true, at least from his perspective. Even if the Dragon King had attacked him, Luke had possessed a trump card that would have prevented the situation from turning fatal. It was precisely that assurance that had allowed him to push beyond his previous limits without being overwhelmed by the danger.

And that trump card was that he couldn’t die in the dungeon.

Still, he knew better than to explain every detail when Monica was already struggling to reconcile her concern for him with her desire not to hold him back.

"I see..." Monica murmured.

She lowered her eyes briefly, allowing his words to settle before looking up at him again. The tension in her expression gradually eased, replaced by a softness that made Luke’s heart warm.

"I’m glad to hear that," she said. "And I’m glad you’re safe."

With that, she slowly rose onto her toes and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his lips.

Luke’s expression softened into a faint smile. The gesture was brief and tender, yet it carried all the relief she had been holding back, along with the affection she had been trying so hard to express without making him feel burdened.

He wasn’t about to let such an opportunity pass him by.

Leaning down, he kissed her properly this time.

His arm slipped around her waist, drawing her closer until there was barely any space left between them. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss as Monica instinctively leaned into him. Her eyes fluttered shut, and when their lips met again, the tenderness of the first moment gave way to something warmer and more intimate.

Their breaths mingled as the last traces of worry and exhaustion seemed to dissolve between them. Luke held her close, his hand resting securely against her waist, while Monica reached up to hold him in return.

For a few precious moments, neither of them thought about the family, the dangers beyond their home, or the responsibilities waiting for Luke outside that door. There was only the familiar warmth of each other’s embrace, the quiet reassurance of being together, and the comfort of knowing that, no matter how far he might have to go, he would always have someone waiting for him.

Monica’s eyes remained closed as she softened against him, and when she parted her lips to return his kiss more fully, Luke responded with an affectionate smile that she could feel against her own.

Luke slid his tongue into hers, the hot tongue of hers was there eagerly waiting.

Her arms crossed around his neck as she was pulled to her toes.

Luke effortlessly then lifted her off her feet as he parted his lips from hers, only to reconnect with her after tilting his head to the other side.

"Mm-ah..." She moaned into his mouth when suddenly he cupped her butt, her huge globe barely being contained in his hand as he softly smothered it.

"Can’t believe this hot woman is my mate." He said with a grin as their lips parted.

Monica blushed faintly hearing that, before she lowered her gaze and added. "Believe it, I am yours...and won’t let you go."

Luke groaned, "See, if you say such things I won’t be able to stop myself from giving a child to you."

Monica shivered at those words.

Luke asked, his hand still cupping her butt, "Wait, you really want one?"

Monica looked up with a hesitant gaze, "Are you sure though? You would become a father and have to take more responsibility from here on."

Luke hummed, "I have never been a father but I surely am ready." He then pressed his lips against her once again, this time a tight but brief kiss before he asked, "What do you say? Want to make a baby?"

Monica couldn’t help but smile hearing that. Somehow they were discussing something so serious and yet they were so casual about it that she didn’t feel nervous about it at all.

Luke paused briefly when she suddenly went down on her knees.

He raised his brows as he watched her lowering his trousers. "So suddenly?"

Monica looked up at him, her fingers tugged into his waist band before she said, "Need to prepare you. After all , child making takes time."

His cock reacted to that, giving an involuntary flinch.

Monica smiled as she looked down, her cheeks warm when she said that.

Finally, she lowered the pants and revealed the half hard cock in full sight.

It was time for some hard long mating.