The guest room where Luke stayed was really nice. It had big windows that let in lots of sunlight that made the room feel bright and cheerful. But tonight, the room appeared sad and lonely despite the calming color of the wall paint.
The bed was big and comfy, with soft pillows and blankets. There was a table next to the bed with a lamp and some books for the guest to read but because he was injured, he wouldn’t be interested in those books. What he needed was soothing food, and my tender, loving care.

As I looked around, my eyes lingered on the flower vase on top of the vase. I put some flowers in it this morning to make the room look pretty. It was supposed to be Mom’s duty to check the guest houses but something inside my head urged me to check them this morning. Was it because Luke would be using it? Was it the Moon Goddess’ way of telling me that something tragic was about to happen?
As Luke commanded his men to leave us alone, I walked toward the cozy chair across the bed to sit down but Luke called me to come closer to him. Upon seeing Luke's battered and bruised body, my heart sank with worry.
He looked so vulnerable and every cut and bruise was like a dagger to my heart. He got wounded because he was too nosy to let Aric do vile things to Pembroke. It was as if the world had suddenly stopped spinning, and all I could focus on was the sight of him lying there, battered and broken.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached out to gently touch his bruised cheek and my hands trembled with fear as I touched him. However, the darn man just smiled at me as if he wasn’t suffering with so much pain at the moment.
"Luke," I whispered, my voice choking with emotion. "Oh, Luke, what did Aric do to you?I will kill that bastard for hurting you this much!” I promised and he laughed, then a few seconds later, he groaned in pain.
“You can’t kill him that easily, Isabella. Look at me. I got beaten up despite my skills in fighting. So how do you think you can defeat him?”

“I don’t care! I just can’t accept the fact that you are lying here, badly beaten and maybe dying. Who knows what will happen tonight?”
“Dying? Do you think I will die so easily? Now that I have Lancaster back, there’s no way I would die so easily, my love,” he said.
As much as I wanted him to talk to me about the things he mentioned regarding claiming Lancaster back, I didn’t want to stress him out. I just wanted him to take a rest, and heal as fast as he could.
While staring at his bruised body, my mind raced with a million questions, each one more terrifying than the last. What if his injuries were worse than they seemed? What if he wouldn’t recover? The thought of losing him sent a shiver down my spine because I didn’t want to lose him! I realized that I needed him more than anyone else in the world!

“Let me heal you, Luke,” I said to him because I knew I could do that much. The Moon goddess had gifted me the power of healing. Actually, I tried healing my Mom but her illness was mysterious and my powers couldn’t heal her. I believed it was because of the magic spell that Vanessa had worked on to make my mother sick.
“No,” he refused, and with his refusal, I couldn’t do anything about it.
“Why not?” I asked in confusion.
“Because I love it when you are so worried about me, Isabella. Besides, I think it will be fun to have you watch over me all day and all night because I am not feeling well,” he said without hesitation and my jaw dropped at his childishness.
“Luke! How can you be this immature?” I scolded him but he just giggled despite being in pain.
“Please? I just want to experience the way you would take care of me, and I want to be with you,” he said.
“Alright, but you have to tell me first where you got the money. It’s one billion Luke!” I brought up the topic about the money that was credited to my account, but to my disbelief, Luke was suddenly shaking in pain. “Are you fucking serious?” I asked but when he didn’t respond, I panicked.
Then, a sigh escaped from my lips as I decided to play along with him. It was his wish, so I should grant it as a sign of my gratitude toward his kindness for Pembroke.
With trembling hands, I set to work cleaning and dressing his wounds. My movements were slow and deliberate as I tried to ease his pain. Each touch was gentle, every gesture filled with love and tenderness as I sought to comfort him in his time of need.
As I worked, I couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that gnawed at my heart. It was agonizing to see him in pain and not be able to take it away. If only he didn’t refuse to be healed the way I healed injured people, then he would be good as new!
As I tended to his injuries, I whispered words of comfort and reassurance, letting him know that he was not alone, that I would always be there for him, no matter what. And in those moments, as I looked into his tired eyes and saw the flicker of a smile on his lips. If he really was the new Alpha of Lancaster, how could he act this way? It’s unacceptable!
With gentle hands, I applied soothing ointments to help ease his discomfort. Luke winced as I worked, but he never once complained. He simply gritted his teeth and bore the pain with stoic determination.
"Thank you, Isabella," Luke murmured softly, his voice laced with gratitude as he looked up at me with weary eyes. "I don't know what I would do without you."
I smiled back at him, my heart swelling with affection. "You don't have to thank me, Luke. I'll always be here for you, no matter what."
With his wounds cleaned and dressed, I turned my attention to making him comfortable. I fluffed up his pillows and arranged the blankets around him, ensuring that he had everything he needed to rest comfortably. I fetched a cool compress to ease the swelling and brought him a glass of water to keep him hydrated.
"You're amazing, Isabella," he said softly, his eyes shining with appreciation. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."
I blushed at his words, feeling a warmth spread through me at the sincerity of his praise. “It’s because of the one billion you sent to my account,” I replied and this time, it was his jaw that dropped in shock.
“Are you sure it’s only because of the money?” he asked and there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
As much as I didn’t want to hurt him, I believed he wouldn’t die because of my words. He wanted to play, then so be it! “It isn’t just money, Luke. It is one billion,” I reminded him and glared at me.
“Damn it! I hate that word right now!” he exclaimed his frustration.
“Then, how about we will talk about it? How did you get the money?” I asked him but the darn man decided to close his eyes to avoid answering my questions. I wanted to hit him so badly, but he was currently injured so I couldn’t do anything about my frustrations.