Chapter 212: Boundaries
After Luke and Nadia freshened up, a strange silence settled between them.
Luke could tell he had gone a little too far with the act of being a loving mate. He had influenced Nadia far more than he intended.
He could sense she was torn between guilt and the bond she shared with him.
The fact that she hadn’t asked him to leave immediately and had remained silent ever since they finished said a lot.
She wasn’t terrified of Dart returning. She was conflicted by her own emotions.
Before things could go any further, Luke decided to clear the air.
"Nadia, listen to me," he said gently. "I... cherish my friendship with Dart. And I would never want him to be separated from the person he adores so much."
Nadia lowered her gaze, her fingers fidgeting against each other.
Luke waited a moment before continuing.
"I went a little too far today," he admitted. "And I won’t deny that I find you very likeable. Trust me, I’m very much attracted to you."
Nadia’s shoulders tensed slightly, but she remained silent.
"But we need to respect certain boundaries," Luke said softly. "The kind that keep us from hurting Dart."
Nadia looked up and let out a quiet sigh. "I understand that, and I agree with you."
Her gaze drifted past him, gradually hardening. "I would absolutely hate myself if I ended up hurting Dart. I just... wouldn’t be able to live with that. So yes, let’s keep ourselves within those boundaries."
Luke was surprised by how readily she agreed.
Usually, moments like these left people emotionally vulnerable, making it difficult to have a rational conversation. Yet Nadia remained remarkably level-headed.
Perhaps it was because of her dedication to her relationship.
It wasn’t a secret how many hardships she and Dart had overcome to build the peaceful life they cherished so much.
In fact, among the couples Luke knew, aside from Lex and Dalia, these two were among the few he considered genuinely healthy and caring.
Dart was always thoughtful when it came to his partner, constantly looking out for her.
And Nadia was no different. She was devoted, attentive, and always mindful of him.
So yes, Luke would have hated himself if he had been the one to break the bond they had fought so hard to build.
Still, Luke felt that leaving things on that note would only complicate matters further.
So he slowly stepped closer and gently pulled her against his chest.
Holding her in a quiet embrace, he said, "Until you have a child, I’ll continue coming over. I know this is still unfair to Dart, but I feel this is more about your future than anything else."
Nadia’s fingers tightened around his shirt, but she said nothing.
If she claimed that everything they had done so far, every kiss, every touch they had shared, was solely for the child she and Dart desperately wanted, it would be a blatant lie.
She couldn’t deny the truth.
In those moments, she lost herself.
Her thoughts, her purpose, her priorities, all of it seemed to fade away. Her mind became occupied by him and him alone.
Yet if she admitted that now, wouldn’t she be crossing the very boundary they had just agreed to uphold?
No.
She couldn’t allow that to happen.
This was for a child.
For her future with Dart.
After a long exhale, she loosened her grip on Luke’s shirt and finally spoke.
"Yes," she said quietly. "This is for my baby."
The words left her lips with ease.
And the worst part was that she knew he could tell she was lying.
Luke didn’t comment on it.
Then, after a brief moment,
Knock.
A knock came from the door.
Luke immediately stepped back and glanced toward the window.
"Can you get out through the..." Nadia began, only to trail off.
Luke was already on the other side.
He hadn’t even seemed to exert any effort.
Nadia blinked.
A strange sense of defeat washed over her. Once, she had tried climbing out of that very window and ended up getting stuck at the shoulders.
And people claimed women were supposed to be the flexible ones.
Luke caught her staring and gave her a small wave before disappearing from sight.
Nadia let out a breath and turned toward the door.
Taking a moment to compose herself, she inhaled deeply and pulled it open.
Standing there was her mate.
Dart wore a bright smile on his face, holding up two large loaves of bread as though they were priceless treasures.
"Look!" he said excitedly. "I got a sour one too! They still had some left, so I squeezed through the crowd and used my authority to snatch one. Aren’t I quite the bad guy?"
He grinned proudly, clearly pleased with himself.
Nadia felt a smile tug at her lips before she could stop it.
That was Dart.
A man who could find happiness in the smallest things.
A loaf of bread.
A successful trip to the market.
A quiet meal shared together.
Things most people would overlook were enough to brighten his entire day.
Shaking her head, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him.
Dart froze.
"Eh?"
The loaves nearly slipped from his hands.
"N-Nadia?"
She buried her face against his chest and held him a little tighter.
And in that moment, she remembered.
This was why she had fallen for him.
Not because he was the strongest.
Not because he was extraordinary.
But because he was Dart.
Because he could smile over something as simple as bread.
Because he never stopped trying to bring little pieces of happiness into their lives.
Because even after everything they had endured, he still found reasons to laugh.
His silliness.
His warmth.
His ability to make an ordinary day feel special.
All those little things had quietly found their way into her heart long ago.
Dart hesitated before carefully setting the loaves aside and returning the hug.
A soft smile appeared on his face.
"Did something happen?" he asked gently.
Nadia closed her eyes.
"Nothing," she whispered.
And for once, she wished that the answer was completely true.
....
After leaving the house, Luke let out a slow sigh as he made his way toward his own home.
He took the longer route through the back paths, avoiding the main roads. The last thing he wanted was for someone to spot him casually walking out of Dart’s house.
Did he regret what happened with Nadia?
Not really.
Sure, he would love to have someone like her as a mate. Warm, beautiful, caring, and an excellent cook.
But not necessarily her.
He had Monica.
And because of that, he had no intention of coming between Nadia and Dart. More importantly, he wasn’t about to lose the only genuinely good friend he had found in this village.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, he spoke to the system.
"Well, enough resting. Show me my stats."
[Calculating stats...]
As the system processed his request, Luke continued toward his house and knocked on the door.
To his surprise, he could hear several voices chatting inside.
That was unusual.
Most of his family loved taking afternoon naps, and at this hour the house was normally quiet.
A moment later, the door opened.
"Ah, Lukey~"
Luke blinked.
Standing before him was a woman he hadn’t seen in quite some time.
"Aunt Zuri."
•••••••
A/N:- I checked, I have named her Clara in the initial Chapter. But that felt too modern so I changed it.
Her image is on discord now.
