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    The engine of my truck hummed softly in the background as Luke and I sat in silence, our eyes peeled for any sign of Edward''s pickup. The dashboard clock read 11:37 PM, and we had been at this for hours. Fast food wrappers sat on the dashboard, the scent of greasy french fries and burgers filling the car.


    I was hell-bent on finding Edward. But he hadn''t shown his face again so far, at least not here, near the gas station where I saw him before, and I was beginning to lose hope.


    "You know," Luke finally broke the silence, "Nina would skin both of us if she knew we were out here, stalking this deranged lunatic without her."


    I chuckled, never taking my eyes off the rearview mirror. "I know. But you also know Nina. She''d do the same if she were in my shoes,"Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "She would. But maybe not now that she''s pregnant. Maybemon sense will finally take over that girl''s brain," Luke replied with a chuckle, leaning back into his seat.


    His words pulled my thoughts away from Edward and toward the equally pressing matter. Nina wanted to keep the baby. A swirl of emotions engulfed me: tion, dread, love, and a deep-rooted fear that gnawed at the edges of my happiness.


    "Thinking of quitting the new job?" Luke asked, reading my contemtive expression as easily as if I''d spoken my thoughts aloud.


    "I''ll admit it''s crossed my mind," I said. "I can''t bear the thought of leaving Nina alone, especially when she''s pregnant."


    "We''ve all been through hell and back, Enzo. A baby is another chapter, not the end of the book," Luke reminded me. "Besides, Nina really cares about your dreams. She wouldn''t want you to quit just for her."


    "Yeah, she made that abundantly clear," I said, recalling how passionately Nina had argued for us to maintain our own paths. "But what if something happens while I''m away? What if Edwardes back, or James or Lewis? Hell, what if one of the Crescents make a move?"


    "Enzo, Nina is the daughter of the Alpha King. You really think she''ll be unprotected?"


    "Her being the Alpha King''s daughter doesn''t mean she''s invincible, Luke. Nina has this... this stubbornness when ites to asking for help. She''s too worried about being a burden, even to her own father. What if she hides things just to avoid troubling others? What if"


    Before I could go any further down that rabbit hole, Luke cut me off. "If ites down to it, I''ll go back to being her bodyguard. If she won''t let me move into the house, I''ll keep watch 24/7. I don''t care."


    My eyes met Luke''s, searching for any trace of reluctance. There was none. "You don''t have to do that, Luke. Your contract ended months ago. You''re free to live your life. Well... second life, that is."


    Luke looked at me as though I''d just spoken to him in an aliennguage. "Contract or not, it changes nothing. My family died centuries ago, and you two are like a second chance at that. There''s nothing I wouldn''t do to keep you safe."


    The sincerity in Luke''s words weighed heavily in the air, cementing a bond that no contract could ever forge. It was more than loyalty; it was a brotherhood sculpted from the trials we had faced, a camaraderie born from shared secrets and unimaginable challenges.


    "You''re a good man, Luke," I said, feeling a mixture of relief and gratitude wash over me.


    "And you''re an overthinker," he shot back, grinning.


    Iughed, the tension dissipating. "Guilty as charged."


    Just then, headlights flickered in the distance, pulling both of our attention back to the reason we were out there in the first ce. As the vehicle approached, I felt the grip of uncertainty tighten around my heart again.


    But the closer it came, the more obvious it became that it wasn''t the red pickup at all; it was a ck sedan, with a young woman driving. I let out an audible sigh, taking a nce in the rearview mirror.