577: SAFE NOW

ARIEL'S POV I stood by Luke’s side, watching as James slowly crawled away from the scene of the beating. "I hope you learned your lesson," Luke growled at him. "If I ever catch you near Ariel or anyone else I care about, I'll make sure you regret it." James nodded, whimpering and holding his bruised face. He got up and stumbled away, leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Luke turned to me, his expression softening as he saw the tears on my face. He pulled me into his arms, and I buried my face in his chest, still shaking with shock. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe now," he whispered, stroking my hair. "I won't let anyone ever hurt you like that again." I clung to him, my mind still reeling from the ordeal. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Luke led me back to the house, still holding me protectively. Marcus followed, looking shell-shocked. We went inside, and Luke immediately led me to our room and sat me down on the couch. "You need to rest," he said, kneeling in fro