Disclaimer: I do not own Night World but I do own Luke and Karla. :)

Luke... I'm so sorry.

Karla stifled a scream when Ralph pressed harder onto her injured shoulder. Grey spots danced in front of her eyes. If only she could reach for her silver dagger and kill him with it.

A low growl rumbled from the wolf's throat. The hungry look on his face nearly made her tremble. But no, she couldn't. She refused to let her fear show on her face.

Somebody please help me... Help us...

"KARLA!"

In a blurry motion, someone wrenched Ralph off her suddenly and threw him to the side with great force, away from her. The next second, strong arms wrapped around her and warmth spread throughout her entire body despite the pain. She glanced up at him. Only one person could make her feel this way.

Through her blurred vision, she saw a face that she adored so much. His silvery eyes filled with concern.

"Sweetheart!" He swept her hair away from her pale face anxiously. His pained face made her heart throb. At that moment, she only wanted to hug him and assure him that she was fine. But all she could manage was a faint smile. "I'm fine, since you're here." She tried to sit up but he stopped her.

"Don't move." He scanned her body for injuries. His eyes glowed dark red with anger when they landed on her shoulder. There was so much blood. Just how deep was her wound?

His jaw hardened. He wasn't going to let Ralph get out of this alive.

"I see that the information my underlings provided are true then, that this girl is more than just a prey towards you." Ralph's voice broke the silence. He had changed into his halfway form so that he could speak out loud. "You know that your grandfather doesn't like that," he chided, throwing him a disapproving look. "He wouldn't want his beloved grandson to join Circle Daybreak too."

Luke set his lips in a tight, grim line. "You mean 'beloved male heir'?" he corrected him. "So he sent you here to get rid of my soulmate. You know that's not what I want."

Ralph narrowed his eyes. "Try to understand Lord Hunter, Luke. He's doing the right thing for you. If word gets out that your soulmate is from Circle Daybreak and that you've been conversing with her, the chances of you getting kicked out of the council is absolute, much less inheriting the leadership from Lord Hunter. Killing her settles everything."

Luke remained silent. His mind and emotions were in a mess. Was he willing to throw away all those years that he had spent to prove to everyone that he was worthy of being the heir? He had dreamed for decades that he would eventually take over Hunter.

But if he loses Karla...

He shivered, realizing that he couldn't breathe. Losing Karla, was like ripping his heart out of his chest. Leaving him lifeless and emotionless. She was everything to him. She was his world. His antidote to every pain he was feeling. He couldn't imagine what his world would be like without her.

"Choose right now, Luke. Leadership, or your soulmate?" Ralph asked sharply. He was losing his patience.

Soft and smaller hands gripped his arm tightly. He looked down at his sweetheart. Karla had muttered a spell to stop the blood flowing out of her wound but it wasn't healed yet. Her tender eyes caught his gaze and held it there.

I wouldn't blame you for whatever you choose. As long you are happy.

Her voice was a whisper into his mind, but he heard every single word clearly. He could see a thin silver chord between them.

You know, although we only met for a week, I felt like I've known you forever.

Her fingers reached up to his face, cupping his right cheek. Her eyes were filled with nothing but love. Was he willing to let go of such an adoring person?

I love you, Luke.

"Which one, Luke?" Ralph asked again, but more harsher this time without even bothering to hide his impatience. Silence and time dragged on. All eyes were on Luke, standing still and waiting for his reply. Finally, he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, Karla could see the determination in his eyes, his jaw set. He had made his decision.

Turning his head back to her, he flashed her a melty smile that was only meant for her only. He laced his fingers through hers and opened his mouth.

"I wouldn't abandon you for anything else in the world, sweetheart."

She gasped. Energy flowed from his fingers into her body. Her body felt lighter with energy pulsing through her. No more seeing grey spots. No more blurred vision. No more awful pain. She bent down her head to look at her shoulder. Her wound was closing up.

Luke! She looked up with wide eyes. Did he really just heal her? But more importantly, he had chosen her? An overwhelming feeling bubbled up from her chest. She was not the type to cry easily, but his decision brought tears of joy to her eyes. The tension that she felt earlier melted instantly and was replaced with ecstasy.

Ralph cocked an eyebrow. "I'm saddened by your decision, Luke. You know, your grandfather always praises you and has high hopes for you. Saying how much you resembles Maya. But now, you failed him. And I'm sad to say that I must carry out his orders. I'll do the honour of killing you." A sly smile broke across his face.

"I wanna say the same thing to you," Luke said, smirking. He stood up and turned to help Karla up too. Giving her a playful grin, he asked, "ready, Karla? Let's finish this and we'll go for a vacation." Karla couldn't resist smiling back too. "Sure, why not?" She pressed her lips to his cheek. He grinned even wider.

Luke turned to face Ralph while Karla looked for her opponent. The vampire whom she knocked out earlier had regained consciousness and was eyeing Karla. He looked super pissed off. Glowing red eyes, sharper canines and redder lips. The blood stain on her outfit made the bloodlust stronger too. To her left, Lupe was still attacking the lion. Both of them were bruised badly but neither was willing to be defeated.

Gripping her wooden sword tightly, they attacked each other. She smacked his arms away with her sword when he tried to disarm her, knowing that the wood would make him feel the pain. He was faster than before but she was smarter.

His eyes changed colour. Oh no, she knew that look. She prepared herself mentally and just like she expected, a thrust of Power shot her. It was like Luke but his was weaker. Clenching her teeth to endure the pain, her body swayed to the side purposely. Her grip on the sword loosened slightly. See, I'm growing weaker. Now come and attack me.

Her act worked. The vampire fell for it and he lunged straight for her, lowering his guard. When he was close enough, she tightened her hold on her sword and twisted it upwards, the sharp tip pointing at his chest. And then she shoved it through his heart. He choked out a raspy noise, his outstretched arms dropped to his sides before he turned to ashes.

Something bumped her legs from behind. She whirled around, alarmed. "Lupe!" she exclaimed. Lupe was in a bloody mess. She was panting heavily and limping to one side. Her opponent lay dead on the ground behind them, his neck broken and a dark red colour covered his chest. Lupe bumped Karla's knees again. "Quick, go and help him" was what she seemed to be telling her.

"Alright. Stay here," Karla ordered. She sprinted towards fight while her eyes took in the situation. Ralph was no longer in his halfway form anymore but he growled irritably. Luke's smirks probably made his annoyance rose a notch. And Karla was extremely glad that he was uninjured. She prayed hard for whatever happens later wouldn't hurt him.

"Stay back, Karla. Let me handle this."

Ralph aimed for his shoulder but he staggered backwards suddenly. Luke had sent a pack of Power at him. Taking the chance that Ralph was unable to move properly, he streaked past him and landed a hard blow on his back. It sent him crumpling to the ground. The sound of bones breaking and his howls told Karla that his spine was pretty much broken.

She took out her silver dagger and handed it to Luke quickly. Ralph saw this and hissed furiously. But every movement he made send him moaning in pain. Silver dagger poised over Ralph's chest, he whispered softly. "Sorry, Ralph. This ends here."

He brought it down before Karla could even blink her eyes. Ralph jerked once and slumped back onto the floor. Dead.

"It's finally over." Luke let out a loud breath. He turned towards Karla and hugged her tightly, crushing her against his chest. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder and hugged him back too.

She leaned back a while later. "Hmm... Are you really really sure about this? The entire Night World will be your enemy now. " She bit her lower lip nervously. This was his last chance to change his mind, if he wanted to. Hearing this, Luke blinked once before replying. "If it's for you, I'm willing to do anything, even if it means making everyone else my enemy. I won't allow us to get killed by them."

He covered her lips with his. She moaned delightedly, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. Running a hand through his silky hair was such a good feeling. They were perfect together now. She wants to stay like this forever.

They broke the kiss when someone coughed behind them. "S-sorry for interrupting your moment but shouldn't we find Amber?" Lupe asked awkwardly. Karla felt herself getting embarrassed but Luke was unfazed. "Amber! I can't believe I had forgotten-"

He interrupted her. "Oh yes, about that, she's fine. I found her after she escaped from Ralph. Otherwise, how else was I able to find you guys?" He beamed widely at them.

They sighed with relief. "So, you are on our side now?" Lupe asked. As she spoke, she winced in pain at her injuries. He shrugged. "Yeah, although I'm on bad terms with Lord Theirry. I guess I have to be nicer to him." Karla smiled at them. "Come on, let's get you fixed up, Lupe." They both helped her, carefully making their way out of the forest.

Behind her back, they both shared a smile, knowing that they have a future together and never be apart.

E.N.D.

A happy ending for Luke and Karla! This is the longest chapter! Sorry for taking too long to upload this! Hope you guys can leave reviews for this last chapter too! It'll be great if you can rate it too! :D

I'm extremely thankful to all who read When Love Strikes Hard and those who have supported and motivated me by leaving reviews, favourites and following this story! Especially Vj123, lolliproof and VampyWildCat! Thank you for loving my story! I'll continue to write better romance stories too!

I'll see you guys soon with my new fanfictions that I'll write soon! :) Hope you guys can support me there too!