Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

"The doctor said if he'd been shot one more time, he would have bled out and died. You really saved his life," tears were already forming in her eyes.noveldrama

I placed my hand on her belly. It wasn't very big yet, but you could tell she was pregnant, not just bloated. Touching this new life, I felt a strange sense of peace.

"What did you need to tell me?" Penelope asked after a moment.

Now was the time. I took a deep breath, gathering all my courage.

I know who your parents are,' I said, looking into her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Shock and surprise were obvious on her face. "What?"

"We didn't find anything, Ama said, equally shocked.

"If you don't want to hear the story, I can skip it and just tell you where they are,” I gave her the option to choose.

"They didn't betray you-they protected you your whole life. They're good people who were forced to do bad things."

I chose the gentlest way to express this truth. Penelope needed to know, but she also needed to be able to accept this reality. I watched her struggling expression, my heart churning with mixed emotions.

The room was quiet for a while as Penelope struggled to decide what she wanted. Finally, she looked at me and nodded. "Yes, I want to know, but don't go into detail. Just give me an overview."

"Alright. Alpha Callan was the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack. He had a daughter named Tansy. Tansy had a boyfriend, Jericho, who got her pregnant. When she met her mate Alpha Wiley, she was only a few weeks pregnant. Understanding his character, she tried to pass the child off as his. However, when the baby was born, it looked just like her father. Alpha Wiley said he was going to kill the child, so Tansy and Jericho got the baby out and left her outside Darkthorn Pack. Tansy was... anyway, Tansy had Tatum with Wiley. Wiley spent nineteen years planning to kill everyone so Tatum could get the Alpha position instead of Tansy's daughter. However, Wiley and Tatum are both dead now. Tansy was just marked by Jericho and is currently in the hospital. She's currently the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack."

The room was quiet for a long time as both girls processed this information. After a while, Ama said, "Why did he try to kidnap you?"

I took a deep breath, working to keep my voice steady. It felt strange talking about how I'd almost died, but I needed them to understand the truth.

"Well, it's a bit convoluted, but they had a plan that kept changing. Tatum did have fantasies about me and hired rogues. However, he had Jericho find the rogues, so Jericho found trash he knew we could defeat."

"You almost died..." Ama looked at me like I was crazy. "And Ryder, damn it, Samuel died!"

Ama's words made my heart tighten. "True, but he had to make it look real. I think if Jericho had succeeded, he would have blown his cover. I think him shooting Ryder in the arm was his way of making it look real without exposing his identity." "Tansy was in a cell for nineteen years-she can't be Alpha, Ama said.

I nodded. "The title should go to Penelope. It's the right thing to do. She's not physically or mentally capable of it." We'd never discussed this, but I had this instinct.

"What does this mean? Penelope asked.

"It means you'll become the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack, while Logan is Alpha of Nightcedar Pack. However, I suggest merging the two packs-just expanding Nightcedar Pack."