Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Seeing that we were table one, we all got up and got in line. When we too. Everyone was respectful to each other, talking quietly.

were halfway through the line, the next table went

I knew everyone at our table was talking, but I was just looking at everyone around us. Our parents were gone and now it was literally up to us to keep them safe and alive.

"Xena?" Someone pushed my arm, pulling my attention back to the group.

"What?" I looked to see Logan, Penelope, Ama, Leonard, Viola, and Ryder all staring at me.

"Where did you go?" Logan asked.

"The threats are gone. I can reopen my shop. We can reopen the club. People can go shopping, return to happy lives. We're responsible for everyone now. I'm safe. Everyone is safe."

I had repeated this sentence in my head many times today, but this was the first time I'd said it out loud. Saying it made it more real, more concrete.

Ryder put his arm around me and pulled me closer. After kissing my forehead, he held me tight, letting me lean against him. "That's right. I believe your shop is ready. Do you want a grand reopening?" Penelope asked excitedly.

?

"I think so. Lneed to find the records of who needs to reschedule appointments. Assuming they haven't been fixed

already."noveldrama

"Wonderful! Please let me organize it!" Penelope asked, her face lighting up with no room for refusal.

"Of course. Don't go too crazy!" I said quickly.

"Of course not!" Penelope had a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Logan shook his head but smiled at her.

"Are you going to Florida?" Logan asked.

"Yes, maybe next week. We need to figure out who goes where, what happens. Though really, this is your problem, not

ours."

"Actually, it is your problem too," Logan said, sitting back in his chair.

"Oh? Are we doing this here?" Penelope put down her fork and looked at Logan. "What are you talking about?" Ryder asked,

"I had Nolan draw this for me an hour ago. It's rough but..." I saw him hand me what was a map of the entire region. However, instead of three packs, it was divided directly in half. The whole thing was one big circle with the town in the middle. Logan and Penelope owned one half, Ryder and I owned the other half.

"What?" I was shocked. This proposal caught me completely off guard.

"This region is too big for us to manage. Splitting it would be beneficial, and after all this turmoil, we think it's best to eliminate the Darkthorn Pack name," Logan said without emotion.

"You were key to eliminating Wiley and Tatum. If it weren't for you, we might not be here now, Penelope said sonly

"I did what any luna would do. When your mate and warriors have guns pointed at them, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish, I said mechanically.

'However, this is our proposal. We'll give everyone the choice of who they want to serve. They can decide whether they want Logan or Ryder as their alpha, and we'll each build our own territories," Logan said, picking up his drink and taking a

sip.

"Are you sure?" Ryder leaned forward and took the paper to examine it carefully.

'I'm sure," Logan said simply. “Come over tomorrow and we can finalize the plans."

Logan stood up, and Penelope followed suit.

"It's still early, but we want to spend a quiet evening in our room," Penelope said.

"I want to get back to William anyway," Ama stood up.

"If you need anything, just tell me," I said to her.

"Of course!" We watched Ama walk out of the kitchen and out the door.

"Everyone, attention! Luna Penelope and I are going to enjoy a quiet evening. Please follow the regular quiet time guidelines. Everyone has already received their assigned rooms. If there are any questions or concerns, there are staff around the pack house to help. They can mind link us if needed. We can always help where needed. There will be shuttle service for those who want to return to Darkthorn Pack."

Everyone nodded and returned to their conversations.

"I want to go home too," I said to Ryder.

"Here, you can take my car. Bring it back tomorrow," Logan threw the keys to Ryder.

"You can stay here," Leonard said.

"No. I want to go to my home," I said. "Maybe someday I'll spend the night, but not tonight."

Leonard nodded and said nothing more.

"Thank you," Viola said. She hadn't spoken all evening and finally said something.

"For what?" I was genuinely confused.

"For killing them," she said these words with no emotion on her face. Leonard put his arm around her, and she buried her

face in his chest.

Hearing Viola's words, I felt a wave of complex emotions. For such an introverted person, her expression was surprisingly direct. I couldn't imagine what Viola had been through.

"I hope you can find some peace," I said to her, then Ryder and I followed Logan and Penelope out of the kitchen.

Many people stopped us today to express their gratitude, but I was ready to go home.

We didn't speak as Ryder unlocked the car door and helped me get in. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. As soon as we left the driveway, he put his hand on my thigh. I watched the scenery along the way-everything was so familiar. Soon, I fell asleep,

*Sweetheart, we're home," Ryder had to shake me awake. It felt like we had just

left.

Chapter Comments

LIKE