Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Chapter 161

Xena's POV

"Are you okay?" I asked Ryder, watching his profile as he drove, the setting sun casting golden shadows across his strong jawline.

"I should be asking you that question," Ryder said quietly. I could hear the barely contained anger and concern hiding beneath his controlled tone, making my heart flutter despite the tension in the r.

"Tatum isn't a problem, I'm not afraid of him," I murmured, trying to sound braver than I felt. I took a deep breath, attempting to calm my racing thoughts, but images of my father and Logan kept flashing through my mind. "If Dad really lets Logan take over, and he abandons Martha, he might not survive." The thought cut through me like a knife, the pain sharp and real. I couldn't imagine my father making such a choice.

"I know," Ryder replied softly. There was a rare note of helplessness h his voice that made me want to reach out and touch him.

"What happened in the office when I wasn't there?" I asked, needing to understand what had transpired.

"Nothing special. He kept baiting us, hoping to get a reaction from Logan and me, but we didn't bite. So he kept pushing, trying to provoke a fight." Ryder was still seething; I could see it in the rigid set of his jaw and the way his knuckles whitened as he gripped the steering wheel.

"We can handle him," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Mm," Ryder grunted noncommittally.

We pulled up to the gates, and Ryder stopped the car, rolling down his window to speak with the guard. They discussed patrol schedules and security matters, but my mind drifted to Penelope. My heart ached for her situation. It wasn't her fault- she couldn't choose which family she was born into.

Dad, Tatum, Penelope... these were challenges I'd never faced before. My heart felt suspended in my chest, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I forced myself to stay calm. You can handle this, Xena. All of it.

started moving again, jarring

we doing today?" I asked, deliberately

to take care of some work," Ryder answered, his voice regaining

William doing?"

think he's helping Ama

parked at the front entrance. I gazed out the

comfort.

Beta duties, he explained as we got out of

toward the hallway. "Why do you ask?"oked at him curiously,

an unused conference center that now functioned more like a

1/2

Chapter 161.

you, drawing while watching you work," I replied,

do you think of this?"

storage room?

own office." Ryder walked to a shelf, running his finger through the

surprised me, and I began to seriously examine the space, my designer's mind immediately evaluating

it might look transformed.

this room suitabl?" Luna Kestrel's voice from behind startled me so badly

4