Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Chapter 245

Xena's Pov

Logan walked toward the pile of wood where Dad's body lay. The tor flickered in the breeze, casting dancing shadows across his face. When he touched the flame to the kindling, the fire caught immediately, crackling and growing with each passing second.

"Goodbye, Dad," Logan whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the flames.

I closed my eyes as the fire grew higher, the heat warming my face ven from this distance. The smell of burning wood filled the air, and I knew that soon there would be nothing left of the man who had shaped my entire world.

Ryder's arm tightened around me as my body shook with silent sobs This was really it. Dad was gone, and there was no bringing

him back.

After placing it into the pit, he finished the planting with his shovel. "We're not moving his ashes. We're letting them become one with the land where he died. This is what

us a storm

places. Logan and I just sat there, watching what little remained of Dad until the flames died out. Leonard stood and began digging a pit to bury the bones that hadn't completely burned in the fire.

tore my gaze away from the freshly dug grave to look at Logan. “I have a few things

numb. Not sad, not

but my pride stopped me. Instead, I gripped his hand and stood up, following Logan. My pace was much slower than Logan's, so I fell behind as we quietly walked down the hillside toward the pack house. Ryder never tried to make me walk faster, didn't even try to take charge. He just

started pounding violently. More than once I reminded myself that Martha wasn't here, that I was finally safe here. I could safely come back to visit my brother, to see my old pack members, friends, and any children they might have

before us. When we walked in, he was doing something on the computer. Penelope sat in an armchair, so

sighed, ran his fingers through his hair, then rubbed his face before looking at me. "Dad left you this letter. He wrote