Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Chapter 265

Xena's POV

Three figures in medical scrubs burst through the door, carrying toolboxes that clinked ominously with each step. Two warriors grabbed my arms and dragged me toward a cold metal surgical table. Alpha Wiley stood expressionless in the corner, his eyes following my every movement.

The medical team worked with clinical efficiency, their gloved hands securing leather restraints around my wrists and ankles. The straps bit into my skin as they tightened them, ensuring I couldn't move even an inch. My heart hammered against my ribs as one of the doctors approached with a large syringe.

"Anesthesia won't work on werewolves," the lead doctor said. "She'll be conscious throughout the entire procedure."

Terror clawed at my throat as the reality hit me. My breathing became rapid and shallow as panic threatened to overwhelm me.

The first needle pierced my arm, and I bit back a scream. They inserted tube after tube, turning me into nothing more than a blood bank. I could feel the warm liquid leaving my body, flowing through transparent tubes into collection bags that hung like macabre decorations around the table.

Ryder. I closed my eyes and tried to picture his green eyes, the way they crinkled when he smiled, the warmth of his arms around me. I had to survive this. I had to get back to him. We were supposed to have a future together, children, a life filled with love instead of this nightmare.

The extraction continued, and my strength ebbed away with each passing minute. My father's face flashed before my eyes - Dad, who had just sacrificed

everything to free us from Martha's tyranny. He had died believing Logan and I would be safe, that we would build something beautiful from the ashes. I couldn't let his sacrifice be meaningless.

me. The thought gave me strength even as my vision began to blur. Ryder was newly Alpha, still finding his footing. William was broken and bleeding in this hellhole. They all depended on

around me. I could hear my heartbeat slowing, becoming irregular. Am I

but it felt like hours. My lips were dry and

my haze of weakness and pain, I heard raised voices. Arguments. Alpha Wiley's voice cut through the chaos with cold authority. Then

sudden quiet was almost more

you okay?" William's voice cut through the fog in my mind, weak but

was floating just out of reach, Sleep

end to the pain.

an anchor in the storm of my fading awareness. Xena,

when Martha's cruelty threatened to break me, I had fought

barely a whisper but still there. I forced my eyes to focus, to take in my surroundings despite the exhaustion that threatened to drag me under. The three doctors were hunched over computer

containing what looked like far more than the standard 600 milliliters they took during normal blood donations. The realization hit me like ice water: they

Terror and

rage warred in

reached out through our mind

"William."

his relief flooded through our connection. I thought I'd lost you." Chapter