Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Xena's POV

Ryder's patience snapped. He stormed over and slapped her hard across the face, the sound sharp and brutal. Martha hit the floor again, and Ryder began beating her mercilessly, demanding answers between each blow.

Martha screamed and cried, mumbling incoherently through her tears. The sound was pathetic and desperate.

"Ryder, stop!" I shouted, unable to watch anymore.

His black eyes flickered back to green as he looked at me, his chest heaving with rage. He grabbed Martha by her hair and

yanked her up so her battered face was level with ours.

"SPEAK UP!" he bellowed.

Martha's mouth was bloody, her face swollen and bruised. Penelope turned away, unable to look at the damage.

The room fell into heavy silence. Then Martha's weak voice drifted up from her broken form: "Kill me... just kill me..."

Tears streamed down her face as she begged for death.

We all stared in shock. Even Ryder seemed stunned by her words. After a

moment of hesitation, he slapped her again, this

time hard enough to knock out one of her teeth.

"Ryder, calm down," I said firmly, moving toward him. "Let her go."

He released Martha with disgust, spitting on her as he backed away to stand beside me. Martha collapsed to the floor like

a broken doll, her eyes empty and staring at nothing.

mercy again. But then I remembered my father's death, remembered how she had driven him

anymore.

who freed you, and

at the bathroom light fixture. Her eyes

to deliver another punch when she spoke in a mechanical,

"Benedict Nash."

in shock. I had assumed Alpha Benedict was dead-this was absolutely the last answer I could have expected. The name hit me like a physical

she looked between Ryder

side and slapping her hard across the face. He grabbed

like a corpse-her eyes vacant and unseeing,

1/3

Chapter 292

through us as

beat her, she didn't make a single sound of pain. Her body absorbed each blow like

shock, my mind racing through the possibilities. Could Benedict really still be alive? What were the

it seemed unlikely she had any reason to lie. But her answer was so impossible to accept, so devastating if true. My

hand, gently pulling him toward the door. "Tie her up and

to follow us into the living room area outside

once we were alone, "did you

did!" Ryder's face was still flushed red

a comforting hand on Ryder's shoulder. "The chances of Martha lying are pretty slim, given her

state," he

agreement,

remembering something crucial. "I just remembered what my mom said before she died. She told me that after you and Xena left the pack, dad took a team of warriors and left too." His voice began to tremble with growing realization. "A few minutes after mom

but we all

it still couldn't prove one hundred percent that Martha wasn't lying. I

there's still a possibility Martha lied or mistook someone else for your father,"