Don’t Poke the Luna Chapter 104

Xena’s POV

"Now that everyone is here..." Alpha Benedict gave Ryder a meaningful look. He seemed completely unbothered, just leaning against the wall. "Viola, please come sit in front of me." He pointed to the armchair directly in front of his desk.

She was terrified, her entire body trembling like a leaf in the wind. I could feel her fear, like a small rabbit facing a cheetah.

Viola visibly shook as she stood and walked to the chair, sitting down with her head lowered the entire time, not daring to make eye contact with anyone. "Yes, Alpha," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Leonard was staring daggers at her. His eyes looked like he wanted to devour her alive. My god, how did he expect her to let her guard down with him looking at her like that? This was not how a mate should act.

"Leonard, can we talk outside for a moment?" I asked, keeping my tone questioning.

Alpha Benedict and Ryder looked at me in surprise, but Dad and Logan pointed toward the door, signaling him to go out. I didn't wait to see if he would follow—I knew he would.

As soon as the door closed, I turned on him. "What the hell are you doing, Leonard?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "My problem? Are you serious?" He laughed incredulously, clearly not expecting my attack.

"Yes, your problem! She's your mate!" I fired back.

"I know! A mate who's terrified whenever I touch her! A mate who was raped or at least abused, but won't tell me anything!" Leonard's voice was too loud.

"Look at yourself! I wouldn't tell you anything either! You look like you want to kill her! Your entire aura radiates hostility and fear. She needs love and compassion. All you're showing is anger. I could tell she was afraid of you after three seconds of interaction!"

"I've never touched her!" Leonard roared back.

"Lower your damn voice. You've done nothing but terrify her! Think about how you looked in there. Arms crossed, glaring at her as she walked to the chair. Let me guess... because she's afraid, you've lost your temper with her more than once."

He opened his mouth several times, but nothing came out. Instead, he let out a deep growl that seemed to vibrate the walls of the hallway.

"This isn't how I imagined things would be," he said dejectedly.

"I know. I'm sorry this is your reality, but the girl in that room is terrified. She's your mate and she shouldn't be afraid of you too. You need to be her rock, her voice. You need to understand her and control your emotions," I softened my tone.

"Damn it!" Leonard put his hands on top of his head and stepped back. "X, what am I supposed to do?"

"Patience and understanding. You becoming her mate wasn't an accident. Trust that the Moon God paired you for a reason. Be the man she needs, and she'll become the woman you need," I said gently.

"This is karma for how I used to treat women," Leonard said with a humorless laugh.

"I mean... I wasn't going to say it, but..." I wasn't one to kick someone when they were down, but the thought had crossed my mind.

"Alright, alright. Let's go back," Leonard took a deep breath.

"Ready?" I asked, grabbing the door handle.

"Yes," Leonard sighed.

When we opened the door and walked back into the room, all eyes turned to us. Viola gave me a look that clearly indicated she didn't appreciate me taking her mate into the hallway for a private conversation. She even let out a small growl, after which her eyes widened, fear filling her gaze.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Viola covered her mouth, her eyes growing even larger. The color drained from her face as she looked at me in terror.

My heart clenched with compassion. Her fear was so real, so visceral, it made my chest tighten.

"Ha! It's fine. Being territorial over your mate is natural," I laughed, walking over to sit beside Penelope and Luna Kestrel. Leonard took the other armchair beside Viola.

"Viola, what rank were you in your previous pack?" Dad asked Viola.

"I... I was a maid. All females were maids. There were never any ranks for females there," Viola said through her fingers, which she still hadn't removed from her mouth. My stomach twisted at her words, imagining what such a life would be like—no dignity, no status, just obedience.

"What did your father do?" Dad continued.

"Um, he died when I was little, but my mom said he was a warrior," Viola answered, finally lowering her hands to fold them in her lap, head still bowed. I could sense her measuring every movement, afraid of doing anything wrong.

"Did you know that Darkthorn destroyed Xena's shop last week?" Alpha Benedict asked, pointing at me.

"Um... I..." She started trembling again, glancing at me.

I got up and walked to stand in front of her. Deep inside, I felt sympathy for her situation, but also a touch of impatience. She needed to learn to live here, and that meant she needed to stop being in this constant state of overwhelming fear.

"Viola, look at me," I crouched down, making myself lower than her eye level. Viola obeyed, looking at me. Her eyes were watery, like those of a frightened fawn.

"I want you to ignore these men," I said. There was some uncomfortable movement behind me, and I knew I'd just irritated Alpha Benedict. "It's just you and me, okay? You're safe here. You won't be punished for anything you say. No one here will raise a hand to you. I promise you won't get in trouble for telling us anything. You're Leonard's mate, which makes you one of us. We take care of each other. You never have to go back there," I placed my hand on hers.

Viola watched me speak. She really absorbed every word I said, relaxing slightly. I watched as the fear in her eyes gradually receded, replaced by a small glimmer of hope.

"Okay," she said softly.

"Please tell me what you know about my shop being destroyed."

"I... I was cleaning the bathroom. Alpha Tatum and Alpha Wiley walked by, and they were talking about who would be chosen as Alpha Tatum's mate. They don't believe in destined mates. If you're not who they want, they reject you. Well, actually, I don't know if he rejected her. We could hear screams from his bedroom every night. We weren't allowed to enter his room. We haven't seen her since he found her. Alpha Tatum... he told his father he liked you. He wanted to make you submit to him."

Tears filled her eyes again, and nausea rose in my throat. My stomach churned with disgust, a cold anger spreading through me. But I struggled to remain calm, not wanting to frighten Viola.

"Did you hear anything else?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

"No, once they realized I was there, they..."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell us," I said. "So no females had ranks there?"

"No, not even Alpha Wiley's mate. She was the only one who didn't have to clean. She was in charge of making sure we finished our work. She was beaten every day just like us. If we failed, we were punished, and so was she."

"I see. Do you know Penelope here?" I asked, looking toward Penelope.

Viola followed my gaze and nodded. "She's Alpha Logan's mate."

"That's right. I'm Logan's sister. I grew up with Logan and Leonard. Penelope has been my assistant for years. She has the sweetest soul. Penelope is learning her role as Luna, and your new role will be the female version of Leonard. Currently, he is the Gamma. That makes you the Female Gamma. In their pack, females hold the same rank as their mates, and vice versa. However, I think Logan and everyone would agree with me that you need some time to adjust to our way of doing things."

"For the first few months, I want you to do whatever you want to do. If you want to learn cooking, go to the kitchen. If you want to garden or help at the orphanage, do that. Your only job is to learn the new way of life. Leonard will treat you like a princess. It will take a lot of patience and trial and error, but there's a reason he was chosen as your mate. Personally, I think he needed a good woman to knock some sense into him."