Don’t Poke the Luna Chapter 226

Xena’s POV

I knew Alpha Wiley would know that his son was dead.

Dropping Tatum's heart, my first thought was to get out of this room. Unlocking the door, I could hear footsteps running down the hall. There was a door across the hall that I ran to. With the one amount of luck I had, it was unlocked.

Quickly shutting the door, I was able to lock it before I heard the men.

"She's gone!" an angry male voice erupted.

"Tatum is dead!" Another commotion, another angry male voice.

"Find her! I want her alive!" Alpha Wiley's heart-wrenching roar echoed between the walls, and the door handle began to shake violently. "Search every room! She can't have gone far!" I heard shouting as everyone scattered in different directions.

When the footsteps gradually faded away, I was finally able to look around. I couldn't stay here any longer - I had to leave. Although I desperately wanted to escape, I couldn't abandon William. And then there was that damned super soldier serum. If I just ran away now, Wiley would surely seek revenge, and if the serum was successfully developed, no one would be able to match them.

This room was empty except for three office chairs and a folding table. There was nothing useful, not even a fire extinguisher that could be used as a weapon.

I pressed my ear to the door - no sounds or footsteps outside. Slowly unlocking the door, I carefully peered out. At this moment, there was no fear in my heart, only anger. My wolf wanted to take control of my body. After quietly slipping out, I began tiptoeing down the hallway. I was acutely aware that I was only wearing underwear and a bra, not even shoes.

My heartbeat accelerated as I walked carefully. The adrenaline was working now, making me extremely sensitive to every sound. When I reached the corner, something red caught my attention. I carefully observed my surroundings, thinking about how much of an escape opportunity the alarm would give me and recalling the route I had taken to get here. After making up my mind, I reached out to pull the fire alarm. My palms were sweating and my mouth went dry.

BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm immediately sounded, and red lights began flashing and rotating. Shouting from men came from the distance as they ran out of rooms. I tried to quietly retrace the route Tatum had brought me along, but there were people coming and going everywhere. Every time I hid in a gap, someone would turn around the corner. More than once, they ran right past me. My heart was pounding, but they were more focused on other things and didn't notice their surroundings.

"Where is she?" I heard Alpha Wiley's voice echoing through the hallway.

Damn it! I grabbed a door, my hand trembling as I tried to open it, but the door was locked. Moving to the next door - also locked. "Damn it!" I whispered.

"That bitch better not mess with my business again!" His footsteps sounded like they were just around the corner.

He was too close. If he caught me, it would all be over. I needed to stay calm, needed to find a way out.

"Sir! Movement on the north perimeter." An urgent male voice called out loudly, and Alpha Wiley's footsteps stopped.

"What?" Alpha Wiley asked in a dangerously calm voice.

"Movement on the north side. The front cameras picked up something."

"Do I have to do everything myself?" he roared. "Find her, or I'll kill you." With that, I heard his footsteps gradually fade away.

My wolf extended her claws, sensing a warrior about to appear around the corner. Sure enough, he turned around and was stunned when he saw me. However, I was faster and slashed his throat. His scream was choked by blood, and blood splattered all over me. He fell to his knees, and I just left him there. There was no way to clean off all this blood now. The smell of blood would give away my position - I had to hurry.

I walked back to the hallway outside Tom's room. I remembered that Tom's room had windows on the south side, and from the screen, William's room seemed to be on the north side, most likely in a room on the other side of this hallway.

I looked around, and whether it was the Moon God finally starting to favor me, the hallway was empty. I crouched and moved forward as quickly and silently as possible.

Grabbing the door handle, thank God the door wasn't locked. I immediately entered the room, and I had only a second of relief before realizing there was a warrior standing there with a baseball bat in his hand.

"Xena!" William called out in delight, his voice hoarse.

"What the Fuck!" The warrior swung the baseball bat toward my head, and I barely managed to duck in time. The sharp pain in my ribs from earlier flared up as I twisted away, making me gasp. I could feel something was definitely wrong with my left side—probably a cracked rib or worse.

"Xena, watch out!" William shouted. "He's trying to reach his radio!"

I saw the warrior's free hand moving toward the walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. My heart pounded. Ignoring the searing pain in my ribs, I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist just as his fingers touched the radio. We struggled, both of us fighting for control of the device. His superior size and strength were obvious, but desperation gave me an edge.

"Behind you!" William warned as the warrior swung the bat again.

I released his wrist and rolled to the side, feeling the bat whoosh past my ear. The movement sent another wave of agony through my injured ribs, and I had to bite back a scream. Blood was beginning to seep through my shirt where the injury had reopened.

The warrior raised the radio to his mouth.

Without thinking, I shifted. My wolf form struggling to accommodate the damaged ribs. Una howled in fury as she took control, her powerful jaws clamping down on the warrior's throat before he could finish his transmission.

The taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down harder, feeling his windpipe collapse beneath my teeth. His hands clawed desperately at my fur, but it was too late. The radio clattered to the floor as his body went limp.

When I shifted back, I was gasping for breath, my human form crumpling to the floor beside the warrior's still body. Blood stained my clothes—some his, some mine. My ribs felt like they were on fire, each breath sending sharp spikes of pain through my chest.

I dragged myself across the floor toward the door, leaving a small trail of blood behind me. My hands shook as I reached up and turned the lock, the metallic click echoing in the sudden silence.

"Xena," William's voice was barely a whisper. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer immediately, too focused on trying to breathe without screaming. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the full extent of my injuries was becoming clear.