Don’t Poke the Luna Chapter 244

Xena's POV

"Me too," Delphine replied with a smile.

I realized my life was about to return to normal, which filled me with relief. This was really over. I could start working out again, finally take that school exam I'd already missed twice. I could finally talk to Ryder about having children... or maybe in a few years.

"We're here," Delphine said, pulling me from my thoughts. As we approached the pack house, many women from both packs were standing there. Penelope and Ama stood waiting, waving happily at me. Seeing their familiar faces, I truly realized I was home, and warmth flooded my heart.

Before the car had even stopped completely, Penelope ran over and opened my door. "Xena!" She carefully helped me out. There were tears in her eyes as she reached out to hug me, then pulled back hesitantly. I was amused by her awkward movements, so I reached out with my right hand to touch her face, helping wipe away the tears that had fallen.

"I'm so happy you're okay!" Ama walked toward me. Surprisingly, there were no tears in her eyes, but there were dark circles underneath them. My expression turned sympathetic.

"I'm fine!" Ama didn't hug me either, just gently patted my back.

All the women from Darkthorn Pack had gotten out of their cars and stood together, looking confused. Penelope smiled and walked up to them.

"Welcome! I'm Luna Penelope. The women here will help you bathe, change clothes, and eat! Please follow them. If you need anything, tell them and we'll prepare it for you!" Penelope's voice was incredibly warm and welcoming—she was a natural leader.

Penelope directed all the women toward the pack house. Ama and I stood quietly to the side, watching her take charge.

"Can we talk privately?" I asked Penelope and Ama after everything was settled.

"Of course," Penelope smiled at me, and Ama nodded in agreement. Penelope helped support me as we walked together toward her office in the pack house.

The pack house had obviously been completely renovated. The only thing that remained the same was the flooring, and even there a huge carpet had been laid down. New paintings hung on the walls, new sculptures stood by the doors, and everything had even been painted with fresh paint. This was no longer the place that brought me terrible memories.

I stood there with a shocked expression. This place had once been the source of my nightmares, and now it had become so... warm. I felt a complex mixture of emotions—gratitude and relief.

"Do you like it?" Penelope asked.

I was speechless. Ama came to my side and placed her hand on my shoulder. "She wanted to erase all the bad memories and replace them with good ones."

"Thank you," my voice trembled slightly, but I tried to control it. I needed to get my emotions together.

"Can you visit here now?" Penelope asked.

"Yes, I'd be happy to visit here now," I looked at her gratefully.

Penelope walked ahead while Ama smiled and took my hand as we headed toward the office.

"Renovating the foyer was more important. This office is next," Penelope said, opening the door and sitting down at her desk. Ama helped me sit in an armchair first, then took the one beside me.

"Penelope..." I began. Sitting up straight, I wasn't sure how to say it. "Actually, Ama, have you heard any news about William?"

"Ryder's been updating me on his condition. His second surgery just finished. He's doing well. They're preparing to transfer him here—he should arrive sometime today," Ama's voice became shaky when she mentioned William.

"Good."

"I don't know how to thank you for saving him," Ama reached out and gripped my hand.

"Of course. I would never leave anyone behind."

As I said this, I remembered the scene from that time. That impulse to protect my companions at all costs—even thinking back on it now, I would make the same choice.

"The doctor said if he'd been shot one more time, he would have bled out and died. You really saved his life," tears were already forming in her eyes.

I placed my hand on her belly. It wasn't very big yet, but you could tell she was pregnant, not just bloated. Touching this new life, I felt a strange sense of peace.

"What did you need to tell me?" Penelope asked after a moment.

Now was the time. I took a deep breath, gathering all my courage.

"I know who your parents are," I said, looking into her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Shock and surprise were obvious on her face. "What?"

"We didn't find anything," Ama said, equally shocked.

"If you don't want to hear the story, I can skip it and just tell you where they are," I gave her the option to choose.

"They didn't betray you—they protected you your whole life. They're good people who were forced to do bad things."

I chose the gentlest way to express this truth. Penelope needed to know, but she also needed to be able to accept this reality. I watched her struggling expression, my heart churning with mixed emotions.

The room was quiet for a while as Penelope struggled to decide what she wanted. Finally, she looked at me and nodded. "Yes, I want to know, but don't go into detail. Just give me an overview."

"Alright. Alpha Callan was the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack. He had a daughter named Tansy. Tansy had a boyfriend, Jericho, who got her pregnant. When she met her mate Alpha Wiley, she was only a few weeks pregnant. Understanding his character, she tried to pass the child off as his. However, when the baby was born, it looked just like her father. Alpha Wiley said he was going to kill the child, so Tansy and Jericho got the baby out and left her outside Darkthorn Pack. Tansy was... anyway, Tansy had Tatum with Wiley. Wiley spent nineteen years planning to kill everyone so Tatum could get the Alpha position instead of Tansy's daughter. However, Wiley and Tatum are both dead now. Tansy was just marked by Jericho and is currently in the hospital. She's currently the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack."

The room was quiet for a long time as both girls processed this information. After a while, Ama said, "Why did he try to kidnap you?"

I took a deep breath, working to keep my voice steady. It felt strange talking about how I'd almost died, but I needed them to understand the truth.

"Well, it's a bit convoluted, but they had a plan that kept changing. Tatum did have fantasies about me and hired rogues. However, he had Jericho find the rogues, so Jericho found trash he knew we could defeat."

"You almost died..." Ama looked at me like I was crazy. "And Ryder, damn it, Samuel died!"

Ama's words made my heart tighten. "True, but he had to make it look real. I think if Jericho had succeeded, he would have blown his cover. I think him shooting Ryder in the arm was his way of making it look real without exposing his identity."

"Tansy was in a cell for nineteen years—she can't be Alpha," Ama said.

I nodded. "The title should go to Penelope. It's the right thing to do. She's not physically or mentally capable of it." We'd never discussed this, but I had this instinct.

"What does this mean?" Penelope asked.

"It means you'll become the Alpha of Darkthorn Pack, while Logan is Alpha of Nightcedar Pack. However, I suggest merging the two packs—just expanding Nightcedar Pack."