Don’t Poke the Luna Chapter 251

Xena’s POV

"I'm going to start preparing dinner," Penelope said.

Logan said. "I'll help you." He and Penelope headed out the door together, and I watched them go with a sense of contentment.

Ryder's expression remained grim and troubled, but he managed a small nod. "I know. I just..." He ran his hands through his hair, frustration and pain written across every line of his face.

Suddenly he seemed to remember something, taking my hand and leading me out of the pack house. Logan and Penelope followed close behind us.

Outside, the entire area was filled with our warriors and their mates. Couples were embracing, holding each other tight, savoring the sweetness of reunion after battle.

"MEN!" Ryder suddenly bellowed in a voice so loud and angry that it cut through all the celebration like a blade.

I immediately felt confused and alarmed. Ryder's anger made the air itself feel tense and dangerous. Every person holding their mate released them and formed a line. All the women stepped back, looking confused at what was happening. I was equally confused, so I moved to stand at the top of the stairs. Ryder crossed his arms and walked to the front of the assembled warriors.

One of the warriors stepped forward. In a very military fashion, he began to speak: "Luna Xena. Due to our negligence, we were captured. This led to our fellow warriors being killed. This led to you having to allow yourself to be kidnapped again to save us from the same fate."

Looking at the bruises on these warriors' faces, I had initially thought they were from battle, but now I realized differently. These bruises might be "lessons" that Ryder had given them.

"We take full responsibility for our actions and will accept whatever punishment you deem appropriate. We are deeply sorry. Your bravery not only killed Tatum and Wiley but saved many people from a terrible fate," another warrior said.

Everyone was quiet. Even the children made no sound.

Watching these warriors' apologies, I felt complex emotions surge through me. On one hand, I understood their guilt and self-blame; on the other hand, I also knew that in war, failure was inevitable. But as a leader, I needed to find a balance between mercy and discipline.

Ryder looked at me through our mind link. "I can decide their punishment if you'd like."

Taking a deep breath, I slowly walked down the steps to stand in front of the warriors.

"Everyone will be punished..." I began. Some of them blinked, waiting to hear what that punishment would be. After a pause, I continued: "...but not tonight. Right now I want to celebrate our victory. I want everyone united as one. We've lost so many lives, but so many people have gained new life. Tonight we eat, we hold our loved ones. Tomorrow we find our new normal. There will be many changes. Actions speak louder than words, and we are watching."

The warriors went from looking tense to relaxed, and some even showed slight smiles.

"Dismissed," Ryder called out before turning to look at me. "I'm sorry I couldn't come rescue you."

"It's okay. I rescued myself." I reached out and tugged on his shirt. Ryder understood the hint and bent down to kiss me. His hands caressed my face, gently touching my split lip.

"You're the strongest person I know," Ryder sighed.

I wrapped my right arm around his neck, and his hands encircled my waist. "I don't regret my decisions."

"I know you don't regret them." Ryder frowned at me. "You're both infuriating and brave."

"It's really a gift," I laughed.

"Xena? Ryder? We can't eat without you," Penelope called from the pack house doorway.

"Coming!" I shouted. Ryder released me, and we walked hand in hand toward the house.

Everyone was seated at tables, with a beautiful array of food arranged along the far wall. When we sat down, Ryder remained standing.

"A few quick announcements before we begin. First, my pack members, welcome back to your homes. Everyone from Darkthorn Pack will stay here tonight, and tomorrow there will be instructions about the way forward. There's a lot of sensitive information to sort through before making any announcements. I want to thank Nightcedar Pack for the warmth and kindness they've shown over the past few days."

The entire room erupted in applause. Penelope blushed, and Logan just raised his hand while smiling.

Watching all this, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Ryder and I smiled at each other.

After Ryder finished speaking and sat down, Penelope stood up. "Each table has a number. This is the order you'll go get your food."

Seeing that we were table one, we all got up and got in line. When we were halfway through the line, the next table went too. Everyone was respectful to each other, talking quietly.

I knew everyone at our table was talking, but I was just looking at everyone around us. Our parents were gone and now it was literally up to us to keep them safe and alive.

"Xena?" Someone pushed my arm, pulling my attention back to the group.

"What?" I looked to see Logan, Penelope, Ama, Leonard, Viola, and Ryder all staring at me.

"Where did you go?" Logan asked.

"The threats are gone. I can reopen my shop. We can reopen the club. People can go shopping, return to happy lives. We're responsible for everyone now. I'm safe. Everyone is safe."

I had repeated this sentence in my head many times today, but this was the first time I'd said it out loud. Saying it made it more real, more concrete.

Ryder put his arm around me and pulled me closer. After kissing my forehead, he held me tight, letting me lean against him. "That's right. I believe your shop is ready. Do you want a grand reopening?" Penelope asked excitedly.

"I think so. I need to find the records of who needs to reschedule appointments. Assuming they haven't been fixed already."

"Wonderful! Please let me organize it!" Penelope asked, her face lighting up with no room for refusal.

"Of course. Don't go too crazy!" I said quickly.

"Of course not!" Penelope had a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Logan shook his head but smiled at her.

"Are you going to Florida?" Logan asked.

"Yes, maybe next week. We need to figure out who goes where, what happens. Though really, this is your problem, not ours."

"Actually, it is your problem too," Logan said, sitting back in his chair.

"Oh? Are we doing this here?" Penelope put down her fork and looked at Logan.

"What are you talking about?" Ryder asked.

"I had Nolan draw this for me an hour ago. It's rough but..." I saw him hand me what was a map of the entire region. However, instead of three packs, it was divided directly in half. The whole thing was one big circle with the town in the middle. Logan and Penelope owned one half, Ryder and I owned the other half.

"What?" I was shocked. This proposal caught me completely off guard.

"This region is too big for us to manage. Splitting it would be beneficial, and after all this turmoil, we think it's best to eliminate the Darkthorn Pack name," Logan said without emotion.

"You were key to eliminating Wiley and Tatum. If it weren't for you, we might not be here now," Penelope said softly.

"I did what any luna would do. When your mate and warriors have guns pointed at them, you'd be surprised what you can accomplish," I said mechanically.

"However, this is our proposal. We'll give everyone the choice of who they want to serve. They can decide whether they want Logan or Ryder as their alpha, and we'll each build our own territories," Logan said, picking up his drink and taking a sip.

"Are you sure?" Ryder leaned forward and took the paper to examine it carefully.

"I'm sure," Logan said simply. "Come over tomorrow and we can finalize the plans."

Logan stood up, and Penelope followed suit.

"It's still early, but we want to spend a quiet evening in our room," Penelope said.

"I want to get back to William anyway," Ama stood up.

"If you need anything, just tell me," I said to her.

"Of course!" We watched Ama walk out of the kitchen and out the door.

"Everyone, attention! Luna Penelope and I are going to enjoy a quiet evening. Please follow the regular quiet time guidelines. Everyone has already received their assigned rooms. If there are any questions or concerns, there are staff around the pack house to help. They can mind link us if needed. We can always help where needed. There will be shuttle service for those who want to return to Darkthorn Pack."

Everyone nodded and returned to their conversations.

"I want to go home too," I said to Ryder.

"Here, you can take my car. Bring it back tomorrow," Logan threw the keys to Ryder.

"You can stay here," Leonard said.

"No. I want to go to my home," I said. "Maybe someday I'll spend the night, but not tonight."

Leonard nodded and said nothing more.

"Thank you," Viola said. She hadn't spoken all evening and finally said something.

"For what?" I was genuinely confused.

"For killing them," she said these words with no emotion on her face. Leonard put his arm around her, and she buried her face in his chest.

Hearing Viola's words, I felt a wave of complex emotions. For such an introverted person, her expression was surprisingly direct. I couldn't imagine what Viola had been through.

"I hope you can find some peace," I said to her, then Ryder and I followed Logan and Penelope out of the kitchen.

Many people stopped us today to express their gratitude, but I was ready to go home.

We didn't speak as Ryder unlocked the car door and helped me get in. He walked around to the driver's side and got in. As soon as we left the driveway, he put his hand on my thigh. I watched the scenery along the way—everything was so familiar. Soon, I fell asleep.

"Sweetheart, we're home," Ryder had to shake me awake. It felt like we had just left.