Don’t Poke the Luna Chapter 81

Xena’s POV

The public pool at Ryder's pack territory wasn't anything special, but at least it was free. An elderly caretaker sat at the entrance, barely glancing up as we walked in. We stored our belongings in the lockers before heading toward the water. The pool wasn't particularly large, but fortunately, it wasn't crowded today. A group of girls clustered in one corner, splashing and laughing among themselves.

At the edge of the pool sat a dark-skinned boy with a makeshift folding table in front of him. The table displayed neat rows of homemade lemonade and simple handcrafted bracelets. He wore a faded T-shirt and jean shorts that were slightly too small, with worn-out sneakers on his feet.

I was curious why they allowed him to set up a stand by the pool. Before I could ask, Ama's voice answered my unspoken question.

"Two years ago, his father was killed in a Rogue attack. His mother died many years before that, so now he's in the pack's foster care system."

Something about his story resonated with me—perhaps the early loss of his mother, mirroring my own experience. I couldn't help but whisper, "Poor kid. Maybe I could give him a job."

"Nolan's really good at drawing. You should see his work," Ama suggested.

"I'll consider it," I replied, my eyes still on the boy.

Ama and I slid into the pool, and I noticed several girls glancing our way, but none approached. A small pang of disappointment hit me. In my father's pack, people always came to greet me. Were they afraid? Nervous? Or did the Luna here forbid them from interacting with strangers? I would never be that kind of Luna.

"Why don't we buy some lemonade?" I suggested after swimming for a while.

"I get what you're doing," Ama winked, climbing out of the pool and walking toward Nolan's stand.

A moment later, she returned with two cups of lemonade, a smile brightening her face.

"Look!" She set the drinks on the poolside table and held up her right wrist to show me a shell bracelet.

"Good job," I gave her a thumbs up, climbing out to join her on the lounge chairs. I took a sip of the lemonade, letting the tart sweetness wash over my tongue.

"Ama... do you think... Ryder might be my mate?" The question left my lips before I could stop it.

Ama saw through my worry immediately. She turned to face me, her eyes locking with mine. "Girl, look at me."

I met her gaze, watching as her usually playful expression transformed into something determined and serious.

"This isn't like you. You're never this indecisive. You've always been brave and confident. Trust your instincts and what you feel."

I didn't answer, just gave a slight nod.

"Let's make a bet. Loser gives fifty bucks," she proposed.

"Ama... this is pointless..." I murmured.

"Fifty dollars!" she insisted.

Knowing how stubborn Ama could be, I let out a resigned laugh. "Fine."

Ama flashed me a satisfied smile, then glanced at her phone. "Oh, shit, we need to go!"

"Aren't the guys coming here?" I asked.

"No, we're going to meet them... sort of."

"Sort of?" I raised an eyebrow, confusion evident in my voice.

"We need to shower and change first. They've arranged a date for us."

"Ah, so this was all to get me out of the house so they could prepare," I realized, suddenly feeling surrounded by a carefully planned surprise that made me both nervous and excited.

"Don't act so shocked. You figured it out ages ago."

"True," I admitted.

We laughed as we got into the cart.

"Drive slowly," I warned Ama.

"Yeah, yeah," she rolled her eyes but did drive more carefully and steadily. Soon we spotted the pack house, with William standing at the entrance waiting for us.

"Ready, X?" Ama suddenly exclaimed, her excitement palpable.

"What?!"

Ama executed a drift, stopping perfectly in front of William. The cart suddenly accelerated, and I had to grip the handle tightly. "Ama, slow down!"

"Trust me, X!" Ama completely ignored my warning, fully immersed in her stunt.

The cart continued gaining speed, William's face becoming clearer, panic and confusion spreading across his features. Just as he started to dodge left and right, Ama quickly turned the steering wheel. The cart tilted nearly 30 degrees to complete a clean drift, stopping perfectly in front of William.

William and I both let out long sighs of relief.

"Hahaha!" Ama laughed heartily as she got out, tossing her backpack to William.

"How was her driving?" William asked me with a pained smile.

"My lunch is still safely in my stomach!" I joked. Curious about what Ryder had prepared, I quickly got out of the cart and ran into the house without even saying goodbye to Ama.

"Traitor!" she called after me.

I blew her a kiss before disappearing through the door. I ran all the way to the bedroom, where I found Ryder just putting on his shirt.

"Hey!" I said, closing the door behind me.

"Why the rush?" he asked.

"Trying to escape Ama. I ratted her out to William. Her driving is terrible!" I laughed as I walked toward my luggage bag. But it was empty.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked, confused.

"In the closet, where they belong," Ryder shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

I stood up and walked to the closet, discovering all my clothes had been arranged inside his wardrobe.

"What's going on?" I said softly, a sudden rush of complicated emotions swelling within me.

"Logan did it. He had people move all your stuff over so you wouldn't have to keep going back there. I had a maid organize everything."

"Oh." It was all I could manage, not knowing what else to say.

"You don't like it?" Ryder asked, concern flickering in his eyes.

"...No, I mean, yes, it's just, this might be..." I stammered, unable to form complete sentences. "Yes, thank you."

"This overwhelms you," Ryder concluded.

"Yes."

"You must not be confident about us being mates, but I am." Ryder's disappointment was evident as he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

My heart sank, regret filling my chest. I felt terrible. I'd genuinely hurt him, though that wasn't my intention. Everything was moving so quickly, and I needed time to adjust, but I never meant to reject or hurt him.

I grabbed my clothes and went to the bathroom to shower. The hot water scalded my skin red.

My thoughts were a jumble. Ryder was my destined mate—deep down I acknowledged this, could feel the connection. But accepting a whole new life, a new identity, none of it was easy. I feared losing myself, being swallowed by this new world. Simultaneously, I craved the love, the sense of belonging. What did I want? Even I couldn't articulate it clearly.

After my shower, I quickly dressed. I chose a pretty dress and took time with my hair and makeup. Nothing too fancy, but I wanted to look nice for Ryder. It was my way of apologizing, of showing I cared.

Slipping on sandals, I went to find him. He wasn't in the office or the hall. I went to Ama and William's room and knocked.

"Looking good!" Ama complimented when she opened the door.

"Is Ryder here?" I asked.

"No, isn't he with you?" Ama's face showed concern.

"No. Can you locate him through the mind link?"

"Of course. What happened?" William asked.

"He moved all my clothes into his closet."

"Ah, yeah, that probably didn't go well," Ama frowned at me.

"What? Why?" William looked confused.