Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder) novel Chapter 224

Chapter 224

Xena’s POV

“What do you want to show me?” Ryder pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it into the corner. William sighed and sat down. looking like he was preparing for the worst.

“First, this was Xena’s idea. I just followed instructions, William said, placing his hand on his head like he was bracing for impact.

Ryder frowned, walking toward the closet. I could hear him removing his pants, and then he came out wearing only shorts. He ignored us completely as he walked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face.

The tension spread through my body like wildfire. I wasn’t sure how Ryder would react. We had investigated his father without his knowledge, and that might make him feel betrayed. But the truth was necessary, even if it cost me his anger.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom, he spoke. “What happened?” He sat beside me, pulling me tightly against him.

I’ve been thinking about what your father might be hiding… Suddenly, this felt like a terrible idea.

“And?” Ryder looked down at me, his expression unreadable.

“No one was inside at the time. I had everyone outside waiting to be transported. Most of the warriors were with you.” I glanced toward William, my heart beating faster, palms beginning to sweat.

“She asked me to look around your father’s office for anything suspicious,” William quickly added.

“You did what?” Ryder looked at both of us, shock written across his face.

I saw a flash of betrayal in his eyes that stabbed at my heart. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I needed to know the truth.

“We all know he’s hiding something. Your mom has been acting weird too. I saw an opportunity and I took it.” My voice grew firmer.

Ryder remained silent for several minutes, his face expressionless. “Did you find anything?” he finally asked, his voice low.

His reaction was calmer than I’d anticipated, which came as a relief.

William nodded and took out his phone. He found the photos and handed it to Ryder. Ryder pulled his arm from behind me and sat up straight. He zoomed in on the photo, reading its contents. His body froze. He even flipped through several different photos before looking at me.

“Does your father have spies in Alpha Wiley’s pack?” I asked bluntly.

Ryder looked at me, opened his mouth, then looked back at the phone. “I don’t know.”

“What happened tonight? Why wasn’t everyone more excited? The mood was almost somber.” William leaned forward.

Ryder raised his head to look at William. “Something felt off. There was no one there. We thought there would be people there, but there weren’t–it was completely empty. Everything had a layer of dust on it, which means it’s been vacant for some time. We were able to go in, set the bombs, and leave. The bombs went off as expected. No guards or any type of security.”

“That’s weird for a building that’s supposedly a key money–maker for them,” William frowned.

“Was the intel wrong?” I asked urgently.

“Father never allowed me to access that information. I don’t know, I just accepted what he told me.” Ryder

up and began

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Chapter 224

pacing.

wonder If my dad knows, or Logan,‘ I said, looking toward William

Maybe. Or maybe Alpha Benedict just got bad information.” William played devil’s advocate,

“How many people know about this? Ryder asked.

“Just the three of us.” I answered quickly. Ryder tossed the phone back to William.

‘Where’s Ama?”

“She went to my dad’s territory with the rest of the pack‘ members. In case we get attacked here,” I said softly.

Ryder nodded. He placed his hands on his hips, staring at something behind us. I couldn’t tell if he was angry with me or not. “William, go get some rest. We’ll continue this in the morning.”