Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder) novel Chapter 250

Chapter 250

Xena’s POV

Really?” he asked, giving me one last chance to stay behind.

“Ready.” I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling my legs up to my chest. His hand gripped my right thigh as I rested my head against his shoulder. We drove toward home.

“What do you want for dinner?” he asked gently.

“Something spicy.”

‘Chinese?” Ryder asked after a second.

“Sounds good.” Trees flew past as we drove back to the pack. The radio was off, everything felt so peaceful.

“How much further?” I asked, my voice sounding muffled in the enclosed car.

“Ten minutes, fifteen at most.”

I looked out the window at the familiar scenery rushing past–dense pine forests, occasional rocky outcroppings, and that winding creek. Everything looked normal, but something deep inside was stirring restlessly.

The road ahead began to climb, and the trees gradually thinned. I knew that after one more turn, the border checkpoint would come into view. There should be guards patrolling, routine inspection procedures, there should be-

Ryder suddenly hit the brakes.

The car slowly stopped on the hillside, the engine’s idle sound unusually loud in the sudden stillness. Neither of us spoke, just stared ahead.

The border checkpoint was there, but it shouldn’t look like this

The gate–that heavy iron gate that was always tightly closed–now lay twisted on the ground. The frame was warped and deformed, as if torn apart by enormous force from the inside. The metal surface was covered in scratches, some so deep you could see the steel reinforcement underneath.

“Where are the guards?” I whispered, though I already knew the answer.

No one was in sight. No patrolling figures, no sounds of routine checks, not even lights from the checkpoint. The entire

border station looked like an abandoned ruin, lifeless.

I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it.

The air was filled with a nauseating sweet metallic smell–the scent of blood, mixed with the rust of metal and something deeper, more terrifying. That terror wasn’t emotion, but an actual smell, as if fear itself had seeped into every inch of soil

on this land.

Una began howling uneasily, her claws scratching at the depths of my consciousness, letting out warning whimpers.

“Something’s wrong.” His voice was barely audible. He floored the accelerator. The engine roared angrily as the car shot

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Chapter 250.

forward. Gravel scattered under the tires, and I was pressed bat against the seat by the sudden acceleration.

“What’s happening-

Armed men,” Ryder said through gritted teeth, “at least three, coming out of the woods.”

Through the rearview mirror, I saw them–three men in camouflage uniforms carrying automatic rifles, emerging from the ruins behind the checkpoint. Their movements were well–trained and coordinated, clearly having been waiting for us.

The car raced along the winding path, but I knew we couldn’t get far. The road ahead was narrowing. If they had set up a roadblock ahead-

Sure enough, a fallen tree lay across the road, completely blocking our way. This was no accident–the trunk’s cut was clean and smooth, obviously freshly sawed.

Ryder was forced to brake, the car stopping a few meters from the roadblock. We were trapped.

“Get out! Hands up!”

Harsh shouts came from all directions. I counted at least five or six armed men emerging from cover, all weapons pointed at our car. Their faces were painted with camouflage, their eyes cold and professional.

Ryder and I had no choice but to slowly raise our hands and push open the car doors to get out.

The moment my feet touched the ground, the scene before me nearly suffocated me. The houses within pack territory weren’t just damaged–they were completely destroyed. The walls of the main building were riddled with bullet holes, one corner of the roof had collapsed. All the windows were shattered. More terrifyingly, I saw bodies.

Three corpses in border guard uniforms lay in the clearing in front of the checkpoint, their blood congealed into dark red stains. Their uniforms were tattered, clearly having gone through intense battle. One still gripped a radio in his hand.

We were too late. Too late.

As I was pushed forward, I saw an even more shocking scene. Our own warriors were all kneeling on the ground, hands bound behind their heads. Their faces were covered in bruises and blood. Luna Kestrel was among them. She maintained the same position, all of them looking at us with expressions of defiance.

Just as I was about to ask what had happened, a familiar and disgusting voice reached me.

“Where have you been? You missed all the fun!”

Tatum!

He emerged from behind the ruins, wearing that nauseating smile–a mixture of smugness, cruelty, and sick pleasure. The moment I saw him, Una let out an angry roar, wanting to break free and tear his throat out. That disgusting bastard. Just seeing his smile made me want to kill him.

Tatum strode toward me, his hand roughly grabbing my arm. His touch made me nauseous, like poisonous snakes ling on my skin.

“Did you think you could escape?” he whispered in my ear, his voice low and malicious. “We’re much smarter than you

think.”