Xena''s POV


    I was about to continue questioning Ryder when the door swung open and my next client walked in.


    "Hey!"


    "Hey, Penelope! This is the future Alpha, Ryder Nash. Penelope is a member of our pack."


    Penelope gave Ryder a nervous nce but still showed him the respect due to a future


    Alpha. Her caramel skin glowed under the shop lights as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.


    "Please make yourselffortable. Bathroom''s over there if you need it. Let me just finish


    sending this email, and I''ll be right with you," I said, fingers flying over my keyboard.


    "Sure, no problem."


    Penelope was a beauty. Long legs, golden hair, and those impossibly sharp red nails that I could never manage to maintain with my work. She had a model''s figure but the heart of a sweetheart, and she was one of my assistants.


    "Need any help? I''m free tonight," she offered, her smile bright.


    "That would be amazing. I''ll handle the books if you could take care of these?" I handed


    her a list of emails and calls that needed to be made.


    "No problem." She walked to the door, opened both sides, and wheeled in her Yamaha YZF-R3-that purple beauty with dual exhaust.


    "Thanks, you''re the best." I took her motorcycle and pushed it to the modification


    area.


    Ryder sat in my office chair while Penelope positioned herself behind the counter and started on my work. Today she wanted her rear suspension modified, recing the factory rear suspension linkage with a Vortex Racing one to lower it by about an inch.


    "Let''s do it," I said, slipping on my gloves and systematically removing the seat, side covers, and rear wheel. As I was setting the heavy rear wheel aside and loosening the


    lower mounting bolt on the rear shock, a screw went flying andnded right by Penelope''s foot. Ryder saw it too but made no move to get up.


    "I''ll get that for you," Penelope noticed and bent down to pick it up. The angle gave Ryder a clear view of her chest, but I watched as he immediately lowered his eyes back to his phone. The stark contrast between the intense, borderline aggressive guy who''d been questioning me and this respectful behavior improved my mood slightly.


    "Thank you," I gave Penelope a wide smile and continued working.


    About a minuteter, Ryder''s phone rang, and he stepped outside to take the call. He stayed on the phone for the entire time it took me to finish the rest of the job. Penelope and Ipleted our tasks almost simultaneously.


    When Ryder walked back in, I was photographing Penelope''s YZF-R3 while she was updating me on her progress.


    "...the flowers and decorations will be delivered on time. They didn''t have the blue you selected, so I switched to deep green. It''ll still look great with the ck and match the theme. We might need some adjustments, so I changed the ents to gold. As for the carnival, everything is on schedule. All vendors have confirmed, and their deposits have been processed."


    "You''re amazing," I said, trying to stand up but copsed back down as a sharp pain shot through me. Damn, I forgot about my ribs.


    "Xena!" Penelope was clearly rmed.


    "I''m fine." I held up a hand to signal her to wait. With my eyes closed, I could hear Ryder''s footsteps. When he reached my side, he gently wrapped his arm around me and carefully helped me to my feet.


    Why does his touch make me feel so safe? My heart is racing.


    Once he confirmed I was steady, he released me and stepped back.


    “Broke a few ribs," I exined to a worried-looking Penelope.


    "Oh my god! I could have rescheduled!"


    "No, it only hurts when I twist. Besides, you''ve been a huge help!" I sat down to rest for a


    moment.


    "Alright. I''m heading out unless you need anything else?" Penelope said.


    "No, thank you for your help. It''s really appreciated."


    "Anytime! Bye!" She gave Ryder onest nce before leaving.


    "You trust her with all that work?" Ryder asked, studying me.


    "She''s one of my assistants, has been for a year now. Penelope''s great."


    "How many assistants do you have?" Ryder seemed to be back in interrogation mode.


    I figured he was used to this questioning tone. "Oh, three. They''re more like employees for the various events I organize. I pay them a small sry, but it looks great on college schrship applications. They''re all schrs headed to Ivy League schools."


    "How much influence do you have? This is far more than just being an Alpha''s daughter." Ryder raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.


    "I''ll make you a deal. If we turn out to be mates, I''ll tell you everything. Until then, consider me a woman of mystery."


    "Pain in the ass is more like it," Ryder snorted.


    "That''s one of my many talents." I ignored his teasing, stood up, and started gathering my things, preparing for myst client of the day.


    "So, I answered your question. Will you answer mine?" I pressed.


    "You can add ''stubborn'' to your description," Ryder sighed. "Tell me why you care."


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