Xena''s POV


    "Yes, Alpha," Helen said, her head bowed low, voice trembling as she responded.


    "Put your clothes on and go clean the cells," Rydermanded, his voice cold and unforgiving as it echoed through the room.


    Helen ran past me with tears streaming down her face. The sight should have satisfied


    me, but something about her desperation just made me feel hollow instead.


    "Thank you, boys," I said, turning back toward the office with Ryder following close behind me. This time, he locked the office door.


    "Where were we?" I walked toward the desk, ready to continue working on the


    shop designs.


    Ryder grabbed my arm, pushing me against the wall, his body pressing roughly against


    mine. His lips crashed onto mine with an intensity that made me feel weak. I felt a faint spark race across my skin. Ryder pinned my hands above my head as he kissed me hungrily. His body trembled slightly against mine, and when he finally broke away from


    my lips, he whispered, "Good thing we have work to do today."


    "Why so hungry?" I teased, looking straight into his eyes. Deliberately, I bit the corner of


    my lower lip, then slowly licked my lips. Seeing his eyes fixed on my mouth, feeling the


    tremor that ran through his body, I smiled with satisfaction.


    "That''s damn sexy," he growled.


    "What is? Helen''s body? You got a pretty good look, didn''t you?" The words tumbled out before I realized how inappropriate they were.


    His gaze sharpened instantly, his fist mming into the wall beside my head. "Don''t ever say that again. You''re my girl. She''s just trash."


    I didn''t look away, watching the fire burning in his eyes. I ced my hand on his chest,


    my body leaning toward his. I leaned forward, whispering in his ear, "Yes, Alpha,” then gently licked his earlobe.


    "Damn it, woman!" Ryder pushed me away, ring at me. "I''m trying my hardest not to touch you, and you do this?"


    "So you can push me up against a wall and have your way with me, but I can''t do the same?" I challenged, hands firmly nted on my hips. Inwardly, I wasughing.


    "Exactly. Sit down, let''s continue." His voice was strained.


    Despite my efforts, I couldn''t hide my smile. "Don''t you want to eat something first?" I deliberately left the double entendre hanging.


    "Fine, we can have lunch." Ryder strode over to the couch and sat down. He arranged our


    food with more force than necessary. Not wanting to push him too far, I simply sat down


    and started eating.


    Soon, my thoughts drifted back to the project. This whole development felt like a dream. I''d thought about expanding my business but never actually took steps toward it!


    "What are you thinking about?" Ryder asked. He was studying me, and my attention snapped back to him.


    "Will you really let me continue my business after I be your Luna?" I asked.


    "Xena, being a Luna isn''t a death sentence. It''s a job, a lifestyle. Think of it as a career. You can still have your hobbies. And you mentioned you like being busy. Do you know how much power you''ll have here? If you want a teen art studio, you can make it happen. If you want a big library, you just need to say the word. The entire pack will look to you to enhance their way of life. All those projects you do for the school and kids, you can continue on arger scale. You can keep helping people."


    Well, when he put it like that, I couldn''t stop the corners of my mouth from turning up, but I just answered with a short, "Oh."


    "Is that why you''ve been resisting all this?" Ryder asked.


    "I''ve always dreamed of traveling. Seeing what the world is like outside. Anywhere would be better than my father''s pack, though. I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions." Saying these words, I felt a vulnerability I''d never allowed myself before.


    "Would you choose traveling over me?" His question was direct, his eyes intense.


    "No. Let me exin, and I hope you understand. I''ve never told anyone except Logan about this. I''ve shared bits and pieces, yes, but never everything." I set down my fork and looked Ryder in the eyes.


    "Growing up in that environment... I just wanted to escape. Staying wasn''t an option, for obvious reasons. As we grew up, everyone always said Samuel might be my most likely mate. I was told this from the time I was eleven. So being with him became natural. As we


    got older, my situation got worse... There was only so much Logan and Samuel could do. By the time I was fourteen, things became unbearable. My arm was broken. I could have


    graduated early, but that meant taking college courses online and spending more time with Martha. So, I chose to stay in high school. Every time Samuel or Logan failed to


    protect me, my dream of traveling grew. I started saving money and opened the shop. At


    some point, I began seriously questioning if I truly wanted to be Samuel''s mate. If I were


    with him, I would leave him to travel. No question. Being his mate meant staying and living with Martha."


    I paused, feeling a surge of emotion wash over me. This was the first time I''d ever expressed my fears and hopes so openly.


    "After meeting you, I realized I might have a life where I don''t need to stay there. It doesn''t mean my dream of traveling vanished, but being able to live somewhere I don''t have to constantly watch my back is what I''ve wanted. You offer that here. I think I could be happy here as long as I can still be myself, still continue my business, but I still want


    to travel and see the world."


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