Don't Poke the Luna (Xena and Ryder)

Chapter 270 Ryder's POV Ama and Penelope would stay back to manage everyone, while Galen, Logan, Leonard and I geared up with our warriors. Each of our cars had smo a rafor coordination. The drive that should have taken two hours was completed in ninety minutes. My foot never left the accelerator, tres sergaming around curves as we raced through the countryside.

A kilometer from our destination, Logan's four cars pulled over. I grabbed my raas his voice crackled through: "We're going on foot now. Wait for my signal before you approach the front entrance." "Copy that," I replied, watching through my windshield as Logan's team disappeared. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white, every second feeling like an eternity.

Ten minutes later, Logan's voice cthrough again: "We're in position at the back entrance. You're clear to move," I started the engine and led my convoy toward the front of the compound. The industrial complex loomed before us-towering concrete walls topped with razor wire, multiple warehouse buildings scattered across the grounds, and in the center, a seven-story building. I could see guard towers positioned at strategic points.

A sharp crack echoed through the air as a bullet struck the ground just in front of our lead vehicle. The guards had spotted us.

"Fucking idiots," I snarled, grabbing the megaphone. Through the mind link, I commanded my warriors: "Get your weapons ready. Stay in the cars for now.

I rolled down my window and raised the megaphone to my lips. "Alpha Wiley, you piece of shit! Get your ass out here! Release my Luna and my Beta now! The guards didn't respond, but I could see more warriors emerging from the buildings, their rifles trained on our vehicles. The silence stretched taut like a wire about to snap.

After five agonizing minutes, a figure appeared on the guard tower. Even from this distance, I could see it was Alpha Wiley, and something was wrong. My wolf roared inside my head, demanding blood, wanting to tear across that space and rip his throat out.

Wiley raised his own megaphone, and when his voice boomed, it was completely unhinged. "YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALTZ IN HERE AND MAKE DEMANDS?" His voice cracked with madness, a far cry from the cold, calculating enemy. This wasn't the cunning Alpha who'd orchestrated months of surveillance and planning. This was someone who'd snapped, someone operating on pure rage and grief. The realization madepause, forcing a sliver of tactical thinking through my fury.

I raised my megaphone to respond, but Wiley beatto it. The distinctive rattle of an AK-47 filled the air as he opened fire, spraying bullets wildly across our position.

'GET OUT AND TAKE COVER!" I roared through the mind link.

I threw open my door and dove behind the nearest car as bullets shredded the air where I'd been sitting. My racrackled as I called Logan: "Wiley's shooting! Something's wrong with him-he's not thinking straight." *Copy that," Logan's voice cback steady and controlled.

The entire place erupted in gunfire. Every guard was shooting at us with reckless abandon. Smoke began rising from the car next toas bullets punctured its engine block.

'Fall back to the tree line!" I commanded through the mind link. "Move!" We began a fighting retreat toward the forest, but Bastian's agonized scream cut through the chaos. He was down, blood pouring from his leg as he writhed on the ground.

'COVERING FIRE!" I roared to my warriors.

Keir had already reached the safety of a massive oak tree, but when he saw Bastian fall, he didn't hesitate. He sprinted back across the open ground, bullets whining around him like angry hornets.

1/2 Chapter 270 The bullet caught him in the head before he'd made it halfway. His skill exploded in a spray of blood and brain matter that painted Bastian & face tex, 197 body crumpled to the ground like a broken doll.

"KEIR! The sound that tore from my throat was pure anguish.

Bastian stared at Keir for one frozen second. He shifted into his wolf form and charged the guard tower with a howl of grief fueled rage.

'BASTIAN, NO!" I screamed, but he was beyond hearing.

He took down one of the guards, his massive jaws crushing the man's throat in a spray of arterial blood! But of another guard stepped up behind him and put bullet through his skull. Brain. matter splattered everywhere as the shorrific scene played out twice. I let out an agonized howl of pain.

Rage consumedcompletely. I looked back at my remaining warriors-1 could see the sfury and fear burning in their eyes. We'd lost two good men already, and I couldn't let their deaths be meaningless. "ATTACK! I roared. "KILL THEM ALL!" "YES, ALPHA!" they responded in unison, their voices carrying the fury.

My warriors automatically paired off into two-man teams, each finding cover among the trees. The forest erupted in gunfire as we fought back with everything we had. I raised my rifle and began picking off targets, my rage givingdeadly accuracy. Despite their superior position, my warriors' fury was giving us the edge we needed. Hope began to bloom in my chest-maybe we could actually kill that bastard Wiley after all.

Then I heard the buzzing.

I stopped shooting and looked up at the sky. A swarm of black drones was descending on us. Scarried bombs, others mounted machine guns. My heart sank as I realized we were about to be overwhelmed.

The drones opened fire, their automated weapons adding to the chaos. Explosions rocked the forest as bomb- carrying drones dove at our positions.

*RETREAT!" I commanded through the mind link. "FIGHTING WITHDRAWAL! KEEP YOURSELVES ALIVE!" Chapter Comments 52