Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11

LUNA

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I stood on the sidewalk in front of the huge house on Maple Street, already regretting every single choice that had brought me here. The place was massive, three stories of white siding and big windows glowing yellow against the night, music thumping so hard I could feel it in my chest from across the street.

Cars lined both sides of the road, some fancy enough to make me feel even smaller in my borrowed black dress and sneakers. Ivy had insisted I couldn’t show up in my regular jeans, which was what I wanted to wear.

“Not to this one,” she’d said, like it was some kind of sacred rule, especially since I was personally invited by the hosts of the party. So here I was, two hours late with my hair loose for once, wearing more makeup than I’d put on in months, and feeling like I’d walked into someone else’s life.

Ivy stood beside me, looking completely different from the girl who’d spent the afternoon panicking about me being invited and refusing to go. She’d picked out a deep green top from her closet, paired it with high–waisted jeans, and somehow made it look expensive. Her red hair was curled and half–up, lips painted a soft red. She looked beautiful, really beautiful, and for a second I almost forgot how nervous I was.

She nudged my elbow. “So… are we going in, or are we just going to keep staring at the house like creeps?”

I let out a nervous laugh that sounded more like a squeak. “Give me a second.”

brain was screaming that this was a terrible idea. I’d spent the whole day trying to avoid these guys, straight into their territory and into the exact kind of attention I’d been running from since the race, ne, the curious, stubborn, and maybe–a–little–stupid part, kept whispering that I needed answers. That ng wasn’t going to fix whatever was happening to my body, and that I’d already come too far to turn back

eep breath, squared my shoulders, and started walking toward the front porch.

y fell into step beside me. “You got this,” she muttered, mostly to herself.

The porch steps were wide and lit by string lights wrapped around the railing. Music spilled out every time the front door opened, deep bass, laughter, and the sound of glasses clinking. Two big guys in black shirts stood at the entrance like bouncers. They weren’t smiling, and they looked like they could bench–press a car.

My stomach flipped. I hadn’t thought about invites. Theo and Ryder had both said “door’s open,” but what if I still needed a physical invite to get in and not just word of mouth? What if I got turned away in front of everyone? What it….

The taller guard looked at me first. “Name?”

“Luna Merrick,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt

He glanced at a tablet in his hand, tapped twice, then nodded once. “Go ahead.”

I blinked. That was it?

Ivy stepped up beside ine, suddenly small “She’s with me.” I said quickly.

The second guard started to shake his head, but the first one raised a hand “She’s good.” he said to his partner. Then to me and Ivy: “Enjoy the night!

They stepped aside, and Ivy’s eyes went huge She grabbed my arm as we walked through the dou “Did you see that? They didn’t even ask my name. They just… let me in because you said so.”

1/3

2:42 pm P PPP.

Chapter 11

I didn’t answer because my mouth was too dry. Inside, the house was alive.

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The entryway opened straight into a massive living room with high ceilings and dark wood floors. People everywhere, laughing, dancing, and holding drinks in real glasses instead of red cups. The music wasn’t blasting so loud you couldn’t talk; it was just right, filling the space without drowning it. String lights crisscrossed the ceiling, giving everything a warm,

xpensive glow, and there was a long table along one wall holding trays of food, actual food, not chips and dip, but little sliders, fancy–looking appetizers, and fruit arranged like art.

Ivy whispered, “This is definitely nothing like any party I’ve been to.”

No kidding.

We moved deeper into the crowd, sticking close. I kept my eyes scanning, half expecting Ryder or Theo to pop up any second and half hoping they wouldn’t.

Ivy tugged my sleeve. “Look, there’s the kitchen, and oh my God, is that a bartender? Like, a real one?”

Sure enough, a guy in a black vest was mixing drinks behind a marble island, shaking a cocktail like he’d done it a thousand times. People lined up, chatting and laughing while he poured.

I swallowed. “This feels… wrong.”

Ivy frowned. “Wrong how?”

“Call me poor er uncultured, but it just feels too nice and too perfect, like they’re trying to impress someone, which I guess they are, but I’m just not used to it.”

“Or they just have money, Luna,” she said quietly. “Lots of it, and what is too nice for you is just another Tuesday for them.”

We drifted toward the back of the house. A set of French doors opened onto a huge backyard with string lights again, a fire pit going, and people sitting on outdoor couches, while others played beer pong on a lit–up table. The air smelled like wood smoke and chlorine from a pool I couldn’t see yet.

Ivy grabbed two drinks from a passing tray, something clear with lime, and handed me one. “Non–alcoholic,” she said. “I asked.”

I took it, grateful since my hands were shaking a little. We found a spot near the doors where we could watch without being in the middle of everything. I sipped the drink, sparkling water with mint, and tried to calm my nerves.

That’s when I felt it.

The scent was not faint or distant but very close. So close that I almost couldn’t breathe properly. My whole body locked up, so I turned slowly, and there they were.

All five of them.

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