Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Third–person POV

Jace furrowed his brows in confusion the second he heard what Luna was asking of him. For a moment, he simply stared at her, trying to understand why she suddenly needed help controlling her strength. From his perspective, most newly awakened werewolves took some time to adjust, but very few immediately came asking for training unless something had already gone wrong.

The concern on his face became more obvious as he looked her over, almost as though he was searching for some clue that would explain everything.

“What happened?” he asked.

Luna let out a long sigh before folding her arms across her chest. She had already expected that question, and honestly, she was tired of explaining the situation. Still, if she wanted help she needed to tell him the truth.

“My speed is acting up,” she responded. “I have a race in a few days, and I need to learn how to stay at my normal speed without exposing myself.”

The moment the words left her mouth, understanding flashed across Jace’s face. He suddenly realized something that should have been obvious from the beginning. Luna was not just a werewolf, she was also a competitive athlete. Unlike him and the others, who had grown up knowing exactly what they were and how to control themselves, Luna had been thrown into this world with absolutely no preparation. She was still learning the basics while trying to maintain a completely normal human life. The combination was practically a disaster waiting to happen.

A quiet sigh escaped him. “When did it start?” he asked. “And how bad is it?”

Luna shifted her weight uneasily before answering. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became.

“It started yesterday,” she responded. “I was running by myself before practice, and all of a sudden I just… took off. It felt like my legs weren’t listening to me anymore. I just started moving way faster than I ever should have been able to.”

As she spoke, the memory made her stomach twist. She could still remember the panic and could still remember how impossible it had felt.

For years she had spent every waking moment trying to improve her speed through hard work, discipline, and training. Then suddenly, without warning, her body had decided to throw all logic out the window.

“Thankfully, I was alone when it happened,” she continued. “Nobody saw it. Then it almost

hg with the team. I barely stopped myself before it

Jace nodded slowly.

The situation was serious, more serious than Luna probably realized. Strength was one thing. but speed was another. A runner suddenly moving several times faster than humanly possible in front of dozens of witnesses would create questions that nobody wanted asked

For several moments, he remained silent while considering the situation. Unfortunately, the more he thought about it, the less he liked the answer he was arriving at.

Eventually, he looked back at her. “Do you want my advice,” he asked carefully, “or would you rather I lie to you?”

Luna immediately knew she was not going to like whatever came next. She could feel it, not just from his expression or just from his tone, but through the bond itself. His emotions carried a mixture of concern and frustration that immediately put her on edge.

Her heart started beating faster partly because she was nervous, also partly because she already suspected what he was about to say, and mostly because she absolutely did not want to hear it.

“If you’re about to tell me to drop out of the race,” she responded sharply, “then don’t bother saying anything because I might actually do serious damage to your nose.”

Jace closed his eyes briefly. The threat sounded ridiculous. Unfortunately, he knew Luna well enough by now to know that she was not entirely joking.

“I’m trying to stop you from making a very big mistake,” he responded.

Luna scoffed immediately. The sound echoed across the mostly empty field.

“Easy for you to say,” she retorted.

Jace’s expression hardened slightly. Luna, however, was already getting angry. The frustration she had been carrying for days was finally bubbling to the surface, and now that it had started, she found it difficult to stop.

“You are about to say something that’s going to sound like this is some simple decision,” she continued. “Like I can just walk away from it.”

Jace remained silent, and that only irritated her more.

“You seem to forget that I’m not like you,” she said.

The words came out louder than she intended, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. The field suddenly felt too small, the pressure inside her chest felt too heavy, and hearing

Chapter 120

could see exactly how much this meant to her and because a part of him hated being the person standing between her and what she wanted.

Luna took a deep breath, then another, but unfortunately, neither of them helped. She was still angry, still frustrated, and still terrified, and Jace’s cautious attitude felt less like concern and more like an obstacle standing in her way.

Meanwhile, Jace found himself struggling with a completely different problem.

Everything Luna was saying made sense, but none of that changed the reality of the situation. She was newly awakened. Her speed was already becoming unstable, and the race was only a few days away.

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