Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 121

Two options

Third–person POV

Jace quickly shook his head and told Luna to calm down for a second. The frustration pouring out of her was so intense that he could practically feel it pressing against him from every direction. Between the bond and simply looking at her standing there with tears in her eyes, he knew she was reaching her breaking point. He understood why she was upset, and he also understood why she was angry at him.

Unfortunately, understanding her emotions did not magically change the reality of the situation. He took a slow breath before forcing himself to remain patient. The last thing he wanted was for Luna to think he was dismissing her fears or looking down on her concerns. If anything, the reason he was being so blunt was because he understood how serious her situation actually was.

“Luna, please calm down for a second,” he said carefully. “Believe me, I’m very aware of your circumstances and why you feel like you can’t pull out of this race.”

Luna folded her arms tightly across her chest, but she didn’t interrupt him this time. Her eyes were red from the tears she was desperately trying to hold back, and despite her anger, she still listened Jace noticed the way her shoulders remained tense, almost like she was preparing herself for another argument. He couldn’t blame her.

“If your strength is already starting to act out,” he continued, “then it means this is only the beginning. Right now it’s your speed because that’s the ability you’re using the most, but sooner or later, you might find yourself breaking things without meaning to. You could pick up a mug and accidentally crush it, or you could grab a door handle and rip it off. These things happen when a wolf’s abilities start developing faster than their control.”

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For a moment, Luna simply stared at him.

Then disbelief appeared across her face. “So you’re telling me that not only do I have super speed, I also have super strength?” she asked.

Jace nodded. “You’re a werewolf,” he responded. “Even the weakest wolves are physically stronger than the average human.” The answer only seemed to make Luna more frustrated. Every day she discovered something new about herself, and every discovery seemed to create three new problems she had not asked for. She had spent nineteen years believing she was completely normal. Now she was expected to accept that she could run faster than humans, heal faster than humans, and apparently become stronger than humans too.

“And judging by what I’ve seen from your wolf,” he continued, “you may be an Omega, but you’re not weak. The stronger a wolf is, the harder it can be to learn control in the beginning.”

The words hit Luna like a punch to the stomach. She had already been worried, but now she felt terrified.

Jace could see the fear immediately. “I really wish I could tell you there was an easy solution,” he said quietly. “I wish I could tell you there was some shortcut that would solve everything in three days, but there isn’t. No matter how much you hate me for saying it, somebody has to be honest with you.”

Luna let out a frustrated laugh that sounded far too close to a sob. “Couldn’t you at least try helping me before deciding I have no hope?” she asked.

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The second the words left her mouth, tears began forming in her eyes again, and she hated it. More than anything, she hated crying in front of Jace. She hated looking weak, and she hated feeling helpless.

Most of all, she hated that despite knowing Jace was probably trying to help, she still felt completely alone. To her, it seemed like he had already made up his mind. He had already concluded she would fail. He had already decided there was no chance she could learn fast enough. Whether he intended it or not, that was exactly how it sounded to her.

The first tear rolled down her cheek, then another, and another.

Luna immediately looked away. Unfortunately, that only made things worse because the harder she tried to stop crying, the harder it became.

Jace felt every bit of it.

The bond made it impossible not to. Her fear crashed into him, her desperation crashed into him, and her heartbreak crashed into him.

To his horror, he felt his own eyes beginning to sting.

It was overwhelming. Watching her cry was bad enough, but feeling every reason behind those tears made it nearly

unbearable. Before he could stop himself, he stepped forward, and without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around

her.

Two options

The hug was gentle, careful, and almost hesitant.

For a brief second, Luna froze in surprise. Then everything she had been holding back finally broke. As soon as she felt his arms around her, the tears came harder, and a strangled sob escaped her.

Jace closed his eyes. He knew exactly what she wanted him to say.

She wanted him to promise everything would be okay. She wanted him to tell her she would definitely make the race. She wanted him to tell her she would tearn control in time, but the problem was that he didn’t know if any of those things were true, and he refused to lie to her.

So instead, he simply stood there holding her while she cried. For several minutes neither of them spoke.

The field remained silent around them, with the only sound being the distant hum of the stadium lights and Luna’s quiet crying.

Eventually, Jace let out a slow breath, then he carefully pulled back. Not completely, but enough to look at her. When he saw the tears on her face, something inside him twisted painfully.

Gently, he lifted her chin.

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His expression remained serious. “What if I could promise you that you wouldn’t lose your scholarship?” he asked quietly.” And I could also promise you that your coach and your team wouldn’t turn against you even if you pulled out of the race?” Luna immediately frowned. The question confused her so much that she almost forgot she had been crying.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

She quickly narrowed her eyes. “And if you’re thinking about calling my coach, don’t you dare.”

Jace‘ actually looked amused for a second. “I’m not talking about calling your coach,” he responded.

Luna looked even more confused.

Jace sighed, then he decided to explain. “Blackridge is a school for werewolves,” he said. “Doesn’t it occur to you that the people running the school know exactly what students like us go through?”

Luna stared at him blankly. Clearly, she still wasn’t following, and the realization made Jace rub the back of his neck.

“Tell me straight what you’re talking about,” Luna said.

Jace nodded. “Fine,” he responded. “There are two options.”

Immediately, Luna focused on him. Hope appeared in her eyes for the first time since the conversation started.

“The first option,” Jace explained, “is that I find a legitimate reason to have you withdrawn from the race without you choosing to withdraw yourself. That way your coach can’t blame you, your teammates can’t accuse you of abandoning them, and your scholarship remains untouched.”

Luna listened carefully. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was still better than simply being told to quit and risk getting branded as lazy and unprofessional.

‘And the second option?” she asked.

Jace went quiet, immediately looking uncertain, and Luna noticed it immediately. Whatever option two was, it clearly carried much bigger consequences.

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After a few seconds, Jace sighed. “The second option is more extreme,” he admitted. “But it’s also the better long–term

solution.”

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