Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 124

Chapter 124

Luna’s POV

I let out a long sigh before finally shaking my head at Orion. He looked genuinely miserable standing in front of me, and while I had been upset earlier, I wasn’t cruel enough to keep holding it over his head after he had practically sprinted agros campus just to find me. The fact that he had come looking for me at all already showed that he cared enough to make thin right. Besides, I was exhausted, emotionally drained, and far too tired to keep being angry.

“You don’t need to apologize a thousand times,” I said as I folded my arms across my chest. “I was only upset because you didn’t think to let me know you were going to be late. That’s all.”

Orion looked unconvinced by my answer. The expression on his face made it seem like he thought I was only saying that t make him feel better. He adjusted his glasses slightly and continued looking at me with obvious guilt. I was honestly a little ridiculous. If anyone had walked past us right now, they would probably assume he had committed some terrible crime.

“I’m serious,” I said with another sigh. “Now that you’ve apologized, I’m not mad anymore.”

The tension in his shoulders eased slightly, but not completely. It was clear that he was still beating himself up over what happened, and I wasn’t sure whether I found that admirable or annoying.

“If you’re sure,” he responded quietly.

“I’m sure,” I replied. “But next time, maybe let me know before leaving me waiting around. Try not to leave your phone behind when you have someone waiting for you.”

A small embarrassed smile appeared on his face. “I will,” he promised.

I stared at him for a second before pulling my phone out of my hoodie pocket and holding it toward him. For a moment he looked confused, clearly not understanding what I wanted.

“Take it,” I said.

Orion blinked. “Your phone?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes immediately. “No, Orion, my toaster,” I responded dryly. “Of course, my phone.”

A faint chuckle escaped him as he finally accepted it. “What am I doing with it?” he asked.

I pointed at the screen. “Saving your number,” I answered. “So next time I can actually call you instead of standing around like an idiot wondering if you forgot I existed.”

The guilty look returned instantly.

I immediately regretted my wording. “That came out harsher than I micant.” I admitted

“It’s okay.” Orion said softly “You have every right to be upset.”

I resisted the urge to groan. Please stop apologizing. It’s too much”

To my relief, he actually listened this time I unlocked the phone and he typed his number into it saved his contact information, and then handed it back I glanced at the screen long enough to confirm that the number was there before slipping the phone back into my pocket

“There, he said “Now you can yell at me properly it Lever disappear agam

I snorted despite myself ill keep that in mind

Chapter 124

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke, then eventually. Orion cleared his throat. “Do you still want me to help you train? he asked. “I know tonight didn’t work out, but I can help tomorrow. I’ll make sure I’m there without fail

The question immediately brought me back to the reason I had been so upset earlier, and the panic that had been sitting quietly in the back of my mind all evening returned instantly. At the same time, another thought surfaced. Jace.

For a second, I seriously considered telling Orion everything. I considered telling him that I had run into Jace on the field. and I also considered telling him that Jace had stayed and talked with me. I also wanted to tell him that Jace had offered me help, and most importantly, I wanted to tell him about the suggestion Jace had made.

The suggestion that I should ‘claim him.’

The thought alone made me cringe, but the problem about telling him was that I already knew exactly how that conversation would go.

Orion would not react well, actually, that was putting it mildly. He would react terribly.

Even if I explained that Jace had only suggested it as a practical solution, Orion would never believe it. The relationship between those two was already hanging on by a thread, and the last thing I needed was to tell Orion that Jace had essentially offered me status, protection, and influence through our bond. It would sound suspicious no matter how it was explained. and I could already imagine the argument.

I could already imagine Orion insisting that Jace had ulterior motives, I could already imagine him storming off to find Jace and knowing those two, any confrontation would probably end with broken bones.

The image of Orion and Jace beating each other half to death flashed through my head, and I immediately decided that keeping my mouth shut was the safest option.

Nope, absolutely not. I was not opening that particular can of worms.

“I’ll think about it,” I responded carefully.

Orion studied me for a second. I wasn’t sure whether he sensed that I wasn’t telling him everything or whether he was simply trying to read my expression. Thankfully, if he suspected anything, he chose not to push.

“Fair enough,” he said.

I nodded and looked up at the sky overhead. It was getting way too late, much later than I had realized. My entire body telt heavy, and now that the adrenaline from the evening was wearing off, I could feel just how exhausted I really was

I should get back to the dorm,” I said. “I’m honestly running on fumes right now.”

Orion immediately nodded in understanding. “Of course,” he responded, “You should get some rest

I was relieved he wasn’t going to argue. “Goodnight, Orion.”

“Goodnight, Luna”

Something about the way he said my name made me hesitate for half a second It wasnt romantic, it was simply warm and genuine, the kind of tone that made me strangely even more aware of hun Before I could dwell on the reeling. I quickly

waved at him and turned around

As I walked away. I could sull feel his gaze on me, and that awareness made me want to turn back Maybe it was curiosity, the bond, or simply because I knew he was still standing there watching me leave Whatever the reason was. I almost looked over my shoulder, but instead, I forced myself to keep walking

The walk back to my dorm felt longer than usual Between worrying about the race dealing with Jace’s suggestions, being annoyed with Orion forgiving Orion and generally questioning every lite chone I had made in the last mouth. I felt completely drained By the time the dorm building finally came into view, my legs felt heavier than they should have

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