Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 127

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The alternative

As he cuntinued walking, his thoughts drifted toward his friends. More specifically, toward the uncomfortable reality that they were all after the same girl. Years ago, if someone had told him that one woman would come between him and the people he considered brothers, he would have called them insane. He and the others had spent over a decade together. They had trained together, fought together, celebrated victories together, and survived more than most friendships ever could.

Back then, he would have sworn that no girl on earth was worth jeopardizing that bond. Then Luna happened. Suddenly, things weren’t so simple anymore. He still loved his friends, and he still trusted them, but every time he saw one of them getting closer to Luna, something ugly twisted inside his chest. Jace already had an advantage that none of them could ignore. The mark on Luna’s neck was proof of that. Theo had managed to get her to spend an entire day with him, and Orion somehow kept finding reasons to be alone with her.

Ryder hated feeling competitive toward them, but he couldn’t stop it. The more time passed, the more certain he became of one thing. He wasn’t willing to walk away, at least not without trying and giving himself a real chance. As long as Luna hadn’t chosen someone else, he wasn’t giving up.

The problem, of course, was figuring out where Ivy even was. He knew almost nothing about her beyond her name and the fact that she lived with Luna. He didn’t know her major, didn’t know what classes she took, or where she liked to spend her time. For all he knew, she could be on the opposite side of campus right now. He was just starting to consider how ridiculously difficult finding her might be when fate decided to throw him a bone.

A flash of red hair caught his attention. At first, he barely noticed it, but then his brain processed what he was seeing, and he nearly stopped walking altogether. There, moving quickly through the crowd with her bag bouncing against her side, was Ivy. It was so unexpected that for a second Ryder wondered if he was hallucinating.

Out of all the people on campus, the exact person he needed had just walked directly into his path. It felt suspiciously convenient, almost like the moon goddess herself had gotten tired of watching him struggle.

His eyes widened immediately, and then a grin spread across his face. Without wasting a single second, he called out her

name.

“Ivy!” Ryder shouted.

The redhead stopped so abruptly that she almost stumbled. Then she turned around, and the second her eyes landed on him, her entire expression changed. Confusion appeared first, then recognition, then complete disbelief. After that came something that looked suspiciously close to panic, and Ryder/almost laughed.

Apparently he wasn’t the only one having an unexpected day.

Ivy stared at him for several long seconds without saying a word. The crowd continued moving around them while she remained frozen in place. It was obvious she was trying to understand why Ryder Graves was calling her name in the middle of campus. Unfortunately for her, Ryder looked far too pleased with himself to let her escape. He had expected to spend the entire morning wondering how he was going to find her, but now she was standing right in front of him, and there was absolutely no chance he was letting this opportunity slip away.

Meanwhile, Ivy’s heart had practically forgotten how to function. She could not believe that Ryder Graves, one of the most popular athletes in the entire university, had just called out her name in public.

The fact that he was standing here calling her specifically rnade alarm bells start ringing in her head immediately. She couldn’t think of a single reason why Ryder would want to talk to her that didn’t somehow involve Luna, and considering the complete chaos Luna’s life had become lately, that possibility made her nervous.

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