Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Luna’s POV

I was so disorganized and so lost in my thoughts that I could barely focus on anything Every time I tried to think about one problem, three more immediately pushed their way into my head. The worst part was that trene of them were stnall problems either. Half the school seemed convinced I was dating Jace, people were talking about me everywhere I went, and on top of that. I had somehow developed enough strength to accidentally rip things off without even trying, which has now made me even more paranoid to touch anything out of fear that I would cause serious damage.

What if I did it again? What if next time it wasn’t a doorknob? What if I grabbed a chair and accidentally snapped it in half What if I shook someone’s hand too hard? At this point I felt like a walking disaster waiting to happen. Even Moon, who normally found ways to make everything worse, had spent most of the day telling me to calm down. Unfortunately calm was the one thing I couldn’t be. My life felt like it was spiraling in ten different directions at once, and no amount of deep breathing was going to fix that.

The only reason I hadn’t completely hidden in my dorm all day was because I knew I couldn’t afford to skip practice If there was one thing I still had some control over, it was showing up and doing what I needed to do as an athicte. I still needed to find that older runner who had approached me yesterday. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that she was my best chance at learning how to control my speed without involving any of my mates. The last thing I needed right now was more distractions.

Unfortunately, finding her wasn’t exactly easy. Every time I looked around campus, all I saw were strangers. Students moved around in groups while I wandered around by myself trying to avoid attention. I had already spent half the day locating quiet corners where I could sit alone and escape the endless gossip, and believe me, it was ridiculous. I was acting like some kind of fugitive hiding from the law when all I had actually done was get photographed being hugged.

Still, logic didn’t stop the anxiety. Every time I passed people, I couldn’t help wondering if they recognized me. Every time someone laughed nearby, I wondered if they were laughing about me, or at me. It was exhausting.

I was sitting alone behind one of the older academic buildings when my phone suddenly buzzed in my hand. The vibration startled me enough that I almost dropped it. For a second I considered ignoring it completely since I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself, and also wasn’t even in the mood to pretend I was okay. Still, curiosity got the better of me. When I looked down at the screen, my eyebrows immediately lifted in surprise. The message was from Jace.

‘Are you okay?‘

I stared at the words for several seconds. Out of all the people I expected to contact me, Jace wasn’t actually at the top of the list, and it wasn’t exactly because I thought he wouldn’t care about the pictures circulating but because he usually seemed careful about when he reached out.

Looking at the message made something uncomfortable twist in my chest. Maybe it was guilt or frustration, or maybe it was just exhaustion. Whatever it was, I didn’t have the energy to deal with it. I locked my phone and tossed it onto the bench beside me. I knew it wasn’t exactly his fault that someone had taken a picture of us, in fact, if I were being fair, it wasn’t really anybody’s fault. It had just happened. Unfortunately, fairness didn’t magically make me feel better, and my head felt too full. The thought of having a conversation with one of my mates right now sounded exhausting.

A minute later my phone buzzed again, and I stared at it suspiciously before picking it up.

This time the message was longer.

“You don’t have to respond. Jace wrote. I just wanted to say I’m sorry about the picture. I’ve already had it removed from the school blog and issued a warning against anyone continuing to spread it. I don’t know how much that will help now, but I wanted to try Im really sorry. Luna. I hope you’re okay.”

B.00 am P PPP

Chapter 198

*ad the forwar+wice and a third time and then I let out a slow breath

The annoying thing was that I could tell he genuinery meant every word, are knowing that somehow made things worse instead of better Without warning,4 felt my eyes start to sting. The sensation Caught me completely off guard, and I wasn’t even sure why I was suddenly emotional Maybe it was because someone was actually trying to help. Maybe it was because I was exhausted. Maybe I was simply overwhelmed. Whatever the reason, tears started gathering in my eyes before I could stop them. Frustrated. I rubbed at them with the sleeve of my shir

Crying over a text message was ridiculous, and I wasn’t going to sit here crying over Jace Callahan apologizing for someching that wasn’t even his fault.

Eventually, I typed a response.

Thanks.‘ And that was it.

I hit send before I could overthink it.

The moment the message left my phone, I dropped my hand into my lap and squeezed my eyes shut. I hated this. I hated now emotional I felt lately. I hated how everything seemed capable of pushing me over the edge. Before I could sink any deeper into my miserable thoughts, my phone started ringing.

glanced at the screen, and surprise, surprise, it was Theo calling.

groaned, and I genuinely considered declining the call, but then I remembered who I was dealing with.. Ignoring Theo didn’t make him go away, and if anything, it usually encouraged him.

Reluctantly, I answered. “What?” I asked the second I picked up.

There wasn’t even an attempt at politeness, but Theo didn’t sound offended.

Where are you?” he asked immediately.

closed my eyes. Then I let out a tired sigh. “Theo,” I said, already exhausted, “if that’s all you called to ask, then I’m really not in the mood.”

Without waiting for a response, I ended the call immediately, and then I shoved my phone into my pocket, hoping that he would take a hint and leave me alone, but unfortunately, the universe clearly hated me and Theo was a fool, because only a ew seconds later, a familiar voice spoke from somewhere behind me.

‘Do you know that you’re the first girl who has ever hung up on me?” My entire body froze. I slowly turned around, and here he was. Theo, standing only a short distance away with a paper bag in his hand.

He was wearing his usual stupid grin, and for like a minute that definitely felt longer, I just stared at him with a look of disbelief on my face.

“You called me while standing right there?” I asked.

Theo’s grin widened. “Technically,” he responded, “I called you from over there.”

He pointed vaguely behind himself, and I stared at him in disbelief.

Sometimes I genuinely wondered how he functioned. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to find this spot? I came here because I wanted to be alone.”

Theo shrugged. The movement was completely unapologetic. “Well,” he responded. “I’m not leaving you alone, so how about you just deal with it?”

8:00 am P PP

Chapter 19%

Figuld have been annoyed, actually, is annoyed, at least a little, but for some reason, seeing him standing there made

offsig mede fic loosen slightly to could be because he looked exactly the same as always and wasn’t acting weird after the picture scandal, but whatever the reason was, some of the tension that had been crushing my chest all day eased just a

lue

Unfortunately, I wasn’t about to admit that to him. “You’re unbelievably annoying.” I muttered

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