Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 139

8:53 am MMMA

Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Luna’s POV

I already knew there was absolutely no way I was walking all the way back to Blackridge from wherever in the world Know had brought me. Just looking around was enough to tell me that I was nowhere near the rear world anymore. There were on normal looking buildings, no sounds of traffic beyond the occasional distant vehicle, and certainly no sign of civilization nearby. Even if I somehow decided that following Knox was a terrible idea and wanted to leave. I had no clue which direction I would even start walking in.

My phone was dead, I had no transportation, and my legs were already tired from everything that had happened earlier in the day. So despite my reluctance, I accepted the hand Knox offered and climbed off the motorcycle. The moment both my feet touched the ground, I stretched slightly and glanced around again, taking in the isolated surroundings. The small house sitting nearby looked almost peaceful.

It wasn’t particularly large or impressive, but it looked comfortable enough, and because it was the only building around. I naturally assumed that was where we were heading. To my surprise, however, Knox didn’t even spare the house a second glance. Instead, he simply turned around and started walking away from it.

At first, I followed behind him without thinking much about it, expecting that maybe he had forgotten something outside or wanted to show me something nearby. After several minutes passed and we continued moving farther away from the house instead of toward it, confusion started building inside me. I kept looking over my shoulder at the lile building as it slowly disappeared behind us. The more distance we put between ourselves and the house, the more confused I became. If this place was supposed to be his sanctuary, then why weren’t we actually using it?

Eventually my curiosity got the better of me. I sped up slightly until I was walking closer behind him and frowned at the back of his head. The man hadn’t said more than ten words since we arrived, which was honestly starting to irritate me.

“Why aren’t we going into the house?” I asked. “Isn’t the house yours?”

Knox didn’t stop walking. “The house is mine,” he responded.

His answer only confused me more.

“If it’s yours, then why aren’t we going inside?” I asked.

Knox shrugged casually as he continued moving forward. “Because I didn’t come all the way here just to sit around and do nothing,” he responded.

I stared at him in disbelief. That answer somehow managed to answer my question while simultaneously answering absolutely nothing. For a second I opened my mouth to ask him what exactly he had come here to do, but then I stopped myself. The truth was that I was obviously going to find out eventually. Knox had already proven several times today that he wasn’t exactly the type to explain things before he felt like it. Every answer he gave seemed deliberately designed to raise even more questions, so at this point, I doubted he would tell me anything useful until we actually arrived wherever he was taking me. Because of that, I reluctantly kept iny mouth shut and continued following him.

The further we walked, the rougher the terrain became. What started as a narrow path surrounded by small bushes gradually turned into thicker vegetation. The grass became taller, the bushes became larger, and tree branches occasionally hung low enough that I had to move them out of my way. Before I even realized what was happening, the small house was completely gone from sight. All that surrounded us now were trees, bushes, and the occasional sound of birds somewhere overhead.

The realization made me increasingly uncomfortable. Every horror movie I had ever seen suddenly came back to haunt me If someone described this situation out loud, it would sound exactly like the beginning of a true crime documentary. Girl follows strange man into isolated woods, and Girl is never seen again. The more I thought about it, the less I liked it.

t

8:53 am MMM

Chapter 139

chiually, my dissaufort became impossible to ignore. Knox Icalled out

He glanced back briefly.

“I don’t want to think you have bad intentions right now, I began, and that part

technically true

I didn’t want to think he had bad intentions, but unfortunately, that didn’t stop my brain from thinking exactly that Bur you’re literally making me walk further and further into the woods, I continued. “So I can’t help having had though

The moment the words left my mouth, Knox stopped walking. For a second, I thought he might actually respond seriously. but instead, the man burst out laughing, and I could only stare at him in dishejtef.

The laughter only made me more annoyed. “What exactly is funny?” I demanded.

Unfortunately, that only seemed to amuse him more. For several seconds, he continued laughing before finally managing regain some control over himself. When he finally spoke, there was still obvious amusement he his voice.

“If you still want to participate in that race two days from now,” he said, “then stop worrying and just follow me.”

The words hit me so suddenly that I immediately froze. Every trace of irritation disappeared, every thought vanished, and for several seconds, I simply stared at him.

My brain struggled to process what he had just said.

The race? He knew about the race, and more importantly, he knew about my problem.

As far as I knew, only Orion and Jace were aware that my speed was acting up. They were the only ones I had spoken to about it, and they were the only ones who knew how desperate I was becoming. Yet somehow Knox was standing here talking about my race as though he knew exactly what was happening.

I turned fully toward him. My shock was probably written all over my face. “Are you serious?” I asked.

My voice came out much faster than intended, and the desperation in it was impossible to hide. “Are you actually serious right now, or are you trying to mess with me?”

Knox immediately scoffed, and the expression on his face suggested he couldn’t believe I was even asking. “Do I look like I have nothing better to do?” he asked.

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly an answer, but before I could press further. Knox suddenly stopped moving completely and turned toward me properly. The amusement from earlier faded slightly. replaced by something much more serious.

“Just so you know,” he said, “I’m not like my friends.”

I frowned because that statement alone could mean a hundred different things.

Knox continued before I could interrupt. “My way of helping you might not be very conventional.”

The warning immediately made me suspicious. Conventional? What exactly counted as unconventional in his mind? Considering the fact that his idea of helping me earlier had involved physically carrying me onto a motorcycle against my will, I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that at all.

For several seconds, I remained quiet. Part of me wanted to ask what he meant, but another part of me wasn’t sure I wanted

the answer.

Eventually, however, only one question truly mattered. “Can you guarantee that I won’t have to pull out of the race?” I asked.

2/3

8:53 am MMMA

Chapter 139

The words came out quieter than before, more serious, and more vulnerable because despite everything despite suspicious I was of Knox, despite how strange this entire situation felt, the race was still the most import

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