Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Chapter 144

Third-person POV

Knox immediately knew what was about to happen the moment he felt Luna’s fingers brush over the hidden scars under his tattoos. He did not even need to look at her face to know that curtesity had already taken over her thoughts. He had seen that exact expression countless times over the years whenever someone accidentally discovered what lay beneath the dark ink covering his body. Some people asked out of concern, some asked out of pity, and others asked because they simply could not help themselves.

Regardless of their reasons, the questions were always the same, and Knox had long grown tired of answering them. He had buried those memories under layers of black ink for a reason, and he had no interition of digging them back up simply because someone had noticed them. Before Luna even had the chance to part her lips Knox looked down at her with a calm expression that gave nothing away,

His voice remained as flat and emotionless as ever when he spoke. “Don’t say anything,” he said. “And if you’re about to ask me a bunch of questions, don’t expect answers because you’re not getting any.”

His words were not harsh enough to be considered rude, yet they were firm enough to leave absolutely no room for argument. Anyone who knew Knox would immediately understand that once he spoke in that tone, the conversation was already over before it had even begun.

Luna looked at him for a brief moment before quietly letting out a small sigh. Truthfully, she had already figured that he would react this way. Ever since she met him today, he had never struck her as someone who enjoyed talking, much less about himself. He never volunteered information, never explained his actions unless absolutely necessary, and seemed like the kind of person perfectly content with allowing people to misunderstand him if it meant he could avoid long conversations.

Because of that, Luna had not actually planned on asking him anything about the scars. She was curious-incredibly curious, if she was being honest with herself-but she also understood that some people had stories they were not ready to tell. After everything that had happened over the last few years, she understood better than most that people often smiled while carrying burdens no one else knew about.

She shifted slightly in his arms before looking back up at him with a softer expression. “I wasn’t going to ask any questions.” she said honestly. “I was only going to tell you that your tattoos look beautiful.”

Unlike most compliments she gave people, this one carried no hidden meaning. She truly thought the artwork covering his body was impressive-scary, that was for sure, but still impressive. Even knowing that it hid something painful underneath somehow made it even more meaningful to her.

Knox stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a quiet scoff that almost sounded amused, Copspliments were not something he received often, especially not about his tattoos. Most people looked at them and immediately assumed the worst about him. He was used to suspicious glances, conversations behind his back, and people deciding exactly what kind of person he was before ever speaking to him. That had stopped bothering him years ago. In fact, he had purposely allowed those assumptions to continue because they kept unnecessary people away from him.

Looking down at Luna, he raised one eyebrow slightly. “Are you really going to pretend those tattoos didn’t intimidate you?” he asked. “Because I find that very hard to believe.”

His voice carried the faintest trace of humor now, something so subtle that most people would have completely missed a He wasn’t accusing her of anything. If anything, he simply sounded entertained by the obvious contradiction between her compliment and the way she had looked at him when she first saw his body.

Luna’s eyes widened so dramatically that Knox almost laughed again. Her expression betrayed every thought running through her head before she even opened her mouth. She looked genuinely shocked that he had managed to guess what she had been thinking earlier. “Can you read minds or something? Is that a real thing” she asked without thinking

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40 am P

Chapte 144

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→g queuner escaped her lips so naturally that she only realized what she had admitted after the words were already Hanging to the air between them. She froze altoost imtoediately. The embarrassment slowly spread across her face as she

realized the ftad practically confessed that she had judged him the moment she saw him without even meaning to

Knox looked at her for another second before a low chuckle escaped him. “I don’t need to read your mind, he responded. “Your face already tells me everything I need to know. Besides, you’re not exactly the st person to judge me after seeing this. He glanced briefly at the tattoos before looking ahead again. “So don’t worry about offerding me. I stopped taking offense a very long time ago.”

For a brief moment, Luna considered denying everything. She wanted to tell him that she had not judged him and wanted to insist that she had simply been surprised. Unfortunately, she remembered the ridiculous question she had asked only seconds earlier. Asking someone whether they could read minds was hardly the reaction of an innocent person. She had completely exposed herself without realizing it.

Letting out a defeated sigh, she decided honesty would probably serve her better than another failed attempt at pretending “Fine, she admitted quietly. “Maybe I did judge you a little.” She hesitated before continuing. But if it makes you feel any better, now I know I was wrong. I honestly thought you were some crazy delifiquent, especially with how you ended up bringing me here. I mean… you really do look like you could be one.”

The confession sounded awkward, but it was sincere. She had assumed far too much based purely on his appearance. Now that she had spent time with him, she was beginning to realize how unfair those assumptions had been.

Knox slowly rolled his eyes toward the sky as though he had just heard the least impressive apology in the world. His expression remained almost completely unchanged, yet there was something oddly amusing about the tiny movement. “Well,” he replied dryly. “I guess I should thank you for finally deciding I’m not a criminal.”

The sarcasm in his voice was so subtle that Luna almost laughed despite herself. Neither of them spoke after that. The conversation faded naturally into silence as Knox continued carrying her away from the waterfall. The sound of rushing water slowly became quieter behind them while the peaceful sounds of the forest returned.

Several minutes passed before Luna finally realized something that made her blink in confusion. She lifted her head slightly from where it rested against Knox and looked around. They had walked much farther than she realized. The waterfall was now completely hidden behind the trees, and the path ahead looked familiar. It was the same route they had taken when entering the woods earlier.

She frowned slightly before looking back up at Knox. “Why are we going back already?” she asked. “I thought we’d still go back to the water?”

She sounded genuinely confused. Despite how exhausted she was, she had expected they would spend much longes at the waterfall and that Knox had only helped her out to let her rest for a moment.

Knox didn’t slow his pace as he answered. “Didn’t you say you were tired?” he responded simply. “You’ve already done enough for one session. We can always come back later if you still have the energy, but right now you’re soaked from head to toe, standing in cold water, and it’s getting late. Unless your goal is to get seriously sick before your race, we’re leaving for

now.”

His explanation was so practical that Luna immediately realized he had a point. She had been so focused on surviving the training that she completely forgot how cold she actually was. Now that he mentioned it, she could finally feel the chilly breeze against her wet skin.

She immediately shook her head. The last thing she wanted now was to end up lying in bed with a fever while everyone zlu prepared for the competition. She had enough problems already without adding illness to the list. Just as she accepted Knox’s explanation, another thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait,” she said. “My hoodie!” She twisted slightly to look back toward the direction they had come from. “And your shirt. We left them back there.”

1:40 am PPD

Chapte

11

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