Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 147

1

8:48 Tue, Jun 30

Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Luna’s POV

95

11:55 vouchers

I kept my fingers buried in the thick, impossibly soft black fur, scratching gently behind one of Knox’s enormous ears. His wolf was easily the biggest creature I’d ever seen up close, and yet the way he leaned into my touch felt almost gentle. Vulnerable, even. The bright blue eyes that had terrified me minutes ago now held a quiet intensity that made my stomach flip in a way I couldn’t quite name.

The sincerity in his mental tone melted the last traces of my panic, and I let out another shaky laugh, still half-embarrassed by my earlier screaming and sprint through the woods. “Yeah, well, next time maybe give a girl a warning before you turn into a giant beast,” I muttered, more to myself than to him.

Moon was still chuckling inside my head, clearly enjoying my humiliation far too much.

Knox’s wolf huffed softly, the sound almost like a chuckle, and nudged my shoulder again. I was about to ask if he wanted to head back inside when his wolf suddenly pulled back a step, those intelligent blue eyes locking onto mine with clear intent.

Then his voice filled my mind once more. “Luna, turn around for a bit.”

I blinked, tilting my head in confusion. Turn around? We were standing in the middle of the woods, just the two of us, and he’d been letting me pet him like an oversized puppy seconds ago. “Why?” I asked out loud, my voice still a little breathless from the adrenaline. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer immediately. His wolf form stayed perfectly still, watching me with that unnerving patience he always seemed to have. After a beat, his voice came again, calm and matter-of-fact. “I want to change back to the form you’d recognize better.”

Oh. Realization hit me like a splash of cold water. He wanted to shift back to human. That made sense- staying in wolf form out here probably wasn’t the most comfortable for conversation, and we did need to get back to Blackridge eventually, but why the dramatic request to turn around?

I shrugged, trying to play it cool despite the lingering weirdness of the situation. “You can go right ahead,” I said nonchalantly, waving a hand like it was no big deal. “I’m not stopping you.”

There was a pause. Then his voice in my head again, quieter this time, almost cautious. “Are you sure about that?”

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. The oversized shirt I’d borrowed from his wardrobe hung loose on me, the hem brushing my thighs. Why was he being so unnecessarily dramatic about this? It was just a shift, wasn’t it? From my experience, nothing crazy happens during a shift, at least from the very little I remembered from that evening.

“Yes, I’m sure. Just go ahead already. It’s getting dark, and I don’t want to stand out here wondering if you’re going to come at me from behind if I decide to look away.”

Moon stirred inside me, her presence suddenly brighter, almost buzzing with excitement. The feeling leaked into my own emotions like ink spreading through water, and my pulse quickened for no reason I could pinpoint. Why was she getting worked up? And why was that same strange flutter now dancing in my chest too? It felt like anticipation, but warmer and more electric.

1/4

10

8:48 Tue, Jun 30

Chapter 147

95

55 vouchers

Knox’s wolf took a few deliberate steps backward, putting some distance between us. I watched, curiosity winning over any lingering nerves. The air around him seemed to shimmer, like heat rising off pavement on a hot day. Then it happened, fast, fluid, and almost graceful despite the sheer power behind it. Bones shifted, fur receded, and in seconds the massive black wolf was gone, replaced by Knox.

A completely, utterly naked Knox.

My eyes widened so fast I felt the strain in them. Shock slammed into me like a physical blow, rooting me to the spot. I couldn’t move and couldn’t look away. My brain short-circuited, every thought grinding to a halt as I took in the sight before me. He stood there in the fading light, tall and broad-shouldered, every inch of him exposed. The tattoos I’d admired earlier covered his arms, chest, and shoulders like dark armor, but they did nothing to hide the rest. The hard lines of muscle on his abdomen, the powerful thighs, and lower…

Everything.

I had seen everything. His privates, fully on display, hanging heavy and unashamed in the cool evening air. It was the first time I’d ever seen a man’s like that, not hidden and not partially obscured, but just… there. He wasn’t even hard, and still he looked so much bigger than anything my innocent brain had ever imagined. Heat flooded my face, my neck, and my entire body, and my mouth went dry. A strange, insistent curiosity bloomed low in my belly, and I had the wild urge to reach out and touch, to explore something I had zero experience with.

‘What is wrong with me?’ I thought frantically. ‘Stop staring, Luna. You’re acting like a total pervert.

But I couldn’t stop. The seconds stretched on, thirty of them at least, maybe more, which was most definitely the longest thirty seconds of my entire life. Memories of Jace flashed through my mind unbidden. That night we’d mated in wolf form, and by the time we both woke up, he’d shifted back and hidden his lower half from me. I’d only caught a glimpse of him, but mostly his butt, before turning away, but this was nothing like that.

This was Knox, fully revealed, standing just feet away like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Moon’s excitement surged again, loud and unfiltered in my head. ‘Isn’t he glorious?’ she purred, clearly delighted by my reaction.

That snapped me out of it finally. With a mortified squeak, I spun around, turning my back to him so fast I nearly lost my balance. My heart hammered against my ribs, embarrassment burned through me, but underneath it was that stubborn curiosity refusing to die. Part of me wanted desperately to turn back around and keep looking. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to banish the image, but it was burned into my retinas now.

Behind me, Knox chuckled. The low, rumbling sound sent another shiver down my spine. It wasn’t mocking, it was warm, almost teasing. “You can look all you wanted,” he said, his voice no longer just in my head but real and close. “I don’t mind.”

Oh gods. My face had to be blood red because I could feel the heat radiating off my cheeks. I tried to respond without stuttering and failed completely. “A-Aren’t you going to put your clothes on or something?” My voice came out higher-pitched than usual, laced with pure embarrassment.

He chuckled again, the sound richer this time, like I’d said something genuinely funny. I heard movement, shuffling footsteps, as he put some distance between us. Fabric rustled softly, and I stood there rigidly, fists clenched at my sides, fighting every instinct screaming at me to peek. The woods around us felt quieter somehow, like even the trees were holding their breath.

10

8:48 Tue, Jun 30

Chapter 147

30

12 55 vouchers

I lasted maybe ten seconds before losing the battle. Slowly, cautiously, I turned my head just enough to glance over my shoulder.

Knox had moved a short distance away, his back now turned to me. He was bent slightly, stepping into a pair of dark boxers. The sight hit me just as hard as the front view. His back was a map of muscle and ink, tapering down to a narrow waist and then-his butt. Firm, perfectly shaped from all that training and power. I gulped hard, the sound embarrassingly loud in my own ears. Against every ounce of innocence I still clung to, my mind wandered.

What would it feel like to touch it? To run my hands over that smooth skin and muscle? The thought shocked me, but I couldn’t push it away.

“This is Knox, I reminded myself. ‘The same guy who I barely knew, and who had also told me he was gay and assured me he would never be interested in me. And yet here I was, ogling him like some hormone-crazed teenager.

He straightened, pulling the boxers up fully, and reached for the shirt I’d tossed him earlier. The movement made the muscles in his shoulders and back flex in a way that was unfairly distracting. Moon was still humming with satisfaction in my head, feeding me little waves of approval that only made my cheeks burn hotter.

I whipped my head forward again before he could catch me looking, staring intently at a random tree trunk like it held the secrets of the universe. My pulse refused to slow down. The air between us felt charged now, thicker than before. Part of me wanted to disappear into the ground, another part, the part influenced by Moon, maybe, or just by the mate bond I was still learning to navigate, wanted to close the distance and see what else my curiosity might uncover.

Knox’s footsteps approached from behind. I could sense him without even looking, that quiet, steady presence that somehow both intimidated and has started to comfort me. He stopped a respectful distance away, but I could still feel the warmth radiating from his body.

“Better?” he asked, his voice low and dry, with that faint trace of amusement still lingering.

I nodded quickly, not trusting my voice yet. Inside, my thoughts were a whirlwind. The image of him naked refused to fade. The size, the confidence with which he stood there unashamed, the way it made me feel things I’d never felt so intensely before. I’d spent so much time worrying about my strength, my race, my chaotic life at Blackridge… and now this. A simple shift had thrown me completely off balance.

“You okay?” he pressed gently when I didn’t respond.

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