Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15

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LUNA

I watched Ivy poke her head out the door like she was in some spy movie. She looked left, then right, then left again before pulling back inside. Her red hair was a mess from sleeping in that chair all night, but her eyes were sharp and focused.

“The coast is clear,” she whispered. “No one in the hallway.”

I nodded, even though my head still felt like someone had stuffed it full of cotton and nails. The dizziness hadn’t gone away, and every time I moved, the room tilted a little, and my legs felt like they belonged to someone else, but I was done lying in that giant bed, surrounded by their scents, and waiting for them to come back and decide what happened to me next. I needed out now.

Ivy slipped her arm under mine, steadying me without making it obvious. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” I muttered.

We stepped into the hallway together. The carpet was thick and soft under my sneakers, muffling our footsteps. The walls were dark wood, lined with framed photos of football games and trophies. Everything smelled faintly of them, and it made my stomach twist, but I forced myself to keep moving.

In a low voice, I asked, “Do you know the way out?”

Ivy gave me an apelogetic look. “Not really. I mean, I came up the stairs last night, but this place is huge. I think the front door is downstairs somewhere.”

and sighed. “Great.”

my arm. “It shouldn’t be that hard. As long as none of them see us, we’ll figure it out. We just need to get to the eep going down.”

We moved slowly down the hallway, hugging the wall. My knees wobbled with every step, but I gritted my teeth and kept going. Ivy stayed close, ready to catch me if I stumbled. The house was strangely quiet, and it felt empty, like everyone had left while I was unconscious.

“Are they gone?” I whispered. “The whole place is too quiet.”

Ivy frowned. “Maybe, or maybe they’re just… somewhere else. Let’s not jinx it.”

We reached the top of the wide staircase, and I gripped the railing hard. The dizziness hit again, stronger this time, and I had to pause, breathing slowly through my nose.

“You okay?” Ivy asked, her voice tight with worry.

“Fine,” I lied. “Just… need a second.”

She waited without pushing. When the spinning slowed, I started down the stairs, one careful step at a time, and Ivy stayed right beside me. The banister felt cool under my palm, and every step made my head pound harder, but I kept moving.

Halfway down, I started to hope. Maybe we really could slip out the front door. Maybe they had left the house, and maybe this nightmare was almost over.

Then a voice cut through the quiet.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

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5:42 pm Pppp.

(Chance 246

109oocheers

Phoossopps cante tast behind me, quick and deliberate, rushing down the rest of the stairs. Before I could even tum fully pe was right here, blocking my path again.

I drive you home.” he said. His voice was calm and final, like he’d already decided.

spun around to retuse. “No, I…”

He cut me off without raising his voice. He stepped right in front of me, close enough that I had to tih my head back up at him. “I’m not asking, Luna. I’m telling you because that’s the only way I’m letting you leave this booseslison, so dann’t even know how to leave this place.”

My mouth opened, ready to snap back, but the words stuck. He was right about one thing had no oica where the car was. and ivy didn’t either. We were hoping to stumble into the front door like idiots, but right now my leses sei kete v matit give out if I pushed too hard, and arguing would only waste energy I didn’t have.

I let out a long, defeated sigh. “Fine.” I said through my teeth. “You can drive me to the doon. bbuddon top one second, get too comfortable around me. Not even for a second.”

Jace looked down at me for a long beat. Then he scoffed, quietly and almost amused.

“You’ve never made me uncomfortable,” he said, his voice low and steady!:“Clearly you’re the one unconuortable around m and my friends. Uncomfortable enough to faint.”

Ivy muttered under her breath beside me. “Ouch.”

Heat flooded my face, embarrassment, anger, and shame all mixed together until todn telthem apart. I didn’t have a comeback, nothing sharp enough, and nothing that wouldn’t crack and showhowarataleled freally was.

So I did the only thing I could.

I turned away from him, cheeks burning, and started walking in the first direction that looked like it might lead somewhere I didn’t care if it was the right way. I just needed to move and deede dadelik was doing something other than standing there letting him win every single word.

Ivy hurried to catch up, her arm brushing mine. “Luna”

“Don’t.” I whispered. “Just… don’t”

Jace didn’t follow right away. I heard his

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2:42 pm P p pp

Chapter 15

10 vouchers

Footsteps came fast behind me, quick and deliberate, rushing down the rest of the stairs. Before I could even turn fully, Jace was right there, blocking my path again.

“I’ll drive you home,” he said. His voice was calm and final, like he’d already decided.

I spun around to refuse. “No, I…”

He cut me off without raising his voice. He stepped right in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to glare up at him. “I’m not asking. Luna. I’m telling you because that’s the only way I’m letting you leave this house. Also, you don’t even know how to leave this place.”

My mouth opened, ready to snap back, but the words stuck. He was right about one thing: I had no idea where the exit was, and Ivy didn’t either. We were hoping to stumble into the front door like idiots, but right now my legs felt like they might give out if I pushed too hard, and arguing would only waste energy I didn’t have.

I let out a long, defeated sigh. “Fine,” I said through my teeth. “You can drive me to the dorm, but don’t, for one second, get too comfortable around me. Not even for a second.”

Jace looked down at me for a long beat. Then he scoffed, quietly and almost amused.

“You’ve never made me uncomfortable,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Clearly you’re the one uncomfortable around me and my friends. Uncomfortable enough to faint.”

Ivy muttered under her breath beside me. “Ouch.”

Heat flooded my face, embarrassment, anger, and shame all mixed together until I couldn’t tell them apart. I didn’t have a comeback, nothing sharp enough, and nothing that wouldn’t crack and show how rattled I really was.

So I did the only thing I could.

I turned away from him, cheeks burning, and started walking in the first direction that looked like it might lead somewhere. I didn’t care if it was the right way. I just needed to move and needed to feel like I was doing something other than standing there letting him win every single word.

Ivy hurried to catch up, her arm brushing mine. “Luna…”

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Just… don’t.”

Jace didn’t follow right away. I heard his footsteps a few seconds later, slow and measured, like he had all the uue in the world. He wasn’t rushing anymore since he didn’t need to. He’d already gotten what he wanted.

We ended up in a wide hallway lined with more framed photos, and I kept my eyes forward, refusing to look back even though I could feel him behind us.

Ivy stayed close. “This way?” she asked quietly, nodding toward a set of double doors at the end

Jace nodded, confirming it was an exit. We pushed through, and the doors opened into a smaller foyer, not the mai entrance, but close enough. Cool evening air rushed in when Ivy cracked the door, and relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled again.

Jace spoke from behind us. “Car’s out front. This way leads to the garage

We followed him through another short hallway, past a laundry room and a mudroom full of neatly lined up to the garage door opened with a click, and inside sat at least 6 cars, all expensive looking lace walked straight to a black SDV hit the key fob, and the lights flashed once

Ivy helped me into the back seat I slid across the leather, grateful for the cool surface against my overheated skin lyx

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2:42 pm Pppp.

Chapter 15

10 vouchers

climbed in beside me and shut the door. Jace got behind the wheel, and the engine started with a low, smooth purr.

No one spoke.

The garage door rolled up. Jace backed out slowly, headlights cutting through the driveway. The house shrank in the rearview mirror as we pulled onto the street. The campus wasn’t far, maybe fifteen to twenty minutes, but every second felt longer.

I leaned my head against the window. The glass was cold, and it helped the headache a little. Ivy kept glancing at me, worry written all over her face, but she didn’t push. Thank God.

Jace didn’t look back once. His hands stayed steady on the wheel, eyes on the road, but I could feel him noticing everything: the way my breathing hitched every time we hit a bump and the way I pressed my thighs together to fight the low simmer of heat that still hadn’t gone away.

When we finally pulled up outside Hawthorne Hall, the dorm looked small and ordinary under the streetlights.

Jace put the car in park but didn’t turn off the engine, and I reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” he said.

I froze. He turned in the driver’s seat just enough to look at me, and his gray eyes were serious.

“You’re not okay,” he said. “You know that, and we know that. When you’re ready to hear why, we’ll be here, but don’t wait too long. The next time it happens, you might not wake up in a bed.”

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