Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 154

Angk to Reality

tuna’s POV

My legs hurt so badly that every finy movement reminded me of everything Reox had put me through over the last day. Every muscle from my waist down felt like it had been borrowed from someone twice my age, and I was almost certain that if I tried to walk from the school entrance all the way back to the dorm, I would either collapse halfway or arrive looking like an eighty-year-old woman who had forgotten how to use her knees.

So because of that, I swallowed my pride and allowed Knox to ride all the way in my dorm instead of dropping me off near the entrance like I had originally intended. The logical side of me knew that arriving on the back of Knox’s motorcycle was probably one of the worst decisions I could have made considering everything that had happened over the last twenty four hours. Yesterday morning, I had woken up to find a picture of Jace hugging me spreading across the entire school, and before that one could even settle, I had completely lost control of my emotions after finding out that Theo had been the one who told Katie to lock me inside the girls’ locker room weeks ago.

I had marched onto the football field in front of practically everyone and slapped him so hard that the sound had echoed across the field. Now I was arriving at my dorm on Knox’s motorcycle, and I could already imagine the headlines on the school blog from idiots who had nothing better to do with their lives than proto other people’s business.

At any other time, I probably would have spent hours worrying about what everyone would say, but tomorrow was my first real race at Blackridge University. After almost two months of being here, I had finally had a real chance to strut my stuff. Compared to that, gossip suddenly felt very small. If people wanted to waste their time talking about me, they were welcome to. I had something much more important to focus on.

The motorcycle came to a stop in front of the dorm building, and before Knox had even switched off the engine completely. I was already reaching for the helmet. My legs complained the second I climbed down, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from groaning. Training with Knox had been far more brutal than I had expected, but I couldn’t deny that I already felt more aware of my own body than I had yesterday. That alone made every aching muscle worth it.

I pulled the helmet off carefully before handing it back to him. “Thanks,” I said sincerely. “For… everything, especially the torture disguised as training.”

A quiet chuckle escaped him, and he accepted the helmet without saying much. That seemed to be his way. He rarely used ten words when two would do the job. “Don’t overthink it,” he said calmly, and I nodded because I already knew exactly

what he meant.

The waterfall, the pressure, and the invisible resistance holding me back. If I could recreate that feeling tomorrow, then maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t embarrass myself by sprinting faster than any human possibly could. Giving him one final wave, I turned around and hurried toward the dorm before anyone decided to stop me. Not like anyone would.

By the time I stepped inside the building, I was already mentally preparing myself for Coach Ramirez’s inevitable lecture. He had specifically instructed everyone representing Blackridge tomorrow to report an hour earlier than normal practice time today. Considering I had spent the night away from campus and had only just returned, I was cutting things far closer than I liked. I quickly pressed the elevator button because there was absolutely no way I was climbing three flights of stairs with legs that felt ready to file a complaint against me.

As the elevator slowly climbed, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes for just a second. The peaceful silence inside the small space felt strangely comforting after everything that had happened over the last couple of days. My phone buzzed once inside my pocket, probably another message from Ivy asking if I was back, but I decided to answer it later. Right now, every second mattered.

When the elevator doors opened to the third floor, I practically rushed toward my room without paying much attention to anything around me. I had expected to find the door exactly the way I had left it, with the broken knob making it impossible to close properly, but the moment I reached it, I stopped so suddenly that I almost lost my balance. The door was fully closed, and more importantly, it had a perfectly normal doorknob attached to it. I blinked once, then twice, wondering if I had somehow walked to the wrong room.

After checking the number beside the door, I realized I hadn’t. This was definitely our room. I stared at the new handle in complete confusion. Ivy had practically sworn that maintenance never prioritized the C-tier dorms. According to her, broken things could stay broken for weeks before anyone bothered fixing them. So how exactly had our door been repaired overnight? For a brief second I wondered whether Ivy had somehow bullied maintenance into doing their job, but that didn’ ity only lasted a few moments before I shook my t sound like something she would willingly spen

Successfully unlocked! d clean clothes and my gym bag. head. Whatever had happened, I could investiga Successfully unlocked! The moment I stepped inside, I quickly changed out of yesterday’s outfit. The clothes still carried the faint scent of the woods and the waterfall, and despite myself, they made me think about the peaceful little cabin and what had happened

Back to Reality

inside the cabin, but I quickly pushed the memory aside before it distracted me any further Pulling on fresh training Tethers I carefully packed everything I needed into try gym bag, making sure I hadn’t forgotten my spikes, water bottle, towel or anything else Coach Ramirez would indoubtedly complain about if I left it behind.

I glanced at my reflection while tying my hairup into a tighter ponytail. I still looked slightly tired, but nowhere near as emotionally drained as had been yesterday. There was something different in my eyes too. The panic that had lived there for days wasn’t completely gone, but it wasn’t controlling me anymore either. Knox hadn’t magically solved all my problems, but somehow he had managed to turn down the constant noise inside my head just enough for me to breathe again. Instead of taking the elevator back down, I deliberately chose the stairs. My legs immediately protested the decision, but that was exactly why I had made it. Tomorrow there would be no elevafors waiting for me halfway through a race. I needed to know how my body felt after everything Knox had put it through. More importantly, I needed one last chance to test whether I had actually learned anything.

As I descended the stairs and stepped outside, I looked around carefully before starting into a light jog toward the track. Every few seconds I reminded myself of the waterfall. I imagined heavy water pressing down on my shoulders, slowing my muscles without actually stopping them. At first the image felt silly, but the moment I felt that familiar surge of unnatural speed threatening to push through my legs, I mentally leaned into that invisible current instead of fighting it, and almost immediately the feeling settled.

My pace stayed normal, my breathing remained steady, and I didn’t suddenly shoot across the campus like a rocket. A small smile spread across my face before I could stop it. It wasn’t perfect, and I could still feel the strength trying to escape,

time since my abilities started acting up, I actually felt like I had some control and I didn’t need Knox yelling

it together.

into view a few minutes later, and I slowed to a walk before stepping onto the track Most of the team had ed. Some of the girls were stretching while others jogged slow laps around the track. The two girls traveling

e for tomorrow’s meet were already there as well, talking quietly near the equipment bags. I noticed a few curious

s land on me the moment I joined them on track. Whether they were because I had arrived a little later than them or ecause of yesterday’s drama, I honestly couldn’t tell. At this point I wasn’t even sure I wanted to know.

Unfortunately, one person wasn’t looking

Coach Ramirez.

at me with simple curiosity.

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