Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 156

EX 58

Chapter 156

Luna’s POV

I honestly didn’t think I was going to be this nervous. I had spent the last few days worrying about controlling my sp strength, my hearing, and every other strange thing my wolf had decided to throw at me, but for some reason/none fears compared to what I was feeling right now. The very moment I put on the official Blackridge track suit for the f and looked at myself in the mirror before leaving the dorm, something about it suddenly made everything feel real

Until now, today’s race had only existed in my head as something I kept preparing for, but wearing the school colors impossible to pretend anymore. I wasn’t just running for myself, I was representing Blackridge University/whether Ramirez liked me or not, whether the other girls on the team accepted me or not, and whether the rest of the school more time gossiping about my love life than caring about my athletics or not. Before I knew it, I was already seated bus alongside the other athletes representing the school.

Coach Ramirez was seated beside me, while the two other girls competing with me sat together a few seats ahead, ch quietly every now and then. The rest of the bus was filled with athletes from different sports, their coaches, and equip bags stacked neatly wherever there was space. The bus engine hummed steadily under us as we pulled away from can but instead of calming me, every passing minute only made my heartbeat louder. My palms were already beginning t sweat, and no matter how many times I wiped them against my track pants, they refused to stay dry.

The further we drove away from Blackridge, the more my imagination decided to torture me with every possible thin could go wrong. What if I stumbled right after the starting gun went off and landed face-first on the track in front of hundreds of people? What if all those high school races I had won meant absolutely nothing compared to college athle Maybe I wasn’t nearly as fast as I had always believed. Maybe I had only looked impressive because the people I raced against back then simply weren’t that good.

What if the athletes from the other universities completely left me behind, making me look like I had somehow sneake onto the wrong bus? Even worse, what if my wolf abilities suddenly acted up in the middle of the race? I had trained wit Knox until my legs nearly gave out, and I truly believed I had improved, but believing something and proving it under pressure were two completely different things.

My stomach twisted tighter every time another frightening possibility crossed my mind. I glanced toward the two girls sitting together a few rows ahead of me, and they looked so relaxed that it almost annoyed me. One of them had headphones on while casually tapping her fingers against her knee, and the other occasionally laughed at something they talked about together. It was obvious this wasn’t their first competition. They had done this before, so they knew what to expect.

Meanwhile. I felt like someone had thrown me into the deep end of a swimming pool without teaching me how to swin firm Unfortunately, I wasn’t close enough to either of them to ask for reassurance even if I wanted to. They barely spoke me during practice, and after everything that had happened around campus recently, I highly doubted today would suddenly be the day they decided we should become friends.

Moon had been trying her best to cabu me down ever since we boarded the bus Every few minutes I could feel her presence nudging gently against my thoughts reminding me that I had survived mich worse over the last several days She reminded me that I had finally started controlling my speed and renunded in that thad canned mis place on dus neamy lon before discovering I was a werewolf Under normal circunstances bar encouragement probably would have helped bus Today every reassuring thought she offered was mediately drowned out by another anxious one from une

Eventually, I ended up telling her to just stay quiet for a link whith sie nun hatcly became condused, asking who I suddenly wanted her to stop talking after slo had ondy brcurying to helpine Eich guilty almost instantly because she hadn’t done anything wrong

I know you’re trying to help adotted Botic day Ford verything sade my head to way as quiet as possible if both of us keep talking Im going to end up overthinking

There was a brief pause betrar Moom reluctantly agreed the immered womeiting sour me being irritating sometimes before settling down, leaving me along with my own thoughts Surpringly, the silence his pead a little even if the

Dervousness renamed

Without realizing it, another heavy sigh escaped me, this one loud enough that the person sitting beside me finally n I turned my head slightly and found Coach Ramirez looking at me instead of the folder he had been reading through

we boarded the bus.

His expression wasn’t particularly warm, but it also wasn’t carrying its usual irritation either. “How are you feeling?” he calmly, and for a moment, I genuinely thought I had imagined the question because it sounded so completely unlike

My eyes widened before I could stop them, and I simply stared back in complete disbelief. Out of all the people I exp to ask how I was feeling today, Coach Ramirez hadn’t even made the list.

He raised one eyebrow almost immediately after seeing my expression. “Why are you looking at me like you’ve seen a ghost?” he asked, sounding slightly amused despite himself.

I opened my mouth, closed it again, then finally managed to answer. “I’m… just surprised,” I admitted honestly. “I didn’ expect you to ask how I was feeling.”

Coach Ramirez looked at me for another second before quietly shaking his head. “I’m your coach,” he replied as thoug answer should have been obvious from the beginning. “You’re my athlete.” He closed the folder resting on his lap befor continuing. “This is your first real college competition outside the meets you ran in during high school. Of course I’m to ask how you’re feeling.”

I didn’t know what surprised me more, the fact that he remembered my high school competitions or the fact that he seemed genuinely concerned about how nervous I was. Ever since I joined the team, I had convinced myself that Coach Ramirez simply didn’t like me. He rarely smiled at me, corrected me more harshly than the others, and constantly seen annoyed by my existence. Hearing him speak so normally now felt almost unreal I found myself wondering whether th was actually Coach Ramirez sitting beside me or whether someone had secretly replaced him overnight.

Before I could say anything else, Coach Ramirez spoke again. “Take it easy today,” he said in a much calmer voice than Il ever heard from him before. “Don’t spend the entire race worrying about everyone else. Just do your best.”

His words were simple, but something about the way he said them made me listen much more carefully than I normally would have. He leaned back slightly in his seat before continuing. “Whatever happens out there today, I’m not going to blame you.”

I blinked in surprise because that was probably the last thing I expected him to say. He noticed the confusion on my tace almost immediately and let out the faintest sigh. “That doesn’t mean I want you jogging around the track like you’re on a morning walk,” he added quickly. “Don’t misunderstand me.”

A tiny smile almost appeared on my face.

Coach Ramirez looked directly at ine now, his serious expression returning, “Run hike the beast I know you can be he said firmly Whether you believe it or not, I’ve got high expectations for you

My heart skipped a beat at those words Expectations, high expectations. Coming from almost anyone else those words probably wouldn’t have meant much, but bearing them from Coach Ramnez telt completely different. He was the kind of man who handed our compliments just to make people feel better, if anything, he usually did the exact opposite. The tact that he was telling me he believed I was capable of something made those words feet increshbly anportant

Show everyone what your capable of he conmued Every singk one you sip onto a rick remember why you’re there, and don’t waste the opportunity

For several seconds I simply looked at him unos how to shared since Farrived at Blackridge hestead of coming

spend this was probably the kindest conversation we had

of poing out mother mistake he had actually encouraged The More importantly he had done it when I probably needed it more than ever Somehow without event makeing if the night knot sitting inside my chest began loosening Illervous, and I dould these nerves would chisappear completely before the race began but now the tear wait the ody thing I was lecting anyniote

A small smule hrially found its way on my face Thank you Coach Esand sumcach

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