Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Third-person POV

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The moment the official called for the athletes in Heat One to step on the track, Luna felt every nerve in her body come alive. The chatter from the crowd seemed to fade into the distance as she walked toward Lane Four, her assigned lane, tryi to remember every single thing Knox had forced into her head over the last two days.

She rolled her shoulders once before taking her place behind the starting line, her heartbeat thudding loudly in her chest. Around her, the seven other girls looked just as focused. Some stretched one final time while others bounced lightly on th toes, each preparing in their own way. None of them paid Luna much attention, but Luna noticed every single one of then and she could tell just by looking that they were experienced athletes.

Their movements were calm, confident, and practiced. Unlike her, they weren’t making their college début today. Even though she knew she had speed that most people could only dream of, that knowledge did little to calm her nerves becaus today wasn’t simply about being fast. Today was about proving that she could remain human while doing what she loved th most. One wrong step, one burst of uncontrollable speed, and everything she had worked so hard to hide would be expose in front of hundreds of people.

Coach Ramirez stood several meters away with his arms folded across his chest, watching the athletes with his usual stern. expression. Outwardly, he looked just as unbothered as he always did, but internally he was far more invested than anyone around him realized. He had coached dozens of athletes throughout the years, some talented and others simply hardworking, but Luna was different. She possessed something he couldn’t fully explain, and ever since she had stepped onto Blackridge’s track for the first time, he had known there was something unusual about the girl.

Her acceleration was unlike anything he had seen before, and although she still lacked polish compared to the more experienced runners, her raw ability was extraordinary. The only thing that worried him now was whether she would allow her nerves to ruin what she was capable of doing. He caught her eye briefly from across the field and gave her one small nod. It wasn’t much, but after the conversation they had shared on the bus, Luna understood exactly what he meant.

Trust yourself.

Far above them in the stands, Ivy practically vibrated with excitement. She had been sitting quietly for almost ten whole minutes, which was already an accomplishment for someone like her, but the second she saw Luna walking toward her lane, she jumped back on her feet and gripped the railing tightly. Orion stood beside her with his hands resting casually in the pockets of his jacket, his eyes fixed entirely on Luna.

Unlike Ivy, he wasn’t yelling or waving. His expression was calm, but inwardly he was far from relaxed. For some reason, he could sense Luna’s emotions a little more than usual. Her nervousness, mixed with determination, excitement, and just enough fear to make him clench his jaw.

Not far from them sat Ryder and Theo, exactly where Ryder had insisted they should sit so they wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention. Theo hadn’t taken his eyes off Luna since she stepped on the track, and for the next few minutes, all he wanted was to watch her succeed. Beside him, Ryder leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees as he watched

with complete focus. Neither of them noticed Jace seated several rows away with Knox beside him, both

now the other had decided to attend. None of the five mates acknowledged one another, but every one

at exactly the same person.

ised his arm, drawing every athlete’s attention. “On your marks.”

a lowered herself into position, placing her fingertips against the track. The familiar rough texture ngers somehow steadied her racing thoughts. She inhaled deeply through her nose, imagining the pressure of crashing against her shoulders instead of letting her thoughts spiral out of control. The memory came

By easily. She could almost feel the heavy current pressing against her body, forcing her to remain balanced. Her gradually loosened, and the noise from the crowd faded further until all she could hear was her own breathing and ly beat of her heart. Nothing else mattered now.

Every runner rose into position. Luna’s muscles tightened like drawn bowstrings, and then the gun fired.

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All eight athletes exploded from the starting blocks almost simultaneously, but Luna forced herself not to panic. Every instinct inside her screamed at her to release everything she had. She knew she could leave every single one of these girl: behind in seconds if she stopped holding back, but she also knew exactly what that would mean. Instead, she imagined t waterfall again. She pictured that crushing wall of water resisting every movement she made.

‘Hold back, control yourself. Her legs moved smoothly beneath her, powerful but restrained. For the first twenty meters, two runners remained just ahead of her while another stayed almost shoulder to shoulder beside her. Luna ignored them completely.

By the halfway mark, something changed. Her breathing found a comfortable rhythm, and the panic that had threatened overwhelm her slowly disappeared. Instead of fighting herself, she suddenly felt completely connected to her body. Ever stride became smoother than the last, and every push from the ground felt controlled instead of explosive. The invisible wall of water she had imagined continued pressing gently against her, reminding her not to let her strength escape. Slow almost effortlessly, she began closing the distance between herself and the two runners ahead of her/One step became tw two became three, and before long, she had drawn level with the athlete in Lane Five. The girl glanced sideways in surpri just as Luna smoothly edged past her without increasing her effort.

The crowd gradually noticed the change as well. Cheers grew louder across the stadium as spectators realized that the Blackridge athlete who had been sitting comfortably in third place was now steadily overtaking the leaders. Ivy was screaming so loudly that several people around her had stopped watching the race just to stare at her instead. Orion remained silent, but his fingers tightened unconsciously inside his pockets. Theo found himself leaning so far forward tha Ryder had to grab his arm to stop him from nearly standing.

Even Coach Ramirez, who rarely allowed emotion on his face during competitions, felt the corner of his mouth twitch eve so slightly. She was doing it. She was actually doing exactly what he had hoped she would do.

With only thirty meters remaining, Luna finally overtook the final athlete ahead of her. She could hear footsteps behind he but they sounded further away now. She resisted every temptation to look back. Looking back only slowed runners down. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the finish line ahead, and the finish line rushed toward her faster and faster until, with one final powerful stride, she crossed it first.

For one glorious heartbeat, the entire world seemed to stop.

She had done it, she had won. Not only had she remained in control, but she had left the other seven runners behind without exposing herself.

Relief flooded through her so suddenly that she almost laughed, but then…

‘I finally found you!

The voice echoed directly inside her head, and every bit of relief she had felt vanished instantly.

A freezing chill shot through Luna’s entire body so violently that she stopped walking altogether. Her smile disappeared before it had even fully formed. The words had been soft, almost amused, but there had been something deeply unsettling about them. She knew that voice.

She had heard it before, not recently, but somewhere…somehow…she knew it.

Her breathing became uneven as she slowly turned her head, desperately trying to locate where the voice had come from. Unlike Orion’s voice, which always carried familiarity, this voice felt cold and creepy in a way she could not properly describe. It made every instinct inside her scream that something was terribly wrong. Her eyes darted across the massive crowd, scanning row after row of spectators. Thousands of faces stared back at the track, but none of them looked unusual.

Then she saw him.

Standing almost perfectly still several sections away was a tall dark-skinned man dressed entirely in black. Even from the distance separating them, something about him immediately stood out. He wasn’t cheering, wasn’t clapping, and wasn’t even

Chapter 158

20 voucher watching the rest of the athletes who crossed the finish line. His eyes were locked directly on Luna as though every other person in the stadium had ceased to exist, and a slow smile spread across his face, one that made another cold shiver craw down her spine.

She didn’t recognize him, yet somehow she felt like she should. Before she could even fully process what she was seeing someone walked in front of him for the briefest second, and when the person’s body moved away…the man was gone, completely gone.

Luna’s eyes widened. She searched every nearby row but got nothing. It was as though he had vanished into thin air.

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