Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 165

Change of Heart

Change of Heart

Luna’s POV

I had seen Jace wear a lot of expressions since meeting him. I had seen him amused, serious, protective, frustrated, guilty, jealous, and maybe even a little vulnerable when he thought nobody was looking. What I hac never seen until this moment was this much complete and utter shock. He simply stood there staring at me as though I had suddenly started speaking another language. His mouth opened slightly before closing again and the ever-confident Jace standing in front of me looked like he genuinely had no idea what to say.

If I hadn’t been so determined to make him understand that I meant every single word I had just said, ! probably would have laughed. I was almost too sure that it wasn’t often that someone managed to leave Jace Callahan completely speechless, yet I had just accomplished exactly that. The silence between us stretched longer than I expected, and instead of feeling awkward, I found myself becoming more impatient. He just kept looking at me, searching my face as though he expected me to suddenly smile and admit that I had only been joking.

Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t joking. Not even a little. The more he stared at me without saying anything, the more certain I became that I had completely caught him off guard.

After what felt like forever, I finally sighed and folded my arms across my chest while keeping my eyes fixed on him. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” I asked, raising one eyebrow at him. “Jace, I need you to tell me whether your offer is still valid or whether you’ve changed your mind. Instead, you’re just standing there looking at me like I’ve completely lost my mind.”

My voice stayed calm, but there was no hiding the impatience creeping into it. I had already worked up the courage to say what I wanted, and I wasn’t about to let him avoid answering me by pretending he had forgotten how to speak.

Jace blinked a couple of times before finally seeming to return to reality. He took one slow breath, and when he spoke again, the surprise on his face had been replaced by an unusually serious expression. “Luna,” he said carefully, his voice quieter than before, “do you actually understand what you’re asking me?” He held my gaze without wavering, almost as though he needed to be absolutely certain I wasn’t making this decision lightly.

“You’re basically telling me that you’re willing to let everyone recognize me as your mate. Do you understand what that means?” There wasn’t excitement in his voice, and there wasn’t triumph either. If anything, he sounded almost cautious, and that only confused me because this had been exactly what he wanted when he first made the offer.

I frowned at him, genuinely puzzled by his reaction. “Isn’t that what you were hoping to achieve when you made the proposition in the first place?” I asked honestly. “You were the one who suggested that I claim you publicly so people would stop treating me like I was inferior and so I would stop feeling on edge about losing my scholarship.” I tilted my head slightly while studying his face. “If you’ve suddenly decided that it’s too extreme, then just tell me that. I’d rather you were honest than keep looking at me like I’ve just suggested something crazy.”

The second those words left my mouth, Jace shook his head firmly. “No,” he replied almost immediately. That s not what I meant.”

He rubbed the back of his neck before letting out a long sigh. “I meant every word when I made that offer, Luna. I wasn’t lying to you then, and I’m not changing my mind now. The offer is still very much on the table He paused for a brief moment before continuing in a much gentler voice. “What worries me is why you’re accepting it now. I don’t want you making a decision you’ll regret later. Once something like this happens, you can’t simply undo it because you changed your mind a week later. That’s why I’m asking if you’ve really thought this through.”

I smiled faintly before taking a slow breath. “I understand why you’re worried,” I admitted. “And honestly if being completely truthful, then yes, this decision is impulsive.” I didn’t bother pretending otherwise because there was no point. “I only started thinking about it seriously after everything today, along with the aftermath of that picture of you and me hugging on

vered my every for a second hetove

Successfully unlocked!

Change of Heart

looking back at him again. “But just because it’s impulsive doesn’t mean I want to take it back.”

I shifted slightly against the pillows before continuing. “You were right about something when you first brought it up,” I said. “Blackridge has far more werewolves than humans, and whether I like it or not, reputati matters there.”

I thought back to the gossiping, the judgmental looks, the rumors that had followed me since the first day! arrived. “If everyone knew I was Jace Callahan’s marked mate, people would think twice before treating me t way they do now.” A small smile tugged at my lips, although it carried more realism than happiness. “Maybe the rumors wouldn’t disappear completely, but they’d definitely become much less. Most people wouldn’t risi offending the Luna of one of the most respected Alphas at school.” I looked directly into his eyes again befo finishing quietly, “I hate that it works that way, but it does.”

Jace didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he remained completely silent while studying my face as though weighing every word I had just spoken. His eyes searched mine for any sign of hesitation, but I didn’t look away. I had already made peace with my decision before opening my mouth. After another long pause, he finally spoke again, though his next question wasn’t the one I expected.

“Are you going to explain this to the others?” he asked carefully. “Because at the end of the day, Luna… they’r your mates too.” His expression softened noticeably as he continued. “If you suddenly allow me to claim you publicly without saying anything to them, it’s going to hurt them. Whether they admit it or not, they’ll wonder why I was chosen over them.”

His words made me let out a quiet sigh because I had already been thinking about that myself. I slowly nodded before shaking my head slightly, trying to organize my thoughts. “I’ll talk to them,” I replied. “They deserve that much.” I looked down at my hands for a brief moment before continuing. “I’ll explain that the onl reason you’re going to be the one who claims me first is because you’re the one who unintentionally marked

me.”

The second the word first left my mouth, Jace’s eyebrows shot upward.

“First?” he repeated in obvious confusion. The single word came out almost like a question all by itself, and judging by the look on his face, he wasn’t sure whether he had heard me correctly. “What do you mean… first? I looked back at him with genuine surprise because I hadn’t realized that part would confuse him. “You didn’t think you’d be the only one who ever got to mark me, did you?” I asked as though the answer should have been obvious.

For the second time in less than five minutes, I managed to leave Jace completely speechless.

He actually looked like he had forgotten how breathing worked. His eyes widened, his lips parted, and for one hilarious second I honestly thought he was about to choke on absolutely nothing. Watching the ever- composed captain lose every bit of his composure would have been funny if I hadn’t been completely serious “What… Jace finally managed to say after swallowing hard. His voice carried so much disbelief that i almost laughed despite myself. “What do you mean by that?” He stared at me as though hoping I would explain before his brain completely short-circuited. ‘As far as I knew, you didn’t want to be marked by any of us.” His brows remained tightly furrowed while he searched my face. “You’ve made that clear from the beginning I simply shrugged one shoulder before smiling softly. “A girl is allowed to change her mind,” I answered

The room became completely silent again

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shock him.

Tve spent so much time from all five of you front put hn quessing everything that had

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wanted him to understand that i wasn’t saying this on a wrum just to

of this.” I continued quietly. “Running away from the bond

being mates. (took a slow breath before umiling faintly ning has changed My thoughts din fred both toward tele ces and no matter how hard I tried to keep then at

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Change of Heart

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” I paused briefly before giving a tiny shrug. “Or whatever werewolf god is actually in charge of these things… decided that giving me five mates was a good idea.” I smiled a little wider as I looked into Jace’s stunned eyes. “And if, after getting to know all of you, everything works out the way it’s supposed to…” I let my words settle between us before quietly finishing, “then your mark won’t be the only mark I’ll carry.”

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