Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 177

Chapter 177

Luna’s Pov

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I sat quietly on the edge of the classroom table, completely naked beside Theo, while an almost uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Just a few minutes ago, that same classroom had been filled with hurried breathing, racing heartbeats, and emotions neither of us had been able to control. Now there was nothing except the faint ticking of the wall clock and the occasional sound of cars drifting in through the slightly open window. My mind felt strangely empty. It was as though every thought I had carried into that classroom had simply disappeared. I stared at the floor without really seeing it, trying to process everything that had happened.

I had come here intending to give Theo twenty minutes to explain himself. Instead, we had somehow crossed a line I never imagined we would cross. The strange thing was that I couldn’t even bring myself to regret it. I was still so dazed by everything that had happened between us that I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to be feeling. Angry? Embarrassed? Happy? Confused? Every emotion seemed to exist inside me at the same time, making it impossible to settle on just one.

Theo remained beside me just as quietly, and although I wasn’t looking directly at him, I could feel that he hadn’t moved very much either. It almost felt as though we were both waiting for the other person to say something first, but neither of us seemed brave enough to break the silence. I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted either of us to. There was a very real chance that whatever Theo chose to say next would annoy me. If he said the wrong thing, this strange peace that had settled between us would disappear instantly, and I wasn’t ready for that yet.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I was at peace beside him. We were sitting there in silence, trying to make sense of something neither of us had expected to happen, and I liked that very much.

Several minutes passed before I finally forced myself back to reality. As tempting as it was to stay frozen where I was, we couldn’t remain in the classroom forever. Students or staff could walk in at any moment, and that would be a disaster neither of us needed. Letting out a slow breath, I slid off the table and looked around the room. Our clothes were scattered almost everywhere. My bra lay near one of the desks several feet away, my tank top had somehow landed closer to the teacher’s podium, and my sweatpants were lying in a messy pile near one of the chair legs. Even my underwear wasn’t where I remembered leaving it. My cheeks warmed slightly as I realized just how much of a mess we’d made of the classroom.

Without saying anything, I slowly began gathering my clothes one piece at a time. I picked up my bra first before retrieving my underwear from beside one of the desks. My tank top came next, followed by my sweatpants. I held everything against my chest for a brief moment before beginning to dress. The familiar motions helped clear my head little by little, and by the time I had pulled my tank top back over my head, I finally felt like I could think straight again. I was halfway through pulling on my sweatpants when Theo finally broke the silence that had stretched between us.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

His words caught me completely off guard.

I stopped what I was doing and slowly turned toward him. He was still sitting on the table, watching me with

an expression I couldn’t quite read. There wasn’t a hint of his usual cocky smile anywhere on his face. Instead, he looked genuinely serious.

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9:08 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 177

My eyebrows immediately drew together.

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“What exactly are you apologizing for?” I asked cautiously as I searched his face for some clue about what he meant. I honestly didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but one possibility immediately entered my mind, and I hated it. “Because if you’re apologizing for what just happened between us…”

I didn’t even bother finishing the sentence. I wasn’t sure I trusted myself to hear the rest. If he were about to tell me that he regretted sleeping with me, there was a very good chance I would slap him all over again.

Theo seemed to realize exactly where my thoughts had gone because he immediately shook his head.

“No,” he responded quickly, his voice filled with certainty. “I’m not apologizing for what happened between us.” He held my gaze without looking away before continuing in a much quieter voice. “I’m apologizing for Katie. I’m apologizing for what I did… and for putting you in that terrible situation.”

For several seconds, I simply stared at him before finishing pulling my sweatpants into place. I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I quietly reached for my bra and slipped it on beneath my tank top before folding my arms across my chest. Even after hearing his apology, I still wasn’t ready to simply pretend everything had disappeared.

I looked at him for another long moment before finally speaking. “I’m only going to ask you one question.” I told him calmly. “And I want you to answer me honestly.”

Theo gave a slow nod without any hesitation. “I will,” he assured me sincerely. “Whatever you ask, I’ll answer honestly.”

I took a slow breath before asking the question that had been sitting in the back of my mind ever since Katie confessed everything.

“If Katie hadn’t told me that she was the one who locked me inside the locker room because you asked her to.” I asked steadily, “would you have ever told me the truth yourself?”

The room became silent again.

Theo didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his eyes toward the floor, and I could practically see him thinking through his response. Part of me wondered whether he was trying to come up with an answer that would make him look better, but strangely enough, I didn’t think that was what he was doing. He looked like someone genuinely trying to decide what the honest answer actually was.

Nearly half a minute passed before he finally looked back up at me.

“Maybe,” he admitted quietly.

I waited, and he let out a small sigh before continuing. “I think… one day I probably would have told you,” he responded honestly. “But if the subject never came up between us…” He paused briefly before giving a helpless shrug. “Then maybe I wouldn’t have.”

I studied his face carefully after he finished speaking. He hadn’t tried to make himself sound like a good guy who just didn’t get the chance to be honest first. He hadn’t lied, and he hadn’t given me the answer be probably thought I wanted to hear.

He had simply told me the truth, and oddly enough… I appreciated that.

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9:08 Mon, Jul 27

Chapter 177

I slowly nodded my head as his words settled inside my mind.

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A few days ago, that answer probably would have made me furious. I would have accused him of being selfish and dishonest all over again, but standing there now, after everything that had happened between us, I found myself reacting very differently. Maybe it was because his answer felt genuine instead of rehearsed, or maybe I was simply too emotionally exhausted to keep holding onto every bit of anger I’d been carrying.

Whatever the reason… I understood.

My eyes drifted downward almost absentmindedly before I quickly realized Theo still hadn’t made the slightest attempt to get dressed. While I had been busy collecting every piece of clothing I owned, he had remained exactly where he was.

I couldn’t help letting out a quiet breath through my nose. “Are you not going to get dressed?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I looked back up toward his face.

A small chuckle escaped Theo’s lips. For the first time since we’d started talking again, the corner of his mouth lifted into a genuine smile.

Without saying anything immediately, he finally climbed down from the table and stood to his full height before reaching for his clothes.

As he picked up his jeans, he glanced back at me with an amused look in his eyes. “So…” he began, unable to completely hide the hope in his voice. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t quite stop the tiny smile threatening to appear on my own face. I deliberately kept my attention fixed on his face instead of letting my eyes wander anywhere else.

“I’ll think about it,” I responded with a playful wink.

Before he could ask another question or say anything else, I turned around and started walking toward the classroom door, leaving him standing there behind me with a smile that, somehow, I could picture without even looking back.