Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 178

Chapter 178

Chapter 178

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Luna’s POV

By the time I finally reached my dorm room, the hallway outside had become much quieter than it had been earlier in the evening. Most students had already settled into their rooms, while a few others passed by with books tucked under their arms or food containers in their hands. As I stood outside my door, my fingers resting lightly on the handle, I couldn’t help taking a slow, steady breath in an attempt to calm myself. More than anything, I hoped Ivy wouldn’t notice how much of a mess I felt inside. I had done everything I could before leaving the lecture area. I had found the nearest bathroom, fixed my hair as best as I could, straightened my clothes, washed my face, and even stared at my reflection for a few moments to make sure [ looked normal.

Unfortunately, I knew Ivy far too well to believe that would be enough. She was honestly far too observant for her own good. She noticed tiny details that everyone else overlooked, and if there was even the slightest change in my mood or appearance, she usually picked up on it within seconds. I already knew that if she somehow found out Theo and I had slept together, she would practically eat me alive with questions.

I fully intended to tell her eventually because she was my closest friend and I wasn’t planning on keeping something this important from her forever, but that “eventually” was definitely not tonight.

The moment I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my hopes immediately disappeared. Ivy wasn’t sitting on her own bed where I had expected to find her. Instead, she was sitting comfortably on my bed with her phone lying beside her, almost as though she had been waiting for me to return. The instant she heard the door open, she lifted her head, and our eyes met across the room, and I barely had enough time to close the door before she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. I immediately recognized that look because I had seen it far too many times before. It was the expression she wore whenever she thought I was hiding something from her, and the annoying part was that she was usually right.

I tried to keep my face as relaxed as possible while placing my phone on my desk, silently praying that maybe, just this once, she would let it go without asking questions.

“Weren’t you only supposed to be gone for thirty minutes?” she asked suspiciously as she slowly folded her arms across her chest without taking her eyes off me. Her gaze traveled over my face as though she were studying every tiny detail before she continued, “At most, I expected you to be gone for forty minutes if walking back from class took longer than ten minutes.”

“I wasn’t gone that long,” I responded quickly, trying my best to sound casual even though I knew my answer came out far less convincing than I wanted. I deliberately busied myself by adjusting the waistband of my sweats and avoiding direct eye contact because I hoped acting naturally would somehow make my weak excuse sound believable.

Instead of looking convinced, Ivy’s expression became even more skeptical than before. She leaned back slightly, narrowed her eyes even further, and gave me such an obvious stink eye that I almost laughest despite myself. It was clear she wasn’t buying a single word I had just said, and judging by the determined look om het face, she wasn’t planning on letting the matter go until she had the truth

“Luna, just tell me the truth,” she said firmly as she continued staring directly at me. Her voice carried the confidence of someone who already knew she was right, “Or FIl force it out of you myself.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment before letting out a long defeated sigh. There it was. Exactly what I had

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been trying to avoid from the moment I left the classroom. I knew there was absolutely no escaping this conversation. Ivy knew me too well, and trying to lie to her had never worked in the past. There wasn’t much point trying now either. If I came up with another excuse, she would probably pick it apart within seconds. Accepting defeat, I slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of my bed opposite her before rubbing my forehead tiredly.

“Fine,” I said with another sigh as I looked directly at her. “I’ll tell you exactly what happened.” I paused for a second before raising a finger toward her. “But before I do, you have to promise me something first. You have to promise that you won’t react with too much of a surprise.”

The moment those words left my mouth, the suspicion on Ivy’s face immediately turned into genuine concern. Her eyebrows drew together, and she leaned forward until her elbows rested on her knees. I could practically see dozens of terrible possibilities running through her mind all at once, and that only made me realize how badly I had worded what I wanted to say.

“Luna… what did you do?” she asked quietly, her voice carrying a level of concern that immediately made me feel guilty for worrying her.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly before looking away for a brief moment. Somehow, admitting what had happened out loud felt much harder than I had expected. I knew Ivy wasn’t going to judge me, but saying the words still made me nervous. Even so, I wasn’t ready to answer until she promised not to overreact.

“Just promise me first,” I replied patiently as I looked back at her. “Promise me you won’t overreact, and then I’ll tell you everything.”

Ivy immediately shook her head before letting out a frustrated breath. The worried look on her face only deepened, and she looked as though she were preparing herself for the worst possible news.

“I’m not making any promises until you tell me what’s going on,” she responded firmly as she kept her eyes fixed on me. “And right now, you’re honestly scaring me, Luna, so just say whatever you’re trying to say.”

I realized there was no point delaying it any longer. Taking one final deep breath, I gathered every bit of courage I had before forcing the confession out of my mouth.

“The reason I came back later than I planned,” I admitted awkwardly as I scratched the side of my face, “is because… well… one thing led to another between Theo and me.” I hesitated for a brief second before finally saying the words I had been trying to avoid. “And let’s just say it ended with Theo and me… having sex.”

The reaction on Ivy’s face was so dramatic that I honestly became worried for her. Her eyes grew so wide that I was half convinced they were about to pop right out of their sockets. She simply stared at me without blinking for several long seconds, her mouth hanging slightly open as though her brain had completely stopped working. If anyone had walked into the room at that exact moment, they probably would have thought she had turned into a statue,

“Are you being serious, or are you trying to mess with me?” she asked after finally finding her voter again. She continued staring at me in complete disbelief, as though she desperately wanted me to laugh and ad thar the whole thing had been a joke.

I slowly shook my head before giving her a small, helpless smile. Tm not joking I ansivered honestly: “It really happened,” I let out a quiet breath before comiting. Honestly, it just happened, and even if you’re about to call me a complete idiot, I have to admit that I don’t regret it?

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Ivy slowly leaned back against the wall behind my bed before shaking her head several times, looking completely amazed by what she had just heard. A small, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips, and although she still looked shocked, there was also amusement beginning to appear in her expression.

“You really are staying true to your word,” she said with a laugh as she continued shaking her head. “When you said you wanted to get to know all your mates before making any decisions, I honestly didn’t think you meant you were going to go all out like this.”

I couldn’t help laughing quietly along with her because, when she put it that way, the situation really did sound ridiculous. Looking back over the last few weeks, my life had become so chaotic and different that sometimes even I struggled to believe everything that had happened.

“I honestly have no idea what’s suddenly come over me,” I admitted with an embarrassed smile as I leaned back on my hands. “But something inside me just keeps telling me that now is the time to stop holding myself back and do whatever I want, no matter how unhinged it seems.”

The smile on Ivy’s face slowly faded until she looked thoughtful again. She watched me carefully for several moments before speaking, and this time the concern in her eyes was impossible to miss. I immediately knew whatever she was about to say came from a place of genuine care.

“You need to be careful, Luna,” she said gently as she held my gaze. “The deeper things get between you and your mates, the more possessive they’re likely to become. You’ve already seen little glimpses of it from some of them, and if all five of them become seriously possessive at the same time, I honestly don’t know how you’re going to deal with that.”

I sat quietly for several moments after hearing her warning because I couldn’t pretend she didn’t have a point. Every single one of my mates had already shown signs of jealousy or protectiveness in one way or another, and that was before any of these relationships had become truly personal. If those feelings became even stronger, I could only imagine how complicated everything would become. Even so, worrying about problems that hadn’t happened yet wasn’t going to help me tonight.

“You’ve definitely got a point,” I responded with a thoughtful sigh as I gave her a small smile. “But I’ll worry about crossing that bridge when I actually get there. Until then, I think I’ll just focus on surviving one day at a time.”