Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 179

10:27 Wed, Jul 29

Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Luna’s POV

85

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Practice had finally come to an end, and as I left the track with my water bottle in one hand and my training bag hanging from my shoulder, there was only one thing occupying my mind. Somehow, before the day was over, I needed to find a way to talk to Orion, Theo, Knox, and Ryder without any of them letting their emotions spiral out of control. Ever since Jace and I had agreed on our plan at the hospital, I had known this conversation was unavoidable. If I were really going to start being publicly seen with Jace, then the other four deserved to hear about it from me before rumors spread across campus.

The last thing I wanted was for one of them to hear from someone else that I was suddenly walking around hand in hand with Jace. That would only create unnecessary misunderstandings, and knowing my mates, misunderstandings usually turned into arguments within minutes. I honestly had no idea how they were going to react, but I knew I had to give them a warning before everything became public. Whether they accepted my explanation or hated every word of it was something I would deal with later.

Normally, just thinking about walking back to the football field would have made me turn around immediately. The last time I had gone there, I had slapped Theo across the face in front of practically the entire football team, and the memory still made me cringe every time it crossed my mind. For days afterward, I had wanted to avoid that field altogether because I was convinced everyone there would remember me as the crazy girl who walked around attacking one of their teammates and alphas. Yet today, the embarrassment didn’t seem nearly as overwhelming.

Instead, another thought kept pushing its way to the front of my mind. If I really intended to publicly date one of those boys, then I needed to accept that people were going to stare at me no matter what I did. The gossip would only become worse once everyone believed Jace and I were together. Hiding from attention now would only make things harder later. If this was going to become my new reality, then I needed to start getting used to it, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.

I had barely reached the path leading toward the football field when my unusually sharp hearing began picking up conversations from much farther away than any normal person should have been able to hear. Moon had been changing me more and more every day, and although I still wasn’t completely code hearing conversations from imm

10:27 Wed, Jul 29

Chapter 179

85

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. Was that really how everyone saw me now? Had I genuinely become known across the football team as the girl who appeared out of nowhere just to hit Alphas across the face? The thought was so ridiculous that it almost made me smile despite how serious my reason for coming actually was. If those boys sounded any more panicked, someone would think I was marching toward them with a weapon instead of carrying nothing more dangerous than my water bottle.

The closer I walked, the easier it became to notice the reactions of my own mates. Almost the moment their attention settled on me, I saw subtle changes in each of them. Their shoulders stiffened ever so slightly, and none of them seemed particularly eager to approach me first. It was almost as though they were silently trying to decide who was brave enough to find out why I had suddenly appeared after practice. I honestly couldn’t blame them. Considering what had happened the last time I visited the football field, they probably had every reason to be cautious. For several long seconds, none of them moved. They simply watched me approach, and the silence between them almost became amusing.

Eventually, Ryder seemed to decide someone had to break the tension. He separated himself from the others. and started walking toward me with slow, careful steps. The closer he came, the more obvious the concern on his face became. By the time he stopped in front of me, his eyebrows were drawn together, and he looked like someone preparing himself for bad news.

“What’s up, Luna?” he asked cautiously as he searched my face for any sign that I was upset. After hesitating briefly, he added, “Has any of us done something to upset you again?”

I couldn’t stop a small smile from appearing on my face. It was almost sweet how genuinely worried he looked, even if the reason behind that worry was slightly ridiculous. Before I answered him, I noticed Orion and Theo walking over to join us. Both of them stopped beside Ryder, while Knox and Jace stayed where they were, several meters away. Even though those two hadn’t moved, I could feel their attention fixed entirely on me. Every instinct told me they were listening just as carefully as the three standing in front of me.

“I’m not here to hit any of you in the face,” I responded with a quiet laugh as I looked directly at Ryder. “So all of you can relax because you don’t have anything to worry about.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I noticed some of the tension disappear from Ryder’s expression. Orion also looked noticeably less worried, although Theo remained almost impossible to read. He continued watching me carefully without saying a word, and I became painfully aware of how difficult it suddenly felt to avoid looking directly at him after everything that had happened between us.

“I actually came because I have something important I need to tell all of you,” I explained calmly as I glanced around the football field. There were still players collecting equipment, coaches talking among themselves. and students wandering nearby. Lowering my voice slightly, I continued, “But we obviously can’t have that conversation here where everyone can hear us.”

Orion nodded almost immediately, clearly understanding what I meant. He looked briefly toward the others before returning his attention to me, and his expression softened into one of quiet understanding.

“We’re all heading back to the house after we’re done here,” Orion suggested calmly as he gestured toward the

talk there without half the school listening in

عالمين

10:27 Wed, Jul 29

Chapter 179

:))

85

65 vouchers

“I’m not sure I need to go that far,” I responded thoughtfully as I rubbed the back of my neck. “I only wanted a few minutes to talk.”

Before Orion could reply, Ryder stepped forward slightly, clearly determined to solve the problem before I changed my mind.

“If the only reason you’re hesitating is because you’re worried about getting back to campus afterward,” he offered with an encouraging smile, “I’ll bring you back myself. That way you won’t have to worry about transportation or getting back to your dorm.”

The funny thing was that transportation hadn’t even crossed my mind. My hesitation had absolutely nothing to do with getting back to school. If anything, I was hesitating because willingly walking into a house occupied by all five of my mates sounded like volunteering to step into a lion’s den. Even so, Ryder had unknowingly removed the only practical excuse I could have,used to decline the invitation. After thinking it over for a few moments, I finally let out a small sigh before nodding.

“Well… I suppose that could work,” I responded with a reluctant smile as I looked at Ryder.

Almost immediately, I noticed the four of them relax slightly, and I couldn’t help wondering just how worried they had been that I might refuse. As we stood there preparing to leave, another question suddenly came to mind, and I realized I should probably ask it before we started walking toward the car park.

“Did all of you come here in the same car?” I asked curiously as I looked between Orion, Theo, and Ryder.

Orion shook his head almost immediately before answering my question. “No,” he replied simply. “We all drove separately today.”

I couldn’t stop myself from sighing the moment I heard his answer. Of course they hadn’t come together. That meant I now had to choose which one of them I was going to ride with, and I already knew that whichever decision I made, someone was bound to become jealous. Looking between the three standing nearby before briefly glancing toward Jace in the distance, the most sensible option became painfully obvious. Considering everything that was about to happen publicly, there was really only one choice that made any sense.

“In that case,” I responded after making up my mind, “I’ll ride with Jace.”

The effect of those five words was immediate.

Ryder’s smile faltered almost instantly, Theo’s jaw tightened so slightly that most people probably wouldn’t have noticed it, and Orion’s relaxed posture stiffened again. Even Knox, who was still standing several meters away beside Jace, straightened almost imperceptibly the moment he heard his name.

I felt the wave of jealousy settle over all of them so quickly that I almost rolled my eyes. Honestly, sometimes

for more difficult than they needed to be.