Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Chapter 185

Luna’s POV

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I still could not get Jace’s words out of my head no matter how hard I tried. Even after leaving the living room and wandering through the hallways of the house by myself, everything he had told me continued to replay inside my mind over and over again. I still couldn’t believe that somewhere out there was a council powerful enough that everyone seemed afraid of them finding out the truth about us.

The whole thing felt unreal, but it wasn’t simply the existence of the council that bothered me. It was the fact that, according to Jace, they would see my bond with him, Orion, Ryder, Theo, and Knox as some kind of disaster waiting to happen. I honestly didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about that. On one hand, I wasn’t exactly in a proper relationship with any of them yet. Everything between us was still confusing and unfinished. On the other hand, it felt strangely unfair that people I had never met could already decide that my fate was somehow wrong before they even knew me.

The more I thought about it, the stranger it became. I had spent my entire life believing fate wasn’t real, and now that I had finally accepted that mates existed, I was being told that there were people who would rather pretend my own fate shouldn’t exist at all.

After Jace explained the council in the simplest way he could, I naturally asked him the next question that came into my head. I wanted to know what exactly they could do if they ever discovered the truth. If they considered one woman being mated to five Alphas such a terrible thing, what happened next? Would they force us apart? Would they punish someone? Would they simply interfere? Unfortunately, the moment I asked that question, Jace’s entire expression changed. He had looked at me for several long seconds before quietly telling me that he didn’t want to continue talking about the council anymore.

No matter how much I tried to get another answer out of him, he simply refused. He wasn’t rude about it, but he became so stubbornly silent that I eventually realized I wasn’t going to learn anything else today. I had been slightly irritated because I hated people giving me half the truth while keeping the other half hidden, but after looking at him for a while, I also realized he genuinely wasn’t trying to frustrate me. Whatever the rest of the answer was, it clearly wasn’t something he wanted me worrying about yet. Eventually, I gave up asking, deciding that if I kept pushing him, we would probably end up sitting there arguing instead of accomplishing anything useful.

Jace had offered to drive me back to the dorm after our conversation ended, but I politely turned him down. I wasn’t ready to leave the house just yet. The entire reason I had come here wasn’t only to tell everyone about the fake relationship. I had also promised myself that I would speak to each of the boys individually before going back to campus. I didn’t know whether those conversations would make anything better, but I at least wanted them to hear directly from me that today’s decision wasn’t meant to reject any of them.

Jace had accepted my answer without arguing and simply told me to take my time before disappearing downstairs. That left me standing alone in the hallway, trying to decide who I should speak to first. Orion still looked like he needed time to cool down, Ryder had quietly walked away looking genuinely hurt, and Knox would probably pretend none of this bothered him even if it did. That left Theo. I wasn’t entirely sure whether speaking to him first was the smartest idea, especially after everything that had happened between us recently, but somehow my feet carried me in the direction of his room anyway.

By the time I stopped outside Theo’s bedroom door, I must have sighed at least five different times. I stood there staring at the wooden door while mentally asking myself whether I should simply turn around and come back another day. Maybe everyone needed time to calm down first. Maybe showing up only a minute

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Chapter 185

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after that conversation had ended would make everything worse instead of better. I even took half a step backwards before stopping myself again. Running away from uncomfortable conversations had never solved anything in my life. If I left now, I would only spend the rest of the evening feeling guilty.

Closing my eyes for a brief second, I raised my hand and knocked lightly against the door.

Almost immediately, I heard Theo’s familiar voice from the other side.

“It’s open,” he responded calmly from inside the room.

Something about how quickly he answered made me pause. He hadn’t even asked who it was. The thought crossed my mind almost instantly that perhaps he already knew it was me standing outside his door. Considering how ridiculously sharp werewolf senses seemed to be, I honestly shouldn’t have been surprised anymore. Slowly pushing the door open, I stepped inside and quietly closed it behind me. My suspicion was confirmed almost immediately. Theo was already looking directly at me before I had even taken two steps into the room. There wasn’t the slightest trace of surprise on his face. Instead, he looked exactly like someone who had been expecting me all along.

Unfortunately, although he didn’t seem surprised, he also didn’t look particularly happy to see me. His expression wasn’t cold or angry, but there was an unmistakable disappointment sitting quietly behind his green eyes that made my chest tighten.

For a few seconds, neither of us said anything. Theo remained sitting on the edge of his bed while I stood awkwardly near the doorway wondering how I was supposed to begin this conversation. After everything that had happened over the past few days, there suddenly seemed to be far too many things that needed saying, and yet none of the words I had rehearsed earlier wanted to come out anymore. Eventually, I forced myself to break the silence before it became even more uncomfortable.

“Can we talk?” I asked quietly as I looked directly at him. I hesitated briefly before adding, “Or are you busy?”

I already knew he wasn’t busy. There wasn’t a book open beside him or a laptop in front of him. He wasn’t getting dressed or preparing to go anywhere either. Still, I wanted to ask instead of assuming. If he genuinely didn’t feel like talking to me right now, then I would respect that decision and come back another time. The last thing I wanted was to force my presence on someone who needed space.

Theo held my gaze for several long seconds before finally giving a small nod. “You’re already here,” he responded quietly, his voice carrying a tired sort of acceptance. “So sure… we can talk.”

His answer wasn’t dismissive, but it wasn’t enthusiastic either. If anything, it sounded like someone who had already prepared himself for a difficult conversation and simply wanted to get it over with. He slowly gestured toward one of the chairs near the window before speaking again.

“You should sit down,” he said calmly. “We might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

I glanced toward the chair for only a second before shaking my head. The longer I stayed here, the more complicated I feared this conversation would become. I had already promised myself that I wouldn’t keep any of them for too long. There were still other people I needed to speak to before leaving.

“There’s no need,” I responded with a small shake of my head. “I don’t intend to stay very long.”

Theo studied me quietly after I answered. He slowly stood up from the edge of the bed, slipping both hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as though trying to make himself appear relaxed even though I could tell

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he wasn’t. Instead of immediately responding to what I had said, he asked something entirely different.

“Are you planning on visiting every one of the others too?” he asked as he continued watching me carefully. After a brief pause, he added, “Or have you already spoken to them, and I’m simply the last stop before you leave?”

His question caught me slightly off guard. I hadn’t expected him to care about the order in which I spoke to everyone. To me, it didn’t seem particularly important.

“Does that really matter?” I asked curiously as I tilted my head slightly.

Theo let out a slow breath before answering me, and although his tone remained calm, there was something quietly vulnerable about the way he spoke.

“It might not matter to you,” he responded honestly, “but it matters to me.”

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes a little, though there wasn’t any real annoyance behind the gesture. If anything, it was my way of hiding the tiny smile threatening to appear.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone else yet,” I admitted truthfully. “I planned on talking to all of you before going back to school, and you just happen to be my first stop.”

The change in Theo’s expression was immediate. A small smirk slowly appeared on his face, replacing at least some of the disappointment that had been there only moments earlier. The sight almost made me roll my eyes again because it was amazing how such a small piece of information had managed to improve his mood.

“What?” I asked as I folded my arms across my chest. “Why are you smiling like that?”

Theo simply shrugged, making absolutely no attempt to hide the satisfaction on his face now. “I was just wondering,” he responded casually.

His answer earned him exactly the reaction he probably expected. I rolled my eyes again before deciding to return to the actual reason I had come here in the first place.

“Are you still upset about my decision with Jace?” I asked quietly as I looked directly at him.

The smirk slowly disappeared from Theo’s face. He turned fully toward me until there was no longer any trace of amusement left in his expression. For several long seconds he simply studied my face before finally answering.

“You surely didn’t expect me to be happy about it… right?” he asked softly.

Hearing the disappointment in his voice made me feel guilty all over again. I lowered my eyes briefly before looking back at him.

“I just wish you’d understand why I made that decision,” I responded sincerely. “It doesn’t mean I’m choosing Jace over the rest of you.”

Theo remained silent for several moments after hearing my explanation. He slowly looked away toward the window before quietly shaking his head.

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Chapter 185

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“Whether you intended it that way or not,” he responded honestly, “that’s exactly what it feels like to us.”

His words made me frown slightly. “What do you mean?” I asked gently.

Theo looked back at me, and this time there was no hesitation in his answer. “For one reason or another,” he said quietly, “Jace always seems to come first when it comes to you.”

He paused briefly before finishing in an even softer voice. “And I don’t like it one bit.”

His honesty caught me completely off guard. I hadn’t expected him to admit something like that so openly. For a few moments I simply stood there trying to think of something that might make him feel even slightly better.

“What can I do?” I finally asked quietly. “What can I do to make you feel better?”

I genuinely hadn’t known what answer I expected. Maybe he would ask me to reassure him, maybe he would ask me to spend more time with him, or maybe he would simply tell me to keep my promise about getting to know all of them.

Instead, Theo slowly walked away from the bed and crossed the room until he was standing directly in front of me. The sudden closeness took me completely by surprise, and I instinctively looked up into his eyes. They were calmer now, but there was still a sadness sitting behind them that I hadn’t managed to erase.

Then, in a low voice that stunned me far more than I was prepared for, he finally answered my question.

“Choose me,” he said softly as he held my gaze without blinking. “That’s the only thing that would make me feel better.”

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