Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 23

Became More Distant Novel 50

12:16 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

LUNA

I had not heard from Theo, Ryder, Jace, or any of the others since that night outside the dorm when I told Jace to leave

e te alone. It had been five days since then, and not a text had come from any of them. There was no car horn calling attention to me, and not a single glimpse of blonde curls or gray eyes across campus.

Saying I was relieved felt like the biggest understatement of my life. I finally felt like they’d listened, like they’d decided together to back off and give me the space I’d been begging for, and I didn’t regret it, not once. Not even when the quiet nights made my thoughts too loud, or when the strange heat in my body faded to almost nothing.

Something at the back of my mind kept whispering that I might regret it later, but I pushed that voice down hard. I had enough to deal with, and I didn’t have room for anything else, including worrying about boys.

I was mid–run on the track, pushing hard, legs driving, arms pumping, racing like my life depended on it, the same way I planned to race in the competition. The sun was low, and my teammates were scattered around, some jogging cool–downs, some stretching, and some packing up. I was alone on the far lane, focused on my breathing, on the rhythm of my spikes hitting the rubber. In… out… in… out. Faster and harder. This was mine. This was control.

Then my ears started ringing. It was loud and sharp, like someone had struck a bell inside my skull.

I stumbled mid–stride, my eyes squeezing shut against the pain. The ringing grew, high–pitched and piercing, forcing me to stop completely, and my hands flew to my ears. It was the same sound from that night, the one I’d heard in the dorm when Ivy slept through it. The headache came back instantly, throbbing behind my eyes like someone was pressing thumbs into

them.

I bent over, breathing hard, trying to will it away. Then the ringing stopped, and the voices started, clear and close, too close, and one of them I recognized immediately.

Coach Ramirez.

…can’t have that kind of distraction on the team. She’s already a liability with her status, and it took a lot to have the team accept that they’d be having someone like her on the team. If she can’t keep her head straight off the track, maybe she doesn’t belong…”

I froze.

I looked around the field wildly, but Coach wasn’t anywhere near me. He wasn’t even on

the track. He was way over in the parking lot, standing next to his truck and talking to one of the assistant coaches, which was at least fifty yards away and too far for me to hear a normal conversation. Way too far for the words to sound like he was

tanding right beside me.

My heart slammed against my ribs, but the voices kept going.

told her to focus. If she’s still getting caught up in drama with those boys, and it causes problems with the higher–ups, we may have to reconsider her spot…”

I pressed my palms harder against my ears to stop myself from hearing the things they were saying, but it didn’t help. The sound wasn’t coming from outside, it was inside, almost as clear as if Coach were whispering in my ear.

Panic clawed up my throat. I took a step backward and tripped over my own feet. I hit the ground hard, my palms scraping the track, my knees slamming into the rubber. Pain shot up my legs, but it barely registered. My h head was spinning, and my breathing came in short, panicked gasps.

The other girls on the field turned to stare. Some gasped, some whispered, and a few started walking over, half–concerned, hal@curious.

I couldn’t move. I just sat there on my knees, hands over my ears, eyes wide, listening to a conversation happening fifty

12:16 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 23

yards away.

Coach’s voice again. “…she’s got talent, but talent isn’t enough if she’s a distraction. We’ll see how she does tomorrow. If she can’t prove she’s focused…”

The assistant coach said something I couldn’t catch, but Coach’s reply came through clear.

…exactly. One more slip–up and we bench her. Scholarship or no scholarship.”

I felt sick. My hands dropped slowly from my ears as the voices faded and the headache eased, but the fear stayed.

I could hear things I shouldn’t be able to hear. I could hear people talking from across the field like they were standing next to me, and no one else could.

The girls reached me now. One of them, Katie, the blonde who’d told

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