Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 25

Luna’s POV

It was already dark outside, and from the small window high on the locker room wall, I could see the sky had turned deep navy, and the campus lights were glowing orange through the glass. I did the math in my head again, recalling that practice ended around six. I showered for maybe twenty minutes, and then realized my bag was gone. That was hours/ago, so it had to be past eight now, maybe closer to nine.

I was still sitting on the cold bench in nothing but a towel, my knees pulled to my chest and my back against a locker. The towel was starting to feel clammy against my skin, my hair had dried in messy clumps, and my feet were freezing on the tile.

I couldn’t leave. Half an hour ago I’d finally worked up the courage to try. I’d walked to the main door with my heart pounding, towel clutched tight, and pushed the handle, but it didn’t move, and I soon realized that it was locked from the outside.

The person who took my bag hadn’t just stolen my clothes and my phone, they’d made sure I couldn’t get out.

I’d rattled the door again and again, hoping it was stuck, hoping it was a mistake, but nothing. I’d even banged on it, called out, and waited for footsteps, but no one came.

That was when the tears almost came, real tears. The kind that burned your eyes and made your throat close up. I’d pressed my forehead to the metal and breathed through my mouth until the feeling passed. I wasn’t going to cry, not here, and not over this, but the fear stayed.

I was trapped in an empty locker room, and in a towel with no phone, no clothes, and no way to reach Ivy or anyone.

I kept telling myself someone would come, a janitor for night cleanup or a teammate who forgot something. Even some of the assistant female coaches sometimes came back late to check equipment, but the hours kept passing, and the building stayed quiet. There were no footsteps in the hallway, no keys jingling, just nothing.

Training didn’t start again until tomorrow afternoon, and that meant that the girls probably wouldn’t show up until then, which meant I could be stuck here all night, maybe longer if no janitor came in the morning.

I stood up slowly, my legs stiff from sitting so long. The tile was freezing under my feet, but I started walking the room again, looking for anything that might help

box, or even a blanket or jacket left behind, but there was nothing. The lockers were all locked except mine, the benches were bare, and the showers were empty.

I ended

up

back at the bench near my

have been.

Who would do this? One of the girls? Someone who hated me enough to steal my stuff and lock me in? Katie? One of the others who’d sneered at me all week? Or was it random? Just bad luck? Someone who saw an open locker and took the

chance?

P locker.

I sat down again and stared at the empty space where my bag should

It didn’t matter because the

was the same, and I was stuck.

I pulled my knees up again and reÊN

throat felt dry.

my chin on them. My stomach growled since I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and my

I thought about yelling again, but my voice was already hoarse from earlier, and if no one had come by now, no one was coming tonight. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. I told myself Ivy would notice I was missing soon. She’d come looking, and he’d find me.

But Ivy had a late study group tonight. She might not be back until ten or eleven, and even then, she might assume I was still out and would go to sleep without checking in.

30

R

TIT

12:16 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 25

I opened my eyes and looked at the door again, and that was when I heard it. A knock, three soft taps.

My heart jumped into my throat, and I just froze. A few seconds passed in silence, and I started to think I’d imagined it, my mind playing tricks from stress and cold, when it came again. Another knock, knock, knock, and then a voice, male, low, and

cautious.

“Is anyone in there?”

I didn’t recognize the voice, so it definitely wasn’t Coach, it was someone else, I stood up slowly, clutching my towel tight.

The voice spoke again. “Hello? I heard something earlier

MAC Cone

locked in?”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly feeling even more dry. the door and called back.

“Yes. I’m here.” I responded gently, and there was

Then the voice again. “Are you okay?”

a chance, because what other choice did/I have, I walked to

s silence again for a second.

“The door’s locked from the outside,” I said, hating how my voice sounded small and shaky. “I can’t get out. Can you… can you open it? Please?”

Another pause.

“Hang on. I’ll get the master key from the office. Stay there.”

I almost laughed at that. Stay there? Where else was I going?

The footsteps moved away, and I leaned my forehead against the door and closed my eyes, suddenly feeling relieved. Someone was coming, someone was going to open the door, and I wasn’t going to be stuck here all night.

Relief washed over me so hard my knees almost buckled. I slid down to the floor again, back against the door, and waited, and the minutes dragged.

I started to worry he wasn’t coming back, maybe he’d forgotten, or maybe he’d decided it wasn’t his problem.

After waiting for a while longer, I was this close to believing the stranger, who I was assuming must have been a janitor, had forgotten about me completely. I’d been sitting on the cold tile floor for so long my legs had gone numb, and the towel was starting to feel more like a damp rag than anything useful.

I hugged my knees tighter and tried telling myself i not to get my hopes up again, but then I heard footsteps, soft at first, then louder, and definitely coming towards this door.

head s

I scrambled to my feet so fast my spun. The towel slipped a little; I grabbed it and held it tight against my chest. The footsteps stopped outside the door, and a key scraped in the lock.

“Is that you?” I called,

my

voice crack

from disuse.

spare keys. Hang on.”

“Yeah,” the man answered. “I brought the

His voice sounded a little different, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about that. Relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled again.

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