Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Luna’s POV

Vouchers

I rushed into one of the shower stalls the second Orion handed me the bundle of clothes. My heart was still hammering from the shock of seeing him instead of the janitor, and when he mentioned that he would help me go get spare clothes from his office, I didn’t even bother to ask how or why he had an office in the sports administration building. He was just a football player, as far as I knew, but right then I was too grateful to care. I just took the clothes and bolted behind the plastic curtain.

The bundle was simple, one oversized black t–shirt with the school logo faded on the chest and a pair of gray athletic shorts. Both smelled faintly of laundry detergent and something clean, like fresh cotton. I dropped the towel on the bench and pulled the shirt over my head first, and it fell past my hips like a dress, the sleeves hanging past my elbows.

The shorts were huge, way too long and loose, but I rolled the waistband twice and tied the drawstring as tight as it would go. They still looked ridiculous, but they were clothes, real clothes, and ten times better than standing around in a damp towel.

I took a quick breath, smoothed my wet hair back with my fingers, and stepped out of the stall.

The locker room was empty, Orion was gone, and for a second I just stood there, confused. For a second my stomach dropped again. Had he left me here? After all that? But then I noticed the main door was propped open with a small rubber wedge, probably so I wouldn’t feel locked in anymore.

I walked over slowly, towel bundled under my arm, pushed the door wider, and peeked out. Orion was standing a few feet down the hallway with his back turned, looking the other way like he was giving me privacy even now.

I cleared my throat gently, and he turned.

His golden eyes flicked over me, a quick scan from head to toe, taking in the too–big shirt, the rolled–up shorts, the bare legs, and the damp curls sticking to my neck. For a second his face went completely blank, like he didn’t know what to do with the sight of me in his clothes.

Then his face flushed a little, and he blurted out, “The clothes suit you well enough.”

It came out nervous and awkward, not smooth like Theo or confident like Jace, Just… honest.

I looked down at myself. The shirt hung like a tent, and the shorts looked like they belonged to someone twice my size.

I gave a small, tired laugh. “They’re comfortable, that’s for sure, and way better than a towel.”

He nodded once. “Good.”

I shifted my weight. “Thank you, again. I… I would’ve been stuck here all night if you hadn’t shown up.”

Orion shook his head. “You don’t have to thank me. Anyone would’ve helped.”

But no one else had.

I didn’t say that out loud. Instead I just stood there, a few feet away from him, suddenly feeling way too self–conscious. The hallway was quiet except for the distant hum of the vending machine around the corner, and the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. My bare feet were cold against the tile, and I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I clutched the towel tighter against my chest like a shield.

Orion didn’t move closer. He just stood there, hands in his pockets, looking at me like he wasn’t sure what to say either, and the awkward silence stretched between us.

I shifted again. “I should… go. Back to the dorm.”

30

M

R

O

12:17 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 26

He nodded. “I’ll walk you. Just to make sure you get there okay.

I opened my mouth to say no, a habit at this point, but the words died. Walking around the campus at night, alone, and in oversized borrowed clothes wasn’t exactly an appealing idea, especially not after everything that had happened today.

I didn’t want to be alone right now.

“Okay,” I said quietly. “Thanks”

He gave a small nod and stepped aside so I could walk past him. We started down the hallway together, and he kept a respectful distance, about three steps behind me, and at no point at all did he try to talk to me. He didn’t ask any questions or attempt to strike any kind of conversation.

It felt strange.

All the other times one of them had been near me, it had been intense and overwhelming. The heat, the pull, and the way my body reacted like it wasn’t mine anymore, but with Orion… it was quieter, not entirely gone, just softer, like he was holding back on purpose.

We reached the main exit doors, and he pushed one open for me and held it.

The night air hit my face, cool and clean after the stuffy locker room. The campus was mostly dark now, except for the lights from the streetlights. A few students walked by in the distance, laughing, but no one close enough to stare.

I stepped outside, Orion followed, and we walked in silence across the quad. My bare feet were cold on the pavement, but I didn’t complain. The oversized shorts swished around my legs with every step, and the shirt kept feeling like it would slip over my shoulders in any second. I looked ridiculous, I knew I did, but I didn’t care.

Halfway toward the dorm, the silence between us started to feel a little too heavy, like there were too many things neither of us wanted to say out loud.

Then after what felt like forever, he finally spoke. “Do you have any idea who could have taken your things?”

I slowed a little but didn’t stop walking. “No clue,” I said. “I can’t think of anyone who’d want to play such a heartless prank on me. I mean…. I haven’t exactly made that many friends here, but I didn’t think anyone hated me enough to go this far.”

Orion nodded slowly, then he stayed quiet for another stretch of sidewalk. After a while he asked, softer this time, “Do you think it had anything to do with us? The attention we’ve brought you?”

I didn’t answer right away, and the question sat between us like a stone.

I knew exactly what he meant. Half the school, especially the girls, already hated me because they thought I was some desperate gold–digger throwing myself at the football team because they were rich and popular. The viral photos, the fainting video, Theo showing up at the track… it all fed the story, and now my bag was stolen, and I was locked in the locker room in a towel? It felt too convenient to be a coincidence, like someone wanted to humiliate me even more.

The thought had crossed my mind more than once while I sat on that bench.

“Yeah,” I said finally. “It crossed my mind. The other athletes on my team don’t like me because of all the attention I’m getting because of you guys, and as you might already know, a lot of other girls on campus don’t like me either. It’s honestly the only reason I can think of why someone would do this just to make me look even worse or hurt me.”

Orion didn’t say anything right away. He just kept walking beside me, matching my pace.

When I didn’t add more, he spoke again. “If you want, I can find out who did it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I shook my head fast. “No, I’d rather you didn’t get involved.”

He glanced sideways at me.

30

O

M

R

12:17 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 26

73

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify