Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 38

Third–person POV

Ivy stood just outside the dorm entrance, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched Ryder carry Luna toward the car. The cold night air brushed against her skin, but she barely felt it, not when everything inside her was tight with worry.

Luna looked worse now than she had in the room. Her body was hanging weakly in Ryder’s arms, her head resting against his shoulder, and even from where Ivy stood, she could see the sweat still covering her skin. It still didn’t look like anything she had ever seen before, and that alone made her chest feel heavy.

She had managed to get Ryder inside without too much trouble, but it hadn’t been easy. The guard at the front desk had looked at her like she had completely lost her mind when she started talking nonstop, asking random questions and pretending she had lost something important upstairs. It had taken a lot of effort to keep him distracted long enough for Ryder to slip past quietly, and even now, she was surprised it had worked, but there was no time to think about that. Luna needed help, and that was all that mattered.

Ryder opened the back door of the car and carefully laid Luna down across the seat, trying to be as gentle as possible even though she was still trembling slightly. A soft sound left Luna’s lips, something between a weak cry and a breath, and Ivy’s heart twisted at the sound. She stepped closer without thinking, her eyes fixed on Luna as if she could somehow make things better just by being near her.

*Can I come with you?” Ivy asked quickly, her voice tight with worry as she looked up at Ryder. “I think… I think she’d want me there.”

Ryder barely hesitated before shaking his head slightly. “You won’t be able to do anything for her right now,” he said, his tone calm but firm as he glanced at Luna again.

“I know that,” Ivy said quickly, almost cutting him off as she stepped closer to the car. “I know I can’t help, but I still want to come. I can’t just stay back here while she’s like this.”

There was a short pause.

Ivy swallowed, her hands tightening at her sides as she prepared herself to argue if she had to. She knew Luna. If Luna woke up and found out she had been taken somewhere in the middle of the night without her, she would be furious, and beyond that, Ivy didn’t feel right letting her go alone, not when she had seen how bad things were getting.

For a second, she considered saying it out loud, saying everything she suspected, everything she believed was happening. even if it sounded insane, but before she could speak again, Ryder let out a quiet breath.

“Get in,” he said simply.

The relief hit her instantly.

She didn’t waste another second. She quickly moved to the other side of the car and got in, sliding into the backseat beside Luna. The moment she sat down, her attention went straight back to her roommate, her eyes scanning her face, her breathing, and every small movement like she was trying to make sure she was still there.

Ryder shut the door and got into the driver’s seat, starting the car without another word. The engine hummed to life, and within seconds, they were moving, the car pulling away from the dorm and heading toward the main road out of campus.

Ivy barely noticed anything outside because her entire focus was on Luna. Luna’s body shifted slightly beside her, and another weak sound left her lips. Her face twisted like she was in pain even without fully waking up, and her hands clenched. slightly against the seat. Ivy reached out without thinking and held her arm gently, her fingers brushing against Luna’s skin, and she almost pulled back from how hot it felt.

It wasn’t normal, nothing about this was normal.

30

R

12:19 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 38

“Luna…” Ivy whispered softly, her voice shaking just a little. “We’re getting help, okay? Just hold on.

7

From the front seat, Ryder kept his eyes on the road, but his jaw was tight. His hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder than usual as he drove, his mind running through everything at once. He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected things to escalate this fast a day before the full moon, and now he was on his way home with Luna in the backseat, barely holding on, and Ivy right beside her.

Jace was not going to like this, none of them were.

He let out a quiet breath through his nose. his thoughts shifting quickly as he tried to figure out how he was going to explain this. He didn’t have time to call ahead. He didn’t have time to prepare anything. He had just acted, and now he would deal with the consequences later.

Behind him, Luna suddenly let out a louder cry.

It broke through the silence in the car, loud and full of pain, and Ivy flinched slightly as she tightened her hold on Luna’s arm. Luna’s body tensed again, her back arching slightly as if something inside her had twisted painfully, and her breathing

became even more uneven.

“It’s okay.” Ivy said quickly, even though her own voice wasn’t steady. “It’s okay, Luna, just… just hold on.”

The ride felt longer than it should have.

Every few minutes, Luna would cry out again, sometimes louder, sometimes weaker, but always filled with the same pain that made Ivy’s chest ache. She didn’t know what to do except stay close, keep talking softly even when Luna couldn’t respond, and hope that they were getting somewhere that could actually help her.

After what felt like forever, the car finally slowed.

Ivy looked up, her eyes flicking toward the front as they turned into a quieter street, and then she saw it. The big house stood ahead, set back slightly from the road, with a gate at the front. The car rolled to a stop for a second, and the gate opened almost immediately. Within seconds, they were inside.

Ryder parked near the front of the house and got out quickly, moving to the backseat without wasting time. He opened the door and reached in, carefully lifting Luna into his arms again. This time, she let out a soft, broken cry against his shoulder, her body still trembling slightly.

Ivy got out right after him, her feet hitting the ground as she followed closely behind, not wanting to lose sight of Luna for even a second.

“Hurry, Ryder muttered under his breath as he moved toward the house.

They stepped inside quickly, the door closing behind them. Ivy barely had time to look around to see if any of the other guys were awake before Ryder was already heading for the stairs, taking them two at a time as he carried Luna upstairs.

Ivy followed as fast as she could, her heart still racing as she watched him move fast, clearly already knowing exactly where he was going. He pushed open a door at the end of the hallway and stepped inside.

The room was familiar, even if Ivy had never been to this specific one before. It looked a little like the guest room they had kept Luna in the last time she fainted here, clean and simple, with a large bed in the center. Ryder moved straight to it and gently laid Luna down, adjusting her slightly so she was more comfortable.

Luna let out another soft cry, her head turning slightly as if she was trying to escape something that wasn’t there.

Ryder stepped back and turned to Ivy, his expression serious. “I’m going to step out for a bit,” he said quickly. “But I need you to trust me and do something for me.”

Ivy nodded immediately, her worry overriding everything else. “What do you need?”

30

M R !!!

12:19 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 38

He hesitated for just a second before speaking again. “I need you to strip her a little,” he said. “Not completely. Just enough so we can get her under a cold shower.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify