Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Third–person POV

Ryder was still frozen in place after Laina kissed him, and because of that, the kiss lasted longer than it should have even though he wasn’t kissing her back. The warmth of her lips, the way she held on to him, and the desperation in the kiss all hit him at once, but his mind caught up quickly, and when it did, it came with a sharp sense of awareness. This wasn’t right because this wasn’t her.

He could already tell that whatever was happening inside her had taken over more than it should have, and if he didn’t stop this now. it would only get worse.

move.

He pulled back suddenly, his hands coming up to grip her shoulders as he pushed her away from him. At first, Luna didn’t Her fingers were still clutching onto him, her body leaning forward as if she was being pulled back in by something stronger than her own will. It took more effort than he expected to actually separate her from him, and even when he did she stayed close, her breathing uneven, her eyes still glowing in that strange mix of yellow and green that made it clear her wolf was still very much in control.

She stared at him like she didn’t understand what had just happened. Her brows pulled together, her lips parted slightly, and her chest rose and fell as if she was trying to catch her breath but also trying to make sense of him pushing her away. There was confusion written all over her face, and it was so clear that for a second, it almost made him feel guilty.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice soft but shaky, like she was struggling to keep it steady. “Why are you pushing me away?”

Ryder forced himself to stay calm, even though his mind was racing. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy,not with how far gone she already seemed to be, and not with the way her instincts were clearly driving her actions right now. Still, he kept his voice steady, trying to ground her in whatever way he could.

“You’re not in your right mind right now,” he said carefully, watching her closely. “You just need to calm down, okay? Take a deep breath, and try to relax.”

Luna blinked at him, her confusion only growing. It was like his words didn’t fully reach her, like they were getting lost somewhere between what she was feeling and what she could actually understand. She shook her head slightly, like she was trying to clear it, but it didn’t seem to help.

“I don’t understand,” she said, her voice rising just a little. “You’re my mate… aren’t you supposed to want this?”

The question hit harder than he expected.

For a brief moment, Ryder didn’t respond, not because he didn’t have an answer, but because he was trying to choose the right one. The honest one, and the one that wouldn’t make things worse.

“That’s not what this is about,” he said finally, letting out a small breath as he stood up from the floor, stepping away from the stream of water that was still running over them. He reached for her, helping her up gently, even though she still felt unsteady. “You don’t know what you’re doing right now.”

Luna’s expression shifted again, this time from confusion to something else, something softer and more fragile.

“So you don’t want me?” she asked quietly.

Ryder’s chest tightened at the sound of that. He shook his head almost immediately. “That’s not what I said.”

But she didn’t seem convinced.

He turned off the shower, the sudden absence of the water making the room feel quieter and heavier, like everything that had been slightly drowned out before was now louder. Luna stood in front of him, dripping wet, her breathing still uneven. her eyes still glowing faintly as she looked up at him like she was waiting for something he wasn’t giving her, and then she

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Chapter 10

moved again.

This time, it was faster. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, her hand reaching up to grab onto him as she leaned in. her lips finding his again before he could react.

Ryder tensed instantly. He pushed her back again, more firmly this time, his grip on her shoulders stronger than before as he created space between them. “Luna, stop.”

Her reaction was immediate. She stumbled slightly from the force, but she caught herself quickly, her expression changing in a way that made something twist in his chest. The confusion was still there, but now it was mixed with frustration, with hurt, and something close to anger.

“You just said you wanted me!” she snapped, her voice suddenly louder. “So why do you keep pushing me away?”

Ryder ran a hand through his damp hair, his mind spinning as he tried to figure out what to do. This was exactly what he had been worried about. The more she gave in to her instincts, the harder it would be to bring her back from it, and tomorrow… tomorrow it would be worse.

Much worse.

He knew how this worked. He had seen it before, just never like this, never with someone who didn’t even know what they were, and never with someone who didn’t understand what was happening to them, and right now, Luna didn’t understand anything.

She just felt it, and she was reacting to it.

“I’m not pushing you away because I don’t want you,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady even as the tension in the room kept rising. “I’m doing it because this isn’t you, and I need you to calm down.”

But his words didn’t seem to help. If anything, they made things worse.

Luna took another step toward him, her movements more aggressive this time, more desperate. When he stopped her again, placing his hands on her arms to hold her in place, something in her snapped.

“You don’t want me!” she shouted suddenly, her voice breaking as it echoed slightly in the bathroom. “Why don’t you want me? What’s wrong with me?”

Tears filled her eyes almost instantly, spilling over before he could even react, and the sight of it hit him harder than anything else had so far. This wasn’t just instinct anymore. This was emotion, raw, overwhelming emotion that she couldn’t control, that she didn’t even understand.

“Luna, please…”

“What’s wrong with me?” she repeated, her voice shaking as she pushed against him weakly, her hands gripping onto his arms like she needed something to hold onto. “Why won’t you touch me?”

Ryder didn’t answer. He couldn’t because there was no answer that would make sense to her right now.

Instead, he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her, and holding her close as she continued to cry, her body shaking against his. He brought one hand up to the back of her head, gently pressing it against his chest as he held her there, giving her something solid, something real to focus on.

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Luna,” he said quietly, his voice low and calm as he began to stroke her damp hair slowly. “You’re perfect.

At first, she didn’t respond. Her breathing was still uneven, her body still tense, but little by little, the fight in her started to fade. Her grip on him changed, becoming less aggressive and more desperate, like she was holding onto him because she was scared of what would happen if she let go.

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