Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Third–person pov

Ryder was already thinking ahead as he walked down the hallway toward his room, his steps quick, like he didn’t want to draw attention to himself even though the house was pretty quiet. His mind was busy, going over what had just happened with Luna and how he was going to handle everything next. He knew this was only going to get worse, especially with the full moon so close, and he still hadn’t told the others that she was here.

That alone was a problem he couldn’t ignore for much longer, but for now, his focus was on getting Ivy and bringing her back to Luna before she started panicking again.

As he turned the corner that led to his room, he slowed down almost immediately, his body going still for a second when he saw someone standing right outside his door. Knox

Knox was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his expression already hard and unreadable, like he had been waiting there for a while. The moment their eyes met, Ryder didn’t need to ask any questions to know what had happened. Knox had definitely gone into his room, and he had definitely found Ivy. There was no other reason for him to be standing there like that, looking at him like he was about to demand answers.

For a brief moment, Ryder wondered if Knox had already told Jace or the others, but the house was still too quiet for that. If Jace knew, he would have already come looking for him, and things would have been a lot louder by now. That meant Knox had kept it to himself, at least for now, and that gave Ryder a small window to explain things before everything blew up.

Ryder walked the rest of the way down the hall until he stopped right in front of Knox, his expression calm even though he already knew this conversation wasn’t going to be easy. Knox pushed himself off the wall slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked Ryder up and down like he was trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

“What the fuck is going on?” Knox asked without wasting any time, his voice low but still stern enough to show he was not pleased. “And you better have a very good explanation for why Luna’s friend is in your room.

Ryder let out a sigh, like he had expected that exact question, and for a second, he just looked at Knox without answering. “So you haven’t told Jace yet,” he said instead, his tone more like a statement than a question.

Knox’s jaw tightened slightly. “Not yet,” he replied. “But don’t get comfortable. That doesn’t mean I won’t. I just want to hear what you have to say first, and whatever you say better make sense.”

Ryder nodded once, like he understood, even though he already knew that no explanation he gave was going to sound simple. “It’s complicated,” he said. “And it’s not something I can just explain standing here.”

Knox frowned at that, clearly not liking the answer. “Try me,” he said.

Ryder shook his head slightly. “No,” he replied. “I’ll show you instead. It’ll be easier that way.”

Knox’s brows pulled together in confusion, like he wasn’t sure what Ryder meant, but before he could say anything else.. Ryder reached for the door handle and pushed the door open, stepping into his room without waiting for permission or another question.

Knox stayed where he was for a second, watching him go in, his irritation clear in the way his arms tightened over his chest, but he didn’t follow immediately. Instead, he stayed just outside the door, waiting, like he wanted to see what Ryder was going to do next before making any moves of his own.

Inside the room, Ivy was still lying on the sofa, curled up in an awkward position that showed she hadn’t been comfortable at all. The moment the door opened, she stirred, her body reacting before her mind fully caught up.

Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly, her heart jumping as she looked toward the door. For a split second, panic filled her chest, the thought of one of the other guys walking in hitting her all at once, especially after Knox had already warned her to lock the door. She had completely forgotten, and now she was sure she had made a mistake, but then she saw

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OG T

12:42 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 45

Ryder standing there, and the panic faded just as quickly as it came. A small breath of relief left her lips, her shouldery dropping as she relaxed slightly.

“Sorry,” Ryder said quietly as he stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him halfway. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Ivy shook her head quickly, already pushing herself off the sofa. “It’s fine,” she said, her voice still a little shaky from the sudden wake–up. “Is she okay?”

Ryder nodded. “She’s awake now,” he said. “She asked for you.”

That was all Ivy needed to hear. She stood up fully, brushing her hair back from her face as she straightened herself out “Okay,” she said quickly. “Let’s go.”

There was no hesitation in her voice, no second thoughts. All she cared about was getting back to Luna and making sure the was okay. The fear she had felt earlier didn’t matter anymore, not when Luna was involved.

Ryder stepped aside, letting her move toward the door first. As she reached it, she paused for just a second, like she suddenly remembered something, but before she could say anything, Ryder opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Ivy followed right behind him, but the moment she stepped out, she froze.

Knox was still standing there.

Her heart skipped a beat so hard it almost hurt, and all the nervousness she had pushed aside came rushing back at once. She hadn’t expected him to be there, and now that she was standing right in front of him, she didn’t know what to say or do. Her mind raced, trying to think of something that would make sense, something that wouldn’t give anything away.

Knox’s eyes moved from Ryder to Ivy, studying her closely, like he was trying to read her thoughts just by looking at her. There was suspicion there, clear as day, and it made Ivy feel even more uncomfortable.

Ryder noticed it immediately. Without looking at her, he spoke, his tone calm but steady. “Relax,” he said quietly. “It’s fine.”

Ivy glanced at him, unsure, but the way he said it made her nod slightly, even if she didn’t fully believe it. She didn’t say anything, choosing to stay quiet instead of risking saying the wrong thing.

Ryder then turned to Knox, meeting his gaze directly. “You wanted to know what’s going on,” he said. “Come with me.”

Knox didn’t move right away. He looked between the two of them again, his expression still guarded, like he was trying to piece everything together before deciding what to do. “This better not be some kind of joke,” he muttered.

“It’s not.” Ryder replied simply.

There was a brief moment of silence before Knox finally pushed himself off the wall completely, uncrossing his arms. “Fine.” he said. “Lead the way.”

Ryder didn’t waste any more time. He turned and started walking down the hallway, his steps calm, knowing exactly where he was going. Ivy followed close behind him, her movements a little more cautious now, her eyes flicking toward Knox every now and then like she was still worried about what he might say or do.

Knox walked behind them, his gaze fixed on Ryder’s back, his mind already running through possibilities. None of them made sense yet, but he could tell this was something a little more than what it looked like. His initial belief had been that Ryder, being the womanizer he was, had somehow managed to seduce Luna’s roommate, possibly to also spy on Luna, but it was clear that he had guessed.

Whatever else it could be, Ryder wasn’t the type to do things without a reason, and the fact that Luna’s friend was involved only made it more suspicious.

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