Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Third–person POV

Knox stood where he was, leaning slightly against the wall with his armis crossed, but his attention wasn’t on Jace or Orion or even the plan they were discussing. His eyes were fixed on Ryder, watching him closely, waiting. The conversation had already moved far enough that it was clear where it was heading, and yet Ryder was still standing there like he hadn’t heard anything, like he had nothing to say.

Knox knew that wasn’t true. He knew Ryder had something to say, something important, and the fact that he was still quie was starting to get on his nerves.

Jace was talking about timing, about making sure they went to the girls‘ dorm before sunset, about not giving Luna the chance to be anywhere near campus when the moon came out. Orion was adding to it calmly, pointing out risks, explaining how things could go wrong if they didn’t act fast enough.

Theo was half–listening, half–annoyed, occasionally muttering something under his breath, but even he hadn’t interrupted yet. The whole conversation was moving forward like a plan was already being set in place, and still, Ryder said nothing.

Knox finally had enough.

He reached out through their mindlink, his voice loud and clear as it cut through Ryder’s thoughts. ‘Are you going to say something or not?” he asked, his tone already carrying his impatience. Because if you don’t speak now, I will‘

Ryder’s shoulders tensed slightly, even though no one else in the room seemed to notice it. He kept his face neutral, but Knox could feel the hesitation through the link.

Tm just trying to find the right timing, Ryder responded after a brief pause, his tone quieter, almost like he knew Knox had every reason to be upset but just couldn’t blurt out the words he was supposed to be saying.

Knox almost scoffed, and it took real effort for him not to react out loud. The right timing?‘ he shot back immediately. And when exactly is that supposed to be? When they leave the house to go and get her, only to find out she’s been here the whole time? Would that be the right timing for you?”

Ryder didn’t answer right away this time. His jaw tightened just a little, and Knox could feel the tension in him, the way he was weighing things in his head, trying to decide how to say it, when to say it, and how it would sound. It was frustrating to watch.

Knox pushed again, his tone lower but more direct. ‘You’re overthinking it. Just say it already. I’m pretty sure Jace would be more relieved that she was already here than annoyed.‘

Ryder finally let out a quiet breath, though it wasn’t enough to calm the frustration building inside him. ‘Give me a second, he said.

Knox didn’t respond again, but his patience was already running thin. From where he stood, it didn’t make sense to wait. The longer Ryder stayed quiet, the worse it would look when the truth finally came out.

Before Knox could say anything else, Ryder let out a frustrated sigh, the sound escaping him before he could stop it. It was louder than he meant it to be, and it immediately drew attention.

Jace’s head turned toward him right away, his brows pulling together slightly as he studied Ryder more closely. He had already noticed how quiet Ryder had been, how he hadn’t said much since they started talking, and that sigh only confirmed that something was off.

“Is something wrong?” Jace asked, his voice calm but serious, cutting through the room. “You’ve barely said anything since

We started.

Ryder looked up, meeting Jace’s gaze, and for a moment, he hesitated again. The room had gone quiet now, all attention

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Chapter 50

shifting toward him. Orion was watching him closely, his expression unreadable as always, while Theo leaned forward slightly, curiosity replacing his earlier boredom. Knox stayed where he was, silent now, but his eyes were still on Ryder, waiting

“If you’re not comfortable with this.” Jace continued, his tone steady, “you can say it. No one is forcing you into anything That made Ryder pause again, but this time, it wasn’t hesitation. It was more like he was choosing his words carefully. “I’m not uncomfortable with the plan,” Ryder said finally, his voice calm but firm,

Jace tilted his head slightly “Then what is it?”

Ryder ran a hand through his hair, letting out a small breath before continuing. “It’s just… we don’t need it.”

The words made all three of them react almost at the same time. Jace’s brows furrowed deeper in confusion. Orion straightened slightly, and Theo sat up completely now, his interest fully caught.

“What do you mean we don’t need it?” Orion asked, his voice calm but direct.

Ryder hesitated for just a second more, then spoke clearly this time. “We don’t need to bring her here,” he said. “Because she’s already here.”

The room went completely still, and for a few seconds, no one spoke, like the words hadn’t fully registered yet. Jace blinked once, his expression unreadable for a brief moment. “What?” he asked, his voice lower now, more focused. Ryder didn’t repeat himself. Instead, Knox stepped in, his voice steady as he filled in the details without hesitation.

“He brought her in last night,” Knox said. “She was already in heat, and her roommate called him, so he went to get her. She’s been here since then.”

Theo’s head snapped toward Ryder immediately, his eyes widening slightly. “You’re serious?” he asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. “She’s actually here? In this house?”

“Yes,” Ryder answered simply.

“In one of the guest rooms,” Knox added.

The silence that followed was heavier now, filled with something more than confusion. It was more of surprise, maybe even a little shock.

Ryder watched Jace carefully, waiting for some kind of reaction. Part of him expected anger, or at least frustration, especially because he hadn’t said anything earlier. He knew he probably should have told them the moment they started talking about bringing Luna here, but at the same time, everything had happened so fast the night before that he hadn’t even had the chance to think properly.

Jace, however, didn’t react the way Ryder expected. He didn’t raise his voice or question why Ryder hadn’t said anything sooner. Instead, he stayed quiet for a moment, processing everything, his gaze lowering slightly before he looked back up at them

“How is she?” Jace asked finally, his voice calm but serious. “Is she okay?”

Ryder blinked slightly at that, clearly not expecting that to be the first question. “She’s… calmer,” he said. “At least physically.”

Jace nodded once. “Does she know?” he asked. “Did you tell her what she is?”

Ryder let out a small breath. “Yeah,” he said. “We told her this morning.”

“And?” Orion asked, stepping forward slightly.

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Chapter 50

Ryder shook his head. “She’s not taking it well,” he admitted. “Not at all. She doesn’t believe any of it, as you can probably guess, she thinks it’s ridiculous.”

Theo let out a short, humorless laugh, leaning back slightly “Can you blame her?” he said. “If someone told you that our of nowhere, you’d think they were crazy too

No one argued with that.

Ryder continued, his voice more serious row. “Before you called us here, we were trying to convince her to stay,” he said, looking at Jace “Just until tomorrow since the full moon would have passed by then, but she kept saying she wanted to leave.

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