Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Third–person POV

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Ryder stood at the door, his eyes moving slowly between Luna and Theo like he was trying to understand what he was seeing but didn’t want to believe it at the same time. The first thing he noticed was not even the position they were in, but their eyes. Luna’s eyes were glowing again, that strange mix of yellow and green that he had seen the night before, and Theo’s eyes were just as bright, the usual green that made it clear he was not fully in control either.

That alone told Ryder everything he needed to know, and yet it didn’t calm him down. If anything, it made his chest tighten even more, because it meant that if he hadn’t walked in when he did, something much worse could have happened between them.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ryder demanded again, his voice louder this time, sharper, filled with anger that he wasn’t even trying to hide. His jaw was clenched as he stepped fully into the room, his gaze fixed on Theo like he was already blaming him for everything he had just seen.

Luna’s mind had just started to clear, and for a brief moment, she had been ready to explain everything. She had been ready to say that she didn’t even understand what had just happened, that it felt like she had lost control of herself completely, that there was a voice in her head and it had pushed her toward Theo, but before she could say any of that, the fog came back just as fast as it had left. Her thoughts blurred again, her chest tightening as that same pull returned, strong and confusing. and instead of pushing Theo away like she knew she should, her hand moved on its own.

Theo had just started to pull back, his breathing uneven as he tried to regain control, but he froze when he felt Luna’s hand grab onto him again. His brows furrowed slightly as he looked down at her, clearly not expecting her to pull him back instead of pushing him away.

“Luna…” he started, his voice lower now, confused, but he didn’t get to finish.

Ryder moved too fast.

In a few long strides, he reached the bed and grabbed Theo by the arm, pulling him off Luna with force. Theo stumbled slightly from how sudden it was, and before he could even react properly, Ryder shoved him back.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ryder snapped, his voice filled with pure anger and jealousy now as he stepped in front of Luna like he was putting himself between them. “Have you lost your mind?”

Theo blinked at him for a second, clearly taken aback by the sudden aggression, but the shock quickly faded into irritation. “Excuse me?” he said, his tone dropping as his expression hardened. “You really want to start with that?”

“Yes, I do,” Ryder shot back immediately, not even hesitating. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you were about to take advantage of her.”

There was a short silence after that, the kind that felt heavy and uncomfortable, like the air in the room had suddenly become too thick to breathe properly. Theo stared at Ryder like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard, and then he let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“Take advantage?” Theo repeated, his voice low, almost dangerous. “You actually think I would do that? You think I would take advantage of her?”

“How else do you want me to see it?” Ryder fired back, his voice just as harsh. “You know she’s not in her right mind. You know she’s vulnerable right now, and still, you brought her to your room and had her on your bed like this?”

“I didn’t bring her here,” Theo snapped, his patience clearly gone now. “She came to me”

“Oh, that makes it better?” Ryder said, scoffing. “You expect me to believe you didn’t know what was happening to her? You expect me to believe you didn’t feel it?”

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OG T

12:45 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 59

Theo’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing as he took a step closer. “Of course I felt it,” he said angrily. “We all feel it.”

“Then you should have stopped it,” Ryder shot back immediately. “Not go along with it like some…”

Theo didn’t let him finish. His fist moved before anyone could stop him, connecting with Ryder’s face in a clean hit that echoed slightly in the room. Ryder’s head snapped to the side from the force, and for a second, everything went still.

“How dare you.” Theo said, his voice low and filled with anger as he stared at Ryder. “Don’t you dare stand there and talk to me like I’m some kind of sick bastard.”

Luna’s heart jumped at the sound of the hit, and whatever was left of the fog in her mind started to break apart completely as reality came crashing back in. “Stop!” she shouted, quickly scrambling off the bed and stepping between them before Ryder could react. She pushed against Ryder’s chest lightly, then turned toward Theo, her breathing uneven as she looked between the two of them. “Have you both lost your minds?”

Ryder wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes still locked on Theo, his anger not fading in the slightest. “You need to step back, Luna,” he said, his voice tight. “You don’t understand what just happened.”

“I understand enough!” Luna snapped back immediately, her voice rising as frustration filled her chest. “For your information, no one took advantage of me!”

Theo didn’t say anything this time, but his expression shifted slightly, his anger still there but mixed with something else now as he looked at her.

Ryder let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “You don’t even hear yourself right now.” he said, shaking his head slightly. “You’re not thinking straight, Luna. You weren’t in control, and he knows that.” He gestured toward Theo sharply. “And he still went along with it.”

“That’s not what happened!” Luna insisted, her voice louder now as she glared at him. “I went to him. I…” She stopped abruptly, her words catching in her throat as the memory of what had just happened hit her all over again.

Ryder’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, it hardened even more. “Exactly,” he said. “You went to him because you’re not in your right mind, and he should have known better than to let it get that far.”

Theo scoffed, shaking his head slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. “You really don’t get it, do you?” he muttered.

“Then explain it,” Ryder snapped. “Because right now, it just looks like you crossed a line you shouldn’t have.”

Luna looked between them again, her chest rising and falling quickly as she tried to steady herself. “This is not what you think it is,” she said, her voice still tense but a little quieter now. “Something is wrong with me, and it’s to blame for whatever happened. There’s a voice in my head, and it…”

Ryder cut her off, his gaze softening just a little when he looked at her, but the anger was still there. “I know something is wrong,” he said. “That’s exactly why this shouldn’t have happened and why Theo should have known better than to let it get to this point.”

Theo let out a frustrated breath, clearly done with the way Ryder was twisting the situation. “You keep acting like I can help myself any better than she can,” he said, his tone harsh again. “Like I dragged her here and forced her into anything. That’s not what happened, and you know it.”

“Then maybe you should have walked away,” Ryder replied coldly. “Instead of staying and letting it happen.”

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