Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6

LUNA

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I slipped into the lecture hall for Intro to Literature just as the professor was starting to write on the board. My heart was still racing from the run, my legs felt like jelly, and my hoodie smelled faintly of sweat and that stupid spicy scent that wouldn’t leave me alone. I kept my head down and hurried to the very back row, taking the very last seat in the corner, where I knew no one usually sat.

It was perfect for me since it was out of sight, and I wouldn’t draw anyone’s attention.

I dropped into the chair, pulled my notebook out of my backpack, and tried to look normal. The room was half full, mostly with people I could sort of tell were freshmen like me, and a few upperclassmen who already had their laptops open and looked bored. No one turned to look at me, and for the first time all morning, I let myself breathe a little easier.

Maybe I’d finally gotten away from them, and hopefully, the rest of the day would be normal.

I opened my notebook, uncapped my pen, and tried to focus on the professor’s voice. He was talking about symbolism in some old poem, and words like “metaphor” and “imagery” floated past me. I scribbled notes half–heartedly, but at least I was here, and at least I was trying. That had to count for something.

Halfway through the lecture, my pen stopped moving as the scent hit me again.

It wasn

time, instead it was close, spicy, warm, and dark like a mix of pine and smoke and that undercurrent of at made my stomach flip and my skin flush hot all over again.

overed over the page, my breath caught in my throat, and I just stared straight ahead at the projector screen, not eting to move.

Please, I thought. ‘Please let this be a coincidence. Let it be someone else wearing the same cologne. Let it be anything but them.’

But I knew better.

Hell, my body knew better.

The heat was already rising again, slow and steady, crawling up my neck and settling low in my belly. My thighs pressed together under the desk without me telling them to, and I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood, trying to stay calm.

I had the strongest urge to look around, to scan the room, and to make sure I was imagining it, but before I could turn my head, a shadow fell across my notebook, and someone slid into the empty seat right beside me.

I turned slowly, and to my shock, it was none other than Theo with his curly blond hair, dimples already showing, and green eyes sparkling with that same amused look he always had, like the whole world was one big joke and I was the punchline.

He leaned back in the chair with his legs stretched out, looking completely relaxed like he belonged here, like he’d been sitting in this class all semester, and my mouth went dry.

I kept my voice low, barely a whisper, but the anger came through anyway.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Theo shrugged one shoulder casually like I’d asked him about the weather. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

1/3

2:41 pm P P P P

Chapter 6

10 vouchers

I almost groaned out loud, but there were people around us, people who might turn and stare, so I swallowed it down and leaned closer, keeping my voice to a harsh whisper.

“I don’t appreciate being followed to class,” I hissed, making sure he knew I was being serious, but instead of taking a hint. his grin widened, and his eyes were literally dancing with mischief.

“What makes you think I followed you here?” he responded nonchalantly.

I stared at him, and he stared back, still smiling, and completely unbothered.

My mind raced, but I was almost confident that he couldn’t have just happened to pick this class. No way! The timing was too perfect. The seat right next to me was empty until he showed up, and now that scent, his scent, was everywhere, thick and intoxicating to the point where I felt dizzy.

I wanted to yell at him, to shove him out of the chair and tell him to leave me alone, but the professor was still talking, and heads would turn if I raised my voice. So I just glared hard, hoping my eyes could say everything my mouth couldn`t.

Theo didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he looked more entertained. He pulled a notebook out of his bag, clearly brand new with no notes yet, and opened it like he was actually planning to pay attention. He even clicked his pen a few times, loud enough that the girl in front of us glanced back.

I sank lower in my seat.

The lecture shifte

don as the professor moved to the next slide, and I tried to focus, really tried, but every time Theo every time his arm brushed the edge of mine, that heat flared hotter. My skin felt too tight, and my slow down. I kept my eyes glued to my notebook, scribbling nonsense just to look busy, but my hand was

say anything else. He just sat there, close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off him, close enough that kept flooding my lungs with every breath.

Half an hour passed like that with me being all rigid and heated, and him looking relaxed while the professor kept droning on about themes and motifs. I kept praying for the class to end, kept praying he’d get bored and leave, and kept praying the heat would fade.

It didn’t.

When the professor finally said, “That’s all for today…read chapters three through five for next time,” I almost cried with relief.

shoved my notebook into my bag, zipped it fast, and stood up. My legs felt wobbly, but I didn’t care. I needed out.

Theo stood too, slow and easy, like he had all the time in the world, but I didn’t look at him. I just started walking toward the door as fast as I could, keeping my head down, and of course, he followed.

I made it into the hallway before I spun around.

“Stop,” I hissed, low enough that only he could hear. “Just stop, and leave me the fuck alone”

Theo tilted his head, still smiling that annoying, amused smile.

“I’m just walking to my next class,” he said, innocent as anything.

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