Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 60

Luna’s POV

5 Vouche

I stood there between them, my chest rising and falling as I tried to steady my breathing, my mind still spinning from everything that had just happened. The tension in the room was still very heavy, even though neither Ryder nor Theo had moved again after I shouted at them. They both looked angry, but it was quieter now, which I couldn’t be more grateful for.

I still very much hated the situation more than anything. I hated how I had somehow become the reason they were even fighting in the first place. Having men fighting over me or because of me was one of my worst nightmares, and I had never imagined that I would ever find myself in such a situation.

Taking a slow breath, I forced myself to speak again, even though my voice felt a little shaky at first. “Are you both calmer now?” I asked, looking between them. “Instead of blaming each other and acting like I’m not even here, can one of you actually explain what just happened to me?”

My hands clenched slightly at my sides as I spoke, frustration building again. “Because I don’t understand anything right now, and I’m not going to just stand here while you both argue like I’m some kind of problem you need to solve.”

Neither of them interrupted me this time, so I continued, my voice gaining a bit more strength. “Like I said, there was a voice in my head.” I said, the words still sounding strange even to my own ears. “It keeps talking to me, and it kept telling me to find… our mate. It said it was weak, and I needed to find him.” I paused for a second, my eyes shifting briefly to Ryder before looking back at both of them. “That’s why I went looking for Ryder in the first place. I thought that’s who it meant.”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling dry as I went on. “But then I saw Theo, and…” I trailed off, my face heating slightly as I remembered what had just happened, “Now I’ve found out that he’s my mate too, and I want to know what that means. I want to know why I just lost control of myself like that, and more importantly, I want to know how to stop it.”

For a moment, there was silence again, but this time it wasn’t tense in the same way as before. It felt a little more thoughtful, like they were both actually thinking about what I said instead of just reacting. Then, almost at the same time, both of them let out a soft sigh.

Theo was the first to speak. He rubbed the back of his neck before looking at me, his expression calmer now, though there was still something serious in his eyes. “Like I said when you first showed up,” he began, his voice more measured this time, “your wolf is waking up.”

I stared at him, my brows pulling together slightly. “My wolf,” I repeated, the words sounding just as ridiculous as they had the first time I heard them.

“Yes,” he said simply. “The voice you’re hearing? That’s not some random thing. That’s you, or at least… a part of you. Your wolf”

I let out a short scoff, shaking my head slightly in disbelief. “So what you’re telling me is that I now have a second voice in my head?” I asked, my tone rising a little. “A voice that has its own thoughts, its own opinions, and can just decide to take over my body and make me do whatever it wants?”

Theo frowned slightly at that, like he didn’t like the way I said it. “It’s not like that,” he said, though his tone had a hint of defensiveness in it.

“Really?” I shot back quickly. “Because from where I’m standing, that’s exactly what it feels like.” I gestured vaguely between us. “I just… walked up to you and started doing stupid things I didn’t even want to do. How is that not like that?”

Theo’s expression tightened, and he tilted his head slightly as he looked at me. “And you think kissing me was a stupid thing?” he asked, his tone shifting just enough to make it clear he was offended.

Before I could even respond. Ryder let out a scoff from beside me. “Seriously?” he muttered, shooting Theo a look. “That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”

30

O ?

OG T

111

12:45 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 60

I turned to glare at Theo as well, my embarrassment quickly turning into irritation. “That’s not the point,” I said flatly.

Theo raised his hands slightly like he didn’t care, a small smirk tugging at his lips even though the tension was still there. “I’m just asking,” he said, his voice casual in a way that made me want to roll my eyes.

Ryder stepped in before I could say anything else, his tone more serious as he looked at me again. “Ignore him, he said his voice calmer now. “Let me explain properly.”

I folded my arms loosely, still trying to hold on to whatever little patience I had left. “Please do,” I said.

Ryder nodded once before speaking again. “The reason you’re losing control,” he began, “is because your wolf just woke u You’ve lived your whole life without knowing it was there, so now that it’s finally awake, you don’t know how to handle it.”

1. up.

I stayed quiet, listening this time, even though everything still sounded insane.

“Your wolf doesn’t think the way you do,” he continued. “It doesn’t have the same control or restraint that you have as a human. It works on instinct, and right now, the strongest instinct it has is…” He paused briefly, like he was choosing his words carefully. “Its connection to its mates.”

My stomach twisted slightly at that word again, but I didn’t interrupt him.

“That’s why you reacted the way you did,” he added. “Your wolf felt Theo, and it acted on that feeling. It didn’t think about anything else.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to process everything he was saying. “So basically,” I said slowly, “my body just decides to do whatever it wants whenever it feels like it?”

“For now,” Ryder admitted. “Until you learn how to control it.”

I frowned slightly, my mind still struggling to catch up. “And the moon?” I asked. “You mentioned something about the full moon earlier.”

Ryder nodded. “The moon is… important to us,” he said. “It’s where we get most of our strength from. During a full moon, everything is stronger. Our senses, our instincts… everything.”

I felt my chest tighten a little. “So that means…

Theo picked up from there, his voice quieter now but just as serious. “It means you’re going to feel everything much more intensely tonight,” he said.

I looked at him, already dreading what he was about to say next. “What exactly does that mean specifically?” I asked, even though deep down, I had a feeling I already knew.

Theo didn’t look away from me as he answered. “It means your heat is going to get worse,” he said simply. “Not just the part you’ve already been feeling… but the other part too.”

I swallowed, my fingers tightening slightly against my arms. “The other part,” I repeated quietly.

He nodded once. “The kind that led to what just happened between us,” he said, not bothering to soften his words. “And it might be even stronger than that.”

I felt my heart drop at that, a heavy feeling settling in my chest as I looked between the two of them.

Ryder spoke again quickly, like he could see the panic starting to build in my expression. “We won’t let anything happen,” he said firmly. “We have more control than you right now, so we’ll make sure we don’t cross any lines. We’ll help you get through it.”

I stared at him for a second, but my mind caught on something else he said.

30

OG T

SP

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify