Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Luna’s POV

I was finally back to my senses, and for a moment, I just sat there in silence, trying to process everything that had just happened. My head felt clearer now, like a fog had finally lifted, but that didn’t mean I felt any better. If anything. I felt worse, because I could still vividly remember everything. I could remember how I had looked at Jace, how I had spoken to him, and how my body had moved on its own like I had no control over it at all, and the worst part was being fully aware of it the whole time.

I had been there, trapped in my own body, watching myself

never say, doing things I would never do. It was embarrassing in someone I didn’t even recognize, saying things I would

would have buried myself under the ground right then and

Unfortunately, instead of disappearing. I was stuck in Jace’s

act like

way I didn’t even have words for, and if I had the choice, I

office

I leaned back against the couch and let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling for a moment before letting my head fall forward. “He really locked me in here,” I muttered under my breath, still finding it hard to believe.

Of all the things I expected him to do, locking me up like I was some kind of threat had not been one of them, but thinking back on it. I couldn’t even blame him. I had literally been trying to get closer to him, and not in a normal way either. I let out a small laugh at the memory, shaking my head slightly.

king my heat

“The way he panicked….” I whispered, a smile almost forming on my face despite everything.

He hadn’t exactly run, but he might as well have. The way he had rushed out of the room, the way he had avoided looking at me for too long, the way he had made sure to keep his distance like I was some kind of danger… it had been almost funny. Almost. I wasn’t sure whether to feel impressed that he had that much control or disappointed that he clearly wanted nothing to do with me, and that thought, the disappointment, crept into my chest before I could stop it.

I frowned slightly, sitting up straighter as I crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s not even my feeling,” I said quietly, like saying it out loud would somehow make it less real, but it didn’t.

The feeling was still there, lingering in a way that made me uncomfortable. I didn’t like the idea that my emotions were no longer mine alone, that something else inside me could feel things I didn’t want to feel. I didn’t dwell on it, though. I refused to. There were more important things to focus on, like the fact that I had almost completely lost control of myself earlier.

Still, I couldn’t deny one thing. I was thankful.

No matter how embarrassing it had been, no matter how desperate I had looked, Jace had still stopped himself. He hadn’t taken advantage of the situation, hadn’t given in to whatever this whole mate thing was supposed to be. He had done the one thing I couldn’t do, and that was stay in control, and for that, I was grateful, even if I would never say it to his face.

I couldn’t say the same for Theo, though.

The thought of what had happened between me and Theo flashed through my mind, and I felt my face heat up slightly. I pressed my lips together, shaking my head like that would somehow erase the memory. “That was not ine.” I said quietly. even though I knew it wasn’t entirely true.

It had been me, but not really me. It had been my body, my voice, my actions, but none of it had felt like a choice, and yet. I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at him. I had kissed him first. I had been the one who started it. Theo had just… responded. He was only human, or well, not exactly human, but still a man, and men reacted to things like that. I couldn’t blame him for

it, no matter how much I wanted to.

I let out another breath and looked around the room, suddenly aware of how quiet it was. “How long is he going to leave me in here?” I wondered out loud, glancing toward the door like Lexpected it to open any second, but it didn’t.

There was nothing but silence, and after a few moments, I realized that I was probably going to be stuck here for a while.

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12:48 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 68

That was when a thought crossed my mind, and I slowly sat up straighter, looking around the office again, but this time with a different kind of focus.

“Well.” I said softly, a small smile forming on my lips. “since I’m already here…”

If I were going to be locked in this place, I might as well make the most of it. I got up from the couch and stretched slightly before walking toward the large table in the middle of the room. The office itself was ridiculous. That was the only word I could use to describe it. It was way too big, way too fancy, and way too… official for someone who was supposed to be a student. I still couldn’t wrap my head around why Jace needed a whole office to himself. It wasn’t like he was running a company or something. At least, that’s what I thought.

Curiosity got the better of me as I reached the table, and without even trying to stop myself, I started looking through the papers that were spread across it. “Let’s see what you’re hiding,” I murmured, picking up one of the documents and scanning through it.

At first. I expected to see something related to school or football, maybe practice schedules or game strategies, but what I saw instead made me frown in confusion. “Pack territory?” I read quietly, my brows pulling together as I flipped to the next page. “Budget analysis?”

I grabbed another paper, my confusion only growing. “Moon festival budget allocation?” I read, my voice softer now as I tried to make sense of it. “What the hell…”

None of it made sense. None of it had anything to do with school, or football, or anything normal. It all sounded like something straight out of some weird fantasy story, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or be concerned. I kept flipping through the papers, hoping to find something that actually made sense, but every single one of them was the same. Strange words, strange topics, things that I couldn’t understand no matter how hard I tried.

“This is insane,” I muttered, dropping the papers back on the table with a small shake of my head, but instead of stopping. my curiosity only grew stronger.

I glanced at the desk on the other side of the room, hesitating for a brief second as a small voice in my head told me that I was probably crossing a line now. This was his private space, his office. I shouldn’t be digging through his things like this, but then again… He had locked me in here.

“That cancels it out,” I said quietly, nodding to myself as I walked over to the desk.

I reached for one of the drawers, pausing for just a moment before pulling it open. The first thing I saw was more papers, neatly arranged in a way that showed just how organized he was. I rolled my eyes slightly at that, already expecting it from someone like him, but then something else caught my attention.

A picture.

It was sitting right there in the drawer, placed carefully like it was something important. I reached for it slowly, my fingers brushing against the frame as I picked it up and brought it closer to my face.

The moment I saw the girl in the picture, I froze.

She was… beautiful.

There was no other way to describe her. She had this soft, graceful look about her, the kind of beauty that didn’t even seem real. Her skin was pale, almost glowing, and her long dark hair fell perfectly around her shoulders. She was smiling in the picture, a bright, happy smile that made her look even more stunning, and for a moment, I just stared at it, unable to look away, and then, out of nowhere, something twisted inside my chest.

Jealousy

I frowned immediately, my grip on the frame tightening slightly as 1 stared at her. “Why am I feeling like this?” I whispered, even though I already knew the answer. It wasn’t just me, it was.. her. The other part of me. The part that was starting to wake up, but that didn’t make it any better.

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12:48 Sat, May 30 MMM.

Chapter 68

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