Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 69

12:48 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Luna’s POV

Vouche

I was still staring at the picture in my hand, my eyes tracing every detail of the girl’s face like I was trying to memorize Her without even knowing why. The longer I looked at her, the stronger that strange feeling in my chest became, and it annoyed me more than anything else. I didn’t know her, I had no reason to feel anything at all, and yet there I was, standing in someone else’s office, holding a picture I had no right to touch, and comparing myself to a girl who probably didn’t even know I existed.

I let out a quiet breath, shaking my head slightly like I could push the feeling away, but it stayed, lingering in a way that made me uncomfortable, and that was when I heard it.

Footsteps.

At first, I froze, my heart skipping a beat as the sound reached me so clearly that it almost felt like it was happening right next to me. For a split second, I thought it was in my head again, like the voice, like everything else that had been happening to me since yesterday, but the sound was too real, too steady, too… outside. walking toward the office.

wasn’t in my head, it was real. Someone was

I straightened slightly, my grip tightening on the picture before I quickly snapped out of it. “Right,” I muttered under my breath, suddenly aware of what I was doing. I carefully placed the picture back where I had found it, making sure it was positioned exactly the same way, like that would somehow erase the fact that I had touched it at all. I pushed the drawer shut a little too quickly, wincing at the soft sound it made before stepping away from the desk like it had burned me.

The footsteps were getting closer.

“Great,” I whispered, already moving toward the sofa, my mind racing as I tried to act like I had been sitting there the whole time doing absolutely nothing. I was just about to sit down when the door opened, and I froze for half a second before forcing myself to move naturally, lowering myself on the couch and crossing one leg over the other like I had been there for

a while.

I quickly schooled my face, making sure there was nothing suspicious in my expression. The last thing I needed was for Jace to walk in and immediately know that I had been snooping through his things. I didn’t know how he would react, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be good, and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with that on top of everything else.

The door opened fully, and Jace stepped in.

The moment his eyes landed on me, he paused right by the door, his hand still resting on the handle like he wasn’t completely sure if he should come in or not. It was almost funny how cautious he looked, like he was expecting me to suddenly jump at him again the second he got too close. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there for a moment, watching me carefully before finally speaking.

“Luna?” he called out, his voice low and slightly unsure, like he was trying to confirm that it was actually me and not… whatever version of me had been there earlier.

I couldn’t help it. I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head slightly as I leaned back into the couch. “Yes, it’s me,” I said, my tone light even though I still felt a little embarrassed. “You don’t have to look so scared. I’m not going to jump you.”

For a second, he just stared at me, like he was trying to decide whether to believe me or not, and then I saw him relax just a little. It wasn’t much, bur it was enough for me to notice. He let out a breath before closing the door behind him and finally stepping further into the office.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he walked in, his tone more normal now, but I noticed that he still kept his distance.

He didn’t come too close, didn’t sit near me, didn’t do anything that would put him within reach, and for some reason, that made my eyes drift back to the desk for a split second before I forced myself to look away

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12:48 Sat, May 30 MM M

Chapter 69

The picture.

youchers

I pushed the thought away immediately, focusing back on him instead. “I’m better,” I said, nodding slightly. “A lot better than before, actually.” I paused for a moment before adding, “And… I’m sorry about earlier.

He didn’t say anything right away, so I continued, feeling the need to explain myself even though I knew he already understood. “I didn’t mean to… do any of that,” I said, gesturing vaguely with my hand. “And thanks for not… you know. letting it happen.” I let out a small breath, trying to make light of it. “You handled it pretty well, considering I was basically trying to attack you.”

Jace’s expression didn’t change much, but I noticed the slight shift in his eyes as he listened. “You don’t need to thank me he said simply, his voice calm but distant. “I didn’t do it for you.”

That made me pause.

He continued without hesitation, his tone steady and almost too casual. “I did it for myself. I don’t like crossing lines, and I don’t make stupid mistakes.”

The words were simple, but they hit harder than I expected. I felt something twist in my chest, a small, sharp feeling that I didn’t like at all. I frowned slightly, looking away from him for a second as I tried to ignore it, but it didn’t go away. It lingered, quiet but present, and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out of my mouth.

“Well… I guess that makes sense,” I said, my tone a little lighter than I felt. “You probably don’t want to mess things up with your girlfriend by making any mistakes.”

The moment I said it, I regretted it.

I froze, my eyes widening slightly as I mentally cursed myself. “Why did I just say that?” I thought, my heart beating a little faster as I looked back at him. That had come out of nowhere, and it sounded so… stupid, and so unlike me. I wasn’t the kind of person who said things like that, who made assumptions like that, who sounded like I cared about something like that.

Jace frowned slightly, his brows pulling together as he looked at me with clear confusion. “Girlfriend?” he repeated, his tone questioning. “Where did you get that idea from?”

For a second, my mind went completely blank. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, trying to think of something. anything, that didn’t involve me admitting that I had been digging through his things and found a picture of some random girl in his drawer. That was definitely not something I was about to confess.

“I just…” I started, my voice a little slower now as I tried to piece together something that made sense. “I mean, you’re you.” I gestured vaguely at him, like that explained everything. “You’re the captain of the football team, and from what I’ve seen, you basically have half the girls in Blackridge at your feet.” I shrugged slightly, trying to sound casual. “It just didn’t make sense to me that you’d be single.”

He watched me for a moment, his expression unreadable, and then he gave a small shrug, like he couldn’t exactly argue with that logic. It was a simple gesture, but it didn’t answer my question. It didn’t confirm anything, and it didn’t deny anything either, and for some reason, that bothered me more than it should have.

I pressed my lips together slightly, forcing myself to look away so he wouldn’t see whatever was on my face. “Why do I even care?” I thought, annoyed at myself. It wasn’t my business. It had nothing to do with me. Whether he had a girlfriend or not shouldn’t matter in the slightest, but it did.

At least, a small part of me felt like it did, and I hated that. I shifted slightly on the couch, crossing my arms as I tried to ignore the thought, but it lingered in the back of my mind anyway, refusing to go away no matter how hard I tried to push it

aside.

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12:48 Sat, May 30 MMM.