Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Chapter 71

Luna’s POV

66%

I stood by the window for longer than I should have, just staring outside like the sky was going to give me answers if ! looked hard enough. The light was fading slowly, the kind of slowness that made it feel worse because I could actually watch the day disappear bit by bit, like a countdown I couldn’t stop. The sky was turning darker, the blue getting deeper and heavier, and even though I couldn’t see the moon yet, I could feel it. That was the worst part. I didn’t need to see it to know it was coming. It was like something inside me already knew, already bracing itself for whatever was about to happen, and I hated that I had no control over it,

At first, it had just been a faint warmth, something easy to ignore if I focused on something else, but that didn’t last long. The heat started to spread slowly through my body, not fast enough to shock me, but steady enough to make me uncomfortable. It felt like I had been standing too close to a fire for too long, except the heat wasn’t coming from outside. It was inside me, under my skin, in my chest, in my arms, everywhere at once.

I shifted slightly where I stood, trying to get comfortable, but there was no position that made it better. If anything, the more I paid attention to it, the worse it got.

Then there was the sound.

Everything was too loud, not just loud in a normal way, but loud in a way that made my head hurt. I could hear the birds outside like they were right next to my ear, not just their chirping but every small movement they made. The rustling of leaves sounded louder, almost like it was scratching at my ears, and even the faintest sounds carried through the air like they were amplified. It was too much. My head started to ache from it, a dull, steady pain that sat right behind my eyes and refused to go away.

I lifted a hand and pressed it lightly against my temple, closing my eyes for a second as I tried to steady myself. “This is so annoying.” I muttered under my breath, even though I knew this was just the beginning. If this was what it felt like before the moon was even out, then I didn’t want to imagine what it would feel like when it actually appeared.

I pulled my hand away and opened my eyes again, letting out a slow breath as I forced myself to step away from the window. Standing there wasn’t helping, and I needed to move before I started feeling even worse. Ivy wasn’t in the room, which made everything feel even louder than it already was. She had left not too long ago, saying she needed some air because she was starting to feel trapped, and I hadn’t stopped her. If anything, I understood why she wanted to leave. 1 probably would have done the same if I weren’t the one going through whatever this was.

Still, being alone didn’t help.

I paced the room slowly, trying to distract myself from the heat building inside me and the noise pressing against my head, but nothing worked. Every step felt heavier than it should have, and every sound followed me no matter where I moved. just wanted a few minutes of silence, just a little break before things got worse, but it didn’t seem like I was going to get

that.

I heard footsteps before the knock came. They were heavy and far too clear, even though the person wasn’t inside the room yet. My body stiffened immediately, my head turning toward the door as I tried to focus on the sound. I didn’t need to be told who it was, because I already knew it wasn’t lvy, Ivy didn’t walk like that.

Then came the kanck

16:36 Sat, 30 MayW

Chapter 71

66%

It wasn’t loud, but with how sensitive everything felt right now, it might as well have been. I flinched slightly before forcing myself to relax, taking a small breath before speaking. “Come in,” I said, my voice softer than usual. I didn’t want a long conversation. I just wanted whoever it was to come in, say whatever they had to say, and leave.

The door opened, and I blinked in surprise when I saw Knox standing there.

Out of all of them. he was the last person I expected to see. I had barely spoken to him since all of this started, and if i tried

to think back, I couldn’t even remember a proper moment where we had actually talked one on one.

He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, his movements calm and easy, like nothing about this situation bothered him at all. I couldn’t help but watch him for a second, trying to figure out why he looked so normal when everything around me felt anything but normal.

“You look confused.” he said, his voice calm, almost casual, like he had walked into a normal situation and not whatever

this was.

“I am,” I admitted, because there was no point pretending otherwise. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

He nodded slightly, like that made sense. “That’s fair,” he said. “We decided to take turns watching you. The moon will be out soon, and we didn’t want to overwhelm you by all coming at once.”

I blinked at him, trying to process that. “Watching me?” I repeated, because that sounded strange no matter how I looked

at it.

“Yeah,” he said simply. “Just to make sure you’re okay.”

I shifted slightly, feeling that awkward tension settle in my chest again. I didn’t like the idea of being watched, even if it made sense. “How long are you going to stay?” I asked, my tone coming out more blunt than I intended, but I didn’t have the energy to soften it.

He raised a brow slightly. “Are you uncomfortable with me?” he asked, not sounding offended, just curious. “If you are, I can have someone else come in first.”

I shook my head quickly. “No,” I said, even though that wasn’t entirely true. “I was just asking.”

He studied me for a second, like he could tell I wasn’t being completely honest, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he just nodded slightly.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking again, my curiosity getting the better of me. “So… why you?” I asked. “Was it random, or did you volunteer?”

That seemed to catch his interest a little. “Didn’t think you’d care about that,” he said, a faint hint of amusement in his

voice.

“I don’t,” I replied quickly. “I’m just asking.”

He nodded slowly, “Fair enough,” he said. “If you really want to know, I was picked to go first.”

“Picked?” Trepeated, my brows furrowing slightly. “Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he took a few steps further into the room before looking back at me. “Because

2/4

111

16:36 Sat, 30 May

Chapter 71

they think I’m the least likely to take advantage of you,” he said simply.

For a second, I just stared at him, then let out a small scoff before I could stop myself. “Wow,” I muttered. “That’s…

comforting.”

He tilted his head slightly. “You sound offended.”

66%

“I’m not offended,” I said quickly, even though a small part of me definitely was. “I just don’t understand why you all feel the need to keep pointing out how uninterested you are in me.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I immediately regretted saying them out loud, but it was too late to

take them back.

Knox didn’t react the way I expected. He didn’t look annoyed or defensive. If anything, he just looked thoughtful.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said calmly. “And it’s not about you.”

I frowned slightly, crossing my arms as I looked at him. “Then what is it about?” I asked.

He shrugged lightly. “My disinterest isn’t because there’s something wrong with you,” he said. “It’s just… how I am.”

I blinked at him, not fully understanding. “What does that even mean?”

He held my gaze for a second, then said it like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“I like men.”

For a moment, my brain completely stopped working.

I stared at him, my eyes widening before I could stop them, and I was pretty sure I looked like I had just heard the most shocking thing in my life, which was saying a lot considering everything that had happened recently.

“You… what?” I asked, my voice coming out a little too high.

“I like men,” he repeated calmly, like he was talking about the weather and not something that had just completely thrown

me off.

I just stared at him, trying to process what he had said, but my brain felt like it was lagging behind. Out of all the things! had expected him to say, that was definitely not one of them.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify