Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 76

Third–person POV

Jace stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening hard. The house had gone quiet again with no more screams and no more desperate sounds coming from upstairs. He closed his eyes for a second and reached out with the bond they all shared with Luna. He could sense that she felt calmer now, ill burning and still restless, but she was no longer in that breaking pain anymore. Orion was with her, and that was enough for now.

He turned to the others. Ryder looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and Jace understood since he has had to take care of Luna the longest. Theo was unusually quiet and gentle, while Knox leaned against the wall with his arms crossed tight. They all felt it, the pull, the frustration, and the way the full moon made everything ten times harder, but they were all holding themselves together as best as they could.

‘She’s okay with Orion,” Jace said, his voice low. “She doesn’t need us for now, and I think I need some air right now. None of you should go up there unless he calls for help, and if he does, we take turns his planned earlier. That’s the only way we get hrough tonight without losing our heads.”

None of them said anything after he spoke, and Jace immediately walked away, heading down the stairs and walking until he rrived at the back of the house and pushed open the back door to step outside. The night air hit him cool and clean, but it lid nothing to put out the fire in his blood. The moon hung full and bright overhead, silver light pouring over the backyard and the garden behind the house.

He walked farther out, past the patio, until the grass felt soft under his feet. His skin itched, and Ace was pacing inside him. estless and angry. His wolf wanted their mate, wanted to be close, to touch, and to claim her. Being stuck down here while Orion was upstairs with her was driving both of them crazy.

ace pulled off his shirt first, tossing it on the grass, then his jeans, his boxers, and everything came off. He stood naked inder the moon, his muscles tight, his body already half–hard from the constant pull of Luna’s heat. The cool air brushed >ver his skin but didn’t help. He knew that nothing would help except her.

He dropped to his hands and knees, and the shift came fast, bones cracking and reshaping, fur rippling over his body in a lark wave. In seconds, where Jace had stood was now a massive wolf. Ace was big even for an alpha with broad shoulders, >owerful legs, and thick dark gray fur with black tips that made him look almost black in the moonlight. His eyes glowed a harp, piercing amber. A long scar ran along one shoulder from an old fight, and his ears were alert, twitching at every small ound.

Ace shook out his fur, feeling the frustration pour out of him. He needed to run, needed to burn off some of this energy before he did something stupid like storm back inside and drag Luna out here with him.

He took off, his powerful legs carrying him across the yard in long strides. He circled the garden, walking between the flower beds and low bushes, his paws silent on the ground. The wind rushed through his fur, and he pushed harder, running faster, and letting the burn in his muscles fight the burn in his blood, but no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t outrun the scent of her that still clung to the air. He couldn’t outrun the need to have her

Finally, he slowed, his chest heaving. He stopped in the middle of the garden and tipped his head back. The howl tore out of him, deep, raw, and full of longing and frustration. It rose into the night, long and lous, echoing off the trees. Ace howled again, pouring everything into it, and the sound vibrated through his chest and carried on the wind.

Upstairs, Luna’s eyes snapped open.

She had fallen asleep curled against Orion’s chest, his arms loose around her naked body. The steady beat of his heart and his warm scent had pulled her under for a little while, but the howl cut straight through her dreams. It wasn’t just a sound in her ears, it rang inside her head, inside her chest, and straight to her wolf.

‘Mate.‘

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The sat up slowly–eaceful not to wake Orion. He was breathing deep and even, exhausted from fighting his own instincts. Liitta shipped out of his arms, moving quietly. Her skim still felt too frot, and her body still ached with that deep, empty need, but the scream of pain had faded. Now there was only the pull, stronger than before.

She had to find him, the one who had howled and the one calling for her.

Luna didn’t bother with clothes. She didn’t even think about it. The window was open a crack for fresh air, and she pushed t wider and climbed out without hesitation even though she was on the third floor. It didn’t matter to her. Her body felt light strong, and different. She simply grabbed the frame, swung her legs over, and dropped.

She landed softly on the grass below, knees bending to take the impact like it was nothing. No pain, no fear, and just the night air on her bare skin and the pull in her chest dragging her forward.

She started walking. The direction was clear, like an invisible string tugging her toward the back garden. Grass brushed her legs, and the cold air kissed her heated skin, making her nipples tighten. Between her thighs she was still sick, still aching. but the howl had woken something else in her, something wild.

As she walked, the change started.

It didn’t hurt the way she had been told it would. It felt like stretching after a long sleep. Her bones shifted smoothly, and fur sprouted along her arms and legs, soft, silvery–white with hints of pale gold that caught the moonlight. Her hands became paws

and her face lengthened into a delicate muzzle. In seconds, Luna was gone, and her wolf stood in her place.

She was smaller than Ace but graceful–looking. Her fur shone like fresh snow under the moon, with faint darker markings along her back and tail. Her eyes were bright blue, glowing with the same inner light. She shook herself once, feeling the new power in her legs and the sharpness of her senses. Everything smelled stronger and felt clearer.

She broke into a run.

The garden wasn’t far. She rounded the corner of the house, and there he was, Ace, pacing in tight circles in the middle of the grass, his head low, and his tail flicking with leftover tension.

Their eyes met across the short distance, and everything stopped.

The bond snapped into place like a live wire, and the heat that had been burning in Luna all night flared white–hot, while Ace’s frustration turned into pure, raw need as his control slipped away completely.

They rushed toward each other.

Luna’s wolf let out a soft, eager whine, and Ace answered with a deep growl that wasn’t angry, it was hungry. They met in a tangle of fur and limbs, bodies colliding hard. Ace nuzzled her roughly, pushing his big head against her neck and shoulder. breathing in her scent like he was starving for it. She pressed back, rubbing her side along his, he tail wagging fast.

The mating instinct took over fast.

Ace circled her once, then mounted her from behind. His front paws hooked over her shoulders, claws digging gently into her fur to hold her steady. Luna braced her legs, her head lowering, and her body ready. She was dripping with need, her wolf heat making her swollen and slick. When Ace thrust forward, he slid inside her in one smooth, deep stroke.

The feeling was intense. Luna’s wolf whimpered in pleasure, pushing back to take him deeper. Ace was big, thick, and hot. and he filled her completely. He started moving right away, hips snapping hard and fast. The wet sounds of their joining filled the quiet garden. Every thrust pushed a needy sound from her throat, and her body rocked under his weight, pleasure shooting through her like sparks.

It wasn’t gentle. It was primal, raw, and exactly what the heat demanded.

Ace growled low near her ear, his breath hot against her fur. He kept thrusting, deep and steady, hips slapping against her.

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Chapter 76

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