Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 78

Luna’s POV

I sat there on the damp grass, completely frozen, my arms wrapped tightly around my chest like that could somehow hide the fact that I was butt naked in the middle of the backyard. The silence between me and jate stretched on for what felt like forever. My heart was hammering so loud I was sure he could hear it, and my mind kept spinning, trying to make sense of everything he had just said.

Finally, I found my voice. It came out shaky and small, even though I tried really hard to sound steady “Jace can you please explain everything that happened? Like, absolutely everything, and I need you to explain it in a way I can actually understand.” I swallowed hard. “And what do you mean you marked me?”

ace looked guilty, really guilty. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes wouldn’t quite meet mine at first. He ran a hand hrough his messy hair, looking apologetic as hell. “I don’t know how much you remember, he started, his voice low and ough. “I left the house because I needed air. The whole situation was messing with me bad, and Ace… my wolf… he was bushing hard, so I shifted out here. Once I was in wolf form, Ace was more in control than I was, and I wasn’t thinking traight anymore.”

He paused, glancing at me quickly before looking away again. “Then you showed up, but you weren’t you either. You had hifted too, and the second we saw each other like that… we just couldn’t resist. Our wolves took over completely, we mated. nd while we were… together, Ace marked you.”

stared at him, my brain struggling to catch up. The words sounded crazy, even after everything that had happened tonight. stayed quiet for what felt like a really long minute, just blinking at him while my thoughts raced all over the place.

So…” I finally blurted out, “technically, you’re telling me we didn’t have sex as humans? Like, the two of us sitting here right

1. ow. It was our wolves that did the deed?”

ace nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.” He let out a heavy breath. “But I’m not gonna put all the blame on Ace. He’s ne, and I’m him. We’re the same, so I’m just as responsible for crossing that line. I should’ve kept better control.”

went quiet again because I didn’t know how to feel. Part of me was still in shock. I mean, I was nineteen years old and had ever even been close to having sex before I met any of these guys, and now my first time had happened with me as a wolf? didn’t even remember it, and that felt… weird. Kind of sad, actually, like I had missed something important.

ust as that thought crossed my mind, my wolf’s voice spoke up inside my head, clear and calm like we had been talking this vay forever.

Do you want to know how it felt?” she asked. “I can give you the memory if you want.”

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My eyes widened a little. I answered her in my head, trying not to let my face show anything. Why did you take over like hat in the first place? Why didn’t you let me stay awake for it?‘

she sounded almost gentle when she replied. “I didn’t want you to panic. We’re still new to each other, and I thought you wouldn’t react well since you’ve very clearly been trying to resist our mates. You might not have approved of what I was doing, so I was only trying to protect you from the shock.”

I was about to respond to her when Jace’s voice suddenly pulled me back to the real world.

“Since I marked you,” he said quietly, “you carry my scent now, so we can’t exactly hide what happened between us. The others will know the second they get close to you.”

He looked down at the grass for a moment, then back at me. His expression was serious, full of regret. “I’m taking full responsibility for my actions, and if you hate me for this, I’ll understand. I deserve it.”

1/3

Chapter 78

E55 vouchers

Hei cut a long sigh and shook my head slowly. I wasn’t sure I hated him. Everything was too confusing right now. Without thinking. I made the mistake of letting my eyes drop below his face. i had been trying so hard to keep my gaze on his eyes or the grass or anywhere safe, but slipped.

Jace was still completely naked, just like me. He was sitting with one knee bent up in a way that kept the most private parts hidden, but I could still see a lot. His chest, his strong arms, the way his muscles moved even when he was just breathing. I could see the side of his hip and part of his butt. Heat rushed to my face immediately.

He was hot, like, ridiculously hot. Broad shoulders, toned body, smooth skin that looked golden even in the moonlight, and suddenly, a strange thought popped into my head before I could stop it: It was such a shame I didn’t get to have sex with this version of him, the human version, and the Jace I was looking at right now.

The second that thought formed, Jace let out a short laugh.

I blinked, startled. “What?” I asked my voice cracking a little.

He turned to face me more directly. There was an amused look on his ridiculously good–looking fare now, one corner of his mouth lifted in a half–smile that made my stomach do a weird flip. “Just so you know,” he said, sounding both embarrassed and entertained, “I can hear your thoughts right now, and I can feel everything you’re feeling.”

My mouth fell open. “You… what?”

The mark,” he explained, tapping the side of his own neck like it would make sense to me. “It connects us deeper, so right now, because it’s so fresh, your thoughts are coming through loud and clear. especially the intense ones”

Oh no.

My face burned hotter than it ever had in my life, and I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I had just been thinking about how hot he was and how it was a shame I didn’t get to… with the human him. And he heard all of that?

‘I’m so sorry,” I whispered, pulling my knees closer to my chest and trying to disappear behind my arms. “I didn’t mean for you to hear that. I wasn’t even thinking properly.”

Jace’s laugh was softer this time, but he still looked guilty underneath the amusement. “It’s okay. It’s my fault for marking you without asking. This kind of connection… it takes time to learn how to block things, so right now everything is wide open.”

I peeked at him through my messy hair. He wasn’t laughing at me in a mean way. If anything, he looked a little flustered himself now, and that made me feel slightly better, but only slightly.

“So you really heard me thinking that it was a shame I didn’t get to…” I trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the sentence out loud.

୮

“Yeah,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I heard it.”

We both went quiet again. The cool night air brushed over my bare skin, reminding me once more that we were still sitting here completely naked. I could feel the sensation of the mark on the back of my neck now that I was paying attention to it. It was warm and a little sore, like a deep bruise that somehow felt good at the same time.

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