Marked by the Alpha Team (Luna Merrick) novel Chapter 85

Third-person POV

Luna could hear voices coming from inside Jace’s office before she even reached the door, and from the sound of it alone. she could tell that something was very wrong. The voices were not calm, and there was an edge to them that made her vow down for a second as she stood outside, her hand hovering near the handle.

She did not catch every word, but she heard enough to know that whatever was happening inside had already gone too far Her chest tightened slightly, and without bothering to knock or give herself time to think it through, she pushed the door open and walked in.

The moment she stepped inside, the room fell silent.

Every single one of them turned to look at her at the same time, and for a brief second, Luna just stood there, her eyes moving from one face to another as she tried to understand what she had just walked into. There was tension everywhere but then her gaze dropped, and everything else disappeared from her mind.

ace was on the floor.

Her breath caught instantly, her eyes widening in shock as the sight fully registered in her head, and without thinking twice. she rushed forward. “What the hell is going on?” she demanded, her voice filled with confusion as she looked around at all of them before dropping down in front of Jace. She didn’t even realize how fast she had moved until she was already kneeling, her knees hitting the floor as she leaned closer to him, her hand instinctively reaching out toward his face.

Up close, it was worse than she thought.

There was blood near his lip, dried and fresh at the same time, a cut along his cheek, and the skin around his eye was already swelling. His face looked like he had taken more than one hit, and not a single one of them had been light. Luna’s brows pulled together as she studied him, her hand hovering for a second before she gently touched the side of his face. careful not to press too hard. She could feel the heat of his skin, and it made something twist inside her chest in a way she didn’t like.

lace let out a quiet breath, his jaw tightening slightly at her touch, but he didn’t pull away. “It’s nothing,” he said qua vr he didn’t want her focusing on it. His voice was steady, but there was a roughness in it that gave him away and Luna Cou! ell immediately that he was brushing it off on purpose.

I’m fine.” He shifted slightly, trying to sit up straighter, and then added, almost too casually. “What are you doing

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she slowly turned her head, her eyes moving away from hum and toward e rest of heart and that was when she saw the blood, not just on Jace, but on Orion’s fist

Her gaze fixed on it for a moment before she lifted her eyes to his face, and the anger there was intipsossibide wasn’t hidden in the slightest It was right there, burning through his eyes and the moment she met his ga it. The tension, the frustration, and the rage. It all seemed to come straight at her and even though we kn hurt her, the intensity of it made her hesitate

Behind her, Jace shifted again, and that brought her back to the moment

“Come on,” she said quietly, pushing herself up as she reached out and offered hunther hand five burst at her hand ba second like he wasn’t expecting it, but then he took it and she pulled bun up to his text. His was sie ady but she count wall wit that the hits had done more damage than he was letting on

Once he was standing, she let go of his hand and turned back to face the offers propeth straightening sights as she test

to gather herself. The room still felt heavy, and now that she was fully aware middle of something that had already been building before she walked in

1/3

everything the like she was standing in the

7:11 pm P P

Chapter 85-

ho was the first to speak.

56 vagoners

He stepped forward just a little, his eyes fixed on her in a way that made it hard to read exactly what he was thinking. His face looked almost amused, his voice didn’t carry any of that same lightness, “So,” he said slowly, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her, “it’s true His gaze flicked briefly to Jace before returning to her. “You really carry his scent now”

The words made Luna pause, her chest tightening slightly as she tried to figure out what he freant and how to respond at the same time. There was something strange about the way he said it, like he was both serious and not serious at all, and it left her unsure of how to take it.

She let out a small breath, trying to steady herself. “So he said,” she replied, her voice quieter than before but still clear enough to be heard.

She was about to explain properly, to say what actually happened before things got worse, but Orion didn’t give her the

chance.

He stepped forward. The movement was quick, and his presence filled the space between them almost instantly. “We already know what happened,” he said, his voice tight with anger that he was barely keeping under control. “That bastard must have taken advantage of you.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Luna took a small step back without even thinking about it. It wasn’t something she chose to do, it just happened. Maybe it was the way he said it, maybe it was the look in his eyes, or maybe it was the blood still on his fist. Whatever it was, it made her instinctively want space.

ess scary.

“And I know that,” Luna snapped, the frustration slipping into her voice before she could stop it. The would came out sharper than she intended, and for a second, the room went completely still again.

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