Marked By The Unmated Alpha

The morning after

Chapter Four

Adele’s POV

I woke up with a pounding headache.

For a few seconds, I stayed still, my eyes closed, hoping the heaviness in my body would pass if I ignored it long enough.

It didn’t.

The sheets beneath me felt unfamiliar.

Too soft.

The faint smell around me wasn’t mine either, it smelt different.

Warmer.

Like sandalwood and something darker I couldn’t place.

My eyes opened slowly.

For a few seconds, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me, still caught somewhere between sleep and awareness.

I frowned.

Then I sat up too quickly.

The movement made my head spin.

I froze.

Because this wasn’t my room. My memory returned in pieces.

The club. Laura. The bar. Killian. The elevator.

His mouth on mine.

My stomach dropped.

I pulled the duvet back slightly and stared down at myself.

Nothing underneath.

Heat rushed straight to my face.

“s**t…”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Jesus, Adele.

What exactly did you do?

I pressed my fingers against my forehead and squeezed my eyes shut.

This wasn’t me.

I didn’t go home with a stranger.

I didn’t drink until I stopped thinking.

And I definitely didn’t wake up naked in a man’s bed.

A man who was just passing through Paris..

My eyes moved around the room quickly. There was no sign of him.

No sound from the bathroom either.

I swallowed.

Then I pushed myself out of bed.

My dress from last night was lying near the chair, slightly wrinkled.

I picked it up silently, avoiding looking too hard at anything else.

The expensive watch on the dresser.

The suit jacket hanging nearby.

Evidence that last night had actually happened.

My fingers shook slightly while getting dressed.

Embarrassing.

That was the only word running through my head now.

I grabbed my shoes and slipped out of the room as quietly as possible.

Maybe if I left fast enough, I could pretend none of this happened.

I had barely taken a few steps into the hallway when a deep voice behind me said:

“Leaving without saying goodbye?”

My steps faltered.

Because I knew that voice.

The owner of that voice had done crazy things to me over the night.

Warmth rushed to my face, I wasn’t ready to turn around and I couldn't bear to look back, because if I did I wasn't sure I'd leave. So I kept walking towards the elevator despite the strange pull in my chest. And I guess he didn’t bother to follow me, as I heard no footsteps behind me.

Outside the hotel, I immediately hailed a taxi. During the ride home, my mind kept replaying everything that happened last night.

I still couldn't believe it, I had lost my virginity to a total stranger. For years, Laura had teased me about how serious I was about marriage and love and all the rules I had made for myself.

I used to tell her that my first time would be with the man I would spend the rest of my life with.

Someone who loved me.

Not a one night stand.

“We’re here.”

The driver’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I blinked and looked up, I realized we had stopped outside the apartment.

I paid quickly and hurried out of the taxi.

As soon as I pushed open the apartment door, I froze.

My day couldn’t possibly get worse.

Apparently, I was wrong.

A half-dressed stranger was tangled up with my best friend on the living room couch.

I squeezed my eyes shut immediately.

“For God’s sake, Laura,” I muttered, already turning away. “Please get a room.”

Neither of them answered.

I rushed into my bedroom and threw myself onto the bed, exhaustion crashing over me all at once.

A few moments later, the bedroom door opened quietly.

“Sorry about that, baby girl,” Laura said softly as she walked in. “I wasn’t expecting you back this early.”

I didn’t answer.

The mattress dipped beside me.

“So…” she nudged gently. “Was the guy terrible or what?”

I looked at her.

And suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes, they came flowing down, I couldn’t stop it.

Laura’s expression changed instantly.

“Hey”

She wrapped her arms around me while I cried into her shoulder.

My chest hurts.

Everything hurts.

“Why didn’t you stop me last night?” I whispered between sobs.

Laura pulled back slightly and frowned.

“Stop you from what?”

I lowered my gaze.

“What did he do to you, Adele?”

Her voice sounded protective and angry.

“Talk to me.”

I shook my head quickly.

“He didn’t do anything.”

My throat tightened.

“I just…”

Fresh tears burned my eyes.

“I lost my virginity to him.”

Silence.

“And he’s only in Paris temporarily.”

My voice cracked at the last part.

“The worst part is…”

I swallowed hard.

“I think I really like him.”

The words felt strange coming out of my mouth.

Laura’s eyes widened for a second before she pulled me into a tight hug.

She knew me.

She knew how many times she had tried to set me up over the years, only for me to find excuses and disappear before anything could become serious.

Men had never held my attention long enough.

Not like this.

And maybe that was what scared me.

Because something about him felt different.

Or maybe…

He made me feel different.

*****

Killian’s POV

I knew I had made a mistake.

The moment my wolf reacted to her at the club, I should have walked away.

I told myself it wasn’t possible.

A human couldn’t be my mate.

Everything I knew said it was impossible.

Yet I still walked over to her.

Still brought her back here.

I still ignored every warning in my head.

I should have stopped long before last night turned into what it did.

My eyes drifted toward the bed.

The sheets were still rumpled.

Her scent lingered in the room, faint now, but enough to unsettle my wolf all over again.

Then my gaze lowered.

And I saw it.

The small stain against the sheets.

My jaw tightened immediately.

She had been a virgin.

I dragged a hand over my face and exhaled slowly.

The weight of it sat heavier than I wanted to admit.

Because I should have known.

I had left before sunrise.

Not because I wanted distance.

Staying had started to feel dangerous.

Hours in the gym downstairs had done nothing. Running hadn’t helped either.

The restlessness was still there.

My wolf was still unsettled.

Still aware of her.

I had assumed that after last night, things would quiet down.

That whatever this was would ease.

Instead, it had become worse.

The bond, or whatever I refused to name still felt stronger.

More difficult to ignore.

I stared out through the penthouse windows at a city that meant nothing to me.

Paris.

Far from Georgia.

Far from the pack.

Yet somehow, this looks like it is becoming real.

I laughed once under my breath, without humour.

Why would the Moon Goddess do this to me?

After years of silence.

After years of nothing.

Why now?

Why her?

Why human

And worse, what happens when she finds out the man she spent the night with isn’t who he claimed to be?

And to make matters worse.

My wolf had marked her.

The thought sat heavy in my chest.

Not by accident.

But out of instinct.

A claim.

One she didn’t understand.

One she probably hadn’t even noticed yet. And to make matters worse, she had left without saying goodbye, All I have of her is just her name “Adele”.

I looked at the phone on the table for a long second before picking it up.

There was only one person I knew who might have answers.

The call connected after the second ring.

A familiar voice answered.

“Alpha?”

My grip tightened around the phone.

Then I asked the question I never thought I would.

“What happens… if a Lycan marks a human?”

Silence.

Long enough for something uneasy to settle in my chest.

When the voice finally spoke, everything inside me went still.