Marked By The Unmated Alpha

A scent that shouldn't exist

No,

That was impossible.

My wolf had never reacted to anyone this way before, yet the closer I got to her, the louder the voice inside me became.

Mate.

Diego appeared beside me, following my line of sight.

“Well,” he muttered with amusement. “Looks like Paris is already treating you nicely.”

I ignored him.

My attention remained fixed on the spot where she had been standing moments ago.

Human.

The word still refused to settle properly in my head. “How long have we been here?”

Diego continued casually. “Five minutes? And you’re already staring at a woman like you’ve lost your mind.”

I finally looked at him.

“You talk too much,” I said.

“I have been telling you to leave the pack more often. Maybe you wouldn’t look ready to marry the first woman you see in a club.”

I should have responded but I kept quiet.

Because none of this felt normal.

The reaction. The pull. The way my wolf refused to calm down.

Maybe something about her scent triggered my instincts. Or maybe the pressure from the council was finally starting to get into my head.

Either way, I needed to get myself under control. Tonight was already becoming more complicated than I intended.

Adele POV

Coming to this club tonight was a total mistake,

First, some drunk lady had spilled her drink all over my dress, forcing me to hide in the restroom for over fifteen minutes trying to clean myself up.

If this was the kind of “fun” Laura kept talking about, then maybe becoming an old virgin surrounded by books wasn’t such a terrible fate after all.

At least books didn’t spill alcohol on people.

And judging by the way Laura was currently dancing like she had no bones in her body, it was obvious she wasn’t ready to leave anytime soon.

I sighed quietly as I swirled my straw around the Virgin mojito I had ordered earlier.

Then my mind drifted back to him.

The man from earlier.

Even now, the memory of the way he looked at me made my chest pound. It wasn’t normal staring. It was the kind that made me feel like he was trying to figure me out without saying a word.

Honestly, he was ridiculously attractive.

Tall, Dark, Intense.

The kind of man that looked like they belonged in those billionaire romance novels I stayed up reading at night.

Definitely out of my league.

I had pretended not to notice him earlier, but the truth was, one proper look at him had completely thrown me off balance.

My body had reacted before my brain could even process what was happening, leaving me suddenly too warm beneath the flashing club lights.

It was ridiculous.

I exhaled slowly and made my way toward the bar.

Maybe I needed something stronger to clear my head.

“Tequila,” I told the bartender. “With lime and salt.”

I wasn’t used to taking this, for a fact, the last time I had taken alcohol had been a total disaster. But I think I need something strong tonight.

A few seconds later, the shot was placed in front of me. I swallowed it quickly, welcoming the burn that slid down my throat.

For a moment, I thought it helped.

Then I felt it again.

The strange awareness. Like someone was watching me.

Before I could turn properly, a deep voice spoke beside me.

“Give the lady another shot”, he said calmly.

“Put it on my tab”

“Oh God,” I muttered silently.

The moment he stepped closer, I completely understood why women made terrible decisions over men like him.

Seeing him from across the club had been one thing.

Standing this close to him was something else entirely.

He was even more attractive up close. Tall, broad shoulders, dark hair slightly falling over his forehead, sharp jawline, expensive watch, expensive clothes… the kind of man that looked like trouble without even trying.

And somehow, he smelled really nice too.

The bartender placed the second shot in front of me, and I quickly threw it down my throat like it would somehow help me act normal.

It didn't.

“Th-thank you,” I muttered, hating the slight stumble in my voice.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, like he noticed exactly how nervous I suddenly was.

“Killian,” he said, holding out his hand.

For a second, I simply stared at it before placing mine in his.

“Adele.”

The second our hands touched, something strange settled low in my stomach again.

God.

Where the hell was Laura when I actually needed her?

I glanced towards the dance floor and nearly groaned. My supposed best friend was busy making out with a complete stranger on the dance floor without any care to remember if I existed.

Fantastic.

She was the social one between us.

Meanwhile, I was one wrong sentence away from embarrassing myself in front of the hottest man I had ever seen in my life.

He leaned on the bar table like he owned the place,

“Whiskey on the rocks,” he said to the bartender. The drink came almost immediately.

He picked it up, took a sip without breaking eye contact, then set it down.

"You come here often?”

“No,” I said quickly. His gaze didn’t move from me.

“And you?” I added, trying to act like his gaze wasn’t affecting me.

A faint smirk touched his mouth, and left as quickly as it came.

“Not at all.” first time too.

I nodded slightly.

“Oh... I see.”

There was a short silence after that.

Then he looked at me and said, “Maybe we can meet up before I leave.”

Before I could answer, he pulled out a card and placed it in front of me on the counter between us.

I frowned a little.

“Leave for where? Aren't you from around here?”

His fingers tapped gently against his glass before going still.

“No,” he said. “just passing through.”

“Hmm I see I looked at him properly this time.” Where are you from then?”

For a second, I thought he wasn’t going to answer.

His jaw tightened slightly before he said,

“Georgia.”

The way he said it made it obvious he wasn’t interested in explaining further.

So I let it go.

He signalled the bartender for his bill, add the lady’s bill please.

The bartender brought it over immediately. He paid without looking twice at the amount and left a very large tip on the bar table for the bartender.

For a moment, I thought he would leave without saying anything else.

Instead, his eyes settled on mine again.

“It was good meeting you, Adele.”

Something about the way he looked at me felt strange.

His expression didn’t change, but for a brief second I could have sworn his eyes looked different.

Slightly sharper than it was before.

I blinked.

And it was gone.

Maybe the alcohol was getting to me.

He stood.

Gave a small nod, then turned to leave.

That was when Laura came back.

“You good baby girl?”

“Yes...I think I am,” I turned my head to look at Killian. Our eyes met and I quickly looked away.

Am I missing something, “Oh God...” Jeez, Adele, are you blushing over a man?,

I froze.

Another tequila please, I called out to the bar tender.

“It came almost immediately, right here ma’am”, The bartender said.

“Wow..., well, if it's the guy that just left now, then yes, he's hot… So you’ve got eyes for men now? Not just for your books?”. Laura said, still looking towards the direction of the man.

I didn't answer her.

I just stared at the card lying on the bar

Killian Maximus

My fingers tightened slightly around it. I looked up again, just in case I could still see him.

Before I could think too much, I grabbed my glass and emptied the rest of the drink in one go.

Laura’s eyes widened immediately.

“Holy Cow... Adele, when did you start drinking?”

I didn't bother to answer her, I held up the card with me and placed it in her hand.

“Go home without me tonight”,

I noticed her expression changed instantly.

“What?”

“If I'm not back... you know where to find me.”

She stared at me like I had suddenly grown another head.

Honestly, Maybe I had.

Because before my common sense could stop me, I turned and walked toward the direction he had gone.