UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER SEVEN

THIRD POV.

Clarissa walked straight into the bedroom, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain anyone walking past the hallway would hear it.

The moment the door shut behind her, she stopped moving completely.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the door.

Her breathing came unevenly.

Something cold and uneasy twisted inside her stomach as her mind replayed the same scene over and over again.

Meadow standing outside.

The Alpha of Crescent Dawn—Alpha Killian—beside her.

And those eyes…

Silver and blue.

Clarissa squeezed her eyes shut hard.

“No…” she whispered shakily.

This had to be some cruel mistake.

Three years had passed since that night in the woods.

Three whole years.

Back then, everything had been dark. The moon had hidden behind clouds, and she had only seen pieces of his face. A shadow. A pair of strange eyes. A voice she barely remembered.

For years, she had convinced herself she would never see him again.

That the rejection had ended everything.

Yet tonight, the moment she looked at Alpha Killian of Crescent Dawn, something inside her froze.

Because she knew those eyes.

Nobody forgot eyes like that.

One silver.

One blue.

Clarissa had only seen them once in her life.

On the man fate had chosen for her.

The man she rejected without hesitation.

The man she abandoned in the woods all those nights ago.

Her stomach twisted violently again.

“No,” she repeated under her breath, shaking her head this time. “It can’t be him.”

But deep down, fear was already creeping in.

Because when she looked at him earlier, he had reacted too.

She remembered the exact moment his eyes landed on her.

The stillness.

The sudden coldness in his expression.

The sharp tension that filled the air around him.

It had lasted only a second before his face hardened again.

But Clarissa saw it.

He recognized her.

A trembling breath escaped her lips.

“Goddess…”

Her thoughts spiraled faster.

What if it really was him?

What if the man she rejected three years ago was truly Alpha Killian of Crescent Dawn?

Royal blood.

Clarissa pressed a shaky hand against her chest.

No.

No, that made no sense.

Back then, he had not looked like royalty. He had not even looked like an Alpha at all.

He had been dressed simply. Alone. Silent.

Nothing about him suggested he belonged to the royal family.

So how could he suddenly be—

“Clarissa.”

She did not hear the voice.

Her mind remained trapped in the past.

The cold forest.

The silver-blue eyes staring at her.

The rejection.

“Clarissa.”

Still nothing.

She barely noticed the bedroom door closing behind her.

Barely noticed footsteps approaching.

It was only when a hand suddenly touched her shoulder that she jumped violently.

A startled gasp escaped her lips as she spun around.

Lucian stood behind her, frowning deeply.

His brows pulled together in confusion.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked slowly. “I’ve been calling your name for the past few minutes.”

Clarissa blinked rapidly.

Forcing herself to calm down, she let out a small nervous laugh.

“N-Nothing,” she answered quickly. “What’s the matter? You startled me.”

Lucian did not move.

His eyes stayed fixed carefully on her face, almost suspiciously.

Clarissa hated that look.

It made her feel exposed in ways she could not afford right now.

“What did you want to say?” she asked quickly, trying to redirect the conversation.

Lucian stayed silent for a moment.

The questioning expression on his face did not disappear.

Clarissa’s heartbeat quickened again under his stare.

Finally, she sighed softly and looked away.

“I’m just tired,” she muttered. “And stressed.”

Lucian’s expression softened slightly.

“The royal guests?” he guessed.

Clarissa nodded immediately.

“Yes.”

That part, at least, was true.

Lucian stepped closer and gently rested both hands on her shoulders.

“It’s alright,” he said calmly.

His hands moved slowly up and down her arms in a soothing motion.

“We’ve handled important guests before.”

Clarissa forced herself to nod.

“Yes… of course.”

“Everything is fine,” Lucian continued gently. “You’re overthinking.”

If only he knew.

Clarissa swallowed hard.

“Of course,” she whispered.

Lucian smiled faintly.

“Good.”

For a brief moment, silence settled between them.

Then Lucian stepped back and turned toward the door.

“I should go check on Alpha Killian,” he said. “Make sure he has everything he needs and that there are no issues with the guest rooms—”

“I’ll go.”

The words came out so quickly that even Clarissa startled herself. Her eyes widened slightly before she quickly composed herself.

Lucian stopped immediately.

Slowly, he turned back toward her with clear confusion on his face.

Clarissa’s stomach dropped.

Goddess.

That sounded suspicious.

Very suspicious.

She forced out a quick laugh.

“I just mean…” she began carefully, “as your mate and Luna of this pack, I should probably handle the hosting. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, Lucian. You can’t do those things while I’m here. It doesn’t reflect well on us.”

Lucian remained silent, still watching her carefully.

Clarissa quickly continued before he could question her further.

“I don’t want the pack to appear careless in front of royalty, that’s all,” she explained smoothly. “The guests should be treated properly. It reflects on both of us.”

Lucian looked thoughtful.

Clarissa held her breath.

After a moment, he slowly nodded.

“You’re right,” he admitted. “That is something the Luna should handle.”

Relief rushed through Clarissa so strongly her knees nearly weakened.

She smiled quickly.

“Exactly.”

Lucian’s expression finally relaxed.

“Go ahead then,” he said. “Make sure they have everything they need.”

Clarissa nodded immediately.

“Of course.”

Without wasting another second, she turned and hurried toward the door.

But the moment she stepped outside into the hallway, the smile vanished from her face completely.

Her heartbeat returned instantly.

Fast.

Uneven.

Anxious.

The hallway suddenly felt too warm.

Too narrow.

Clarissa wrapped her arms around herself as she walked.

Her mind refused to slow down.

Because the truth was…

She did not care about hosting.

She did not care whether Alpha Killian was comfortable.

She needed answers.

She needed to see him again.

Needed to know whether her eyes had lied to her earlier.

Or whether fate had truly decided to punish her tonight by dragging her past into her present to torment her.

Her footsteps slowed as she reached the long hallway leading toward the guest rooms.

The palace servants hurried quietly around her, lowering their heads respectfully as she passed, but Clarissa barely noticed any of them.

Her thoughts remained trapped three years in the past.

She remembered the night clearly now.

Far more clearly than she wanted to.

The strange pull she felt toward him.

The way her wolf reacted instantly.

The bond.

And the fear that followed afterward.

Clarissa had spent her entire life planning her future carefully.

She wanted power.

Security.

A title.

She wanted to become Luna.

And back then, the stranger in the woods had looked like none of those things.

He had been alone.

Unknown.

A man with dangerous eyes and no title attached to his name.

So she chose logic over fate.

She chose Lucian.

At the time, it felt like the correct decision.

Now?

Clarissa’s stomach twisted painfully again.

What if she had made a terrible mistake?

No.

No, she refused to think like that.

She loved Lucian.

Didn’t she?

Her steps slowed slightly.

The question unsettled her enough that she immediately pushed it away.

Of course she did.

Lucian was kind to her. Protective. Respected.

Everything she wanted.

Then why did seeing Alpha Killian again make her feel like the ground beneath her feet was cracking apart?

Clarissa stopped outside one of the large guest room doors.

Her heart pounded violently again.

This was ridiculous.

She was acting terrified over something that might not even be true.

Maybe she really was mistaken.

Maybe Alpha Killian simply resembled the man from the woods.

That had to be it.

It made more sense.

Clarissa inhaled slowly and lifted her hand toward the door.

But before she could knock—

The door suddenly opened.

Clarissa froze.

And there he stood.

Alpha Killian.

Up close, there was no room left for denial.

Those eyes.

Silver and blue.

Cold enough to freeze blood. Cold enough to freeze even the fires of hell.

Recognition slammed into Clarissa so hard her breath caught painfully in her throat.

For one long second, neither of them spoke.

Killian simply stared at her, expression unreadable.

But his eyes…

His eyes held nothing warm.

Nothing familiar.

Nothing soft.

Only cold, sharp indifference.

It was almost as though he did not recognize her at all.

And somehow, that terrified Clarissa more than anger would have.

Slowly, Killian’s gaze moved over her face.

No recognition showed in his expression.

Then he spoke.

His voice was calm. Too calm.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “May I help you?”

Clarissa felt her entire body go cold.