UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER EIGHT

KILLIAN’S POV.

I opened the door expecting one of the servants.

Instead, I found her standing there.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

The hallway behind her was quiet, lit only by the dim lanterns fixed against the walls. Their soft golden light touched her face just enough for me to see the tension in it clearly.

Her breathing was uneven.

Her eyes were fixed on mine.

I watched recognition slam into her all over again.

Interesting.

Outwardly, I remained completely still.

Expressionless.

Cold.

Because unlike her, I had no intention of revisiting the past.

Slowly, my gaze moved over her face.

Then I spoke calmly.

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

The effect was immediate.

Something flickered across her expression so quickly most people would have missed it.

Shock.

Confusion.

Almost disbelief.

As though she had expected something else entirely.

Anger perhaps.

Or accusations.

Instead, I simply waited.

She blinked rapidly before forcing a small smile onto her face.

“I…” She cleared her throat softly. “I’m Clarissa…” She paused for a moment, gauging my reaction as if she actually expected me to recognize a name I never even got to learn that night.

Then she continued, “I came to check whether the guest rooms are satisfactory.”

Her voice sounded strained despite her efforts to hide it.

“As Luna of the pack, I wanted to ensure our royal guests are comfortable.”

I leaned one shoulder lightly against the doorframe.

“The accommodations are sufficient,” I answered simply.

Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Silence followed.

She did not leave.

Of course she didn’t.

Clarissa kept staring at me carefully, almost cautiously, as though trying to solve a puzzle she could not understand.

Meanwhile, I understood perfectly.

She was waiting for recognition.

Waiting for me to say something.

Anything that led back to that night three years ago.

But I had learned long ago that silence often unsettled people far more than anger ever could.

So I gave her nothing.

A few seconds passed before she spoke again.

“This is your first time visiting Hollow Mountain, isn’t it?”

Her tone sounded casual.

Too casual.

“No,” I said simply.

Her brows pulled together slightly.

“You’ve been here before?”

“I travel often.”

Again, silence.

I could practically hear her thoughts spiraling.

Clarissa, as she called herself, shifted slightly beneath my gaze.

“I just…” She laughed softly. Nervously. “You seemed familiar earlier. I just thought maybe… you know…?”

There it was.

Finally.

I studied her face for a long moment before answering.

I raised my brow in question. “Is that so?”

Something in her expression tightened.

Not outwardly enough for most people to notice.

But I noticed.

Even now, standing here after three years, part of her clearly expected the past to matter.

It didn’t.

At least not in the way she thought.

“You truly don’t remember me?” she asked carefully.

I tilted my head slightly.

“Should I?”

The silence afterward was beautiful.

Her entire body went still.

For one brief second, genuine emotion cracked through her perfect expression.

Not sadness.

Not guilt.

Humiliation.

Good.

Clarissa recovered quickly, but not quickly enough.

A soft laugh escaped her lips, though it sounded forced.

“No, of course not,” she said lightly. “I just thought perhaps we had crossed paths somewhere before.”

“I meet many people,” I said simply.

Her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of her dress.

I watched the frustration building behind her eyes.

Interesting.

Earlier outside, she had looked frightened.

Now?

Now she looked unsettled.

There was a difference.

Perhaps she was used to controlling conversations.

Used to controlling people.

But right now, she could not read me.

And it was clearly bothering her.

“I suppose royalty travels often,” she said after a moment.

I didn’t respond.

She continued.

“You must meet many important people.”

“I meet enough.”

Again, I kept the answer short.

No openings, no warmth.

Nothing for her to hold onto.

Clarissa shifted again.

The composed smile on her face was beginning to strain around the edges.

Meanwhile, I remained relaxed.

Calm.

Unbothered.

Ares stirred faintly inside me.

“She dislikes being ignored.”

I ignored him too.

Clarissa spoke again before the silence could fully settle.

“Hollow Mountain is honored by your visit, Alpha Killian,” she said smoothly. “My mate Lucian and I are doing our best to ensure everything runs properly.”

“I noticed,” I said.

At that, something in her posture straightened slightly.

As though she had mistaken simple acknowledgment for interest.

“We take our responsibilities seriously,” she continued. “Especially now that I’ve become Luna officially.”

I said nothing.

Her words lingered uselessly in the air between us.

Clarissa continued anyway.

“There is a great deal of work involved in managing a pack,” she explained. “Hosting important guests. Maintaining alliances. Handling political matters—”

“I’m aware.”

Her lips pressed together briefly.

Another silence followed.

Longer this time.

Heavy.

Clarissa was overexplaining now.

Talking simply to fill space.

Trying to regain control of a conversation that had slipped entirely from her hands.

And the more she spoke, the more obvious it became.

“You and the King must have important business here,” she said.

“My brother does.”

“And you?”

“I accompanied him.”

“That’s all?”

“Is there a problem?” I asked, raising a single brow.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Clarissa hesitated before speaking again.

“You seem very calm.”

That almost amused me.

“Should I be otherwise?”

“I just thought…” She stopped herself quickly.

I raised my brow. “You thought what?”

For the first time since arriving, Clarissa genuinely seemed unsure of herself.

“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.

I watched her carefully.

Three years ago, Clarissa had looked at me and seen nothing worth choosing.

Not power.

Not status.

Not value.

Just an obstacle standing in the way of the future she wanted.

And now?

Now she stood in front of me, searching desperately for confirmation that she still mattered somehow.

Humans were fascinating creatures.

“You handled yourself well earlier,” she said suddenly.

Interesting.

So we were discussing earlier now.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said.

“Outside,” she clarified carefully. “With the servant girl. I heard she bumped into you.”

My jaw tightened slightly before relaxing again.

“She appeared nervous,” Clarissa continued slowly.

“She dropped laundry on me,” I said flatly. “Most servants would be nervous.”

Clarissa stared at me closely.

Searching.

Always searching.

“She seemed familiar with you.”

“She spoke to me,” I corrected calmly. “That hardly establishes familiarity.”

Again, that tiny flicker of frustration crossed her face.

Ares almost laughed inside my head.

“She hates this.”

Good.

Clarissa inhaled slowly before forcing another smile.

“You’re very difficult to read, Alpha Killian.”

“That has never been a problem for me.”

Another direct hit.

I watched her carefully.

Every second stretched the tension tighter.

And still, I never acknowledged the past.

Never once.

No anger.

No bitterness.

No accusations.

Nothing.

Because this woman no longer deserved that kind of emotion from me.

Finally, I stepped back slightly toward the doorway.

“I appreciate your concern regarding the rooms,” I said calmly. “Everything is satisfactory.”

Clarissa’s expression shifted immediately.

She understood what I was doing.

Ending the conversation.

Dismissing her.

“If that is all, Luna Clarissa…”

The title sounded formal coming from my mouth.

Distant.

Respectful.

Empty.

Clarissa stared at me for one long second.

Then slowly, she forced herself to smile again.

“Yes,” she said softly. “Of course.”

I gave a small nod, then stepped back and closed the door.

Silence filled the room again.

For several seconds, I simply stood there.

Then Ares spoke.

“You enjoyed that.”

I walked toward the window slowly.

“No.”

“You did.”

Perhaps a little.

Not because Clarissa was affected.

I honestly did not care enough for that anymore.

But because, for the first time, she understood something important.

The world no longer revolved around her choices.

Outside the window, the pack grounds stretched into darkness.

My thoughts shifted immediately.

Not toward Clarissa.

Toward another female entirely.

Brown eyes.

Wildflower scent.

Defiant tongue.

The omega.

My jaw tightened slightly.

That female was becoming a complication.

And I hated complications.

Especially ones that made themselves impossible to ignore.