Marked By The Unmated Alpha

No exceptions

Laura’s POV

Diego still hadn't answered me when the heavy wood door creaked open behind him. Killian stepped out into the hall. He didn’t even look at me; his eyes went straight to Diego, treating me like I was just a piece of the hospital wall.

"She is stable. At least for now," Killian said. His voice was a low, rough baritone that felt heavy enough to rattle the floor tiles. "Meet with the doctor and prepare for her medical transfer. She needs to be moved to Georgia. I have informed the acting head at Maxim to transfer her to Georgia as well."

Before he could get another word out, I stepped right into the space between them, cutting him off. "Adele is not leaving here without me. Anywhere she goes, I am going with her."

Killian’s gaze snapped down at me. For a second, the look in his eyes made me want to take a hard step back. His pupils were blown out so wide they completely swallowed the color of his eyes, and this weird, suffocating heat seemed to roll off him in waves. He didn't look anything like the calm, untouchable corporate billionaire I’d met at Maxim. Right now, he looked dangerous. Like an animal backed into a corner.

"This isn't a negotiation, Laura," Killian said. He didn't raise his voice, but it carried this terrifying weight that pressed down on my chest, making it genuinely hard to draw a clean breath. "Adele’s life depends on getting her out of this city. You staying here is what's best for everyone."

"I don't give a damn about what you think is best!" I snapped. My voice cracked, but I forced myself to hold his stare anyway, fighting through the sudden, crazy urge to just shut up and look down. "She is my best friend and the only person she has as a living relative. She doesn't have anyone else out here. You think you can just swoop in and disrupt her life by flying her across the world while she’s unconscious? If you try to move her without me, I will scream this entire hospital down. I'll call the police, I'll call the media, I will make such a massive scene that your private jet won't even be allowed to clear the runway."

Diego let out a low, warning hiss. "Laura, stop. You don't know what you're messing with right now."

"Then tell me!" I yelled, spinning at him, tears of pure, unadulterated frustration finally stinging my eyes. "Because all I see are two psychotic, powerful men trying to kidnap a sick girl! If Killian is truly the only one who can save her, fine. Take her to Georgia. But I am getting on that plane, or none of us will be leaving this building."

Killian just stared at me. His jaw clamped so tight a muscle ticked hard in his cheek. The silence in the corridor grew so thick it felt like the drop in air pressure right before a massive thunderstorm. He looked over at Diego, some silent, unspoken message passing between them, before his dark eyes drifted back to me.

"Fine," Killian growled, stepping so close I could feel the heat radiating off his shirt. "You come. But the moment we touch down in Georgia, you follow my rules. No exceptions. If you get in the way of trying to make her feel better, I will have you thrown out, and you will never see her again. Do we have a deal?"

I swallowed down the lump of fear in my throat and nodded once. "Deal."

Killian turned back to Diego, his face instantly locked back into that cold, unbending mask of authority. "Get the jet cleared. Now. I want the transport team here within the hour."

Diego didn’t waste a second. He pulled his phone out and stepped a few feet down the corridor, his voice dropping into a sharp, rapid whisper as he started barking out logistics about flight paths, tail numbers, and bypassing standard customs. I stayed right where I was, my arms crossed tightly over my chest, keeping my back practically pressed against Adele’s door. I wasn't letting either of them out of my sight.

Jenny’s POV

Georgia.

The word felt like a physical punch to my stomach. He was bringing her back to the pack. To our territory.

I stood tightly tucked behind the vending machine, my fingernails digging hard into the leather of my purse as I tried to force my breathing to slow down. I couldn't believe what I’d just heard. Killian, the most ruthless, unyielding Alpha the North American packs had seen in a century, was standing in a public hallway letting a fragile, loudmouthed human girl dictate terms to him. He was letting her scream in his face, throwing threats about human police, and instead of shutting her up, he had actually backed down.

All because of whoever was behind that wooden door. Adele.

My mind ran in frantic, messy circles. What kind of sickness requires an Alpha’s personal energy just to keep a heart rate steady? Why was he risking a massive security nightmare to fly an unconscious human across the Atlantic?

A sickening thought trickled into my brain, heavy and cold. I shook the thought away instantly. She can’t be his mate. The person inside was human. There was no way a human could mate with our kind talk more of mating with an Alpha.

Worse still, the odds of Killian finding his true mate was already impossible at his age. If Killian brought a human back to Georgia, the council wouldn't just be upset; they'd lose it completely. Because this could cause our secret to be out in the open.

I have to become Luna as soon as possible or everything I'd done would have been for nothing. With the way Killian has been acting strangely lately since he got back from his business trip.

Every night I'd spent letting Garrick put his hands on me, telling myself it was an investment, telling myself it would buy me his vote and my future title. All of it would mean nothing if I don't secure the position as soon as possible.

A few feet away, Diego was still on his phone, his posture stiff and alert, while the human girl, Laura, stood guard by the door like a stray dog refusing to leave a porch. Killian stood between them, his back to me, his broad shoulders rising and falling with a heavy, ragged breath. Even from behind, I could feel the suffocating weight of his stress. He didn't look like an untouchable billionaire right now; he looked entirely pushed to his absolute limit.

I knew I couldn't just stay hidden like a coward. If they left for the airport, I’d lose my chance to see what I was actually up against. I needed to look him in the eye.

I forced my hands to stop shaking, smoothed down the front of my coat, and stepped out onto the slick linoleum floor.

"Killian?" I called out, letting my voice sound heavy with confusion.

He spun around instantly, his posture so sharp and hostile it made my breath hitch. For a split second, his eyes flashed with a dangerous, unnatural golden tint before his face hardened back into a scowl. He looked exhausted, his jaw dark with stubble, his shirt wrinkled. He stared at me, his eyes boring into mine as he tried to figure out exactly how long I’d been standing there.

"Jenny?" Killian’s voice was a rough, dangerous growl. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I took a small step back, letting my eyes flicker over to Diego and Laura, who were both staring at me now.

"My mom asked me to drop off some special medication for her friend who works at this hospital, and then I saw you," I said, my voice tight as I gripped my purse. The anxiety in my chest was real enough that I didn't even have to fake the tremor in my tone. I tried reaching your phone earlier when I landed because I wanted to surprise you for dinner… I didn't expect to find you here."

I let the sentence hang in the air, my gaze shifting heavily past his massive frame to lock onto the wooden door of the patient's room.

"Killian, what happened?" I whispered, looking back up into his cold, unreadable face as a real, bitter lump formed in my throat. "Why are you at a public hospital? Who is in that room?"