UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER SIX

MEADOW'S POV.

I rushed into the house and slammed the door shut behind me.

The second it closed, I leaned my back against it and tried to breathe.

The basket of laundry was still pressed tightly against my chest while my free hand rubbed slowly over my ribs. My chest felt tight again. Not painful exactly, just heavy enough to make breathing difficult.

It always happened whenever I got too overwhelmed.

Too frightened. Too stressed. Too emotional.

And right now, I was all three.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to inhale slowly.

In.

Out.

Slowly.

But my heartbeat refused to calm down.

Alpha Killian.

His eyes.

His voice.

The feel of his hand wrapped around my wrist.

My stomach twisted violently.

Goddess.

What was I supposed to do now?

I had marked royalty.

Not just any Alpha.

A royal Alpha.

And the mark was still there.

My breathing hitched again.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me so quickly that I tightened my grip on the basket before I lost my balance.

Then suddenly—

The lights in the living room flicked on.

I jumped so hard I nearly dropped the laundry.

“Goddess!”

Dorothy stood near the far wall with both hands planted firmly on her waist. She was still wearing her sleeping robe, her thick braids tied loosely behind her back, and her expression clearly said she had been waiting for me.

And she was not happy.

I let out a shaky breath.

“Dorothy,” I complained weakly, still trying to steady my breathing. “You startled me.”

She looked completely unimpressed.

“You came rushing into this house like hellhounds were chasing you,” she said dryly.

Her sharp eyes swept over me carefully.

“And you’re back earlier than usual.”

I swallowed.

Uh oh.

Dorothy narrowed her eyes.

“What is going on, Meadow?”

“Nothing,” I answered too quickly.

One of her brows lifted immediately.

“That sounded exactly like a lie.”

“It’s not,” I insisted, though my voice came out weaker than I wanted.

Dorothy folded her arms across her chest.

“Meadow.”

I pushed myself away from the door and hurried deeper into the room before she could continue staring into my soul like that.

I placed the basket on the table and immediately started pulling out clothes just to keep my hands busy.

“I didn’t do anything,” I muttered.

“Mmhm.”

I sighed.

“The pack has royal guests tonight.”

That caught her attention instantly.

Dorothy straightened.

“Royal guests?” she repeated in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

I nodded quickly while folding one of the shirts with slightly shaky fingers.

“The King arrived tonight,” I explained quietly. “He came with his brother.”

Dorothy blinked.

“The Alpha of Crescent Dawn?”

I swallowed hard.

“Yes.”

Even saying it aloud still felt unreal.

Dorothy stared at me silently for a moment.

Then her eyes narrowed slowly.

“And somehow,” she said carefully, “I feel like this has something to do with why you look like you just escaped death.”

I froze for half a second.

My fingers tightened around the shirt in my hands.

Dorothy saw it immediately.

“Oh no,” she said slowly.

I avoided her eyes.

“Oh no,” she repeated, louder this time. “Meadow.”

“I said I didn’t do anything,” I repeated.

“That is not comforting.”

I winced.

Dorothy was like an older sister to me, and normally I never kept things from her. I told her everything.

Except this.

Whatever this situation with Alpha Killian was.

I had hidden it from her for nearly seven months now, and part of me had hoped I would never have to explain it.

But now he was here.

There was no hiding anymore.

I groaned softly and rubbed my forehead.

“I swear I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Dorothy’s eyes widened.

“Something happened?”

I immediately regretted opening my mouth.

She pointed at me sharply.

“I knew it!”

“It’s not what you think.”

“That sentence has never once been followed by anything good, Meadow. What did you do?”

Despite everything, I almost laughed.

Almost.

Dorothy walked closer, lowering her voice.

“What happened?”

I glanced nervously toward the windows even though I knew nobody could hear us.

Then quietly, I told her everything.

About the forest.

About that night.

About the stranger I collided with in the dark.

About the accidental bite.

About waking up afterward and realizing what I had done.

Dorothy listened in complete silence the entire time. She never interrupted once.

And by the time I finished speaking, she looked pale.

“I swear I didn’t mean for it to happen,” I whispered. “It was an accident. But tonight... I ran into him at the pack house.”

Silence.

Dorothy blinked once.

Then twice.

“…Who?”

I stared at her.

“Who else? The Alpha of Crescent Dawn. The man I just told you about.”

Her mouth slowly fell open.

“The royal Alpha?”

I nodded weakly.

Dorothy grabbed the nearest chair and sat down immediately.

“Oh, this is bad.”

“You think?” I hissed.

“How did you even manage that?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“What happened?”

I inhaled shakily.

“I was carrying laundry outside and accidentally collided with someone.” I swallowed hard. “I turned around and there he was.”

Dorothy frowned.

“And?”

“And I dropped everything.”

“That part does not surprise me.”

“I tried to leave.”

Dorothy narrowed her eyes immediately.

“But?”

I looked away.

“He stopped me.”

Her expression changed instantly.

“He touched you?”

I nodded slowly.

The room became quiet.

Dorothy looked genuinely alarmed now.

“Meadow…”

I sat down heavily across from her.

“The moment he grabbed my wrist…” I whispered, “my wolf reacted.”

Dorothy’s face tightened.

“How?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head quickly. “It felt strange. Like heat. Like my entire body suddenly woke up.”

Dorothy stared at me carefully.

“And then?”

I swallowed hard.

“He remembered me.”

Her eyes widened.

“What?”

“He knew exactly who I was.”

Dorothy cursed under her breath.

I leaned forward and covered my face briefly.

“He was angry, Dorothy.”

“Of course he was angry! You bit a royal Alpha and disappeared!”

“I didn’t know!”

“Shhh!” Dorothy hissed immediately, glancing around nervously.

Both of us went silent.

After a moment, Dorothy lowered her voice again.

“Did anyone hear?”

I slowly shook my head.

“No.”

Relief flashed across her face briefly.

Then she frowned again.

“Wait.” Her eyes narrowed. “How did he recognize you that quickly?”

I froze.

Because that was the part I still could not fully understand myself.

Slowly, my hand rose toward my own neck unconsciously.

Dorothy noticed immediately.

And then realization crossed her face.

“No way.”

I looked at her helplessly.

“The mark is still there.”

The room fell completely silent.

Dorothy stared at me like I had just announced the moon had fallen from the sky.

“…What?”

I nodded weakly.

“I saw it myself.”

Her mouth opened.

Closed.

Opened again.

“That’s impossible.”

“I know.”

“You said it barely happened!”

“I know!”

“You barely bit him!”

“I KNOW!”

My voice cracked loudly enough that both of us froze.

Silence filled the room again.

Then Dorothy slowly leaned back into her chair.

“Oh, goddess.”

I rubbed my hands over my face tiredly.

“He pulled down his collar and showed me.”

“And it’s still visible?”

“Yes.”

Dorothy looked horrified now.

“That is really bad, Meadow.”

“I noticed.”

“No, Meadow, you don’t understand. That is royal blood. Things are different for them.”

My stomach twisted.

“I didn’t mean to do it.”

Dorothy sighed softly.

“I know you didn’t.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then Dorothy suddenly narrowed her eyes again.

“Wait.”

I looked up.

“You said ‘them.’”

My stomach sank immediately.

Because I knew exactly what she meant.

“There’s more,” she guessed.

I looked away.

“Oh goddess,” Dorothy whispered. “What else happened?”

“Lucian showed up.”

Dorothy slapped a hand over her face.

“Of course he did.”

“And Clarissa.”

Her hand slowly dropped.

“…What?”

I nodded weakly.

“And then the King arrived.”

Dorothy stared at me for a full five seconds.

Then she stood up abruptly and started pacing.

“No. No, absolutely not. How do these things keep happening to you, Meadow?!”

I shook my head helplessly.

“I would also like to know!”

Dorothy threw both hands into the air.

“What did you even do in your past life?!”

I buried my face in my hands.

“This is not funny.”

“You’re right,” she said immediately. “This is terrifying.”

That was somehow worse.

I groaned.

Dorothy stopped pacing and looked at me carefully again.

“What happened after that?”

I hesitated.

Then quietly, I said, “Ron blamed me for everything.”

Her face darkened immediately.

Of course it did.

Dorothy hated Ron almost as much as I did.

“What did he say this time?”

I laughed bitterly.

“The usual. That I embarrassed the pack. That I always bring trouble.”

Dorothy rolled her eyes.

“That man would blame you if it started raining.”

I looked down at my hands.

“He also mentioned my father again.”

Dorothy immediately went still.

Silence settled heavily between us.

I forced a smile that did not feel real.

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.”

“I’m used to it.”

“That doesn’t make it acceptable, Meadow.”

I looked away quietly.

Dorothy sighed and sat beside me this time instead of across from me.

“You know none of that was your fault.”

I stared down at the floor.

Sometimes hearing that only made it hurt more.

After a moment, Dorothy nudged my shoulder lightly.

“So,” she said carefully, “what now?”

I shook my head and let out a tired breath.

“I honestly have no idea.”

And somehow, that terrified me more than anything else.