UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER TEN

MEADOW’S POV.

“…Are you done chasing me now?”

The words came out sharper than I intended.

Mostly because I was struggling to breathe normally again. Not from fear this time. Not even from the run, surprisingly.

From him.

From his scent.

Goddess, it surrounded me completely because of the shirt hanging over my body. Rain. Forest. Something darker underneath that made my wolf restless inside me.

Every breath dragged more of him into my lungs without my permission.

I tightened my grip on the oversized shirt, trying not to show how affected I was.

Alpha Killian stood a few feet away, watching me silently, completely shirtless now.

Unfortunately, my eyes betrayed me for half a second.

They dropped.

Just once.

Moonlight spilled across his body, making every hard line and old scar stand out sharply against his skin.

My breath caught slightly.

There were more scars than I expected.

Not just marks from fights—these looked older, heavier. The kind that didn’t fade cleanly even on a body built to heal.

But one drew my attention and held it there.

A deep gash across his side. Old, but still sharp enough to look painful even now.

My stomach tightened before I could stop it.

What kind of force does that to an Alpha?

Something that can cut past healing… past strength…

My thoughts stopped abruptly when I realized I was staring too long.

He noticed immediately.

Of course he did.

His expression hardened a fraction, like he didn’t appreciate being studied.

I quickly looked away.

Focus, Meadow.

He is not safe.

Not for you.

This man was dangerous, complicated, and currently ruining my life.

“What do you want from me?” I asked finally, frustration slipping into my voice.

My eyes moved around the forest nervously again, checking the shadows between the trees.

The woods were quiet. Too quiet.

But that meant nothing.

One wrong person seeing us together, and my life would become even worse than it already was.

“I told you I don’t want any trouble,” I continued quickly. “I’m already in enough trouble as it is.”

Alpha Killian remained silent.

That somehow irritated me more than if he had shouted.

I tightened the shirt around myself.

“I’m an outcast,” I said firmly. “I cannot be seen alone in the woods at night with royalty. Do you understand how bad this looks?”

Still nothing.

My frustration burned hotter.

“I’m begging you,” I snapped softly. “Please just leave me alone.”

His jaw tightened.

“You should have thought about that before marking me without my consent,” he said coldly.

My anger snapped instantly.

“Your consent?” I repeated sharply. “You were dying.”

His eyes darkened.

“I was trying to save your life,” I shot back. “Do you think I had any idea this would happen? The mark. The bond. All of it?”

My chest rose and fell harder.

“I already told you I’m sorry,” I said tightly. “If I could undo it, I would. But I can’t.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“You’re coming with me.”

I blinked.

“…What?”

“I’ll find someone who can remove the mark.”

For a moment, I almost laughed.

“You cannot be serious.”

“I am.”

“No.”

His gaze sharpened.

“No?” he repeated, lower this time.

“I can’t go anywhere with you.”

The words came out too fast, too defensive.

Because for a split second, I almost slipped.

Almost told him why.

My throat tightened.

“I can’t leave,” I corrected quickly instead.

His eyes narrowed immediately.

“Why?”

“That’s none of your business.”

That shut the air down between us.

His expression hardened immediately.

Wonderful.

I exhaled sharply through my nose.

“Find the person who can remove the mark and bring them here,” I said instead. “I’ll cooperate. I’ll do whatever I can to help clean up the mess I made.”

Then suddenly, another thought hit me.

My eyes widened slightly.

“Wait.”

Alpha Killian remained silent.

“My guardian…” I hesitated. “She’s the pack witch.”

That caught his attention slightly.

“Dorothy knows a lot about healing and magic,” I explained quickly. “Maybe she could help us.”

Alpha Killian’s expression remained unreadable.

“Would you be willing to try?”

A long silence followed.

Then—

“No.”

I frowned immediately.

“No?”

“I don’t trust your guardian.”

The irritation returned instantly.

“She’s done nothing to you.”

“I also don’t trust you,” he added.

My eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

“You disappeared for six months after marking me.”

“I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU WERE!”

My voice echoed through the trees louder than I intended.

I immediately lowered it again.

“You act like I planned this,” I hissed angrily. “I’m trying to help, and instead you’re standing there making everything difficult for absolutely no reason.”

His eyes flashed dangerously.

“No reason?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “You’ve been nothing but rude since the moment you arrived!”

His jaw clenched tightly.

“And you,” I continued before I could stop myself, “are honestly one of the most frustrating people I have ever met.”

“Watch your tongue.”

The warning in his voice sent heat down my spine.

But I was too irritated to care anymore.

“I’ll watch my tongue when you start watching your attitude,” I shot back immediately. “Not everyone has to fall at your feet because you snap your fingers and glare at them with that giant ego of yours—”

A low growl ripped from his chest.

Before I could react, he grabbed me.

Hard.

My back slammed against the nearest tree.

A gasp escaped me instantly as the rough bark scraped against my skin through the shirt.

The impact knocked the breath from my lungs.

Alpha Killian pinned me there effortlessly, one arm braced beside my head while his body trapped mine against the tree.

My heart nearly stopped.

Too close.

Way too close.

“You speak boldly for someone who keeps putting herself in situations she can’t handle,” he said.

The words weren’t loud.

They didn’t need to be.

I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of every inch between us—or lack of it.

“Little omega,” he added quietly, “don’t mistake my patience for weakness.”

That word—patience—felt heavier than the threat.

It meant he was choosing restraint.

For now.

I swallowed hard.

His face was only inches away now.

Close enough for me to feel his breath against my skin.

Close enough to notice the silver hidden inside one of his eyes.

Close enough to make my pulse completely lose its mind.

My wolf stirred restlessly inside me again.

Alpha Killian leaned slightly closer.

My breath caught.

But even pinned against a tree by a furious Alpha, something stubborn inside me refused to completely back down.

So instead, I lifted my chin slightly.

“And you,” I whispered back shakily, “seem to think growling at people automatically makes you right, even when you’re wrong.”

Something dangerous flashed across his face.

He opened his mouth to say something.

Then suddenly—

“Meadow?”

Both of us froze instantly.

My eyes widened.

I turned sharply toward the voice.

Clarissa stood several feet away between the trees, staring directly at us.

At me.

At Alpha Killian.

At his bare chest.

At me wearing his shirt.

At the way he had me pinned against a tree in the middle of the woods at night.

Horror flooded me instantly.

Goddess.

I shoved Alpha Killian hard out of pure panic.

This time, he let go easily, taking one slow step backward.

I immediately stumbled away from the tree, trying desperately to straighten myself.

Then I looked down.

Still wearing his shirt.

My stomach dropped completely.

Because for the first time, I didn’t just see the scene from my point of view.

I saw it from hers.

And it looked worse than bad.

It looked like a mistake I couldn’t explain my way out of.