UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KILLIAN'S POV.

The moment the door shut behind us, Meadow looked like all the strength suddenly drained out of her body.

The anger that had been burning in her eyes moments ago dimmed quickly into exhaustion.

She leaned back against the wall roughly, like her legs could no longer hold her properly. Then slowly, without a single word, she slid downward until she was crouched on the floor.

Her arms wrapped loosely around herself.

And she just… stared.

Straight ahead. At nothing.

Silent.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

I stayed near the door, watching her carefully while my mind replayed everything that had just happened outside.

Clarissa’s words. Her tone. The satisfaction on her face while she talked about Meadow’s father.

My jaw tightened again.

Something about that entire interaction felt wrong.

Not just cruel.

Personal.

Then another detail suddenly clicked inside my head.

My eyes narrowed slightly.

Meadow had not spoken to Clarissa like pack servants usually spoke to their Luna.

There had been no formal respect. No submission. No fear in the way she addressed her.

Only anger.

Familiar anger.

Like someone speaking to a person they had known their entire life.

I frowned slightly at the realization.

Then finally I spoke.

“Who is she to you really?”

Meadow didn’t react immediately.

For a second, I thought she might ignore me completely.

Then finally she answered quietly without looking at me.

“My stepsister.”

My expression hardened instantly.

What?

I pushed away from the door slowly.

“Define stepsister.”

Still, she did not look at me.

Silence stretched between us again.

Something about it irritated me.

I took another step forward.

“Meadow.”

Her jaw tightened slightly.

I could see it clearly now.

She was trying very hard not to lose control again.

“Explain,” I said more firmly.

That finally made her snap.

Her head turned sharply toward me, eyes blazing with anger despite the tears threatening to gather there.

“Why do you care?” she demanded harshly.

My anger flashed.

“Because I do.”

“Well, maybe it’s not your business!” she shot back instantly.

The force behind the words echoed slightly through the room.

I watched her chest rise unevenly as she struggled to calm herself.

“The only thing connecting us is that stupid mark,” she continued angrily. “That’s it.”

Her voice cracked slightly near the end.

She hated that it did.

I could see it on her face immediately.

She looked away quickly.

“I already told you,” she said more quietly now. “I’ll do whatever I can to help remove it.”

Meadow inhaled slowly before continuing.

“I don’t need more problems in my life right now,” she muttered tiredly. “And I definitely do not need more stress.”

Then finally she looked back at me.

For the first time since entering the room, her expression looked calm.

Too calm.

Like she had emotionally exhausted herself already.

“I’ll go with you to your pack,” she said quietly.

I stared at her.

Her eyes dropped briefly before she continued.

“We’ll find someone powerful enough to remove the mark.”

Her voice remained steady this time.

Controlled.

“After that…” she paused softly. “You can stay away from me permanently.”

She pushed herself back to her feet slowly, using the wall behind her for support.

She still looked exhausted.

Drained.

But her voice stayed firm.

“You won’t have to deal with me anymore after that,” she added quietly. “So everybody wins.”

I watched her silently.

She waited for a response.

I gave her none.

Mostly because I was still trying to process the stepsister thing I had just heard. The fact that the two women were related in any way didn’t sit well with me.

The silence stretched too long between us.

Finally, Meadow shook her head lightly like she was done with the conversation.

Then she reached for the door.

I didn’t stop her.

She opened the door quickly and walked out without another glance back.

The room fell silent again the moment she disappeared.

I stood there alone for several long seconds.

Thinking.

About the Alpha command. About the incident in the hallway.

And most irritating of all—

About the look on Meadow’s face when Clarissa spoke about her father.

My jaw tightened slowly.

Because that had not looked like guilt.

It looked like pain.