UNKNOWINGLY MARKED THE ALPHA

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

KILLIAN’S POV.

The hallway was quiet as I walked back toward the guest rooms. Somewhere downstairs, I could hear distant voices from pack members still awake, but up here everything felt strangely still.

My jaw tightened as the witch Dorothy’s words replayed inside my head again.

“The backlash could kill her.”

I still could not fully understand it.

An Alpha command strong enough to bind someone permanently to a territory?

That was not normal.

That was punishment.

Brutal punishment.

I frowned slightly as I continued walking.

What exactly had the omega done?

Nothing about her made sense anymore.

At first, I thought she was simply an annoying omega who accidentally complicated my life. Reckless. Stubborn. Trouble. And everything I don't need in my life right now.

But now…

Now I didn't know what to think.

The thought irritated me more than it should have.

Because suddenly, every memory of her looked different inside my head.

How exhausted she always seemed beneath the attitude.

Something about it sat wrong with me.

“Alpha Killian.”

I stopped walking, then slowly turned around.

Clarissa stood several feet behind me.

Perfectly dressed despite the late hour. Hair neat. Expression calm.

I recognized that look immediately.

Carefully controlled.

I already knew I was going to dislike this conversation.

“What is it?” I asked flatly.

She smiled politely and stepped closer.

“I simply wanted to apologize for the servant girl's behavior earlier. I mean, what I walked into in the woods.”

My expression remained cold.

“She can be… difficult sometimes,” she added.

There it was.

The beginning.

I said nothing.

Clarissa continued anyway.

“Meadow has always struggled with boundaries,” she said lightly. “She suffers from a lack of attention since she was a child, so she tends to misunderstand attention very quickly.”

My irritation immediately began rising.

“She’s emotional,” Clarissa continued. “Impulsive. People show her a little kindness and she becomes attached.”

Still, I remained silent.

Mostly because I wanted to see how far she intended to take this.

Clarissa sighed softly.

“I just think you should be careful around her, Alpha Killian.”

Something about the way she said it bothered me.

Not concern.

Her words sounded like she disliked the idea of Meadow near anyone at all.

Interesting.

“You seem very invested in this conversation,” I said calmly.

Clarissa’s smile flickered slightly.

“She’s a part of this pack, and I'm her Luna. Of course I’ll want to look out for her, Alpha Killian. I wouldn't want her getting herself into any more trouble than she already gets into on a daily basis due to her behavior.”

The words sounded bitter.

Before I could respond, another voice interrupted softly behind us.

“Alpha Killian?”

Both of us turned.

Meadow stood near the end of the hallway.

Her hair was slightly messy, like she had rushed here too quickly.

Then I noticed the phone in her hand.

Mine.

Right.

I left it at Dorothy’s place.

Meadow walked toward us carefully.

The moment Clarissa saw the phone, her expression sharpened instantly.

“What did you steal now, Meadow?”

Meadow froze.

Then slowly frowned.

“Don't start, Clarissa. I am not a thief.”

The response came too quickly, like she had defended herself against that accusation many times before.

Meadow held the phone toward me carefully.

“You forgot this at the house,” she said quietly. “I came to return it.”

Clarissa’s eyes immediately narrowed.

“At the house?” she repeated.

I already disliked her tone.

Meadow seemed to realize it too because she instantly looked uncomfortable.

“You were in her house?” Clarissa asked slowly.

There it was again.

That implication beneath her voice.

Like she had some right to question me about anything.

My irritation spiked sharply.

Meadow immediately shook her head.

“Clarissa, stop it. It wasn’t like that—”

Clarissa let out a soft laugh.

“You certainly move quickly, Meadow, don't you?”

I stared at her coldly.

She ignored me completely, eyes fixed on Meadow now, with fire burning in them.

“I suppose that explains the scene in the woods!” Her voice rose as she spoke.

Meadow’s eyes widened instantly.

I could practically feel the horror radiating off her as she looked around, as if checking whether someone was watching.

“Clarissa, please—”

And suddenly, I was tired of standing here watching and listening to this.

Without thinking much about it, I stepped slightly closer to Meadow, then took the phone slowly from her hand.

Our fingers brushed.

She startled slightly at the contact, and I told myself I didn't see it.

“You walked all the way here just to return this?” I asked quietly.

Meadow blinked at me like she did not understand the sudden shift in my tone.

Clarissa definitely noticed it.

Good.

“It's late,” I added calmly. “You should be asleep.”

Her frown deepened slightly, and she looked at me with confusion, lips parted as she blinked a few times before answering.

“I, uh… I was just returning your phone,” she muttered.

I nodded once.

“I noticed.”

Clarissa’s composure cracked slightly.

“Alpha Killian,” she interrupted smoothly, “I really do not think you understand the kind of person Meadow is.”

I looked at her lazily.

“And what kind of person is that?”

Clarissa smiled faintly.

“The kind that creates problems everywhere she goes. She's cursed, just in case you haven't realized that from your escapades with her.”

Meadow stiffened beside me.

“She constantly embarrasses this pack,” Clarissa continued calmly. “Honestly, most people in Hollow Mountain avoid her entirely, and for a good reason too.”

I saw Meadow’s fingers tighten slightly at her sides.

Clarissa kept going.

“She should honestly be grateful this pack still allows her to stay after everything her father did.”

The air shifted instantly.

Meadow went still beside me.

Completely still, almost like she stopped breathing.

I frowned slightly.

Her father?

Clarissa’s eyes gleamed slightly when she noticed Meadow’s reaction.

And suddenly, I realized something ugly.

She enjoyed this.

“She probably didn’t mention him to you,” Clarissa continued sweetly. “Her father was a traitor.”

“Clarissa,” Meadow warned quietly.

Clarissa ignored her.

“He stole from this pack,” she continued. “Betrayed the Alpha. Ended up dying in Hollow Mountain’s dungeon exactly where he belonged.”

“Stop.”

Meadow’s voice shook slightly now.

But Clarissa only smiled colder.

“I suppose thieving runs in the family after all.”

Something dangerous flashed across Meadow’s face instantly.

Before I could react, she lunged straight toward Clarissa.

“Don't you dare—”

My body moved automatically.

I grabbed Meadow around the waist and pulled her backward hard against my chest before she could reach Clarissa’s neck, where I knew she was headed.

She struggled immediately.

“Let me go!”

Her breathing was uneven now.

Angry.

Humiliated.

Hurt.

Angry tears sprang into her eyes as she struggled to get out of my hold, but she kept blinking them back, never letting a single one fall.

Clarissa stood there watching with cold satisfaction.

That annoyed and irritated me far more than it should have.

Meadow tried moving again.

I tightened my grip instinctively.

“Enough.”

She froze slightly at the sound of my voice near her ear.

I leaned down without thinking.

“Behave.” I said quietly.

My lips brushed her ear slightly by accident.

The effect was immediate.

Meadow went completely still against me.

Her breathing caught sharply.

And suddenly, I became aware of several things at once.

How warm she felt.

How small she was against me.

The scent of rain and wildflowers clinging to her skin.

The fact that Clarissa was staring at us like she wanted to kill someone.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Meadow slowly looked up at me over her shoulder.

Her eyes looked wide.

Confused. Like she was witnessing some kind of horror.

“What was that?” my wolf asked in my head, and I ignored him.

Clarissa recovered first.

“Oh, good. She’s embarrassing herself again,” she said tightly.

That was enough.

I was officially done with this conversation.

I released Meadow slowly but kept one hand lightly against her back for a second longer than necessary.

Then I looked at her calmly.

“Come with me.”

Both women froze.

Meadow blinked rapidly.

“What?”

I turned and started walking toward my room.

I did not fully know why I was doing this.

Part irritation.

Part instinct.

Part curiosity.

But mostly—

I needed to get away from the headache.

After several steps, I realized Meadow was not following.

I glanced back at her.

She still stood frozen beside Clarissa.

Confused.

I held her gaze calmly.

“Now, Meadow.”

Something about the way her name left my mouth made her react instantly.

She moved clearly before thinking, following me automatically down the hallway.

I could feel Clarissa watching us the entire time.

I didn't care.