Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 112: _ Not The Scarf

Chapter 112: _ Not The Scarf

I followed Rosa obediently, though every fiber of my being screamed at me to stop. To turn around. To run. But running wouldn’t change anything. It never did.

Rosa walked ahead of me, in a graceful and unhurried posture, as if she were simply taking an evening stroll rather than leading me to what felt like my execution.

The gentle click of her heels against the marble floors was the only sound audible in the suffocating silence. She didn’t even glance back to make sure I was following.

She knew I would.

Because that was the thing about Rosa—she never raised her voice, never made a scene, and yet, she was terrifying.

She was the kind of person who could smile at you while pressing a knife against your ribs. And right now, I could feel that invisible blade hovering just over my skin.

As we moved past the main halls, my unease heightened. This wasn’t the direction to her room, or my father’s office, or even the garden where she sometimes dragged me to ’talk.’

No, she was leading me further away from the grand parts of the estate.

Past the luxurious paintings.

Past the high ceilings and crystal chandeliers.

Past the perfume-scented hallways where noble guests sipped wine and whispered about alliances.

The air grew stale. The scent of roses and polished wood was replaced with that of raw—damp stone, old dust, and the lingering odor of discarded things.

And then I knew.

We were heading to the back of the estate.

I swallowed thickly.

This was where the servants worked, where they cleaned, did all the dirty jobs, and toiled away out of sight. Rosa and I were never supposed to be here. Not because we were forbidden, but because we were too good for a place like this.

But Rosa moved through it like she owned it.

Servants bowed their heads as she passed, some murmuring polite greetings, others rushing to offer their assistance.

"Señorita Rosa, can I..."

"No need," Rosa said smoothly with a pleasant and almost lazy smile on her face. "I already have all the help I need."

The help she needed. Of course, that must be me.

I stiffened.

There was something so final about the way she said it. Like she had just dismissed the world and reduced me to nothing more than an errand.

The deeper we went, the more I wanted to turn back. The cold stone walls felt like they were closing in on me. The floors were uneven, cracked in places, nothing like the polished ones we had left behind.

The smell of old water and kitchen grease wafted in the air.

And still, Rosa walked forward, calm and composed, as if she weren’t dragging her sister into a nightmare.

Finally, we reached the farthest part of the estate.

The trash ground.

I stopped breathing.

The estate’s trash ground was where all discarded things ended up; worn-out linens, broken furniture, leftover food. A place for waste. A place for filth. A place no one ever went unless they had to.

The realization of what was about to happen crashed over me, paralyzing my limbs.

But before I could place my thoughts, Rosa turned snappily. The Moon help me, her expression was still smooth but her eyes were sharp as daggers.

"I warned you," she croaked, playing with the fashion rings on her fingers.

Warned me? Was this about... Axel?

I didn’t have time to think.

Rosa’s hand shot out, shoving me backward. My feet got tangled on the uneven ground, and suddenly, I was falling... falling—until I landed hard against the dirt.

Pain exploded up my spine, knocking the breath from my lungs. My hands scraped against the rough, grimy floor.

Eugh... My fingers curled instinctively around the scarf at my neck. Protect it.Hide it.

She was going to be violent with me. What if it falls? Rosa would kill me if she learned that Axel bit me and I let him.

She stepped forward, towering over me, and the hem of her expensive dress just barely brushed the filth-streaked ground.

She looked so clean, so untouchable like a queen standing over the wreckage of her kingdom.

My chest heaved, but I didn’t move.

Didn’t dare.

Rosa crouched slowly, her fingers reaching out to get me, and then, before I wince away, she gripped my jaw and forced my head up.

I gasped.

Her fingers weren’t rough, weren’t painful, but they were cold.

So, so cold.

"Did you think I wouldn’t notice?" she murmured.

I didn’t speak.

Couldn’t speak.

Noticed what? My scarf? The mark?

She tilted her head, her dark eyes boring into mine. "I saw you, María José. The way you were looking at Axel earlier."

Phew. It wasn’t that. But still... this was bad.

No.

No, I wasn’t...

"I have been so nice to you," Rosa continued, her grip tightening just a little. "I told you to stay away. I let things slide because I know you have nothing. No power. No wolf. No future."

Getting constantly reminded of my worthlessness was like a lash against my skin. At this rate, my soul might give out before my body does.

Rosa smiled faintly, as if entertained by my silence. "But you’re stubborn, aren’t you? You don’t listen. You never do."

She let go of my face.

Only to kick me.

A brutal force that was sharp slammed into my ribs, sending me sprawling deeper into the dirt. My arms immediately clutched around my middle, one hand clutching my scarf for my dear life.

The pain from the kick was immediate, spreading through my side in a hot, pulsing wave.

"Ah..." I groaned, the sound choked and gruffy.

But Rosa wasn’t finished. She didn’t care if my stomach had toppled from her kick. She didn’t give a damn if my insides felt like they’d been plucked and restuffed.

What she cared about was discipline which came in the form of another kick. Harder this time.

She suddenly laughed while pain writhed its way out of my mouth.

"Still protecting that stupid thing?" she mused, watching as I curled in on myself. "What’s under there, María José? Are you hiding something from us?"

My pulse blasted against my throat.

No. No, no, no. Not the scarf, please. No... not that.

She couldn’t see. No one could see.

My fingers dug into the fabric, pressing it tighter against my skin. The last thing I needed was for her to notice the scar.

Rosa let out a whistle. "You’re so pitiful," she sighed. "Just lying there, covered in trash. This is what you are, María José."

Her voice turned light, almost teasing. "This is where you belong."

Where I belong... in the filth.