Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 128: _ Formal Announcement

Chapter 128: _ Formal Announcement

Silence settled between us, and for a moment there, only the rustle of my father flipping through the newspaper like it personally offended him. I took a sip of my coffee, savoring the brief illusion of peace, when my mother—because of course, she couldn’t let me off that easily and would always do her best to salvage our shitty family, cleared her throat softly.

"Well," she began, setting down her teacup with finality, "I was going to tell you anyway."

I sighed dramatically and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Mamá, I don’t want to know where he is. I don’t care if he spontaneously combusted. I just want to eat in peace."

She ignored me entirely, parting her lips as if about to share the oh-so-crucial whereabouts of my insufferable brother, when my father—miraculously, for once in his life, came to my rescue.

"You don’t need to tell him," he muttered gruffly, not even looking up from the paper.

I grinned and pointed my fork at him. "See? Father gets it."

Mother huffed but said nothing more, which I counted as a victory. Thankfully, she could never defy Father’s command, and that worked in my favor today.

The meal continued in silence, but my mind was suddenly abuzz. I hated the power dynamic between my Mother and Father, I hated how she’d always swallow her opinion where he was concerned.

I wanted to help every woman in the pack going through the same. I wanted to help every weak pack member gain a voice.

Weak like her... like María José.

And then, a thought flashed across my mind. Something that, for once, felt like a real solution.

And then, in one sudden motion, I dropped my fork. It clattered loudly against the plate, shattering the silence.

"I need an audience," I announced, pushing my chair back.

My mother blinked. "What?"

My father finally lowered his newspaper, raising a brow. "What nonsense are you on about now?"

I straightened, locking eyes with both of them. "I’ve decided." I let a grin spread across my face. "I’m not letting Álvaro have the Alpha position."

At first, there was dead silence before my mother’s fingers went rigid around her teacup, and she inhaled so sharply I thought she might pass out.

My father’s brows shot so high up his forehead they nearly merged with his hairline. His lips parted, then closed, then opened again like he was a fish trying to form words.

For once, the two of them were completely speechless.

I smirked. Now this was a rare sight.

They hadn’t seen that coming. However, it was high time I started taking action. Real actions.

Unfortunately, before they could recover and launch into whatever dramatic speech they were brewing, an all-too-familiar, self-important voice boomed from behind me.

"What the hell did you just say?"

Oh, fantastic.

I turned in my chair slowly, already bracing for the migraine that was my little brother. Sure enough, there he stood in all his entitled, self-absorbed glory—Álvaro, dressed in his usual pretentious designer nonsense, his arms crossed like he was the king of the world.

Behind him, two guards shuffled awkwardly, burdened with several shopping bags.

Shopping. He had been shopping. Perhaps, for his joke of a wedding with Camilla. Oh, Dios mío, I could already imagine the drama coming to this mansion in the future.

I spread my arms wide. "Ah, Álvaro! What a pleasant surprise." I leaned back with a smirk. "Didn’t hear you come in over all the cash you were burning."

Álvaro’s jaw tightened. "Cut the crap, Axel. Repeat what you just said."

I steepled my fingers, enjoying myself far more than I should have. "Oh, you mean the part where I said I’m claiming my rightful position as Alpha? Or the part where I said it’s been fun watching you prance around like the heir to a throne that was never yours?"

Álvaro’s eyes darkened, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. "You’re delusional."

"No, no," I corrected, tilting my head, "I think the word you’re looking for is qualified."

My father finally found his voice as he spoke with irritation. "Enough. Axel, you’re just trying to stir up trouble."

I scoffed. "Oh, no, Father. Trouble is Álvaro taking over the pack and running it into the ground while we all sit back and watch." I leaned forward. "You know the tradition. Álvaro isn’t Alpha yet, which means I can challenge for it. And since I was the firstborn, I should have been Alpha from the start."

Álvaro’s nostrils flared. "You forfeited that right. You said you didn’t want it."

I shrugged. "Well, people change."

"You don’t just change something like this, Axel." His voice was threatening. "You don’t get to waltz in after all these years and decide...."

I held up a hand. "Ah-ah. I do, actually. That’s how the rules work. Sucks, doesn’t it?"

And that was it. That was the final straw.

Álvaro’s face wrinkled with pure rage before he pounced at me, his fist swinging straight at my jaw.

The impact cracked through the room, jerking my head to the side. Pain bloomed where his knuckles met my skin, but honestly? I’d been hit harder before.

I rolled my jaw and gave him an unimpressed look. "That’s it?"

Álvaro’s nostrils flared before he threw another punch. This time, I ducked, my body reacting instinctively, and slammed my fist into his ribs. He staggered back, but he was quick—recovering in seconds and launching himself at me full force.

We crashed against the table, sending dishes and silverware flying. My mother shrieked as her precious teacup shattered against the floor.

"Enough!" my father barked, but neither of us listened.

Álvaro gripped my collar, trying to shove me back, but I twisted, hooking my leg behind his and sending us both tumbling. We hit the ground hard, rolling as we traded blows. My knuckles throbbed as I struck his face, but fuck the pain if it meant reminding this pompous idiot who the big brother was.

Álvaro managed to flip us over, pinning me with his forearm against my throat. His face was red with fury, his breathing ragged. "You’re making a mistake," he growled.

I gritted my teeth and, with all the force I could muster, shoved him off me.

"You’re no match for me, idiot!"

We both scrambled to our feet, chests heaving, eyes locked in a deadly glare.

"You’re scared," I taunted, wiping blood from my lip. "Scared because you know I can actually win."

Álvaro’s hands clenched into fists. "You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. You have no idea the war you’ve just declared."

I smirked, cracking my neck. "Then enlighten me, little brother."

I knew this might lead to a blood bath. But Moon Goddess help me, I didn’t want that, but if Álvaro tries to go low, I’d go lower.

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