Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 135: _ Political Chess Piece

Chapter 135: _ Political Chess Piece

The Delta still looked uneasy, like he was swallowing something bitter. But after a pause, he inclined his head. "Very well, then. Welcome to the world of pack politics, Beta Axel."

Imagine welcoming a Beta to the pack politics. That’s to show how irresponsible I had been.

Never attended any of their meetings, and never took responsibility for my Beta position. I was just the Beta on paper.

However, a certain ray of sunshine with a red head gave me so much purpose in this pack that I was about to start doing things differently.

I was about to fully blossom into a man.

Álvaro scoffed. "That’s your final word?" He turned back to the Delta, his tone cold. "Be wise. Choose the right side. I don’t expect you to welcome him."

I raised an eyebrow. "Are we winning hearts with threats now? That’s new."

Álvaro’s face scrunched up dangerously. "Stay out of my way."

I tilted my head mockingly. "Why? Afraid I’ll do a better job than you?"

His jaw clenched. "I said..."

"...to mind my business. Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time." I waved a dismissive hand before turning to the Delta. "Thank you for the warm welcome. I look forward to working together."

The Delta gave me a look that said I seriously doubt that, but he nodded nonetheless.

I knew Álvaro had already used his corrupted ways to win the hearts of most of the powerful men of the pack. I was just starting out and it was going to be a herculean task beating him.

However, I had something he didn’t; the inner eyes to see the power of the people.

The power of the people was greater than that of these powerful men combined. Better, I knew just well how to mingle with the commoners.

I didn’t see them as less or unworthy of my attention. All I had to do was to get every regular member of the pack on my side.

Álvaro and his noblemen could go suck on my toes.

My father, evidently losing patience, cut in. "Enough. We’re going inside."

I followed as they strode toward the meeting room, my curiosity finally outweighing my irritation. "Alright, but can someone tell me why we’re all so serious this morning?"

The Delta was the one who answered. "Someone was burning a body in the woods near Don Diego’s estate last night."

I stopped walking.

Of all the possibilities I could have considered, that didn’t come as an option. Did I hear him say they found someone burning a body near Don Diego’s estate?

"What?"

The Delta nodded. "His patrols caught the scent, but by the time they arrived, the culprit was already gone."

I stared at him, my pulse quickening. This—this didn’t happen. Sure, our pack was corrupt as hell, but we were also the most powerful pack in the country. No one dared to cross us.

Not the human government and certainly not other packs or supernaturals.

Murder? Here?

Unless it was a natural death, we rarely had cases like this. And burning a body? That wasn’t just killing someone. That was covering up evidence. That was sending a message.

My thoughts ran to me in quick succession.

Why near Don Diego’s estate? Was it related to him? To the reason the pigs were dead, perhaps?

No. That didn’t make sense. The De La Vegas were powerful, but they weren’t reckless. And if they had enemies, they wouldn’t let them get so close.

I glanced at my father, but his face was unreadable. Álvaro, however, looked tense. Even he wasn’t making any snide remarks.

That’s when I knew.

This was serious.

I swallowed the sudden unease crawling up my spine. "And we have no idea who did it?"

The Delta shook his head. "Not yet. But whoever it was—they were bold."

Bold... or desperate..

.

.

The meeting took place in my father’s study which was an expansive room lined with dark wooden shelves filled with books. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, shining its rays across the mahogany table where we all took our seats.

I slouched into a chair, stretching my legs beneath the table, while Álvaro sat rigidly across from me, his face full of irritation... for me, of course.

Suck it up, little brother. You have a competition now and that’s it.

Our father, the Alpha, took the head seat. The Delta stood at the side, phone still in hand, waiting for the last of us to settle.

The air was filled with tension. Nobody had spoken much since the revelation outside, but now that we were in the study, it was time to lay it all out.

It was Álvaro who broke the silence. "Has the body been identified?"

The Delta sighed, shaking his head. "According to my phone call with Don Diego this morning, the body has been sent for forensics. We’re still awaiting more information."

I tapped my fingers lightly against the table. "And the culprit? Did they catch whoever was responsible?"

The Delta’s gaze turned to me. "No. By the time the patrols arrived, the person had already fled."

Wow... they must be smart and skillful to escape the patrol’s eyes – I internally thought.

Álvaro scoffed as a smirk curled his lips. "Of course. While everyone else was actually doing something to gather information, my dear brother was busy sleeping. And now, instead of us moving forward, he’s bugging us with questions."

Oh, that fucker!

I slowly turned my head to look at him, feigning deep thought. "You know, it’s funny. You act like I was out of line for sleeping, but I don’t remember anyone waking me up to join in on the fun. And forgive me, dear señor perfecto."

He snarled and knitted his brows, about to give a comeback before Father cut in.

"Boys, behave. That is not the main topic now."

I crossed my arms, watching him closely.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table with his piercing gaze sweeping over us. "What is more important is how we turn this incident in our favor."

I frowned. "In our favor?"

My father ignored me, continuing. "This is a perfect opportunity to put Don Diego in his place. He has always boasted about how, during his reign as the Gamma, mishaps like this don’t happen in the pack because he is reliable. He’s always acting all powerful and perfect. But now? He has failed to protect us."

There was a moment of silence as the words sank in.

That’s when it hit me.

Instead of being concerned about the fact that someone had been burned alive—somewhere out there, a family was missing a son, a brother, a father—these men were sitting here, strategizing how to use this as a power move against Don Diego.

A power play.

Of course.

It was never about justice. Never about the truth. It was about control. About leverage. About using every misstep, every tragedy, to climb higher.

I glanced around the table. The Delta remained cool, as though this was just another political maneuver to observe. Álvaro, on the other hand, was listening with interest, his lips curling at the sides.

The moment was so absurd I almost laughed.

A dead body had turned into a political chess piece before it had even gone cold.