Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 166: _ Stand Up For Myself

Chapter 166: _ Stand Up For Myself

Axel was gone.

I knew because the door had clicked shut behind him, and the space he had occupied was now empty.

But the moment he left, it was as though the tears I had been desperately holding back crumbled, flooding my cheeks.

My knees wobbled and gave way, and I collapsed onto the floor. I clutched my scarf so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, the pain grounding me, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough to compete with the gaping hole inside my chest.

The first sob burst out of me so violently I almost choked on it. Then another. And another. I pressed my hands to my face, but it did nothing to muffle the sounds. It was ugly. It was loud. I cried like a dying animal, like something had been ripped out of me, and maybe it had.

Axel.

The same Axel who had once told me to always stand up for myself.

The same Axel who had once beaten the butcher black and blue when the bastard dared to put his hands on me.

The same Axel who had once stormed into my father’s compound and demanded that I be treated right He had been furious then, livid in a way that made me believe... truly believe—that I mattered to him.

And now, that same Axel had just left me shattered on the floor like I was nothing.

I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked back and forth, my body trembling from the force of my cries. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.

How had he changed so fast? How had I not seen it?

I lost track of time, lost in my grief, until an hour must have passed. My tears had dried in crusty tracks on my cheeks, and my throat was raw from all the sobbing. I was still curled up on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, when...

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The door rattled on its hinges. I flinched, my swollen eyes darting toward it.

"MARÍA JOSÉ!"

Fucking Rosa.

My blood turned to ice.

"Open this damn door before I break it down!" she shouted.

Her voice carried the kind of rage that set houses on fire... one that burned everything in its path.

Panic surged through me, but then the anger at everything I was losing because of her selfish self was bigger than whatever fear of Rosa had been embedded in me.

It came fast and hot, flooding over the sadness like a violent wave crashing against the shore. I was done being the victim. I was done being the first obedient well-mannered daughter Father had trained me to be.

What was the point of living up to the ways I’d been taught all my life if he had abandoned me midway and left me to face the wrath of the world alone without his protection?

What was the point in wallowing in fear and respecting my older sisters if they had not even in the least bit of empathy towards me?

If all the emotions they felt for me were dark; jealousy, envy, hatred, and rage?

Hatred built up of years of envy? Rage that came from hoarding the hatred in and not daring to touch a finger on my head because Father wouldn’t condone it ever since Álavaro set his sight on me.

Of what use was all of this when my purpose in life had changed?

Perhaps, it was high time I changed just as my life had. Maybe, just maybe, that was the only way I’d survive in this cruel new world.

Otherwise, I just might die some pitiful death soon enough.

I bolted upright, but I couldn’t help my shaking hands. "Go to hell, Rosa! You’re good at ruining lives, aren’t you? Ruin someone else’s for a change!"

The silence that followed my words was much expected. Never had I spoken to Rosa rudely. I mean, I had never raised my voice at her as the fear of her was heavy in my heart from all the childhood bullying.

Outsiders might not know, but Rosa was one dangerous and terrifying being.

BANG!

The entire door shuddered under the impact.

I scrambled backward.

"Oh, you bitch," Rosa snarled. "You think you’ve got a spine now, huh? You’re a wolfless little rat. You should know better."

Another bang.

I jumped.

"You have three seconds to open this door," she growled, her voice almost inhuman.

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound scratching at my sore throat. "Why don’t you go plan your wedding instead? You’re good at stealing things from people. Maybe go pick out my leftovers from Axel’s closet!"

I could hear Rosa scoffing before growing silent. You know the shock when someone who had done nothing but now their head and obey you all their lives suddenly grew some balls? I bet that was the conflict she was grappling with right now.

The sheer shock.

For a second, I thought I had won. Then...

BANG. BANG. BANG.

"YOU FILTHY LITTLE BITCH!" Rosa screeched. "OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"OR WHAT?!" I shot back, something in me snapping. My usual timid self was nowhere to be found. "You gonna cry to Daddy? Gonna get your pretty Luna dress dirty? Oh, wait, I know! You’ll threaten to tell the whole pack I’m a dirty Omega whore, right? So original, Rosa! Really! Maybe you should carve it on my gravestone when I die!"

I heard her furious breathing from the other side.

Oh, she was mad mad.

Good.

CRACK.

My eyes widened as the door suddenly broke down under a terrifying force.

CRASH!

Wood splintered all over, the door bursting open like it had been hit by a wrecking ball. My mouth dropped open in horror.

"What the...?!"

My heart nearly dropped in my mouth as Rosa stormed in, her eyes burning with unrestrained fury and I suddenly realized that I might have pushed her too hard.

I scrambled backward, my entire body going rigid as she stalked toward me. Rosa was tall, powerful, and every bit the Luna she was meant to be. I, on the other hand, was nothing but Wolfless and Weak.

Her presence alone made the room feel suffocating.

"You must have lost your damn mind! Did you just tell me to go to hell?"

I swallowed hard. My body screamed at me to run, but there was nowhere to go. It was better to plead as this was a battle I’d already lose the moment Rosa stepped in.

The Rosa I knew wouldn’t hesitate to disable me if she so wished. Maybe, just maybe, she might destroy the beauty I had that they so much despised today.

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