Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 177: _ Did We Do it?

Chapter 177: _ Did We Do it?

~Axel’s Point of View~

Darkness loosened its grip on me slowly, like a stubborn fog unwilling to lift. My senses crept back but it was sluggish and uncoordinated.

First came the headache. Oh, by the Moon, it was an unbearable pounding behind my eyes, like someone had stuffed my skull with molten rocks and shook it for fun. Then came the hunger. It was like a gnawing, bottomless pit that made my stomach cramp.

It felt like I hadn’t eaten in days. I groaned. Dios, why did I feel like I had been hit by a truck?

Something heavy was on top of me.

I frowned, still groggy. What the hell...? My limbs felt leaden and my muscles sore as I tried to shift. But the weight didn’t budge.

Instead, it shifted closer. I could feel the warm and solid presence pressed against my chest, trapping my arm underneath.

I tensed.

What. Was. On. Me?

I inhaled sharply, my senses sharpening in panic. The scent of warm vanilla and faint lavender filled my nose. Soft strands tickled my jaw. Something warm and very much alive sighed against my skin.

My entire body went rigid.

No. No. No.

I turned my head slowly, painfully slow, afraid of what I’d find. The dim morning light sifted through the room, illuminating the unmistakable shape of a woman curled against my side, her arm draped over my stomach.

Rosario. Fucking damn Rosario!

My eyes popped open. My brain refused to process what was before me.

Then, with dawning horror, I noticed something even worse.

I could feel her skin. Holy shit, it was bare!

A choked noise left my throat. My heart started pounding violently. No. No, no, no, no, NO.

I wrenched the blanket off us and immediately wished I hadn’t. Because under that blanket, Rosario was half-naked. And me?

Completely. Naked. I was fucking completely naked with another woman in bed when my body belonged to María José.

María José, my soon-to-be wife. Oh, shit. I wanted to see her and this happened. She must be expecting me. She must miss me.

How on earth would I explain to her that I was caught up in a near-death experience and ended up spending an entire night with another woman in bed?

The world tilted and I could feel my eyes going dizzy.

I did the only rational thing a man in my situation could do.

I SCREAMED.

"¡Mierda!"

I scrambled backward so fast I nearly flung myself off the bed. My hands clutched at my throat, panic clawing at my chest. My wound was gone. Completely healed. I ripped the bandages off, my fingers running over smooth, unbroken skin.

I should have been relieved. Instead, all I could think was: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?

Had I...?

Did we...?

I grabbed my head, squeezing my eyes shut. No. No, that can’t be right. I would remember something like that.

Wouldn’t I?

I tried to think back... tried to recall anything after I passed out. I could remember nothing. Just a black void. The last thing I remembered was Rosario fussing over me, telling me to sleep.

My stomach knotted. What if...

No. No way.

I shook my head violently. I needed to get the hell out of here.

My clothes. Where the fuck were my clothes?

I scanned the room, and then spotted them. Scattered all over the floor. Of course.

Gritting my teeth, I bolted out of bed and grabbed my pants. That was when I felt another presence.

A prickling sensation crept up my spine.

Someone was watching me.

I turned sharply and came face-to-face with Luis in his damn wheelchair. Bro was busy staring.

Motionless. Expressionless. Like a damn ghost... as always! But today, I was on the edge.

I yelled. "¡Por la Luna! Luis!"

My soul nearly left my body. My knees wobbled and my vision blurred for a second.

Then I exhaled, clutching my chest.

"Dios, Luis, you nearly killed me," I rasped, trying to calm my racing heart. But of course, Luis said nothing. He just stared, his gaze boring into me, unmoving and unreadable.

Creepy bastard.

And that was when Rosario stirred.

She stretched lazily, sighing, her hair spilling over her bare shoulders. Then, ever so slowly, she blinked herself awake. Her gaze was unfocused as she took in her surroundings.

Then... her eyes landed on me.

On me, standing naked, pants clutched in my hands like some disgraceful thief caught in the act.

And worse? Her gaze dropped to me. To its

She STARED. For a long fucking moment.

My entire body stiffened. I gulped down hard, wishing the earth would swallow me whole. As if that wasn’t enough, Rosario gasped.

I barely managed to yank my pants in front of me before she shrieked.

"¡Dios mío!"

"DON’T LOOK!" I bellowed, fumbling to cover myself.

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!" she screeched, yanking the blanket up to her chest.

"WHY ARE YOU HALF-NAKED?!" I shot back.

She gawked at me before realization struck her. She looked down at herself.

There was a moment of silence.

Then, she gave a piercing, earsplitting shriek.

I flinched. "Por el amor de la Luna, stop screaming..."

"¡¿Qué demonios pasó anoche?! ¡¿QUÉ NOS PASÓ?! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

My face burned hotter than the fucking sun.

I pulled my pants on with record speed, tripping over myself in my haste. "I don’t know! I... I woke up like this, and you were on top of me, and—Luis was watching the whole time!"

She froze. Her wide, horrified eyes snapped to Luis.

Who was still staring like a goddamn horror movie doll.

Rosario let out a strangled noise and grabbed the blanket tighter around herself. "He saw everything."

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Sí. He saw everything."

There was a pause and I was anticipating Rosario storming over to slap me or something. However, to my absolute shock, she smiled.

I narrowed my eyes. "...Why are you smiling?"

Her lips stretched into amusement and dawning delight.

"Did we...?"

I stared.

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Did we do it?"

I choked. "¡NO!"

"Are you sure?"

"YES!"

She squinted at me like she didn’t believe me. "Because, niño, I woke up very comfortable..."

I covered my ears. "STOP TALKING."

"Ohhh, Dios mío," she drawled, smirking now. "If we did do it, I feel like I should at least remember..."

I pointed a shaking finger at her. "I SWEAR TO THE MOON, ROSARIO, IF YOU DON’T STOP!"

She giggled. Freaking giggled.

Meanwhile, Luis still hadn’t moved. I turned to him desperately. "Luis, say something."

Luis, as always, said nothing.

I groaned and dropped to the floor, burying my face in my hands.

Worst. Morning. Ever.