Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 19: _ Falling For Him

Chapter 19: _ Falling For Him

I swallowed my nerves and smoothed the front of my tattered skirt, bracing myself as best I could. My heart thundered as I took a tentative step forward.

I couldn’t avoid him forever, no matter how embarrassing my current state was. If nothing else, I owed him a greeting—he was the Beta, for goodness’ sake!

"Buenas tardes, Beta Axel," I said, trying to keep my voice steady even as I felt the gaze of every worker here on me. My cheeks burned, no doubt as red as a ripened tomato.

Axel turned toward me, his beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as if he were trying to place me. "Buenas tardes," he replied politely but stoically.

I could feel him giving me a one-over before he asked, "Do I know you?"

Ouch.

Of course, he didn’t recognize me. I looked nothing like the girl he’d met at the gala, where I’d at least been dressed decently and had my hair brushed.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I quickly wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt and shifted from one foot to the other. "I’m María Jośe De la Vega. Don Diego’s daughter. You... defended me at the Luna Hunt gala."

His eyebrows lifted in recognition, and for a second, I thought I saw something softer behind his usual stoic demeanor. "Ah, yes. María Jośe. I remember. How are you doing?"

Did he just ask how I was doing? That meant he cared, didn’t it? Oh, my gosh—HE CARES!

If I wasn’t so ridden by shyness right now, I might have hopped on my feet in a happy dance.

"I’m fine," I finally replied, though the wobble in my voice betrayed the lie.

Fine wasn’t the word for someone who had just begged on her knees in a butcher shop.

Axel raised a brow, clearly not convinced, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he crossed his arms and said, "I need to correct you about one thing, though."

My chest pulled taut. "What’s that?"

"I wasn’t trying to defend you at the gala," he shrugged. "I was speaking up for the truth. That’s all."

Ouch. Just when the little girl in me was shrieking in excitement, thinking he cared. Well, why would he anyway?

Tch.

I blinked. "Well... I’m grateful either way," I managed, twisting my fingers together. "It took the attention off of me for a little while, so thank you."

He gave a slight nod, as if to dismiss the matter entirely.

"It was nothing." His eyes flicked to the pile of meat on the ground, and his brow arched. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"My father sent me to get some meat," I explained, trying to keep my tone neutral even though humiliation at the words was burning on my skin.

Axel’s brows knitted in anger and disbelief. "The noble ladies of the pack are now sent on such masculine errands?"

Wait, wait, wait... why was he confusing me? First, he acted like he cared, then he said he didn’t, and now, he was pissed on my behalf.

Gosh, Axel sure knew how to make a lady confused.

However, before I could come up with a reply, one of the butcher’s workers snorted.

"She’s no noble lady," he muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "She doesn’t even have a wolf. There’s nothing noble about the señorita

Laughter bubbled through the small group of workers, and my stomach twisted painfully. My hands balled into fists, but I kept my gaze fixed on the ground.

Axel, however, didn’t seem amused by the stupid joke. His sharp gaze snapped to the man who’d spoken, and the laughter died the instant everyone caught the wrinkled lines on his forehead.

"Who said that?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice—a tone that was far more terrifying than if he had shouted.

How on earth did he do that?

The culprit shuddered before stepping forward, all that arrogance gone under Axel’s glare. "I did, Beta," he admitted, though his voice lacked the earlier egotism.

Axel tilted his head slightly, a hand under his chin. "Hmm. Interesting. Tell me, what’s your name?"

"Manuel, Beta," the man replied, swallowing hard.

"Manuel," Axel repeated, as if testing the name on his tongue. "Manuel, are you aware that speaking ill of someone in front of me—especially someone who’s done nothing to deserve it—is not only disrespectful but also incredibly stupid?"

WHOA?!

Oh, my God... I’d melt at this point. Was... was Axel defending me yet again? I think it was safe to say that no man had ever stood up for me in such a short span as much as Axel had done.

Would anyone blame me if I fell hard for this man?!

Manuel opened his mouth, likely to stammer out some excuse, but Axel held up a hand. "No, no. Don’t answer that. I think actions speak louder than words. Let’s see... How shall we handle this?"

A slow—menacing smile spread across Axel’s face, and I felt the dread and admiration bulge in my chest. You need to see him right now. He was crazy hot.

"I have an idea," he said, snapping his fingers. "Since you seem to think María Jośe is beneath your respect, you’ll show her just how much respect she deserves."

Manuel blinked, clearly confused. "Beta?"

Even my own jaw dropped.

"You’re going to carry all of this meat to her home," Axel said, gesturing to the massive pile of packages. "And you’ll do it as though she were a noble lady. No complaints, no shortcuts. Do I make myself clear?"

OMG!

He was going to make the worker carry my loads home?! The turn of events! The humiliation of the worker in question... Axel’s masculinity and authority!

My poor heart! My poor, poor, heart, it wouldn’t stop racing!

~~~

{A/N}

Hi friends! Good news, María Jośe’s book is now exclusively signed to NovelFire app! Now, you can send gifts and golden tickets to support the book and help it reach a larger audience. Don’t forget to vote daily too! Thanks for reading so far! Your support will go a long way!

Cheers!

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.