Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 195: _ My Mate

Chapter 195: _ My Mate

My eyes dropped to her neck, to the faint scar just below her. Oh, what a reminder. A wound that should have never been there in the first place.

That should have been officially done in the way that an Alpha wolf picked its Luna. I needed to address that anyway. I needed to affirm that she was going to be alright.

That I hadn’t done much of a damage to her life yet, and if I had, that I could salvage it. That she could count on me to make it all right.

That things would once again be right again, and if things had never been right for her, that they were going to start to be.

"Your scar," I murmured.

Her hand instinctively went to it.

I hesitated, then took a cautious step forward. This time, she didn’t move away. "If we find a way to awaken your wolf," I said carefully, "the scar will disappear."

I was right. She knew it. She just needed to believe that she had a wolf. And that wolf of hers was the long hi-hidden mate of Hugo. Of me.

had expected her to hiss and be dismissive about the wolf topic. However, to my surprise, she laughed and said something else entirely.

"And who said I desperately want it to disappear?"

I frowned. "Why wouldn’t you?"

She lowered her hand, and her gaze became harder. "Because I don’t mind being ugly, Axel. I’ve been beautiful all my life. I don’t mind basking in something else for a change."

A pang shot through my chest. How could she say that? Why would anyone be okay with such negativity? Oh, how much damage pain had done to my delicate Pretty Flower.

"You’re not..."

She cut me off. "What I do mind... is being around the guy who ruined my life by marking me, getting engaged to my sister, and now showing up to finish what he started."

The words knocked the air from my lungs. She still believed I ruined her life even though I was trying desperately to fix it.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Hugo muttered, "Welp. That’s a checkmate. We should probably just go dig our own grave now."

I swallowed hard, stepping closer to her despite the instinct to step back. "María José..." My voice was rough as I pleaded. "I didn’t do that to you."

She clenched her jaw, looking at me like she wanted to believe me. Like a small part of her wanted to reach out... but couldn’t.

"Get out, Axel." She finally strained out.

I exhaled slowly. "Alright, let’s have it your way. I’ll leave, but let me come see you."

I pressed on. "Give me permission. Not just for this proof. Let me come see you because I miss you. Let me be here."

She lifted a surprised brow.

Then she scoffed. "What for? So you can keep reminding me of everything I lost?"

I shook my head. "No." I stepped even closer, lowering my voice. "Because I don’t want to lose you too."

She flinched.

For a second, something flickered in her expression. It’s fragile and uncertain.

Then she straightened. "Unless your reason is this so-called proof you’re looking for, don’t bother."

And just like that, the door slammed shut again.

My throat tightened. I could fight wars. Face enemies. Tear through anything in my path. But this? Watching her slip further away?

This was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

I clenched my jaw and took a slow step back. She turned her back to me.

"Get out, Axel."

I should have. I should have just walked away, and left before I made things worse. But I didn’t. She was just so close.

In the same way, we were so close to getting everything we wanted before things went down to shit.

I moved before I could stop myself. Before I could even think at all.

I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pulling her into my chest and inhaling her scent.

She stiffened instantly. But I didn’t let go. I just couldn’t.

Her warmth, her scent, and the feel of her body against mine—it soothed something inside me that had been restless for far too long.

"I’ll find the proof," I murmured into her hair. "And when I do... you’ll see."

She stayed silent. Slowly and reluctantly, I let her go.

And then I turned and walked out, leaving a piece of myself behind.

The door closed behind me, but I couldn’t move. My feet felt nailed to the floor, my fingers twitching with the lingering warmth of María José’s body.

She had let me hold her.

Not for long and not willingly. But she hadn’t pulled away, either.

Hugo grumbled inside me. "She’s gonna be the death of us."

I exhaled, dragging a hand down my face before turning away. The hallway outside her room was fairly lit, the scent of old wood and candle wax in the air. Every step I took away from her felt like a step closer to hell, but I forced myself forward. I had a mission now.

Find proof.

Find out who had really impersonated me and get María José to believe me before I lost her for good.

I took the stairs down two at a time. My conversation with her replayed in my head like a song stuck on repeat.

"Maybe you’re just looking for more excuses to get under my pants like you did with Rosa."

Fuck.

Her voice had been sharp, but I’d heard the hurt beneath it. She thinks I used her. That I played her. The idea made me sick.

Hugo let out a growl. "We need to fix this, Axel. As soon as possible. We need to mark her. She’s our mate. I can feel it. I just need to feel her wolf more intently and connect to it."

I know and I wanted nothing more than claiming her. I could feel and almost taste their belonging of hers on my tongue.

She’s mine.