Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 201: _ Need a Breather

Chapter 201: _ Need a Breather

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my hands trembling slightly. How had I ended up like this? Everything that had happened between Axel and me... it felt like a joke.

Like a sick game where I was the punchline. The image of his face, so close, those eyes burning with some intensity I couldn’t even begin to understand, it still stayed in the back of my mind.

And Rosa. Rosa with her sharp fangs and malicious smile as she slashed my face. By the Moon, the image was etched into my soul.

I could feel the pain over and over again every time the image flashed in my mind.

I turned the faucet on and the sound of rushing water followed. My hands moved, fumbling to undress as I tried to push the memories away.

My skin still tingled where Axel had touched me, where his lips had claimed me like a man starving. It was as if my body remembered him even when my mind screamed at me to forget him.

The pull, the raw and undeniable need I felt whenever he was near, it was like a curse.

Stripping down, I climbed into the shower and the water slapped against my skin. At first, it was warm and soothing, but the more I let it rain down on me, the more the weight of everything hit me. I couldn’t breathe. My chest tightened with every thought of him, of Rosa, of everything that had gone wrong.

I closed my eyes, letting the water rush over my face, washing away his scent and his touch because I kept on feeling them over me again and again.

The sting of the scar on my cheek... hell, I didn’t even know how much it hurt anymore. It felt like a permanent part of me.

I could almost hear Rosa’s voice in my head, taunting me with her arrogant victorious tone as she slashed my face, as she reveled in the pain she caused.

I gripped the edge of the shower, my knuckles going white as I tried to hold myself together. Tears blurred my vision, mixing with the water on my face. "What the hell am I doing?" I muttered to myself, my voice cracking in the steam-filled bathroom. "Why do I let them do this to me?"

I couldn’t stop thinking about Axel. What we shared felt real. So damn real that I wanted to believe it, wanted to believe that he could be the man I needed him to be. But I knew better. I wasn’t stupid.

He’d been the one who picked my sister over me, the one who had lied to me, and here I was, falling into the same trap. I cursed under my breath, trying to push out of my mind.

I closed my eyes tightly, forcing the image of Rosa’s face from my mind. That damn scar. It was more than just a physical wound; it was a reminder. A reminder of everything I couldn’t have, of everything I wasn’t good enough for. Of the betrayal, the pain, the lies.

What had I done to deserve this? Why was I the one who had to suffer? I had never asked for any of this. I hadn’t asked for the scar. I hadn’t asked for the betrayal. I hadn’t asked for any of the lies Axel had fed me. I hadn’t asked to be the Omega, to be the one discarded and forgotten.

But here I was; broken and scarred, with nothing but my own tears to keep me company.

Once I was done, I stepped out of the shower, the cool air of the bathroom hitting me like a shock. I grabbed a towel, wrapping it around my body as I wiped away the last traces of moisture from my face.

I couldn’t stay here. I needed to leave. I needed to clear my head. The weight lies, the pain, the memories of Axel’s touch was too much. I needed some air, some space to breathe without the suffocating presence of him, without the burning desire that still clung to me like a second skin.

"Let’s take a stroll, María José." I muttered to myself, wondering if I’d meet Mateo at home by the time I arrived.

I walked across the room, my bare feet padding softly against the cool. I didn’t want to face anyone right now. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Not my father, not Luis Miguel, not even Mateo. I didn’t care. I just needed to be alone.

I rifled through Mateo’s drawers, trying to find something that would cover my scar. I didn’t want anyone to see me like this... not in this state because they would ask questions.

I personally didn’t care what anyone thought of me, but I wasn’t in the mood for a question and answer session, so I needed to hide it and keep it to myself.

Finally, I found a black cap. I smiled bitterly to myself. He had no idea how much I needed it. I slipped it on, pulling it low over my face to hide the scar as best as I could.

I didn’t know where I was going or what I was looking for, but I needed to be out of this space until it stopped oozing of Axel’s earthly scent.

I grabbed my jacket, pulled it on, and stepped out into the evening air.

I walked without purpose, my feet carrying me through the familiar streets with the pack’s lights twinkling in the distance. I didn’t want to go too far. I just needed to breathe, to think, to figure out what the hell I was supposed to do next.

And yet, despite everything, despite the pain, despite the betrayal, despite the damn scar on my face, part of me still yearned for Axel.

The thought sent a wave of disgust through me. I didn’t want to feel that way. I shouldn’t feel that way. But I did.

I wanted to scream, to lash out, to make the world understand how much I had been through. But instead, I walked in silence, my thoughts swirling around me as I tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

What the hell was I supposed to do with all of this?