Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 24: _ Stay Away From Axel!

Chapter 24: _ Stay Away From Axel!

"I didn’t mean for it to take so long," I whispered, looking away from his unforgiving eyes.

"You are useless. It seems you’ve dedicated the past three weeks to proving just how useless you are. You are an embarrassment to this family. How dare you inconvenience everyone like this?"

"I’m sorry, Dad. I’ll do better. Please..."

The tears I had been holding back broke through now—there was no helping it. They streaked down my cheeks in silent streams. I felt utterly humiliated, standing there under his withering glare, my sisters watching the scene unfold.

Camilla looked thoroughly entertained, while Rosa kept her face straight, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Don’t just stand there crying like a child," my father snapped. "Get to work. The kitchen staff has been waiting long enough. And don’t forget to retire to the pig stables!"

I nodded quickly, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "Yes, Father."

Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving my heart sinking. Camilla smirked at me, clicking her tongue.

"Poor María José," she cooed mockingly. "Always getting into trouble."

I clenched my fists at my sides, swallowing the retort that was about to escape. This wasn’t the time to fight back. Not when my father’s anger was still fresh.

I stood frozen in the middle of the living room, my cheek still stinging from my father’s slap, when Rosa stepped forward with her usual calmness. She completely ignored the redness in my face and the tears pooling in my eyes.

"Is it true?" Rosa asked quietly.

I squinted, confused. "Is what true?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned slightly toward me. "Did Axel come here and ask of me?"

Oh, that? Why the hell was she acting like she was about to swallow me whole though?

Before I could answer, Camilla let out an exaggerated shriek, throwing her hands up dramatically. "Of course he did, Rosa! Do you think I’d make that up?"

I turned to her, stunned by her dramatics. "I didn’t say he didn’t."

Camilla’s voice rose, and she pointed an accusing finger at me as though we were in a courtroom. "Axel came by asking for you Rosa, but María José—being the little troublemaker she is—stuck to him like glue! She didn’t let him come inside, wouldn’t let him near you, and I swear, she was trying to woo him!"

Oh, my goodness, what?! I was trying to woo him?!

How on earth could Camilla even say that when it was her shamelessly throwing herself at him? I mean, I knew just how insolent she could be, but this?!

I knew hurrying inside to escort Manuel it was fishy. I really had no idea this was her plan all along.

"What?!" I gasped, my eyes darting between my two sisters. "That’s not true!"

But Rosa’s gaze was now fixed on me, her lips curling into a displeased sneer–one that could make a grown-up wet their pants.

I had always feared Rosa. I had a nagging feeling that behind all that joviality, Camilla somehow did too.

Our sister had always had a way of making us bend to her will, no matter how ridiculous the situation. I remember one summer when Rosa decided that Camilla and I would play "servants" to her queen.

~

It started innocently enough—her sitting on a chair draped with Abuela’s old shawl, issuing commands while we giggled and curtsied like fools.

But then Rosa’s requests became more elaborate.

"María José, fetch me water from the well. And don’t you dare bring it warm—ice cold, or you’ll be punished."

I hesitated, glancing toward the blazing afternoon sun. "The well is so far, Rosa. Can’t we play something else?"

Her lips curved into a malevolent smirk, the kind that could make you question your own sanity. "Oh, I see. You’re refusing your queen. Do you know what happens to servants who refuse me? They’re banished."

Camilla, of course, was no help. "You better go, María José. I don’t want to be banished with you!" she’d chirped, already positioning herself as Rosa’s favorite servant by fanning her with a piece of cardboard.

Grumbling, I trudged to the well, filled the bucket with water so cold it made my fingers ache, and carried it back, my little arms shaking from the weight. By the time I returned, Rosa was lounging in the shade, looking as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

"Ah, finally," she said, taking a long sip from the cup I poured for her. Then she wrinkled her nose. "This tastes... off. Did you dip your hand in it, María José?"

"No!" I’d cried, feeling the genuine fear rise in my chest. "It’s just water!"

Poor little naive me...

Rosa had inched forward to me. "Careful, María José. You’re talking back to the queen."

Even as a child, Rosa had this way of making you feel guilty for things you hadn’t even done. And now, as she glared at me with that same menacing expression, I felt just as helpless as I had that summer—dragged into a game where the rules were always stacked against me.

~

"You stopped Axel from coming inside? How dare you, María José?"

I protested, stomping my legs on the floor in exhaustion. I really was tired. Genuinely worn out from all these troubles. I’d had my cup full in a single day.

Could it not just end already? Was it until I died?

"I didn’t stop him! He wasn’t here for you! He—he helped me out with—"

Camilla cut me off, placing a hand above her mouth in false stupefaction. "Oh, helped you out? Isn’t that interesting, Rosa? Axel helped María José. He even drove her here in his car! You know what that means, right? She’s trying to seduce him and steal him away from you!"

What on earth did she mean to steal him away from her?! Was Axel even Rosa’s to begin with?!

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Camilla’s lies were so outrageous, so absurd, that I didn’t even know where to start.

"Camilla, you’re making that up!" I finally managed to sputter.

But Rosa wasn’t listening. She stepped closer to me. "Just because Axel stood up for you at the Luna Gala doesn’t mean he likes you, María José, okay?" Her voice sounded so coolly like the slow drip of poison. "He’s just like that—he can’t stand injustice. It’s nothing personal. So don’t get any ideas."

"I—I’m not getting any ideas!" I protested, shaking my head. "Rosa, I swear, I wasn’t trying to—"

Oh, wait. That was a lie, wasn’t it? Indeed, I have many ideas. I had a whole lot of them piled up in my head, sitting beside him in the car like that—his scent, his presence, his masculinity...

Axel was every woman’s dream man. He was my prince charming, but now, my evil sisters wanted to snatch the only reverie I had in this dark storm away.

Oh, what a life!

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