Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 263: _ Villains Have Feelings Too

Chapter 263: _ Villains Have Feelings Too

My throat tightened painfully. My eyes stung. I looked away, staring hard at the corner of the ceiling like a man clinging to sanity.

She didn’t know what she’d done. How deeply that hit. And thank God she drifted off to sleep before she saw me clutch my chest like a teenage girl in a Netflix show.

She murmured something in her sleep, then rolled toward me, her head dangerously close to my pillow. I just... looked at her for a moment. Wondered what life would’ve been if I’d met her earlier. If I hadn’t been broken. If the world hadn’t made a villain of me before I had the chance to be anything else.

I lay there, still, listening to her breathing. The rise and fall of her chest. The soft warmth radiating from her skin.

And I loved her. Madly. Hopelessly. Like a lunatic clutching a star.

Carefully and reverently, I turned toward her, settling beside her and over the sheets as promised, like we were two puzzle pieces made to fit. I didn’t touch her. Not yet. Just the closeness, just the sound of her—was enough.

Until... I heard a movement just beyond the door.

My ears twitched, and I heard the sound of approaching footsteps still outside the door. As if someone was trying to find a way to silently sneak in.

Well, someone was, and it was none other than our dear Axel. His scent gave him out as it slithered into my nose. He must have come to check up on her.

That mangy Alpha prince was outside her door. I turned my head slightly, grinning like the little wolf in my story. Guess who’s back, Axelito.

He was close. Probably debating if he should knock or not. Probably wringing his pathetic hands together, wondering if his fiancée was safe in the same house as the creepy guard who flirted too much.

I had an idea.

Oh, sweet, cruel brilliance.

I closed my eyes for a second and tapped into that little trick my master taught me. A ripple of dark energy slid down my spine and hissed out of my palm. It crept across the floor like a shadowy serpent, slipping toward the doorknob.

Yes, I was going to open the door and let him in. A beautiful sight was awaiting him.

Click.

The door creaked open softly, like a mouth parting in shock.

I didn’t look. I didn’t move. I simply scooted a little closer to María José, until her head brushed my shoulder and her hand lay near my chest. One quick adjustment, and we looked like lovers tangled in the middle of a blissful night.

She murmured again in her sleep, completely unaware.

I heard the soft intake of breath at the door. His eyes immediately fell on us. On her. On me.

On the way I was lying beside her. On how I leaned my head close to hers, close enough to make it look like we’d just drifted off after something far more intimate.

He froze. His entire body trembled. I could hear his heart pounding like a war drum. And for a moment... I thought he’d lose it.

He stormed forward, fists clenched at his sides. The vein in his neck bulged. His teeth ground so hard I could nearly hear them crack.

But he didn’t wake her. He didn’t dare. Instead... he stood there.

Staring. Watching.

Like a man dying of thirst watching someone else drink the last drop.

It was killing him. The pain. The betrayal. The jealousy.

The girl he wanted—his love, curled up beside the man he hated. Sharing warmth. Breathing the same air.

He took a shuddering breath. And then another. And then he left silently, his rage evident in the charged air.

Oh, who knew the beautiful night could get any more beautiful? It did. It fucking did.

I grinned into the dark, satisfied. Because Big Bad Daddy Luis always got what he wanted.

And tonight? I had everything. Her trust.Her smile.Her warmth. And the shattered heart of my greatest rival.

Sleep came easily after that. Like a lullaby made just for me.

Life was so good.

*****************

I woke to the shriek of a banshee. No, not a banshee. Worse.

María José.

I flinched so hard I rolled off the bed with a loud THUMP, hit the floor, and lay there blinking up at the ceiling in confusion. The scent of lavender detergent and utter rage clawed up my nostrils like a thousand angry bees.

"What the HELL is this!?"

A pillow smacked my face before I could respond.

I sat up, groggy and dazed, only to be greeted with the sight of María José standing on the mattress like a warrior goddess who’d just caught her worst enemy crawling into her bed. Which, to be fair, wasn’t far from the truth.

Her red hair was a glorious mess, cascading in tangled waves over her shoulders. Her oversized sleep shirt was halfway up her thigh, her legs braced apart like she was about to throw me across the room. Her eyes were wide with horror, cheeks flushed in betrayal, and her fists balled like she was contemplating murder... or worse, screaming for Axel.

"What the hell, Mateo!" she screeched, voice pitchy with full Omega indignation. "You PROMISED!"

"I—what...? What time is it? Did the dragons attack you again in your sleep?" I rubbed my eyes.

She pointed a shaking finger at me like I was Satan himself. "We were ENTANGLED!"

"...Entangled?" I repeated, still half-asleep.

She leapt down from the bed like an enraged pixie and grabbed the edge of the blanket. "LOOK!"

And yes. Yes, it was bad. The evidence was... damning.

I was wrapped around her when she’d woken. My arm had found its way under her neck, hand splayed against her shoulder like a possessive octopus. One of my legs was wedged between hers, and our faces—Dios mío—our faces were so close it looked like we were whispering sweet nothings or plotting a joint bank account.

And that was the best sleep I’ve had in the entirety of my existence.

I blinked. "Okay. Okay. This looks bad."

"This IS bad!" she exploded, hitting me again with the pillow. "Your leg was on mine, Mateo!"

"Again—motion of the sheets," I said, expertly dodging a second pillow attack. "Friction, gravity, and basic thermodynamics."

"Thermodynamics!?"

I nodded solemnly. "Yes. You know, heat seeks heat. It’s a natural phenomenon. Our bodies just... aligned. Like magnets. Or mating penguins."

She screamed again and began hitting me harder, blindly and without remorse. "Get OUT! Get OUT of my room, you sheet-invading creep! I swear, I’ll castrate you with a fork!"

"How about you dress up instead, and let’s go get that evidence before breakfast? Sounds good, huh?" I asked, throwing my hands up in the air.

Or rather, before Rosario comes, touches me, and realizes what was sitting in that wheelchair currently was nothing but an illusion.