Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 275: _ Final Moments

Chapter 275: _ Final Moments

I blinked, trying to wrap my brain around what María José had just dropped on me like a damn bomb.

"Ignacio? Who the hell is Ignacio? You’re telling me that’s the ’witch’?" I repeated, face wrinkling in contempt.

I just couldn’t hide it. I hate him. No other man could even do as much as lustfully smile at what was mine, and yet, he even slept beside her.

She nodded, cheeks still wet with tears and eyes still haunted. "He’s not a witch, Axel. We were mistaken. He’s something else... he’s a demon."

A demon?!

My mouth went dry. I swallowed hard, heart thudding like a drum in my chest. A demon? In our pack? What fresh hell was this?

"Demon?" I scoffed, but my voice betrayed my shock. "You’re serious?"

"Yes," she whispered, clutching the leather-bound journal to her chest like it was a life raft. "The ’witch’... Ignacio is his real name. He’s not evil like we thought. At least, I don’t think so."

Oh, so she suddenly thinks he’s not evil? Really? She’s got to be kidding me.

I stared at her, disbelief tightening my gut. "Wait a minute. You don’t think he’s bad? You mean to tell me you’re siding with a demon now? María, are you hearing yourself?"

Her hands fisted at her sides. "No. I’m saying... he helped me. He wanted to help. That means something, Axel."

I shook my head, anger bubbling like a damn volcano ready to erupt in there. "A demon in our pack? That’s not something we take lightly. It’s a threat. You think I can just trust him? We don’t even know why he’s here or what he wants!"

I paced the cramped room, the worn wooden floor creaking beneath my boots. The evening air here even smelled of damp earth and distant smoke, the kind that clung to your clothes after a long day in the woods. María José’s sobs had softened to quiet sniffles, but her presence was a comforting feeling against the storm inside me.

I tapped into logical thinking, wondering what could be this psycho witch’s mission could be here.

"This..." I swallowed hard, voice dropping to a grim whisper, "This is exactly what Rosa was warning me about. She said a war is coming. We need to be wary. A war is coming in our pack."

María José’s brow furrowed, confused. "A war? What do you mean?"

I stopped pacing, turning to face her. The flickering candlelight illuminated shadows over her tear-streaked face, highlighting the determination buried beneath the pain.

"Rosa told me once that there’s a war coming to the pack. One that will tear everything apart—families, alliances, everything. She wouldn’t tell me more. According to her, she would only let the cat out of the bag on our wedding night. And maybe Ignacio... maybe he is part of that war."

Her eyes narrowed, lips pursed. "So you want to trust Rosa, but not Ignacio? The same Rosa who’s in that journal, whose betrayal we just uncovered?"

She wasn’t wrong. The name Rosa tasted like bitter ash in my mouth now. But her question stung, hitting deeper than I wanted to admit.

"I’m not saying I trust her," I muttered, running a hand through my hair, fingers catching on a stubborn knot. "I’m just saying we can’t ignore the fact that a demon is playing chess in our backyard, and he’s not just a piece. He might be the king."

María José sighed, exasperated. "You sound just like her sometimes. The way you talk about trust and betrayal—it’s exhausting, Axel."

I chuckled bitterly. "That’s the damn truth."

She gave me a weary smile, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Right now, we don’t have time to debate who to trust. Rosa has to come down first. After that, we’ll figure out Ignacio."

Well, maybe she was right. Maybe I was letting my jealousy get the best of me and deciding with my emotions. Maybe...

I nodded slowly, feeling like a little child being scolded by his mother. The joy I was feeling from seeing my uncertain María José standing up for herself was too intense to even argue.

I nodded solemnly in affirmation.

She sighed, putting a hand on her hip. "Good. Ignacio will be waiting in the woods near the border. He’s supposed to lift the veil on that hidden cottage. We’ll lead everyone there tomorrow."

Oh, wow. She had already mapped out a plan with him already. Bet they decided on that over a cup of tea.

"Great," I muttered. "So we’re supposed to play decoys and set a trap?"

She nodded. "Exactly. But how? That’s the real question."

We stared at each other, the room suddenly feeling too small, and too full of secrets. I could almost hear my own heartbeat pounding in my ears, the blood roaring in my veins like an angry ocean.

My fingers itched to hold her again, to draw strength from her. But we had a plan to make.

"We’ll figure it out," I said, voice steady but my mind racing a mile a minute. "We have to. For us, and for everyone involved."

She reached for my hand, squeezing it with surprising strength once again. "Together."

The word settled between us like a warm blanket, and for a moment, everything else faded away: the pain, the betrayal, and the looming threats.

Then a crooked smile tugged at my lips.

"You know what?" I can’t wait to call you Mrs. Montenegro." I mused, wrapping myself around her again, eyes dreamy.

She raised an eyebrow, playful now despite everything. "Oh? Planning the wedding already, señor?"

I laughed out rough but genuine sound. "Hell yeah. You’re going to be Mrs. Montenegro, and you’re going to make babies for us."

She choked on a laugh. "Babies? Are you saying we’re trying to start a damn army of little Montenegros?"

I grinned, tugging myself even closer to her like I was going through some portal into her. "Exactly. According to the laid down condition, the first one to make an heir between me and my brother becomes Alpha."

Her eyes widened with mischief. "So I need to get pregnant fast! Meaning, a boy."

I nodded, releasing my hold on her. "The fate of my becoming Alpha hangs on that. But don’t worry, I’m not putting pressure on you."

She tilted her head, smirking. "Oh, how sweet of you."

"If the goddess wants me as Alpha, then so be it. We’ll have a boy. If it’s Álvaro..." I shrugged. "Well, that’s his win."

She laughed, her hand still in mine. "But you already won by marrying me."

I pulled her into back into another hug, feeling the familiar warmth flood through me. "I have, amor. And that’s all I need."

"As cool as that is, we need that Alpha position to thrive. Our children deserve the best life. Not the chaos this pack’s drowning in right now. With all the corruption and mayhem flying around, we need the position to pave a better environment for them to grow up in." She countered.

I nodded solemnly. "And Álvaro’s not going to let us walk away anytime soon. We’re stuck here until we fix this."

"We’re going to fix it. Together. We’ll bring justice to all the evildoers who think they can run our pack into the ground." She patted my hands assuringly.

It was funny how, somehow, she seemed like she was the Axel and I, the María José.

"No more secrets. No more lies." She murmured.

I kissed her forehead, savoring the feel of her against me, the promise we both knew we had to keep.

"Now," I said, pulling back with a grin, "let’s get to work."

We sat huddled on that old, creaking couch, the journal resting heavily between us like a talisman. María José flipped through the pages again, pointing to names, dates, and passages.

I traced my finger over the words, trying to absorb the poison Rosa had penned so carefully. The smell of old paper and leather mixed with the faint scent of María José’s shampoo.

Outside, the wind whispered through the cracked window, carrying with it the distant bark of a stray dog and the soft murmur of Santa Leticia settling into the night.

I couldn’t help but glance at María José. Her face was drawn tight with worry, but her eyes burning with a stubborn spark.

"This plan needs precision. We can’t afford mistakes."

She nodded. "Ignacio will open the cottage. We lead the pack there. We find the proof. Rosa and her allies fall. We just need to be precise with the timing. I’ll make sure to do my part, Axel. It pains me that you will be standing on that altar with her, but if it gets the job done, then so be it."

"And what about after?" I asked, brows arched. "If Ignacio is a demon, what’s his endgame? What if he’s just waiting for us to weaken ourselves?"

María José paused, then met my gaze. "Then we fight. Whatever comes next, we face it. But I don’t think we have anything to worry about him, though."

Hehehe. If only I could be this confident in him as she was. If it were left to me, we would have to take him down on that same day.

After all, he would be in those woods, waiting...

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