Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 281: _ Resolution

Chapter 281: _ Resolution

Chapter 281

~María José’s Point Of View~

I never imagined I’d find myself trapped between two worlds; the fragile human girl everyone thought I was and the fierce wolf clawing to break free inside me. To my sisters, the wedding was supposed to be just another day, a ceremony to please my father, to keep up appearances.

But for me, it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling beneath my feet, and a storm raging both inside and out.

I had exposed my sister’s evil actions to the pack. I felt good knowing that it was me who solved the mystery of my friends’ deaths. Yet, it was mortifying because my sister was the culprit.

Many times during the showdown, I had tried meeting Luis Miguel’s gaze, but he wouldn’t look at me. I knew... knew that he wouldn’t look at me the same anymore.

He might never forgive me for Rosa’s sin too. After all, I was a De La Vega too. However, I wouldn’t let that weigh me down. I had to push through.

.

I was supposed to be weak. Wolfless, even. That was the lie I told myself most days, convincing myself I was powerless, lost without the fierce pride that other girls in the pack wore like armor. I was just a girl, a broken one at that—bruised by circumstance, battered by life’s cruel hand. The truth was, I was scared. Scared that the wolf inside me was nothing but a flickering ember, too faint to ever roar.

But then Axel came. And everything changed...

When his eyes found mine, something ancient and wild broke loose within me. There was a spark—a lightning strike, something raw and primal that I’d only ever felt in my dreams, or in nightmares.

The moment he marked me was like being pulled through fire and ice at once. His touch wasn’t gentle, but it wasn’t brutal either; it was fierce, demanding, and filled with a dark tenderness that unsettled me.

Power coursed through my veins, sharp and blinding. It was both terrifying and intoxicating—the sensation of becoming something greater than myself, yet not fully knowing what that meant.

I felt my body hum with strength I didn’t know I had, muscles tightening, senses sharpening. The air around me thickened, electric with the pulse of the wolf’s heartbeat syncing with mine. It was like discovering a secret language whispered beneath my skin, a calling that both thrilled and terrified me.

I wanted to scream and laugh all at once. I wanted to run free, to howl at the sky and shake off the chains that had held me so tightly. Yet, I was also rooted in place by the weight of my father’s shocked gaze, and the fear that this newfound power could burn me alive if I wasn’t careful.

There was a darkness, too. Not just in me, but in the wolf itself—a shadow lurking in the depths, hungry and fierce. It promised strength but warned of danger. I realized that power wasn’t a simple blessing. It was a double-edged blade. This wolf could protect me, yes, but it could also consume me.

The weak, quiet girl was safe in her hiding. But now, the wolf was waking, demanding to be seen, demanding to be heard. I felt it in every breath, every pulse, and every trembling inch of my skin.

And I couldn’t turn back.

In that moment, I understood the truth of what it meant to be both light and shadow, to hold beauty and danger in the same breath. I was no longer just María José, the daughter with bruises and debts. I was something more; a force to be reckoned with, fierce, and still learning the rules of this new game.

.

.

Axel held my hand like I was forged from lightning as we all trooped back to the wedding venue. His grip was warm, grounding, and just tight enough to remind me I wasn’t dreaming. My body still buzzed from the mark, from the surge of power that had made every nerve in me sing like I’d swallowed the sun.

I was sure I smelled like moonlight and fire and every fever dream the pack ever had about power.

And the best part? They saw it too.

The same pack members who once smirked at me, scorned me, pitied me, and treated me like I was a bruised tomato left too long on the shelf, were now practically tripping over themselves to shower me with praises.

"María José, you look radiant."

"I always knew there was something special about you."

"Alpha female energy! I mean, wow!"

Someone even tried to hand me a bouquet of flowers—snatched straight from a wedding centerpiece like I wouldn’t notice the water dripping onto my dress. I accepted it anyway. I was in too good a mood to care.

Let them scramble. Let them fawn. I’d been waiting for this moment my entire life—except I never imagined it would come with this much lip gloss and vengeance.

It was almost laughable. No, scratch that—it was absolutely hysterical. If I had a peso for every girl who once whispered about how I didn’t belong, I’d own a villa in Marbella and a pet jaguar named consecuencia. But now? They were looking at me like I was carved from prophecy. Me—The wolfless wonder. The Omega reject.

And I? I had never felt better.

Axel shot me a sideways glance as we walked, and I swear, if he looked at me like that again, I was going to melt into a puddle right there on the marble. That smirk—that holy combination of wolfish pride and dangerous love sent a ripple of heat through me that nearly knocked me off balance.

"Stop that," I muttered, cheeks flaming.

"Stop what?" he asked, all innocence and dimples, the bastard.

"That look. Like you want to devour me in front of the elders."

"I do want to devour you," he whispered, leaning in close enough for his breath to brush my ear. "But I can wait. A little."

A little... that sent goosebumps erupting all over me. I-I’ve heard of what happens on wedding nights between couples. Hell, I had looked forward to it.

But was I ready for it? Was Axel going to be gentle? He was so physically strong. Could I... could I satisfy him?