Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 290: _ A New Beginning

Chapter 290: _ A New Beginning

~María José’s Point Of View~

I was married. Finally married and it wasn’t just to anyone, but the love of my life. Life was about to get as good as it could get.

The air in the room was heavy with lavender, flickering candlelight throwing soft shadows across the wooden walls of the room. It smelled like him; earth and pine and danger. And now me. The softest trace of wild jasmine from the bath I’d taken clung to my skin, mingling with the scent of mating that still somehow followed us all the way here.

My wolf was restless under my skin. Every inhale of his scent made her stretch and hum, brushing against my insides like a newly awakened force trying to figure out how her limbs worked. Her voice was a murmur, raw and half-feral:

"Ours. Touch him. Bite him. Ride him..."

R-ride him?!

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Stop!" I yelped internally, blushing so hard I swear my earlobes nearly combusted. "You just came to life today, maybe give it five minutes before turning into a horny beast?"

She laughed. "You’re the one who’s too ashamed to admit her desires."

Okay, fair.

I turned to look at Axel, standing by the window, shirt half-unbuttoned, chest glistening faintly in the dim light. The moonlight spilled over his sharp cheekbones and rugged jaw like it was made just for him. His eyes were already on me, heat glowing beneath his lashes.

"I’m still getting used to this," I said quietly, gripping the edge of my silk robe like it was a lifeline. "Us. You. Me. The whole... mated-and-marked thing."

He walked over with a slow predator’s grace. This man was taking careful strides, but to me, every movement screamed control. Possession. Mine.

"Mrs. Montenegro now," he murmured, tilting his head with a cocky smirk. "Still getting used to that?"

I wasn’t sure if it was the full moon washing the walls in silver or the fact that Axel Montenegro had just called me Mrs. Montenegro, but my heart hadn’t stopped dancing in my chest since we closed the door.

"Say it again," I whispered, grinning like a loon while clutching the collar of his shirt.

He arched a brow, his lips curling into a smirk that could melt glaciers. "Mrs. Montenegro."

God help me.

My knees wobbled a little, and I had to hold onto him like a very clingy, very overwhelmed koala. His arms tightened around my waist instinctively, holding me upright while his scent swirled around me and made my wolf purr.

Yes. Purr.

"Our mate."

There she went again.

Ever since she finally awakened, she’d been more than loud, proud, and feral. Hell, she hadn’t shut up. I’d never had to share space with anyone in my head before, and it was a trip. She had opinions. And apparently, one of them was that Axel Montenegro, grumpy Beta extraordinaire, was hers to bite, claim, ride, or all three, in whatever order she could manage.

"Let him worship us, María José. It is time. We ache for him. We’ve waited long enough."

We’ve waited long enough? Hell, like she waited with me. She was busy having her beauty nap while I was here, trying to figure out what the ’more’ my body wanted with Axel.

"I do not ache," I hissed under my breath.

Axel blinked. "You... don’t?"

Oops.

"No, I wasn’t talking to you—I mean yes, I do... God, shut up."

"Uh-huh." His eyes sparkled with a dangerous amusement. "The newly awakened wolf brain scramble is real, huh?"

"I don’t have wolf brain," I said indignantly.

"You just hissed at yourself, cariño."

I slapped his chest; it was like hitting granite — and tried to ignore the delightful way his shirt had stretched over his biceps. He chuckled and nuzzled the top of my head, the stubble on his jaw scratching lightly against my forehead.

"This night is about us," he murmured in a low and warm voice. "No drama. No packs. No siblings. Just you, me... and a very vocal wolf apparently."

My cheeks burned hotter than the desert sun. "She’s... new. She doesn’t know boundaries yet."

"Claim him. Now. Take off his shirt."

"Stop it!" I mumbled into his chest.

"Still not talking to me?" he teased.

I looked up, cheeks puffed in frustration, and accidentally met his gaze. It was the kind of gaze that could suck the air out of a room. His eyes were molten gold tonight. His wolf was close too.

"You’re really mine now, María. My mate. My wife." He paused, and placed a fisted palm under his jaw like this was the most unbelievable thing of the season.

It was.

But the way he said it... it made something low in my belly flutter. That mix of excitement, nerves, and longing. My heart tried to leap out of my chest, and my wolf? She started doing pirouettes like a drunk ballerina.

"Touch us, Axel. Make us howl."

I groaned and buried my face in his neck. "She’s got a very active imagination."

"Can’t wait to meet her properly," he said, a grin in his voice.

"She’s a menace."

He chuckled. "Like you, then."

Before I could argue, he tilted my chin and kissed me.

He did it slowly and intoxicatingly like he had all the time in the world and I was the only thing he wanted to taste for the rest of his life. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, tugging him closer as heat flared across every nerve in my body. He tasted like honey and fire, sweet but smoldering, and his tongue stroked against mine with such aching tenderness that I forgot my own name for a second.

When he finally pulled away, I was gasping. My lips felt swollen. My thighs pressed together like they were trying to have their own private conversation.

"You okay?" he murmured.

I nodded, breathless. "Yeah. Just... Wow."

"Good ’wow’ or ’I’m about to pass out wow’?"

I laughed nervously. "Bit of both."

He tucked a stray curl behind my ear. "You tell me if anything doesn’t feel right, okay? This is your first time. I’m not in a rush. I’ve waited this long, I can wait a lifetime."

The sincerity in his voice just about undid me. My throat tightened.

"I’m scared," I admitted softly. "But not because of you. I trust you. I just... don’t know what I’m doing."

His expression softened into something so tender, so full of love that it made me ache.

"Then let me show you," he whispered.

And just like that, his hands began to roam. It wasn’t in a rushed or greedy way. It was with so much patience, I wondered if this was the same Axel I knew.

He pulled off my robe with excruciating slowness, fingers brushing against my back in a featherlight caress that sent chills skittering across my skin. The fabric slipped off my shoulders like a sigh, and suddenly I was standing in front of him in nothing but my lace panties and a heart beating fast enough to shatter ribs.

"You’re beautiful," he said reverently.

I tried to look away, but he caught my chin.

"Look at me," he said gently. "Let me see you."

So I did.

He took his time... exploring every inch of me with his hands, his eyes, his mouth. He kissed down my neck, tongue tracing over my pulse. Then lower, down to the swell of my breasts, where he paused, nuzzling against them like they were sacred.

I had no idea what to do. Axel and I had made out before, but never with my clothes off. Not with the intent of making love after. Not on our wedding night.

But tonight was ours. It was the night of the popular ’more’ I’d been crying about wanting all along. And now that it was here, I was lost as to how to proceed.

Then—oh God.

His mouth closed over my nipple, sucking gently at first, then with more intent. My back arched with a gasp. The wet heat of his tongue, the soft scrape of teeth — it lit a fire under my skin. I grabbed at his hair, and my hips bucked slightly, all modesty forgotten.

"Axel..."

He grinned against my breast. "Still with me, Mrs. Montenegro?"

"Barely," I whispered.

He kissed a trail down my stomach, slow and worshipful, until he reached the waistband of my panties. Then he looked up at me, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

"Forgetting our problems tonight," he murmured. "Just us."

"Even though our honeymoon is being shared with my crazy sister and your crazy brother?"

He smirked. "Even though."

And then he tugged down the last barrier, and I forgot how to breathe.

He settled me on the bed like I was a cracked glass that could break with the slightest nudge. The first swipe of his tongue between my legs shattered something in me. My knees trembled. I let out a half-sob, half-moan that embarrassed the hell out of me — until I looked down and saw the absolute pleased delight on his face.

W-what was he doing?

His tongue circled my clit with expert precision, coaxing wave after wave of pleasure until I was clinging to the headboard and chanting his name like a prayer. And when he slid a finger inside, curling it just right...

"Oh my God, Axel—!"

"You taste like heaven," he growled. "I could spend the rest of my life right here."

My wolf howled in agreement.

"Ours. Let him have us. Bite us. Fill us."

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