Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 30: _ Just a Little Sister

Chapter 30: _ Just a Little Sister

"What do you think, Hugo? Think she’s as annoying as she used to be?"

Hugo hissed back a reply and I could almost picture him rolling his eyes. "She was never annoying. She challenged you. You just hate being challenged."

I scoffed. "I hate being cornered, not challenged."

"Same difference," Hugo replied, clearly unimpressed. "But we’ll need to meet her to decide if we can tolerate her. You can’t keep running forever."

"I’m not running," I argued, even though we both knew it was a lie.

Hugo snorted. "Sure, you’re not."

I pushed through the doors of the Packhouse, letting the cool air of the foyer blow over me.

The maids greeted me with soft smiles and murmured, "Señor Axel," as I walked past.

I nodded back, pretending as though I wasn’t seeing their inviting body language and not stopping. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk or flirting.

As I made my way toward the staircase, my mother appeared at the top of the staircase, her arms crossed and her expression ugly.

"Axel," she called. "Where have you been?"

I sighed, stopping at the base of the stairs. "I didn’t realize I needed to report my every move. I’m not a child, mamá."

She descended the stairs with all the grace and authority of a queen.

She was one.

"I wasn’t asking for a report. I was waiting for you to inform you of our plans for the next few days."

Oh, please. They could go skydiving if they wanted. I wouldn’t give a fuck in the world.

"Plans?" I forced myself to ask, already dreading whatever she was about to say.

"We’ll be visiting the De La Vega family in two days," she announced. "To formally propose Álvaro’s intentions to marry Camilla."

So much for avoiding Rosa.

I hissed through my teeth, running a hand through my hair. "You’re still keen on this madness?"

Her eyes darkened and the familiar no-nonsense look that could silence even the rowdiest pack member came into view.

"Axel, respect your brother’s decisions. This is an important moment for the pack. Even if you don’t like your brother, this is YOUR pack too. Definitely, you’d care about its prosperity!"

I swear, I didn’t. If Luis was here, I was sure he’d agree with me.

"Important moment. Of course. Because Álvaro’s happiness is always the priority, right?" I scoffed sarcastically.

"Axel," she warned, pointing a finger my way.

I held up my hands in surrender. "Fine. I’ve heard you."

Without waiting for her response, I turned and headed toward my room, wondering how I could avoid this visit.

As I closed the door behind me, I leaned against it and let out a long breath. The idea of stepping into the De La Vega estate again, of seeing Rosa, was enough to make my chest tighten.

But I couldn’t avoid her forever.

Could I?

On the brighter side, I’d see my little sister, María José. It felt weird calling her MY little sister, but that was the only justification for how heavy her plight was affecting me.

Like I was the victim.

Tossing my keys onto the dresser, I kicked off my shoes and shrugged out of my jacket.

My room hadn’t changed much over the years—dark wood furniture, neatly organized shelves, and the faint smell of masculine werewolf.

It was predictable, like me. Or so I liked to think.

I stretched, rolling the tension out of my shoulders, and glanced toward the mirror above the dresser. There was a line of dirt smudged across my jaw—likely from when I’d leaned against the car earlier.

Great. Another reminder that I’d spent too much time worrying about María José all day and not enough time taking care of myself.

I sighed, leaning back against the edge of my bed and scrubbing a hand through my hair. The more I thought about María José, the more frustrated I became.

She was just a kid to me once—Rosa’s quiet little sister, always tagging along, never getting into trouble, and always bullied by her sisters.

Now? Well, she definitely had gotten promoted in the bullying school. I remembered how she was the talk of the pack once when I came home.

Pretty flower, they’d say. What a bright future she has!

Life was fucking ironic.

She had grown up into someone who seemed to attract chaos wherever she went. Like earlier, when those idiots grabbed her.

"Why do I care so much?" I muttered under my breath, half expecting Hugo to ignore me for once.

But no, he was always ready to chime in. "Because you’re protective by nature. It’s your Alpha instincts kicking in. You can’t help yourself."

I didn’t have any goddamn Alpha instincts! Pfft!

I shook my head. "It’s not about instincts, Hugo. She’s just... Rosa’s little sister. That’s it. I’m looking out for her like I would for any kid who grew up around me. Like a little sister."

"Uh-huh," Hugo whistled. "That’s why you’re plotting how to teach her attackers a lesson? Or is that the kind of energy you usually bring to sibling dynamics?"

I rolled my eyes, pretending his words didn’t hit a little too close to home. "They deserve to be put in their place. What they did was disgusting."

"And you’re the one who has to handle it?"

"Of course I am," I snapped. "Who else is going to make sure they never pull something like that again?"

"Right. Because it’s about justice. Not about how much you care about her specifically."

"Exactly," I said firmly, ignoring the sarcasm in his words. "I care because it’s the right thing to do. That’s all."

I stood and made my way to the bathroom, ready to put an end to this conversation. My nightly routine was supposed to be calming – a way to reset and let my mind wander, but tonight it felt like a bloody tug-of-war.

Brushing my teeth, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The man looking back at me seemed tired, annoyed, and maybe—a little more rattled than he cared to admit.

"It’s Rosa’s little sister," I whispered to myself as if saying it out loud might make it sink in.

She wasn’t Rosa. And that was the end of it.

By the time I finished, my thoughts had settled somewhat. I crawled into bed, pulling the covers up and staring at the ceiling.

Hugo’s voice broke the silence one last time. "You know, you’re really bad at lying to yourself."

I didn’t answer. I just closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

Because María José was just Rosa’s little sister which makes her my sister—the little sister I’ve never had.

And nothing more.

... Right?