Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 64: _ Look What You’ve Done to Her

Chapter 64: _ Look What You’ve Done to Her

For the first time in my life, I saw my father hesitate. But it lasted only a second. Then, his features morphed into something even more furious than before.

"You overstep," Don Diego snapped, his voice dissolving through whatever tension had momentarily stalled him earlier.

Axel didn’t fold.

My father took a step forward, holding up a finger his way. "Do not presume to tell me how to handle my family."

Axel’s jaw clenched, but he held his ground.

"For someone who constantly rebels—someone who disrespects his own family, shames his bloodline, and drags his pack’s name through the dirt—you have an awful lot to say about mine!" Don Diego thundered.

I gasped.

Camilla smirked.

Rosa winced. "Papá"

Axel, for the first time since we arrived, visibly stiffened.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if María José is already following your ways," my father sneered. "If she’s already learning from you—learning how to disgrace me."

We were all so caught off-guard, that no sound escaped us. No one expected Don Diego to so willingly disrespect a Beta, not to mention the PACK’s beta.

Axel exhaled slowly and I saw his hands curling into fists at his sides.

For the first time tonight, he had nothing to say.

And me? I had never hated my father more.

Not because of what he was saying to me—no, I was used to that.

But because of what he was saying to Axel.

Because Axel was someone who had no reason to. He was someone who owed me nothing but had stood up for me. He had defended me. He had fought for me when nobody else would.

And for that, my father insulted him.

For that, my father tried to shame him.

The tension in the foyer felt like the air itself was holding its breath, waiting for the storm to pass. But I knew, deep down, it wasn’t going to pass.

It was going to explode.

Axel stood in front of my father, his face hard, his jaw clenched so tight that I could almost hear the muscles straining. He wasn’t a man who took insults well, and when my father spat words like venom, Axel wasn’t about to cower.

"You don’t get it, do you, Don Diego?" Axel’s voice was filled with the kind of anger I’d never seen from him before. It was raw and open, like a wound he couldn’t hide.

Why was he so hurt on my behalf?

"I’m not here to make trouble. I’m here to make you see that your family’s name is in the dirt, and you’re the one dragging it through the muck."

I saw my father’s face tighten, his nostrils flaring, his lips pressing together in a thin line. The rage shooting across his face now was very much palpable.

It was the same look he always got when he was about to explode, but this time, he didn’t give Axel the satisfaction of a verbal retort immediately. He was holding it back.

Hardly.

"Get out! I have no respect for you! You’re just a Beta. Do you really think your little opinions matter to me? You’re nothing but a useless servant to the pack, and you’re not even worthy of standing in my house. I’m looking forward to the day you’re renounced of your post, believe me."

There goes my father and his social patriarchy yet again. Everyone knew clearly enough that Axel’s post held more power than his.

My father was the fucking Gamma, but Axel was a BETA! Second in command to the Alpha for crying out loud!

Trust Axel not to cower, though I could tell every fiber of his being wanted to shove Father down into that damn door.

Instead, he stood taller, even if the room seemed to shrink around him and compressing the space between us. "I don’t need your post. I never did. You think I care about your stupid title and all this insane pack nonsense? It’s not the damn title I’m after, it’s the respect of the people around me. And you..." Axel jabbed a finger in my father’s direction, "... you’re not earning anyone’s respect. You’re making a fool of yourself."

I felt my heart racing. This was bad. Really bad. Axel didn’t pull punches, but my father wasn’t the kind of man who took disrespect lightly.

I could already see the way his eyes narrowed in on Axel’s words like a predator stalking its prey. He didn’t like being called out in his own home. Not even close.

"You listen to me," my father snarled, climbing down the porch. "Get out of my house. Now. I’ve had enough of your insolence."

But Axel wasn’t moving. If anything, he seemed more determined, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "I’m not leaving until you understand what’s happening to your daughter. Have you even looked at her, Don Diego? Do you see how she’s withering away in front of your eyes?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face. My pulse was racing as Axel’s words hit me with the weight of a thousand bricks. It wasn’t just about the bruises anymore—it was about the way I felt so empty, like a ghost of myself, walking around in a daze.

He could see it. He could see the parts of me that no one else could, the broken pieces of me I kept hidden. Hidden under my father’s ugly dresses and pants.

My father’s eyes flickered briefly to me, then back to Axel. "What are you getting at, Beta? You think you can lecture me about my daughter? She’s my business, not yours."

"She’s a wreck, Don Diego. She’s barely even alive, and you keep treating her like a piece of property. You want to know why she’s like this? Look at yourself. Look at what you’ve done to her! In three weeks, she’s barely recognizable. She’s fading away, and all you care about is your precious name." Axel barked, throwing his hands in the air as though that’d open my father’s eyes.

As though that’d make him see the little girl in me crying and yearning for his affection. Saying; papá, I’m also here. Papá, I’m hurting, dying. Papá, I need you.