Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 74: _ She Suffers Because of Me

Chapter 74: _ She Suffers Because of Me

{A/N}

Hi friends!

I intended to make this a bonus Chapter as a token of appreciation for all the supports you’ve been showering me and my book so far before discovering the feature no longer exists. :( Anyway, I do not take your support for granted and sincerely appreciates every gesture. Now, let’s keep them coming and beat our February goals! Thank you so much for reading! Love each and every one of youuuuu! <3

***

I took the stairs two at a time, rage pulsing through me, until I reached my bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and paced, my breath coming fast and hard.

That damn man. That damn Alpha bond. If it weren’t for the fact that I physically couldn’t defy him without my wolf writhing in pain, I would’ve spat in his face and walked away.

How dare he strip me of my right to leave the pack?! I was THE BETA for crying out loud. Maybe it was high time I took this pack’s game seriously.

Fuck, I was stuck here. Can’t run away, need to find a mate or a damn wife within a month.

Good grief—this was bad. Very bad. I might as well start garnering enough power that could ensure I could make my own decisions, free of the Alpha’s influence.

I raked a hand through my hair, yanking at the strands as frustration burned inside me. My fists clenched and unclenched at my sides, itching to punch something.

I swiveled gingerly, spotted the chair at my desk, and kicked it. It toppled over, clattering against the floor, but the sound did nothing to send soothe to the fire burning inside of me.

I wanted to fight. To break something.

To fuck something. A man’s got his needs too.

Been a while since I engaged in intercourse. I mean, I was too emotionally unavailable to even commit to a loveless sex.

Moreover, I was tired of women always throwing themselves at me. Before I smashed, I loved to chase.

I love me a woman with enough self-respect. Someone who’d let me pursue her like a prize. At least, that made the sex pleasurable knowing the heights I went to have that masterpiece in my bed.

The world would end before I could find such an enjoyable sexual experience in this goddamn pack. And yet, I was stuck here. Stuck in this hellhole.

"Life would be much easier if you took finding our mate more seriously." Hugo hissed in my head.

Can he shut the fuck up?

I half threw my hands in the air. "Isn’t it obvious she’s not in this shitty pack even if she exists?" I barked and then...

... I yanked off my blood-stained shirt, grabbed a towel, and stalked into my bathroom.

The shower water ran hot, burning against my skin as I stood beneath it, letting the heat sear away the pressure in my muscles. I scrubbed the dried blood from my knuckles—Álvaro’s blood—watching it swirl down the drain.

Eventually, my mind settled enough for exhaustion to come in.

By the time I climbed into bed, my body was spent. My mind, however, was not.

I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling with my thoughts running to me in quick succession.

I had done the right thing.

Hadn’t I?

Confronting her father and painting his mistakes in his face was the best for María José, wasn’t it?

But then why was my father’s voice in my head, hammering in the consequences? Why did my wolf feel uneasy, like something was wrong?

My eyelids grew heavy, and my body finally succumbed to sleep.

****

It was dark.

And cold.

I smelled damp stone and blood.

María José knelt on the floor, shivering. Her arms wrapped around herself as a shadow clouded over her.

It was Don Diego.

And Dios mío, he had a cane in his hand.

He lifted it. Brought it down. A sharp crack broke the silence. He’d hit her. Whipped her hard with his cane.

Oh, poor Marīa José didn’t scream.

She just winced, biting her lip hard enough to bleed.

"Please," she whispered. "I didn’t do anything."

Man didn’t listen. It was as though her pleas were fuel, recharging the intensity of the whip. It landed on her pale and tender skin harder this time.

Her body jerked and her breath shuddered as it left a trail of red lines across her flesh.

My own heart did a black flip.

I tried to move. To step forward. But alas! I was frozen.

I couldn’t reach her. Couldn’t stop the devil.

I clenched my teeth, my heart beating fast as rage boiled inside me.

The cane lifted again.

Crack.

She gasped and her body crumpled forward in sheer pain. I watched her fingers curl against the stone like only it could save her.

I can save you, María José. I can make it all go away. Look at me, I am here for you.

I wanted to speak, but my tongue remained glued to my mouth. It was as if a hundred rocks had been placed upon it... impossible to lift and even more unimaginable to speak.

I fought against the invisible force keeping me still, my muscles straining and every part of me screaming to move.

Then, suddenly... Her head lifted.

Her agonized gaze met my own horrified one.

"Axel."

I jolted awake.

.

.

My chest heaved hard and my skin was dripping with sweat. The room was dark with the only illumination coming from the dim glow of the moon outside my window.

It felt like the Moon itself had watched me sleep. The moon itself had infused that vision in it. A vision of María José.

One of her suffering the consequences of my actions.

It was just a dream.

But it wasn’t just a dream.

I could feel it in my bones. Something was wrong. María José was in danger. It was all my fault.

By the moon, I was only trying to help.

I threw the sheets off and sat up, my heartbeat loud in my ears in a way that had me convinced my ears had grown some hearts. There was only one way to find out if my nightmare was real.

I was going to Don Diego’s estate.

Tonight. I needed to see María José. NOW.

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