Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother
Chapter 81: _ Weakest Link

Chapter 81: _ Weakest Link

Did they really just sit there, these two full-grown men, and talk about María José, Don Diego’s own flesh and blood... like she was nothing? Like her only fucking purpose in life was to be scapegoated whenever something went wrong?

My breath came in sharp bursts through my nose, my entire body quivering with the effort it took to not storm over there and tear them both apart.

I had known Don Diego was cruel. That much was obvious from the moment I found María José in that butchery. But this?

This was something else.

This was intentional.

He didn’t punish her out of anger. He didn’t lash out because he was drunk, or because he lost his temper. No, Don Diego had stood there and made a rational decision to frame her. To strip away what little dignity she had left. To sacrifice her.

For his own fucking convenience.

Rage burned through me. Hugo snarled inside my head, seething, pacing, demanding blood.

I clenched my jaw, my muscles locking.

Not yet. Not here.

Not when María José was still lying in that bed, weak and vulnerable. I had to be smart about this.

But fuck, I wanted to tear him apart.

I stayed perfectly still, pressed against the wooden beams of the stable. My breath came slow, but my fingers twitched, itching to do something to wipe that smug expression off Don Diego’s face.

I hate the man.

The elder adjusted his cloak. "What concerns you more? The pigs, or the fact that the Alpha will want answers?"

Don Diego let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What do you think?" he muttered. "I’m the Gamma, the military leader of this entire pack. This kind of thing isn’t supposed to happen under my watch, much less in my own home."

I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. His home. Like María José was just some tenant he could evict whenever she became inconvenient.

The elder nodded, rubbing his scruffy chin. "Understandable. We can’t let this go unanswered for too long."

"Oh, don’t worry," Don Diego grunted. "We’ll find the culprit. Either that, or we wait for them to mess up again and announce to the pack that we have a witch problem."

My grip on the wooden beam tightened, splinters digging into my palm. A witch problem? These idiots were ready to throw the entire pack into hysteria instead of using a single brain cell.

The elder let out a thoughtful hum. "That might be the best approach. But for now, you’re sticking with your story?"

Don Diego shrugged. "Of course. I’ll say it was María José. That she’s cursed. That this is just her fate as an Omega."

I nearly saw red.

The elder made a noise of approval, as Don Diego had just suggested adding more salt to the stew instead of condemning his own daughter.

"Good thinking," the old bastard said. "No one will question it. It’s just how things are."

Just how things are.

Like it was normal. Like it was logical. Like it was okay.

I wanted to dash forward. I wanted to storm over there and rip them both apart, to make Don Diego feel exactly what it was like to be stripped of power, of dignity.

But I didn’t.

That’s stupid.

Because María José was still in that house, vulnerable as hell, and if I got myself in trouble tonight, there’d be no one left to help her.

The elder stretched, cracking his back with a satisfied groan. "Well then, I suppose that’s settled. We’ll keep an eye out for another... incident."

Don Diego nodded, already turning toward the villa. "Let’s hope whoever’s behind this slips up soon."

With that, the elder adjusted his cloak and strolled off into the night, leaving Don Diego to return inside.

I watched him go, my blood boiling.

It took everything in me not to follow him, not to break into his room and return every single wound María José had ever suffered back onto his body.

But I had to be smart about this.

I let out a sluggish, shaky breath. Then another.

After a moment, I turned away, creeping back through the shadows until I reached the estate wall. I climbed over with ease, landing softly on the other side. The pack house was a long way from here, but I welcomed the walk. I needed the time to think.

Because what I’d just overheard?

It changed everything.

There was a witch in the pack. That was a big threat. If the pack was under a witches’ attack, we needed to act very soon.

We needed to take formation, map out plans, and fucking DO something about it... not sit back, wait for another incident and hope they slip up.

Those bloody corrupt men would rather more bad things happen first to save their asses than to do the jobs they were assigned.

*****

By the time I reached home, the anger hadn’t left me. If anything, it had only settled deeper, like an ember waiting for the right gust of wind to burst into flames.

I kicked the door shut behind me, ripped off my jacket, and threw it onto the couch. My boots hit the floor next. Then my belt. Then a string of colorful curses as I paced back and forth, raking a hand through my hair.

I couldn’t believe this.

No, scratch that.

I could believe it. That was the problem.

I had known Don Diego was a bastard. I had known he didn’t see María José as a real daughter. Hell, did he even see any of his daughters as real daughters?

Except they were prized possessions meant to bring him glory.

But tonight?

Tonight, I had watched him frame his youngest without a second thought. I had watched him plan her suffering like a business decision.

The worst of all was the fact that the elder had agreed.

Like it was normal. Like it was just the way things were.

I ran a hand down my face.

This pack was fucked.

I groaned and flopped onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Hugo was restless, pacing in the back of my mind, snarling for blood. I knew exactly how he felt.

After all, I bit her. It was a claiming mark except there was nothing to claim. No wolf. Hugo didn’t claim her as his mate, however, it seemed as though there was something else there.

Something that accepted the invitation. That thing, whatever it was, has been connected to us. Somehow.

I would help María José get justice even if that meant the last act of service I provided for her before staying the fuck away from her.

But this wasn’t just about revenge anymore.

I had to be careful.

Because if Don Diego was willing to publicly frame María José for something this serious...

What else could she be going through in his hands in that house?

My stomach churned at the thought. I needed to dig deeper. I needed to know everything.

But first, I needed to not throw myself into a war and get murdered before I could do something useful.

So, with a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down, pulled off my shirt, and collapsed into bed.

Sleep didn’t come easy.

Because even in my dreams, I could still hear their voices.

"Omegas are there to take the fall."

Know what the worst part was? They believed it.

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