Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother

Luis, my dear, unfortunate cousin, remained still in his chair, his lifeless gaze fixed ahead, as I did what I did best; rant.

"Luis," I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "I think María José is already developing feelings for me."

There were no reactions from him as expected.

"I mean, I can’t really blame her," I continued, throwing my hands up dramatically. "I did mark her, after all. And, naturally, that means she’s affected by it. And you know what that means, right?"

Silence as usual.

I smirked. "It means she has a wolf, Luis. That’s the only explanation. I mean, I’m not sure, but I have a plan to find out. Imagine the face of everyone when they found out that they’d been wrong about her all along. I can’t wait to give her such a beautiful gift."

Luis, as the fantastic conversationalist he was, blinked.

I groaned and leaned back in my chair, stretching my legs out in front of me. "You know what else? My father—our dear, wonderful Alpha, has decided that I, too, must find a mate and get married within twenty-five days. Just like Álvaro."

At that, I noticed a slight twitch in Luis’s fingers. Not much, but just enough to assure me that, yes, he was very much suffering alongside me.

Good. Misery loves company.

"I hate this," I grumbled. "But, listen, if María José really does have a Luna wolf..." I paused and exhaled slowly. "Then I’ll propose a contract marriage to her."