Chapter 165: _ Broken
Axel remained mute as though he was deaf to my words. However, from the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, I knew he was feeling their impact.
"Do you know the consequences I will face? Do you know what they will call me? A desperate Omega who tried to seduce a high-ranking wolf. A disgrace. A liar. Some might even say I forced you. And do you know what happens to women like that in our pack, Axel?" My voice cracked. "They get banished. And with my Father, he’ll marry me off to an old, ugly, and devious rogue, claiming I have sullied the family’s name because I HAVE, Axel."
I took a moment to breathe, my chest rising and falling. "First, I am an Omega, and now, I got marked by my sister’s soon-to-be fiance outside of the mate bond?!"
His hands twitched at his sides.
I took a step closer, desperate for him to understand, to see what he had done to me. "I have lived every day terrified that someone would notice. That someone would pull at my scarf, and my secret would be exposed. Every time someone reaches for it, my heart stops. Every time someone glances at my neck for a second too long, I feel like I can’t breathe."
Axel’s breathing had grown heavier. His fingers curled into fists so tightly his knuckles went white.
Was he feeling it? The guilt? Regret? Did he realize what was at stake now?
"I have protected our secret. I have protected us. I’m not even good at protecting myself, but I have gone out of the way just to protect what we shared." My voice trembled, but I kept going. "And what about you? Are you just going to marry Rosa and let me be ruined?"
His face fell and I thought I had finally gotten to him, but when he finally spoke, his voice was cold. "I’m sorry, María José."
"Sorry?" I repeated hollowly.
"I have always wanted Rosa. Since childhood. And I won’t let one mistake stop me from achieving my deepest desire." He finished in a distant tone.