Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother

I should’ve snapped that man’s neck.

The third one smirked at María José like she was a discarded bone someone found lying in the mud. The third to greet me with that idiotic grin and a wink that all but screamed, "Nice catch, Mateo, how much did the omega cost you?"

The first one had said it under his breath, and the second one did it a little louder. But the third? He said it right to my face.

"Oh, you and the little slut headed somewhere private?"

I and María José were headed to the woods to find Rosa and her lover’s base, and this was what the pack members had to say about us as we passed by.

I blinked at him, tightening my jaw in pure rage because how could he? Oh, he’ll pay. How dare they refer to her as a slut?

Was it because she was staying with a man? They would pay right here and now. I could feel the magic in me stir, dark like a snake sliding against my spine—but before I could open my mouth and turn him inside out, she spoke.

"I’m not a slut, Ramón," María José said coolly, stepping forward with her chin high and hands on her waist. "But your wife might be. You should probably check where she’s been."

Ramón choked. I wasn’t sure if it was from the audacity or because she’d stepped on his pride so hard it collapsed his lungs.

He spluttered, trying to form words, but we were already walking away. Her footsteps were sharp beside mine, her arms stiff at her sides. I didn’t say a word. Not because I was proud. Not because I was impressed.

But because I wasn’t.