Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother

Inside those walls, my girl was faking a smile for a husband she didn’t love. For a family that saw her as a pawn. She probably still smelled like rose oil. I remembered the scent clinging to her skin like second thoughts.

God, I hated how much I remembered.

I felt the twitch in my fingers again. Power itching to be used. I needed an outlet. Soon. Or I’d snap a tree in half just for the thrill.

"So what do you think?" Ivan asked.

I blinked. "About what?"

He laughed again, slapping his thigh like he was the funniest bastard in Spain. "About María José being the new Beta’s wife! I mean... I always thought she was kinda timid, you know? Quiet. Pretty, yeah, but soft in the head maybe. Now look at her. She will be running the pack. You think she’ll last?"

How about I think your head will look better when it’s not in your neck?

I smiled, even though it hurt. "She’ll last."

Because I’d make sure she did.

The night crawled by. Ivan eventually wandered off to relieve himself or harass the buffet table again—I didn’t care. I slipped away from the posted station, vanishing into the trees with the silence of someone used to being ignored.

Mateo had that advantage, too. He was just interesting enough to be remembered, just boring enough not to be watched.