It was late noon when Axel arrived; loud and full of himself, as usual.
I didn’t particularly care for his visits. But I couldn’t exactly throw him out, so I endured his rants, his dramatics, his complaints about life.
And then he said it.
"I kissed María José."
I froze.
For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him. If the gods were playing some joke on me. If cameras were hidden somewhere and he’d shout "It’s a prank!" later.
"Yeah. And, uh... I kinda bit her too."
My whole world fell apart at that. I felt pain like I had never known before right there in that organ that pumps my blood.
"And, uh... drank her blood."
What in the unholy hell?!
If I could have moved, I would have ripped him apart right then and there. I would have damned the consequences. I wouldn’t have thought of the tranquility, pleasure, and bliss that awaited me when I achieved my revenge.
I wouldn’t have thought of the devil and his warnings. I would have just murdered Axel in cold blood, right there and then.
How
dare
he? How dare he touch her? How dare he taste her?
María José was
mine.
He wheezed out a laugh. "Before you judge me... and I know you’re judging me—just know that I regret nothing."
I wanted to kill him. I wanted to rip out his throat and watch him bleed. But all I could do was sit there, trapped in this useless body, while Axel
laughed
about it.
The jealousy burned inside me like a wildfire, consuming every rational thought I could even latch on to for the sake of sanity.
He kissed her. He
touched
her.
And I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
At least, not yet.
Axel leaned back, shaking his head. "Yeah. I’m so fucked."
No,
I
was.
Because now, more than ever, I needed tomorrow to come. I needed my body back. And when I did, Axel was going to pay.
If I could have moved, Axel would be dead.
Right now.
I would have torn his head from his shoulders and used it as a centerpiece for my next meal.
He
drank her blood. Whatever the hell for?! Was he a vampire or something?!
And he had the
audacity
to sit there, wheezing out laughter like it was the funniest thing in the world.
I didn’t realize how deeply my hatred for him could fester until this moment. It burned in my gut, smokey and roaring, spreading through my veins like poison.
My entire body
boiled
with rage, but there was nothing I could do except sit there like the useless slab of flesh I had been forced to become.
Axel ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly. "God, Luis, you should have
seen
her face. I swear, she looked at me like I had just kicked a damn puppy."
I
will
kill you.
"She didn’t even say a word at first. Just stood there, looking at me like I had personally
offended
her entire bloodline." He chuckled, shaking his head. "
Dios mío
, it was so awkward."
I wanted to dig my nails into his skin, watch him bleed, make him
suffer...
"She
did
kiss me back, though."
I froze.
"
No, she didn’t!"
If I could have spoken, I would have shouted it.
Axel rubbed his jaw, wincing slightly. "Damn, Luis, she’s
strong
. I mean, I know she’s an Omega and all, but ...
carajo
—she’s got a fierce kiss right there."
Another rush of rage overtook me.
"But you know the worst part?" Axel continued, looking at me blandly. "I don’t even know how she
feels
about it."
My rage began to cool, as my mind did a huge calculation. María José had leaned into me so much the other day.
She had told me, whom she considered a stranger her problems, she had slept in my arms...
She trusted me. Hell, I bet she loved me!
Axel leaned back, crossing his arms. "I mean, I
hope
she doesn’t count it as anything. I—
ugh
—it was just a stupid mistake. A dumb impulse. I don’t even like women like that.
Dios
, what if she actually thinks I’m interested in her?" He groaned. "What if she thinks I’m trying to
court
her or something?"
My chest loosened finally. So he
didn’t
want her. Hold on a second, he had the guts not to want the most gracious and beautiful girl in the pack?
What the fuck did I mean by
in the pack?
María José was probably the most beautiful and angelic girl in the history of the universe.
The Moon Goddess was so jealous of her that she denied her of a wolf. The devil was so enchanted, he wrote a script for her.
And Axel, he dared to feel neutral about her?!
Well, good for me.
For a moment there, I had been ready to rip out his spine with my teeth, but now? Now I could almost... almost—
breathe
again.
"It should have never happened," Axel muttered, rubbing his temples. "She probably thinks I’m a complete idiot now."
She probably
does
.
I would have laughed if I could.
Axel glanced at me with a helpless expression on his face. "What the hell do I do, Luis? Do I apologize? Pretend it never happened? Change my name and move to another continent?"
The fact that he was
genuinely
asking for my advice only made this more absurd and funny.
If I were in control of my body, I would have smirked and told him to disappear for eternity. Instead, I stared blankly, letting him stew in his own stupidity.
Axel groaned again, shaking his head. "Whatever. I’ll figure it out later." He sighed, cracking his knuckles. "There are bigger things to deal with, anyway."
He then got serious. "Luis, the pack is a mess."
My interest was piqued immediately. That’s right, Axel boy, give Daddy Luis all the gist and information like the clueless errand boy that you are.
"The corruption is worse than we thought," Axel said grimly. "And you know who’s at the center of it?
Don Diego
."
That didn’t surprise me.
"He’s pulling some serious strings to keep his
own
hands clean," Axel continued. "And do you know what he’s done now?"
He shook his head sadly.
"He’s framing his
own daughter
for something she didn’t do. Just to save face."
...What?
I felt the sharp
snap
of my control fracturing.
"He’s painting María José as the weakest link, throwing her under the bus so the blame doesn’t land on
him
," Axel said bitterly. "To them, she’s just collateral damage."
Boundless rage thrilled through me.
The fury was so consuming, so absolute, that for a moment, I forgot how to think.
Don Diego. That
filthy, pathetic bastard.
He was willing to
sacrifice
his
own
daughter to keep his reputation intact? The need for
violence
surged through me, so strong it was unbearable.
I would
punish
them. Every single one of them.
The ones who called her weak.
The ones who treated her like nothing more than an
inconvenience
. The ones who looked at her and saw
collateral damage
instead of a woman who deserved the world.
I
would
make them
pay.
The rage sat heavy in my chest, simmering and patiently waiting.
Axel let out a slow breath, rubbing his face tiredly.
"And that’s not even the biggest thing," he muttered.
There’s
more?
Axel was silent for a moment, as if debating whether or not to say it. Then, finally, he looked me straight in the eyes.
"I’m going to become Alpha."
I went completely still.
My breath, if I could even call it that—rose for a second there.
For years, Axel had
rejected
the position. He had never shown an interest in it and had
mocked
the very idea of leading. It had been a wound that festered inside me, knowing that my uncle had
killed my father
for a role that Axel had
discarded like
it was nothing.
And now?
Now, he was
finally
acknowledging it. For the first time since this conversation began, the tension in my chest
eased
.
He was going to take the position. He was going to hold it for me.
For two more years... just two—I would endure this curse. I would continue playing my part, waiting for the day when I could reclaim everything that was stolen from me.
And now, I knew I wouldn’t have to fight Axel for it.
Because when the time came, he would
give
it to me. For the first time in years, I felt something close to relief.
"Not that I
want
to," Axel muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "But
Dios
, someone has to keep this pack from falling apart."
I watched him carefully. Maybe he
had
changed. Maybe he
was
finally stepping up.
And maybe... just maybe...
For the first time in my life, I could
trust
him with something.
At least, for now.
"You know, Luis, sometimes I wonder why the hell we were born into this mess."
So did I.
But it didn’t matter.
Because two years from now, everything would be mine.
And María José?
She would be mine, too.