<h4>Chapter 129: _ The Verdict</h4>


    álvaro wiped the blood dripping from the side of his head, his dark eyes burning with hatred. His nostrils red, and his whole body trembled, but whether it was from rage or exhaustion, I couldn’t tell.


    What I <i>could</i> tell, however, was that my little brother was about five seconds away from trying to rip my head off.


    "What did you say? I’ll kill you!" He spat.


    I tilted my head and gave him an unimpressed look. "Huh. Last I checked, I wasn’t the one who needed <i>Daddy</i> to do everything for me."


    álvaro’s face turned a full-blown shade of red. For a second, I thought he might start foaming at the mouth.


    And then, just as expected...


    <i>BAM!</i>


    His fist mmed into my cheek again, knocking my head to the side. Pain exploded through my skull, but honestly? The satisfaction of pissing him off outweighed the sting.


    "Temper, temper," I taunted, rolling my jaw as I straightened. "Keep this up, and people might think you’re unfit to lead."


    That did it. álvaro pounced at me with a snarl, his hands grabbing at my cor, and we were at it again.


    We crashed into the dining table for the second time that morning, dishes flying, silverware ttering. My mother shrieked, but at this point, it was just background noise. My focus was solely on wiping that smug <i>I’m-the-rightful-heir look</i> off álvaro’s face.


    I swung my fist into his ribs, making him grunt, but the little bastard retaliated instantly, mming his forehead against mine.


    For a brief moment, my vision blurred and I could hear Hugo howling and begging toe out.


    <i>Never. I didn’t need my wolf to put this pompous idiot in his ce. </i>


    "<i>Puta madre,</i>" I cursed, shaking my head to clear the dizziness.


    álvaro used the distraction to drive his knee into my stomach, but I twisted at thest second, catching his wrist and yanking him forward. He stumbled, and I used the opportunity to throw him over my shoulder.


    He hit the ground with a heavy <i>thud</i> and groaned.


    I grinned. "You’re getting slow, <i>hermanito.</i> Maybey off the overpriced pastries."


    álvaro growled and sprang to his feet, throwing another wild punch. I dodged,ughing, but I should’ve known better than to let my guard down because the next thing I knew...


    <i>THUNK.</i>


    I was tackled.


    We hit the floor again, rolling, fists flying. Somewhere in the chaos, he got a good hit to my ribs, and Inded a satisfying punch to his jaw.


    "<i>Hijo de puta!</i>" álvaro spat, grabbing my shirt.


    <i>Really? Son of a bitch? Me?</i>


    "Takes one to know one," I shot back, kicking him off me.


    We both scrambled up, breathing hard, bruises already forming on each of our bodies. Around us, the guards looked skeptical, clearly unsure whether stepping in was worth the risk of getting caught in the crossfire.


    "Shouldn’t we, uh... do something?" one guard muttered.


    "You first," his friend replied.


    Fair.


    But before either of them could gather the courage to intervene...


    "<i>?Basta!</i>"


    Our father’s furious roar cut through our brawl like a whip, freezing us both.


    I was about to tell him to keep hisckey in check when... <i>SMACK!</i>


    A sharp sting exploded across my face as my father’s palm hit my cheek.


    For a second, I just stood there, head turned from the force of the p, blinking in surprise. Of course, he’d hit me and spare his favorite.


    "Well," I muttered, rubbing my jaw. "That’s one way to greet your firstborn."


    My father was <i>not</i> amused.


    "Do you think the Alpha position is a joke?" he snapped, his voice thunderous. "Is this some game to you?"


    I met his re without flinching. "No. That’s exactly why I don’t want it ending up with a <i>joke</i> like álvaro."


    álvaro made a noise that was probably meant to be a word but came out as an enraged sputter. He lunged at me again, but our father shot him a sharp look, and for once, <i>miraculously</i>, he stopped himself.


    "You think you’re ready for this responsibility?" our father continued, crossing his arms. "You have no idea what it means to be Alpha."


    I rolled my shoulders. "I’m willing to learn."


    "And if that means finding your Luna?"


    I frowned. "Excuse me?"


    My father’s expression was deadly serious. "A pack is nothing without its Luna. If you’re serious about challenging for Alpha, then you’ll need to choose a mate."


    I scoffed. "Oh, <i>please</i>. Since when do we force Alphas into marriage before they take their position?"


    "Since the pack needs stability," he snapped. "And in case you haven’t noticed, you are <i>not</i> a stable choice."


    Ouch.


    I opened my mouth to argue, but he wasn’t finished.


    "Rosa and Emilia Vásquez are the only unmated women in the pack with Luna wolves," he said firmly. "If you want to be Alpha, you will pick one of them."


    None, please!


    "Are you <i>serious</i>? I can just wait another year and find a better option."


    Or wait and see if María José’s wolf would be awakened by then. What the fuck was I thinking about? Why on earth would I want to wait for María José.


    Well, for one, the poor girl already had my mark and...


    My thoughts were interrupted when álvaro stepped forward immediately, eyes zing. "<i>No!</i> He doesn’t get a chance at all! You can’t just let him..."


    "Shut <i>up,</i> álvaro," I snapped, exasperated.


    If getting married meant taking back the position from álvaro, then so be it. I just couldn’t stand him acting like the position belonged to him when it never did.


    And then, in a moment of sheer, reckless irritation...


    "Fine," I said, throwing my hands in the air. "I’ll marry Rosa."


    The second the words left my mouth, the entire room went silent.


    Dead. Silent.


    álvaro’s mouth dropped open. My mother’s teacup <i>actually</i> slipped from her fingers and shattered against the floor. Even the guards looked like they wished they could fade into the wallpaper.


    No one had expected me to dere marriage when I had made it my life’s goal to avoid it.


    And my father... well. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.


    <i>As if he knew I had just dug my grave. </i>


    <i>My grave.... Right. Did I just dere getting married to Rosa?</i>


    I blinked, suddenly realizing what I’d just done.


    "Wait," I said, holding up a finger. "That doesn’t count. I was <i>angry...</i>"


    "No take-backs," my father interrupted, smirking for the first time that morning. "Now, here is my verdict. In twenty-seven days, you are both getting married to the De La Vega Lunas. Now, whoever produces a male heir first gets the position."