Chapter 146: _ The Kiss_Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by his Brother

<h4>Chapter 146: _ The Kiss</h4>

 María José’s words still echoed in my head, rattling around my skull like a bad joke.

 Because you don’t exist.

 Dios. It stung, and I wasn’t the kind of man who got easily wounded. But this? This cut deep.

 She stared at me now, her chest rising and falling with heavy And furious breaths while her hands clenched at her sides. A wild little thing ready to bolt or bite. 

 I should’ve been irritated, should’ve been nning a way to teach her a lesson about speaking to me like that.

 But all I could think about was how much I liked seeing her like this.

 So fiery. So untamed.

 So mine.

 I inhaled deeply, pushing down the part of me that wanted to grab her and force her to listen—really listen. I needed to fix this.

 I forced my voice to be calm. Reasonable. "María José, I didn’t lie to you."

 Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh, really?"

 I nodded. "I was trying to enlist. I wanted to be in the pack’s military. That wasn’t a lie." I paused, letting my gaze soften, as if the truth hurt me. "But... I might have exaggerated a little."

 Her lips pressed into a thin line like she was a mothermanding her ’I’m not licking the sugar, mommy’ son to open his mouth.

 I sighed dramatically. "Fine. I lied. Are you happy?"

 "Immensely."

 I rolled my eyes. Dios, she was annoying. Beautiful, but so annoying.

 "I only said that because I was trying to get involved in the pack’s military," I continued. "But technically, I was a guard. A junior guard."

 María José’s brows lifted in false surprise. "A junior guard?"

 "Yes, and now I’m on the patrol team. Got promoted." I added, puffing out my chest like that was impressive.

 She stared at me, unimpressed. "So... you weren’t one of my father’s men?"

 I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "No. But the guards here know me. Not as one of them, obviously, but as someone from the pack house."

 Her head tilted slightly, and then, to my absolute horror, a satisfied smile spread across her lips.

 "Oh, that’s perfect." She folded her arms. "That means I can prove you exist."

 What? My stomach knotted. That... was not what I wanted to hear.

 That meant she was going to report me, didn’t it?

 I forced out a chuckle. "Cari?o, don’t do that."

 She lifted a brow. "Why not?"

 I stepped closer. "Because it’s not necessary."

 She stepped back. "I think it is."

 I sighed. "María José."

 "Mateo."

 A moment of silence passed.

 Then, she inhaled, squared her shoulders, and opened her mouth...

 I knew what wasing.

 She was going to scream.

 Oh, hell no.

 I jumped at her.

 One second, she was about to let out a shriek loud enough to wake the dead, and the next, I had her pinned, my hand mped over her mouth.

 The impact sent us tumbling against the wall, her body pressed flush against mine with her wide eyes boring into me.

 And Dios, I wasn’t prepared for what that did to me.

 The feel of her, the scent of; her—soap and sweat and something sweet, something about her—wrapped around me like a spell.

 I stared down at her, my heart pommeling in my chest.

 And that’s when it happened.

 I kissed her.

 I didn’t know when I moved. Didn’t know when my grip loosened on her mouth, when my hand slipped to cradle the side of her face. All I knew was the way her lips felt against mine.

 Soft. Warm.

 Perfect.

 For a moment, she went rigid. A frozen, wide-eyed little statue.

 Then, with a sharp intake of breath, she shoved at my chest.

 I caught her wrists, held her still, and pinned her to the wall so that no amount of her jerkings could set me off.

 And then I kissed her harder.

 I poured everything into that kiss; my frustration, my desperation, and my need.

 She trembled, her body stiff at first, and then—Dios mío... she melted.

 A soft, broken sound slipped past her lips, and I swallowed it greedily, tilting my head, and deepening the kiss.

 My hands found her waist, sliding lower, fingers teasing, grabbing her small ass and puffing it softly like a stuffed bear.

 Then, suddenly, like that was my biggest mistake, she jerked back.

 "Stop!"

 I froze.

 Her chest heaved, her lips were swollen and her face was furious.

 "What the hell are you doing?" she spat, shoving at me again, harder this time.

 I didn’t budge. I didn’t want to budge.

 I tilted my head, watching her, studying the way her cheeks burned, the way her breaths came faster, her fingers still curled into fists.

 "Not apologizing, if that’s what you’re hoping for," I remarked.

 Her jaw clenched. "You should be!"

 I smirked. "I’m not."

 She made a sound of sheer exasperation.

 "If you don’t want to be kissed, cari?o, then don’t act so sexy when you’re defiant."

 Her mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

 "I didn’t kill the pigs, and it’s about time you believed that."

 She swallowed hard, looking suddenly very aware of how close I was.

 I took full advantage of that.

 "If I killed them," I murmured, smacking my lips as I gave her a once over. "why would I have the guts to show up at your door, knowing you’d try to tear me apart?"

 She blinked and parted her lips like she was at a total loss for words. She should be. I deserved an apology for the false usations. 

 I could hear her holding her breath.

 Good.

 Her defiance had crumbled just a little.

 Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what.

 I smirked. "Tell me, angel... what do you think that means?"

 She swallowed again. "It... it means you’re insane."

 I chuckled. "Maybe."

 A long, heavy silence settled between us.

 Then, finally, she whispered, "What do you want?"

 My smirk faded. I took a slow and deep breath. Even I hadn’t thought much about what I wanted from her.

 And then, without thinking, I said, "A chance."

 She frowned. "A chance for what?"

 I stared at her, my heart beating fast like that of a lovesick teenager.

 Dios.

 This was the moment.

 The moment I admitted it.

 The moment I realized it.

 I cupped her face, brushing my thumb over her cheek.

 "For you," I murmured. "I’d take all the risks in the world for you."

 Her lips parted slightly as she let out a soft mncholic groan, her eyes searching mine.

 I coughed out a breathlessugh, shaking my head.

 "I want you," I admitted. "And Dios, María José... I love you."

 The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

 I froze. She froze.

 A heavy silence fell between us.

 Holy. Shit.

 Did I really just say that?

 Did I...?

 Dios.

 I did.

 I loved her.

 The epiphany hit me like a tidal wave, stealing my breath, and knocking me off bnce.

 I had never loved anyone except for my dead family and maybe once upon a time, Axel and his wretched family as well.

 However, after that unfortunate incident, I lost all of my love. Never cared for anyone.

 And yet, here I was, standing in front of this infuriating, stubborn, perfect little creature... telling her the truth.

 María José inhaled sharply, looking at me like she wasn’t sure if she should run or p me.

 Or maybe—just maybe... kiss me again.

 And Dios, if she did...

 I wouldn’t stop her.

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Chapter 146: _ The Kiss