Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 102

Bryan's POV

I could feel my patience snapping like a thin thread stretched too far. The second they told me Irene had been released, I stormed toward her without even thinking about who was watching. My hand connected with her face in a hard, sharp slap that echoed louder than I’d intended, but I didn’t care. I saw her flinch, her eyes watering, her lips parting in shock as if she hadn’t expected it. But I wasn’t in the mood to coddle her or let her play the victim.

“You think this is a game?” I hissed, my voice low but carrying enough venom to make her press back against the wall as though she could melt into it. I grabbed her arm tightly, my nails digging in through the thin fabric of her sleeve, and dragged her with me. She tried to stumble along, but I yanked harder, forcing her to keep up until I shoved her into a darker corner, away from the few people loitering in the hallway.

Her lips trembled, her face still red from the slap, but I didn’t give her time to speak. “Do you realize what you’ve done? Do you have the slightest idea of what’s at stake?” My voice rose, sharp and dangerous, the weight of my anger vibrating through every syllable.

“I—I’m sorry, Bryan—” she tried, her voice quivering.

I cut her off immediately. “Don’t. Don’t waste my time with apologies.” My chest heaved as I glared at her, the heat in my veins unbearable. “If I lose this deal with Enzo today because of you, if even one thing slips, then everything I’ve worked for is gone. Do you understand me? I lose my right to be proclaimed, to be crowned, to be recognized as the rightful Alpha. Everything will fall apart, and it will be on your head.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes, her lips trembling as she tried to form words, but I had no patience for them. My hand pressed against the wall near her head, caging her in as I leaned closer. “You better fix this, Irene. I don’t care how. I don’t care what you have to say or do. But you will clean up the mess you’ve made.”

She let out a shaky breath, lowering her gaze. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I don’t care what you meant to do,” I snapped, my voice like a whip. “Intentions mean nothing when the damage is already done. Do you think anyone cares if it was an accident? Do you think Enzo will shrug it off and forget about it? No. He will use it. He will use every ounce of your stupidity to humiliate me, to undermine me, to prove to everyone that I am unfit to lead. That’s what you’ve given him.”

Irene’s body shook, her shoulders trembling as she pressed her lips together. For a moment, I thought she might argue back, but then she caught the fury in my eyes and lowered her gaze again.

I exhaled sharply through my nose, trying to steady my rage enough to focus. This wasn’t the time to completely lose control, not when the entire future of my claim rested on what would happen in the hall today. I grabbed her wrist again and dragged her with me, ignoring her small gasps and the way she tried to pull back slightly. My grip only tightened.

We reached the hall, the sound of voices swelling around us. The air buzzed with tension, everyone still on edge from what had happened earlier. I shoved Irene forward, forcing her to stand straighter, and hissed under my breath, “You will apologize. Not just to me, but to everyone. You will stand there and you will own your actions. Formally. Publicly. You will make it clear that you were wrong.”

She turned her head slightly toward me, desperation shining in her eyes. “Bryan, please—”

“No,” I bit out, my jaw clenched. “You think you’re embarrassed now? You think you’ve suffered enough? You haven’t even begun. You will do this, because if you don’t, then I swear, Irene, the consequences you’ll face from me will be far worse than anything Enzo or anyone else could ever deliver.”

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard, tears threatening to fall, but she nodded weakly.

I was about to drag her further toward the center of the hall when movement at the entrance caught my eye. The energy in the room shifted instantly, as though the air itself grew heavier, thicker. Heads turned, whispers rippled, and I looked toward the doorway.

Enzo was entering.

Not alone.

Ash was with him.

My stomach clenched, but I masked it quickly, keeping my expression neutral as my eyes followed their stride. Enzo carried himself with that damnable confidence, the kind that made others instinctively step aside, the kind that made his presence feel larger than the space itself. Ash walked beside him, his expression sharp, his body language calm but undeniably dangerous. Together, they looked like they owned the room—and everyone in it.

I felt Irene stiffen slightly beside me, her eyes darting nervously toward them.

I leaned closer to her ear, my voice low and commanding. “Don’t do anything. Don’t speak. Don’t even breathe wrong. I will handle this.”

She nodded quickly, almost too quickly, and I tightened my jaw, keeping my gaze fixed on Enzo and Ash as they moved deeper into the hall.

The whispers around us grew louder, people murmuring, some shifting uncomfortably as though unsure which way the tide was turning. My heart thudded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay composed. This was my chance. My moment to make sure Enzo didn’t get the upper hand.

Everything depended on it.

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But inside, the fury burned hotter. Irene’s mistake had dragged me to this precipice, and one wrong move could send everything I’d built crashing down. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Not today. Not ever.

And certainly not because of her.