Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 124

Alpha Baron POV

I sat in my study, the heavy oak doors closed behind me, shutting out the low hum of voices in the corridors. Preparations for the coronation were already being whispered about in every corner of the estate. Servants ran back and forth, advisors lingered like shadows, and yet here I was, stuck in the middle of something far more delicate—my son and his wife.

I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the armrest as I waited. Bryan had always been punctual, disciplined, and respectful. But Irene—ah, Irene was another matter entirely. Proud, sharp-tongued, raised in privilege, and still carrying the arrogance of being her father’s daughter. She had married into this family, but she hadn’t fully understood what it meant. Not yet.

The door creaked open. Bryan walked in first, tall, broad-shouldered, his expression guarded but steady. Behind him, Irene followed reluctantly, her chin tilted up, lips pressed tight in defiance. Even in her silence, I could hear the storm brewing inside her.

“Father,” Bryan greeted me with a respectful nod.

“Alpha Baron,” Irene said curtly, refusing to look me fully in the eyes.

I ignored her sharpness for the moment, motioning toward the two chairs in front of my desk. “Sit.”

Bryan obeyed immediately, sitting down and keeping his posture straight. Irene, however, moved with deliberate slowness, as though each step toward the chair was an act of rebellion. She sat, crossed her legs, and folded her arms, her gaze fixed stubbornly on the bookshelf behind me rather than on my face.

I let the silence stretch. Silence has power. Silence unsettles. And just as I expected, Irene was the first to snap.

“What is this about?” she asked, her voice cutting through the room. “You called us here like schoolchildren, as if we haven’t already given enough of ourselves to this house.”

Bryan’s hand twitched, his eyes darting to her in warning. “Irene,” he murmured softly.

I raised a hand to stop him. “No, let her speak.” My voice was calm, deep, and measured. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

Irene’s eyes finally met mine, her defiance blazing. “I married your son. I’ve done what was expected. But I will not be dragged through the mud or humiliated in front of this pack for something that wasn’t my fault.”

Her words hung in the air like a challenge.

Bryan’s jaw clenched. “Irene—”

I cut him off. “Do you think marriage into this family is simply about wearing a ring and standing beside my son?” My tone hardened, the Alpha in me surfacing. “Do you believe that being a Luna comes without sacrifice? Without responsibility? You are not just my son’s wife. You are the Luna of this pack, and with that title comes accountability—whether you like it or not.”

Her lips parted as though she wanted to retort, but I leaned forward before she could speak, pinning her with my gaze.

“You will make a public apology to Enzo.”

Her entire body stiffened. “What?”

“You heard me,” I said firmly. “You will stand before this pack and apologize to him.”

She scoffed, shaking her head. “For what? For protecting myself? For speaking my mind? That man humiliated me first! He made a fool of me in front of everyone and you expect me to bow my head to him?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “Because if you do not, your father’s pack will burn.”

Her defiance faltered. For the first time since entering this room, I saw fear flicker in her eyes. She leaned back, arms tightening across her chest, but her voice trembled as she spoke. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I slammed my hand down on the desk, the sharp crack echoing through the study. Bryan flinched slightly, but Irene jolted back, her defiance visibly cracking.

“Do not test me, girl,” I growled. “I have given your father mercy more times than he deserves. His pack is weak, his leadership questionable, and yet I stayed my hand—for your sake. But that mercy has its limits. If you refuse this, if you continue to let your pride blind you, I will not hesitate to take what remains of his lands and scatter his people to the winds.”

Her lips trembled. She looked at Bryan as if expecting him to intervene, to side with her. But my son only sat quietly, his face torn but his loyalty unshaken.

“Bryan,” she whispered desperately, her voice soft now, almost pleading. “Say something. Tell him this is unfair. Tell him you won’t allow it.”

Bryan’s hands clasped together tightly on his lap. His knuckles were white. He looked at her with something between sorrow and resolve. “Irene… my father is right.”

Her face went pale. “What?”

“Irene, this is not just about us,” Bryan continued, his voice steady though pained. “This is about the entire pack. This is about stability, about showing unity, about proving we are stronger together than divided. Enzo may be arrogant, but he has influence. Father is preparing for the coronation—there cannot be cracks in our foundation. If you love me, if you truly love this pack, you will swallow your pride and do this.”

Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, trying to hold on to the last threads of her pride.

“I can’t,” she whispered hoarsely. “I can’t humiliate myself like that.”

“You can,” I said sharply. “And you will.”

I rose from my chair, coming around the desk to stand in front of them. I towered over her, my presence filling the space until there was nowhere for her to look but up at me.

“You think this is about humiliation?” I demanded. “No. This is about loyalty. About unity. About proving that you are not just a spoiled daughter hiding behind her father’s name. If you want to remain Bryan’s wife, if you want to remain Luna, you will do this. Otherwise—” I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl, “—you will not only lose this title, but your father will lose everything.”

Tears finally spilled down her cheeks. She turned her face away, unable to hold my gaze any longer.

Bryan reached for her hand, his touch gentle even as his voice was firm. “Irene… please. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. We can get through this, but only if you stand with me. With us.”

Her breathing was shaky, her shoulders trembling. For a long moment, the room was silent except for the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth.

Finally, she whispered, “When?”

My lips curved into a grim smile. “Tomorrow. At the gathering. You will stand before the pack, before Enzo, and you will apologize.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, her tears falling freely now. Bryan pulled her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles as if to reassure her.

“It will be alright,” he whispered. “I’ll be right there with you.”

I nodded once, satisfied. “Good. Then it is settled.”

I turned away, my gaze drifting toward the window where the distant hills stretched into the horizon. Beyond them lay her father’s pack, still standing—for now. But one wrong move from her, and that fragile mercy would crumble.

Behind me, I heard her soft sobs muffled by Bryan’s soothing voice, and I let them echo in the study. Because sometimes, the harshest lessons were the ones that left scars. And Irene needed scars if she was to survive as Luna.

The coronation loomed ahead, and there could be no weakness—not in my son, not in his wife, and certainly not in me.