Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 148

Lisa's pov

I searched all over the house for him, my bare feet padding softly against the polished floor. The halls felt too quiet without him, too big, too lonely. My fingers brushed the wall as I walked, just to ground myself, because my heart was restless, like I was looking for a missing piece.

Enzo.

I wanted to see him, to breathe in his presence, to lose myself in those eyes that had a way of tearing me apart and stitching me back together in the same second. After what had happened earlier with Calla and Irene, I needed him—not just as Alpha, not just as protector, but as the man whose touch seemed to make sense of my chaos.

I peeked into the sitting room. Empty. I checked the balcony. Empty. Finally, when I pushed open the door to his chambers, I saw him sitting by the window, shirt sleeves rolled up, forearms resting on his thighs, staring at something far away in the distance like his mind was lost somewhere beyond the horizon.

“Enzo…” My voice came out soft, almost unsure, like maybe I was afraid of intruding.

His head snapped up immediately, his sharp gaze locking onto me, and then it softened so fast it made my chest ache. “Lisa.”

He stood, moving toward me with those long, easy strides that made him seem so powerful yet so unbearably tender when it was just us. He reached me, cupped my cheek with his palm, and I melted into it like I always did.

“I was looking for you,” I whispered.

“I’m here.” His thumb brushed along my cheekbone. “How was your day?”

I almost laughed. It was the simplest question, but it carried so much weight, because my day had been everything but simple. “It was… eventful,” I said.

His brows arched, and he guided me to sit with him on the edge of the bed. His body turned toward me fully, one hand still holding mine, the other resting against my thigh like he needed that contact.

“Tell me.”

I exhaled slowly, leaning my head against his shoulder for a second before pulling back to look at him. “I went to the kitchen earlier. Irene wanted juice, so I kept making it. Over and over again.”

His jaw tightened slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. His silence was patient, waiting, urging me on.

“Calla caught me,” I continued. “She asked who I was making the juice for. When I said Irene, she got angry. She dragged me straight back to Irene and told her off in front of everyone.”

His eyes flickered, a storm brewing there. “She dragged you?”

“Yes, but not in a bad way. More like—like she was tired of me letting Irene walk over me.” I shook my head. “Calla stood there and said that the same way Irene is the Alpha Luna, I am your mate and deserve respect. She told Irene that if she wanted a drink, she should call a servant instead of treating me like one.”

I swallowed, watching his reaction carefully. His lips pressed into a line, but then something shifted, a flicker of pride dancing through his expression.

“She said that?” he asked, softer now.

I nodded. “Yes. She said it right in front of everyone. She didn’t hide it. And… she also said she knew I was your mate because it was obvious. She said you admitted it the day I beat Irene at the annual celebration.”

The silence that followed was thick, heavy, wrapping itself around us like smoke. My chest tightened. “Enzo… people know. They’re aware. It’s not just us anymore.”

And then he smiled.

Not just any smile—one of those rare, slow ones that curved his lips and lit his eyes like fire, the kind that made my breath hitch and my heart slam against my ribs. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles, his gaze never leaving mine.

“I don’t care if they know,” he murmured against my skin. “I’ve never cared. Do you think I’ve been trying to hide you? No, Lisa. I’ve been waiting for the right moment, but not because I was ashamed of you. Never that. I was only protecting you.”

His words sank into me, warm and dangerous all at once. “Protecting me?”

“Yes.” His voice was low, intimate. “You don’t understand how vulnerable a mate bond can make someone in my position. Enemies will use you, rivals will target you. But I promise you—whether the whole world knows or not—you are mine. And I will never let anyone disrespect you.”

My throat tightened. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a shaky, “Enzo…”

He leaned closer, pressing his forehead against mine. His scent filled me, grounding me, intoxicating me. “Tell me, Lisa,” he whispered. “Did it hurt you when Irene treated you that way?”

I nodded slightly, blinking back the sting in my eyes. “Yes. I wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to cause problems. I thought if I just stayed quiet, it would be fine.”

He pulled back enough to cup my face in both hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes burned with something fierce, protective, and unyielding. “No. Never quiet again. Not when it comes to you. You are not less. You are not someone to be ordered around. You are mine, Lisa. My equal. My mate. Do you understand that?”

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. “Yes.”

His thumb caught it, wiped it away. “Say it again.”

“I understand,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I’m your mate.”

His lips curved again, but this time it wasn’t just pride—it was tenderness so raw it undid me. He leaned in and kissed me, slow and deliberate, like he was sealing those words into my soul. I melted, my hands clutching at his shirt as if I’d fall apart without him.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine again, his breath mingling with mine. “That’s my girl,” he murmured.

I couldn’t help the soft laugh that slipped out. “You sound so smug when you say that.”

“Because I am.” He smirked faintly, brushing his nose against mine. “Do you have any idea what you do to me, Lisa? The way you make me feel? I walk into a room and if you’re not there, I feel it. My wolf paces until he finds you. And when you are there, everything in me settles.”

My chest tightened with warmth. “I feel that too.”

He smiled again, and then he tugged me closer until I was straddling his lap, my legs curling around him instinctively. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me like I was the only thing anchoring him to this earth.

We stayed like that for a long time. No words, just the steady rhythm of his breathing, the strength of his heartbeat under my palm, the way his hand traced circles against my back.

Finally, I whispered, “I was afraid, Enzo. Afraid of how people would look at me, afraid of not being enough.”

He tilted my chin up, his eyes piercing mine. “You will always be enough. For me, for this bond, for this pack. Anyone who dares to question that… they answer to me.”

Something inside me broke and healed all at once, and I buried my face against his neck, clinging to him like I never wanted to let go.

He held me tighter. “Lisa, you’re not just my mate. You’re my future. My heart. My reason. Don’t ever doubt that.”

My voice was muffled against him, but I whispered anyway. “I love you.”

His grip tightened, his breath sharp as he whispered back, “I love you more than you’ll ever understand.”

And in that moment, everything else—the drama, the whispers, the doubts—faded away. All that was left was us.