Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 151

Atlas's POV

Her body was still trembling when I finally pulled out, her hair tangled across the pillow, her breath coming in shallow bursts that barely steadied. The room reeked of sex and sweat, and if I lingered any longer, I’d lose myself in her again.

I brushed a strand of hair off her damp face. She murmured something half-conscious, nuzzling into the sheets, and I stood carefully, dragging my clothes back on. The shirt clung to my skin with the heat still radiating off me. My cock was sore, my thighs aching, but there was a strange calm humming under my chest.

It was still dark when I cracked the door open. The sky outside was the color of dying embers, that hour just before dawn when the world holds its breath. I stepped into the hall barefoot, carrying my shoes in one hand. The house was silent. Not even the guards shuffled at this hour.

By the time I got outside, the morning air slapped me cold and clean. I dragged in a long breath, rolled my shoulders, and shoved my hands into my pockets as I cut across the courtyard toward the training ground.

I heard the sound of steel clashing before I saw him.

Kael was already there, shirtless, swinging a practice blade with wild ferocity, each strike echoing like thunder against the metal posts set into the ground. His body gleamed with sweat despite the chill, muscles bunching and flexing with every blow.

He caught sight of me from the corner of his eye, a slow smirk spreading across his face as he lowered the blade.

“Well, well,” he drawled, leaning on the hilt like it was a cane. “Look who finally crawls out of her room. You look like you’ve been wrung out and hung to dry.”

I didn’t bother denying it. I just let the corner of my mouth twitch, slipping my shoes on, and walked toward him.

“You’re louder than the damn rooster,” I muttered.

Kael laughed, tossing the blade aside. It clanged across the dirt. He grabbed a rag from the bench and wiped his face, eyes never leaving me.

“So,” he said slowly, drawing the word out. “Did you make her scream?”

I shot him a glare, but he only grinned wider, teeth flashing. “Don’t look at me like that, Atlas. You’re glowing. Don’t even try to deny it.”

I exhaled sharply, shaking my head, but my silence was enough for him. He barked a laugh that echoed across the training ground, throwing the rag aside.

“Fuck, I knew it. I told you—you’d break her. And judging from that face, she’s walking funny already.”

“Shut up, Kael,” I said flatly, but there was no real bite behind it.

He stepped closer, then reached for the bench again, pulling out something wrapped in cloth. With a flourish, he tossed it to me.

The mask.

“Wear it,” he said seriously this time, his grin fading. “You think you can just walk around with your face out in the open after last night? You and Enzo… you and me… we look too damn much alike. Someone slips, someone talks, and boom—secret’s gone. You need to be careful.”

I caught the mask, turned it over in my hands. The leather was cool, molded perfectly to cover half my face. I hated the thing, but he was right.

I slipped it on, adjusted the straps, and tilted my head toward him. “Better?”

Kael studied me for a long second, then nodded. “Better. Keeps the lines blurred.”

I sat down on the bench, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees. For a while, the only sound was his blade whistling again as he picked it back up and started a new set.

“Lisa mentioned something last night,” I said suddenly, my voice low.

Kael paused mid-swing, glancing at me. “Yeah?”

“She talked about her birthday. No one’s ever made it grand for her before.” I shrugged, staring at the dirt between my boots. “I think we should. Something different. Something she’ll remember.”

Kael rested the blade on his shoulder, tilting his head like he was considering. Then a grin slowly curved his mouth again. “So the great Atlas wants to play party planner now? Interesting.”

“Don’t start.”

“No, no, I like it,” he said quickly, planting the sword into the dirt and leaning on it. “She deserves it, sure. But what did you have in mind? Cake? Balloons? Maybe a little clown show?”

I shot him another glare, and he chuckled, holding up a hand. “Alright, alright. Serious. We’ll think of something grand. She’s already tangled in all our lives—it’s the least we can do.”

Before I could answer, footsteps crunched across the gravel.

Enzo emerged first, his dark hair messy, his eyes sharper than usual like he hadn’t slept. Ash followed close behind, a towel slung over his shoulder, still drying his damp hair. Both of them wore the same guarded expressions, but the second they saw me and Kael together, their shoulders loosened just a fraction.

“Early morning gossip?” Enzo asked dryly, folding his arms across his chest. His gaze flicked between the two of us, lingering on the mask strapped to my face.

“Training,” Kael said lightly. “And maybe a little gossip. Want in?”

Ash dropped the towel on the bench beside me, his eyes narrowing. “What’s the mask for?”

Kael answered before I could. “Because if he doesn’t wear it, Lisa’s going to figure out things faster than we want her to. The resemblance is too damn obvious.”

Enzo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. He looked at me instead, his eyes unreadable. “And what were you two talking about before we showed up?”

I leaned back, letting the mask shadow my expression. “Lisa’s birthday.”

Ash blinked. “What about it?”

“She wants something grand,” Kael cut in, grinning. “And Atlas here thinks we should actually do it. Imagine that.”

Enzo was quiet for a moment, his gaze flicking away toward the horizon where the first streaks of dawn painted the sky. Then he said, “She deserves it.”

Ash nodded slowly, running a hand through his wet hair. “So what are we planning? A party here? A trip?”

“Not here,” I said quickly. “Too many eyes. Too many risks.”

Kael hummed, tapping his blade against his boot. “What about the islands? We’ve still got the private docks. Nobody to snoop around there. Just us, her, and a celebration she won’t forget.”

Enzo’s lips curved faintly, almost a smile. “The boat cruise.”

Ash exhaled a soft laugh. “That’s… actually not a bad idea. She’s been suffocating in these walls. Getting her out might give her a breath of freedom.”

Kael spread his arms dramatically. “See? Genius. We take her out to the island, party under the stars, maybe let her skinny-dip if she’s drunk enough—”

“Kael,” Enzo warned sharply, his tone cutting.

Kael only laughed. “Relax. I’m just saying, it’ll be a night she’ll never forget.”

I stayed silent, but the idea rooted itself deeper in my chest. A boat, the sea stretching endless around us, Lisa laughing under the stars, her face lit with something other than the weight she carried. Yeah. That was it.

Ash crouched beside the bench, resting his elbows on his knees. “We’ll need to keep it quiet. Supplies, staff, fuel—it has to look routine. No one can suspect.”

Enzo nodded. “I’ll handle the logistics. Atlas, you stay close to her. Make sure she doesn’t catch wind of anything until the last minute.”

“And me?” Kael asked, twirling his blade like a toy.

Enzo gave him a long, dry look. “Try not to ruin the surprise.”

Kael smirked, slamming the sword into the dirt again. “No promises.”

The four of us fell into silence, the weight of the plan hanging between us as the sun finally cracked the horizon. Light spilled across the training ground, catching the sweat on Kael’s shoulders, the shadows under Enzo’s eyes, the quiet resolve in Ash’s stance.

And me—mask strapped on, secrets buried deep, but a single thought lingering clear and sharp in my head:

Her birthday was going to change everything.