Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 165

Enzo's POV

I sat in my office staring at the same set of papers I hadn’t been able to sign for days. My hands were clenched so tight on the edge of the desk that my knuckles hurt, but even that pain didn’t distract me from the weight pressing into my chest. The room was too quiet except for the low ticking of the clock, each sound grinding at my nerves.

The reports scattered on my desk weren’t about the pack, not about security, not about finance—though they were there too—but the only name that kept burning through every corner of my mind was hers. Lisa. The woman I couldn’t get out of my head no matter how much I tried to drown myself in other duties.

I leaned back, jaw tight, and pressed my fingers against my temple. Sleep hadn’t been coming easily. Even when it did, it was restless, filled with flashes of her—her face, her voice, the way she looked at me when I pushed her away, when I hurt her without meaning to. That last memory… it carved through me like a blade.

The door opened without a knock, and I didn’t even need to lift my head to know who it was. Ash always barged in, never cared for formalities.

“Enzo,” his voice was clipped, urgent.

I lifted my eyes to him slowly. He was holding a folder in one hand, his expression grim. His presence broke the silence, but it didn’t ease the tension rolling through me.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice rougher than I intended.

He stepped forward and dropped the folder on my desk. “Bryan sent his report.”

I straightened, my eyes narrowing at the weight of those words. Bryan had been tailing every trace, every lead that could possibly connect back to Lisa. My chest tightened with a wild, fragile hope. “And?”

Ash shook his head. “Nothing. He swears Fiona doesn’t have Lisa. He’s been watching for days. She’s not there. He even questioned her movements, tracked her, nothing unusual. If Lisa went to her, she’s not there now.”

The breath I’d been holding left me in a heavy exhale. My fingers curled against the wood of the desk, nails biting into the surface. “Not there?” I repeated quietly, as though saying it again might change the meaning.

Ash leaned against the desk, folding his arms. “He’s certain. Fiona’s routine is the same—work, back home, barely any visitors. Lisa isn’t hiding with her.”

A muscle ticked in my jaw. I’d convinced myself that if anyone would help Lisa, it would be Fiona. The two of them had some kind of bond, enough for Lisa to trust her. But if Fiona wasn’t hiding her… then where the hell was she?

I dragged a hand down my face, the frustration boiling in my blood. “We’re missing something.”

“Or she doesn’t want to be found,” Ash said plainly. His words hung in the air like poison, daring me to argue, daring me to admit it.

I shot him a sharp glare. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s the truth.” He shrugged, unbothered by my tone. “Lisa left. She ran. You think she wants to be dragged back here? To you? To all this?”

I stood abruptly, the chair scraping back across the floor. “I don’t need your damn reminders, Ash. I know what happened. I know why she left.” My voice cracked despite my effort to control it. The anger wasn’t just for him—it was for me, for what I’d done, for every single misstep that drove her away.

Ash watched me silently, but his gaze was steady. He’d never sugarcoat things. He didn’t see the point.

I moved toward the window, staring out at the vast land stretched below. Wolves were training outside, the sound faint but present. Life went on in the pack as though nothing had shattered, as though I wasn’t breaking apart inside every day.

“What’s the next step then?” Ash finally asked.

I kept my eyes fixed on the horizon. “We keep searching.”

“And in the meantime?”

I turned back to him slowly. “We carry on. Like always. Nothing changes. She doesn’t want to be found? Fine. But I’m not giving up either. Life doesn’t stop for the rest of us.”

Ash studied me for a long moment, his brows furrowing slightly. “You really think you can live like that? Acting normal while she’s out there somewhere?”

“I don’t have a choice,” I muttered. “The pack needs me. They need stability. If I break, they break. And I won’t let that happen.”

Ash tilted his head, skepticism etched into his expression. “You’ve already broken, Enzo.”

The words hit harder than I wanted them to. My fists clenched at my sides, my chest tightening with the ache I’d been trying to bury. Maybe he was right. Maybe I had already shattered the moment she left. But I couldn’t show that weakness. Not here. Not to anyone.

“I said we move on,” I repeated firmly, my voice low but steady.

Ash pushed off the desk with a heavy sigh. “Fine. I’ll relay the orders. But don’t fool yourself into thinking this is sustainable.”

He turned to leave, but I stopped him. “Ash.”

He glanced back at me, waiting.

“When Bryan sends his next update, I want it immediately. No delays. Even the smallest detail, I want to know.”

His eyes softened briefly, and he gave a curt nod. “You’ll be the first to hear.”

When he was gone, the silence returned, pressing in heavier than before. I let out a shaky breath and sank back into my chair. My head fell into my hands.

Move on. Carry on. Pretend everything was fine. That was the mask I would wear for the pack, for Ash, for everyone. But inside… inside I was drowning.

Because the truth I couldn’t say aloud was simple—

I didn’t just want to find her.

I needed to.

Even if she hated me. Even if she never wanted to look at me again.

I needed Lisa.