Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 188

Alpha Enzo's POV

I sat in my study, the weight of silence pressing heavily around me. The fire in the hearth crackled, but it did little to warm me. My mind was restless, spinning through the endless maze of responsibilities, threats, and dangers that seemed to tighten around this pack with each passing day. I had been staring at the same map of our borders for nearly an hour, my thoughts circling the same dark corners: protection, defense, survival.

The knock on the door came sharp and urgent.

“Enter,” I said, my voice low but firm.

The door opened, and Ash stepped inside, his expression tight. I could tell before he spoke that he wasn’t bringing me anything good. Ash rarely came into my study unless it was necessary, and tonight he looked like a man who would rather be anywhere else.

“Alpha,” he said with a bow of his head.

“What is it?” I asked, leaning back in my chair, though the tension in my muscles betrayed my calm facade.

Ash hesitated for a moment, which was never a good sign. His loyalty to me was absolute, but even he knew when certain words might spark a fire.

“It’s Bryan,” he said finally, his tone cautious. “He’s requested to take Lisa.”

The silence that followed was heavy, suffocating. My jaw clenched so tight I could hear the grind of my teeth.

“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice dangerously soft.

Ash straightened his shoulders. “He sent word—through Henry. Bryan wants Lisa brought to him.”

A low growl rumbled from my chest before I could stop it. My hands curled into fists on the desk, and for a brief moment, I thought I might break the wood in half. Fury surged through me like wildfire, my vision darkening around the edges.

“That bastard dares?” I hissed. “After everything he’s done, after the way he cast her aside, after the way she suffered because of him—he dares to ask for her back?”

Ash said nothing, which was wise. He knew better than to add fuel to my rage when I was in this state.

I shot to my feet, pacing the room like a caged animal. The walls felt too tight, the air too heavy. I could hardly contain the storm brewing inside me.

“He thinks he can demand her like some possession?” I snarled. “As if Lisa is some trinket he misplaced and now wants returned? No. No, I will never allow it. Never.”

Ash stepped forward slightly, his voice steady. “I already anticipated your response, Alpha. I’ve doubled the guard around Lisa and the boys. Every passageway near their quarters is under watch. No one gets in, no one gets out without my approval.”

I stopped pacing, staring at him. “Good. Very good. Bryan may think he can strike when we are weak, but he will find no weakness here. Not when it comes to Lisa. Not when it comes to my sons.”

Ash nodded, but there was still tension in his expression. “I don’t trust Henry. He’s Bryan’s man before he’s anyone else’s. If Bryan is desperate enough, he may try to use Henry to slip past our defenses. That’s why I’ve put in men loyal only to me on the inner circle of guards. No one from outside the core is allowed near her.”

For a moment, my rage simmered into a bitter kind of pride. Ash was always two steps ahead, always ready to move before the enemy did. That’s why I trusted him above all others.

“Well done,” I said, though my voice was still tight. “Bryan will try something, I know it. He’s desperate. He can see what he’s losing, and desperate men make reckless moves.”

Ash’s lips tightened. “That’s exactly what concerns me, Alpha. Reckless men don’t care how much blood is spilled to get what they want. We need to prepare for the worst. A request today, an attack tomorrow.”

I let out a harsh breath, running a hand through my hair. The thought of Bryan’s hands anywhere near Lisa made my stomach churn. She had endured enough under him, and I would be damned before I let her walk back into that misery. She deserved peace, protection, safety. And my sons—our sons—deserved a father who would fight for them, not bargain them away.

Before I could respond, the door burst open with a suddenness that made both Ash and I turn sharply.

Kael stormed in, his eyes wide, his chest heaving as if he’d run across the entire estate. His urgency filled the room before his words did, but when he spoke, the air turned to ice.

“Alpha,” he panted, “one of the bridges has been broken.”

The words slammed into me harder than any physical blow. My mind snapped immediately into battle mode, fury giving way to cold, sharp focus.

“Which one?” I demanded, striding toward him.

“The eastern crossing,” Kael said quickly. “The guards barely got out alive. It looks deliberate—sabotage. Whoever did it wanted to cut off one of our supply lines.”

Ash cursed under his breath. “Bryan.”

I didn’t hesitate. “Move. Both of you.”

We left the study at once, my heart pounding like war drums in my chest. The corridors blurred as we strode swiftly through them, the sound of our boots echoing like thunder. Everywhere I passed, wolves bowed their heads, but I barely noticed. My thoughts were fixed only on the danger, on the attack that had already begun.

The eastern bridge. Of all places, it had to be that one. A vital crossing for trade, for supplies, for movement between us and our allies. Breaking it wasn’t just an attack on infrastructure—it was a message. A declaration of war.

As we reached the courtyard, I saw the torches of gathered soldiers already burning bright against the night sky. Word had spread fast. Wolves were on alert, weapons at the ready, eyes sharp. The atmosphere was electric, tense, everyone waiting for my command.

I turned to Ash. “Double the watch on Lisa and the boys. No one leaves their quarters, no one approaches them. If Bryan thinks he can distract us with this and strike at them while our backs are turned, he will learn just how wrong he is.”

Ash nodded firmly and peeled away to give the orders.

Kael was at my side, his jaw tight. “Alpha, if the eastern bridge is gone, we’ll need to reroute supplies through the northern pass. But if Bryan is behind this, he’ll know that’s our only option. He could be waiting.”

“Then let him wait,” I growled. “If he dares to meet us there, we’ll crush him. He thinks he can threaten us, take what is ours, break what we’ve built? He’ll learn the cost of provoking me.”

The fury burned anew inside me, but now it had purpose. Bryan wanted Lisa. He wanted to strike at us where it hurt most. He wanted war.

And if it was war he wanted, then war he would get.