Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 189

Bryan's POV

The chamber reeked of sweat, incense, and unease. I sat at the head of the long oak table, my hands gripping the carved arms of my chair as the voices of the council droned on and on. Their words blended together at times—fear, desperation, complaints—all tied to the one thing suffocating this pack more ruthlessly than any enemy blade: the plague.

For weeks now, it had crawled through our borders, tearing down soldiers like they were nothing more than stalks of wheat before a scythe. Men, strong and loyal, had been reduced to groaning shells in the infirmary. Women wailed in the nights, children cried for fathers who would not rise again. It was bleeding us from the inside out, and these cowards around me thought talking in circles would mend it.

“Alpha Bryan,” Councilor Darek’s voice pierced through my thoughts, sharp and grating, “we cannot contain this on our own. Our healers are failing, herbs are scarce, and every method we’ve tried has collapsed. There is only one course left.”

I tilted my head, my eyes narrowing. “Speak plainly.”

He swallowed hard, then said the words that burned in my ears: “We must swallow our pride. Beg Enzo to return Lisa to us. She was ours once, she belongs to this pack by blood. We cannot afford stubbornness when lives are at stake.”

The room shifted instantly. Murmurs, nods of hesitant agreement, the stench of weakness rising in waves. My jaw clenched so hard it ached.

Elder Merek, one of the oldest and sharpest tongues in the room, slammed his cane against the floor. “Fool,” he spat, glaring at Darek. “You think that girl would return here willingly? You think Enzo, of all people, would hand her over to us after the way she was treated under our roof? She is not the same fragile omega we all dismissed, mocked, and broke down. I’ve seen the reports, heard the whispers—Lisa is a healer unlike any other now. She has grown strong, dangerous even. If Enzo offered her to us, she would spit in our faces before stepping back into these halls.”

Gasps rippled around the table. Some bristled at his words, others muttered in reluctant agreement. I leaned back in my chair, watching the old man, fury simmering low in my gut.

Darek snapped back, his face red. “And what would you have us do, Merek? Sit here while our soldiers rot? Wait until the plague eats through every family and every wall? Pride will not save us! We need her.”

“She will not come!” Merek barked, slamming his cane again. “You mistake her for the quiet girl she once was. That girl is dead. What lives now belongs to Enzo—and I say she would rather die at his side than live under you again.”

The council erupted. Voices overlapped, insults flew, the heavy oak table shaking under fists. I sat silently, my eyes scanning each face, each pathetic mouth flapping in fear and anger. Inside, a storm brewed, but I did not let it show. Not yet.

Then the door creaked open, and Henry slipped inside. My beta did not enter boldly like usual; he moved with calculated care, bowing his head slightly toward me. The council was too loud, too wrapped in their squabbling, to notice the quiet shadow sliding through.

Henry came close, leaning down until his lips were near my ear. “We have found a way,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin.

I turned my head slightly, my eyes narrowing at him. “What way?”

“One of the guards near Enzo’s inner estate,” Henry murmured low, careful not to be overheard. “He has debts—heavy debts. I’ve been paying him off quietly for months. Tonight, he swore allegiance to me. When the time comes, he’ll open a passage. We can take her, Alpha. Not beg, not bow—take.”

A slow, dark smile curved across my lips. Finally, amidst the bickering and cowardice, there was something real. Something I could hold onto.

“Good,” I whispered back, my voice rough with satisfaction. “Very good.”

Henry’s eyes glinted with the same hunger I felt. He gave a sharp nod and straightened, stepping back toward his usual place at my side, silent as the council continued to tear at one another like dogs over scraps.

I rose slowly to my feet. The sound of my chair scraping against the stone floor cut through the chaos like a blade. One by one, the voices faltered, until the room was silent and all eyes were on me.

“Enough,” I said, my tone low but carrying. “You shame yourselves. Grown men, elders of this pack, reduced to bickering children when our soldiers lie dying outside these walls.”

Several lowered their eyes, chastened, but not all. I saw defiance, doubt, weakness. It made my blood boil.

“You think Enzo will hand her over if we crawl on our knees?” I snarled. “You think Lisa—yes, Lisa—would even come if he did? Merek speaks a hard truth, one you all choke to hear. She is not the same girl. And you are fools to think she is.”

Merek lifted his chin, his sharp old eyes locking with mine. For once, I did not despise him for speaking; he had struck a chord even I could not deny.

“But,” I continued, pacing the length of the table, letting my boots echo with deliberate weight, “there may yet be a way. A way to bring her here. A way to turn the tide.”

Murmurs rose instantly. “What way, Alpha?” “Do you mean it?” “How?”

I raised a hand, silencing them. “Do not ask questions you do not need the answers to. I said there may be a way, and that is enough for now. What matters is this—you will stand by me. You will trust me. And when the time comes, you will see that I do what no one else here dares: take what must be taken.”

The room hummed with tension, but I saw it—the flicker of hope in their eyes. The desperation that clung to their shoulders like chains loosened, if only slightly.

Let them think salvation was coming. Let them believe I had the key.

Because I did.

And soon, Lisa would be back where she belonged—whether she willed it or not.