Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 190

Irene's POV

I lounged in front of my mirror, my head tilted slightly as I admired the way the crown perched above my dark curls. It wasn’t a real crown, of course—it was a gaudy little thing, gold-painted and studded with cheap crystals. Still, in the right light, with the right tilt of my head, I could almost see myself as the queen I had always thought I should be.

“Fix the train,” I said sharply, waving a hand at my gown’s hem where the silk pooled unevenly.

“Yes, Luna,” my maid stammered, her fingers fumbling to adjust the heavy fabric. She looked exhausted, her hands trembling slightly as she gathered the folds, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t my concern whether her arms ached or her knees hurt from kneeling.

“Slower,” I hissed. “You’re wrinkling it. Do you know how long it takes for silk to lose a crease? Of course you don’t. You’ve never worn anything worth more than the dirt under your nails.”

Her lips pressed together tightly, but she said nothing. She never did. None of them dared.

I leaned forward, applying another streak of kohl to my eyes, deepening the dark, sharp outline. I wanted to look fierce. Untouchable. A princess in her palace, even if this room felt more like a prison some days.

I was midway through adjusting my necklace when a sharp knock broke the silence.

“Who dares interrupt me?” I snapped, glaring at the door.

The maid scrambled to her feet, moving toward it nervously. “Luna, it’s one of the guards…”

“Then open it, idiot!”

The door swung inward, and there he was—the guard I had tasked with watching Bryan and Henry. He bowed quickly, sweat gleaming on his brow despite the cool air. His eyes flicked nervously to the maid, then to me.

“Speak,” I ordered, my voice like a whip.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him before he spoke. “Luna Irene… I bring word. Your suspicions were correct. Alpha Bryan and Beta Henry—they plan to abduct Lisa.”

For a moment, silence filled the room. I set down the necklace slowly, my fingers curling into fists. “Repeat that,” I said, my voice low, dangerous.

“They mean to bring her back here,” the guard rushed on, his words tumbling over each other. “Henry has bribed one of Enzo’s guards, a man buried in debt. When the time is right, he will open a passage, and they will seize her. Alpha Bryan intends to make her return… whether she wills it or not.”

Heat shot through me like fire in my veins. My chest heaved with fury, my vision narrowing until all I could see was red. Lisa. Always Lisa. That pathetic little omega, that cast-off slave. She haunted me like a shadow that would not die. And now Bryan dared plot to bring her back here? Into *my* pack? Into *my* home?

I stood so abruptly that the maid flinched, knocking over the jewelry box on the dresser. The crash of gold and gems scattering across the floor only deepened my rage.

“Useless girl!” I screamed, striking the maid across the cheek. She stumbled back, clutching her face, tears welling in her eyes.

“Pick it up!” I barked, turning my fury on her as the guard stood frozen, watching. “Every piece, now! And if I see a single scratch on the gold, you’ll regret it.”

The maid dropped to her knees, scrambling across the floor. My heart pounded in my chest, fury boiling over. I couldn’t stand still. I paced, my gown trailing behind me, my nails digging into my palms.

“She thinks she’s untouchable,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. “She thinks Enzo makes her safe. But she forgets who she really is. A servant. A slave. Nothing more. And now Bryan… Bryan wants to drag her back here as if she is some prize?”

I turned sharply on the guard. “Leave. Keep watching. If Bryan or Henry so much as whispers her name again, I want to know. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Luna,” he said quickly, bowing before slipping out.

The door clicked shut, and the room was filled once more with the sound of the maid’s soft whimpers as she gathered jewels. My chest tightened with rage I could not contain, my hands trembling. The need to destroy, to *control*, burned inside me until I thought I might scream.

That night, when the moon was high and the pack lay in uneasy silence, I dressed in a dark cloak. My hands shook as I tied the mask across my face, but not from fear. From anticipation. From rage.

No one saw me slip through the shadows of the pack house, nor did anyone notice as I crossed the quiet grounds. I moved quickly, heart racing, until the woods swallowed me whole.

The abandoned house lay deep within, its roof sagging, windows shattered. The stench of rot clung to it, but it was exactly what I needed—a place forgotten, unseen.

Inside, the air was thick with damp. My footsteps echoed softly as I entered, the boards creaking beneath me. And then, from the corner, a figure emerged. Cloaked, faceless, their voice low and rasping.

“You came,” the figure said.

“I don’t waste time,” I snapped, pulling the cloak tighter around me. “You said you could deliver my wish.”

The figure tilted their head. “If it is within my power, it will be done. What is it you desire, Luna Irene?”

I drew a sharp breath, my hands curling at my sides. “Lisa. I want her ruined. Broken. Taken away so thoroughly she never dares rise again. If Bryan wants her, let him choke on her ashes. Do you understand me? She will not steal what is mine.”

The figure nodded slowly. “It will be done. But there is always a cost.”

“I don’t care about costs!” I hissed. “Do whatever you must. Just make it happen.”

The figure gave a low chuckle, the sound like smoke curling in the air. “Then it shall be so. Your wish is heard.”

I left quickly, my heart pounding in my ears as I stepped back into the cool night. I could feel the promise burning in the air around me, heavy and dangerous.

By the time I returned to my chambers, the adrenaline had begun to ebb. I slipped inside silently, throwing the cloak aside—only to freeze.

Bryan was there.

He sat in my chair by the fire, his gaze fixed on me the moment I entered. The shadows made his expression unreadable, but the weight of his stare made my stomach twist.

“Where,” he asked slowly, his voice edged with steel, “have you been?”

My heart leapt into my throat, but I forced my face into calm. I couldn’t falter. Not now.

“I…” I began, then straightened, lifting my chin. “I was checking the perimeters. In disguise. Listening to what the pack thinks of our leadership.”

Bryan’s eyes narrowed. “At this hour?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, my voice gaining strength. “Because whispers are louder at night. People speak truths in the dark they would never say in daylight. Do you question my loyalty, Bryan? Do you think I would wander aimlessly while this pack suffers?”

The silence stretched, heavy as chains. Then Bryan leaned back slowly, his eyes still fixed on me.

“Very well,” he said finally. “But next time, Irene… tell me first.”

I forced a smile, though my chest still raced with fear and fury. “Of course,” I murmured, bowing my head.

But inside, I was already plotting. Already burning.

Because if Bryan thought he could bring Lisa here, then I would make sure she never lived long enough to step foot across our borders again.