Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 197

Enzo's POV

The battlefield still reeked of blood when silence finally began to settle. The cries of the dying lingered in the air, broken only by the low growls of my brothers and the ragged breaths of the warriors still standing. My body ached from claw and fang, but the fury burning in my chest overpowered every wound. I wiped the gore from my face, chest rising and falling heavily as I scanned the carnage.

That was when my gaze locked on Bryan.

He stood there with his beta Henry, their army still regrouping after the slaughter. For a moment, we said nothing. The weight of the fight hung between us, the blood of rogues still dripping from our claws. And then the anger in me surged past the restraint I had fought to hold on to.

Without hesitation, I stormed forward. My fist connected with his jaw before he even realized I was moving. The impact cracked through the night, his head snapping sideways as he staggered but did not fall.

“You dare show your face here?” I growled, my voice thunderous. “After Lisa handed over our security details to you? After you used her to strike at us, you stand here like some savior?”

Bryan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing but his voice calm. “I never received a letter from Lisa,” he said firmly. “I never shared words, never exchanged anything. If someone is passing messages, then it’s not her doing.”

“Lies,” I spat, shoving him back a step. “You arrive with perfect timing, leading your army into our war. Do you want her back? Is this your idea of heroics? Pretend to help us, then take her as some prize?”

His teeth clenched, but he didn’t strike back. “I came because my father collapsed,” he said, his voice carrying frustration but not deceit. “The plague has reached him. Baron is dying, and our healers cannot stop it. The only one who can help him is Lisa. I came here to plead—not to fight, not to steal. Plead.”

I stared at him, searching for cracks in his words, for signs of falsehood. My wolf clawed at me to rip him apart, to punish him for daring to even say her name. But something in his eyes burned with urgency that wasn’t feigned.

Atlas stepped forward, growling. “Do you expect us to believe that? After everything, you think we’ll just hand her over?”

Kael let out a humorless laugh. “Convenient, isn’t it? His pack failing, his father at death’s door, and suddenly Lisa is a necessity. Sounds like manipulation to me.”

Bryan looked between them and then back at me. “Say what you want, but I’m telling you the truth. My father’s life is hanging by a thread. The plague is spreading faster than we expected. Lisa is our only hope.”

I bared my teeth. “So she should sacrifice herself for the same people who threw her away? The same people who spat on her existence, who laughed while she bled? Now she owes you healing?”

“No,” Bryan said quickly, his voice rising. “She owes us nothing. I owe her everything if she agrees to come. I will beg, I will kneel, I will pay any price—but I will not lie. She has the power to save lives. My father’s life, my people’s lives. I came because there was no other choice.”

The tension between us thickened, the warriors around us stiff, waiting for blood to spill between Alphas. My hands twitched with the need to strike him again, but something stopped me. The truth of his desperation pressed against me, forcing me to consider whether rage alone was enough to condemn his words as lies.

“Fine,” I growled finally, forcing the words out. “We’ll hear this together. You’ll speak in front of her. And if I see one sign, one flicker of deceit, I will end you where you stand.”

Bryan inclined his head. “Agreed.”

I motioned to Ash, who was already stepping forward. “Bring Lisa.”

Minutes later, she appeared, pale and weary, Calla close behind her. She looked exhausted, her steps unsteady though she tried to hide it. I clenched my jaw as I caught the faint smear of blood at the corner of her lips—she had been healing far too many during the battle. She had given too much of herself again. But when her eyes fell on us, she straightened, masking her fatigue with stubborn strength.

“What is this about?” she asked, her voice steady though soft.

I looked at Bryan with pure warning in my stare before gesturing for him to speak.

He stepped forward slowly, careful not to provoke. “Lisa,” he began, his voice softer than I had expected, “I came here tonight not only to fight against the rogues but because my father has collapsed. The plague has reached him. Our healers are helpless. I came to ask you… to beg you… please come save him. Without you, he will not live.”

Lisa’s brows furrowed. Her lips parted, but before she could answer, I cut in sharply.

“You think she owes you that much?” I barked. “After your pack destroyed her life? After they treated her like filth? Now suddenly she is your salvation?”

Bryan shook his head quickly. “No. She doesn’t owe us. She doesn’t owe me. But if she has the power to save him—”

“And what?” I snapped, stepping closer. “What happens when she collapses? What happens when the plague takes root in her body? She bleeds herself for our warriors already. And you want her to risk herself for your father?”

Lisa lifted a hand then, silencing both of us with surprising firmness. “Enough.”

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it cut through the tension like a blade. She turned her gaze to me first, her eyes tired yet determined. “Enzo, I don’t need you to fight for me right now. I can speak for myself.”

I clenched my fists but forced myself into silence.

She then looked at Bryan, her expression unreadable. “Your father is dying?”

“Yes,” Bryan answered, his tone raw. “The plague has taken him fast. The healers said he may not last another day. You’re the only one who can save him.”

For a long moment, Lisa was silent. She closed her eyes, as though weighing the weight of both packs on her shoulders. I wanted to step in, to forbid her outright, to keep her locked behind walls where no one could use her again. But when she opened her eyes, the decision was already carved there.

“I will go,” she said softly.

Every muscle in me stiffened. “No,” I snapped. “You won’t. You’ve given enough—”

She turned to me, her voice firm, her eyes blazing with a quiet strength. “It’s my duty, Enzo. My powers were given to me for a reason. If I can save a life—even Baron’s life—I will not stand back and do nothing. I will go. And I will return once he is healed.”

Her words left no space for argument, though rage boiled through me. My wolf snarled inside, demanding I chain her to this pack, to my side, to safety. But the resolve in her stare left me powerless to stop her without shattering the fragile trust between us.

Bryan let out a shaky breath, relief flooding his face. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, Lisa. I swear, you will be honored, protected—”

I cut him off with a glare so sharp he faltered. “If one hair on her head is harmed, if she is treated with even a fraction of the cruelty she suffered before—I will burn your entire pack to the ground.”

Bryan met my stare without flinching. “You have my word.”

The room hung heavy with unspoken threats and fragile accords. Lisa stood between us, too pale, too fragile, yet somehow stronger than either of us. She had chosen, and though every part of me rebelled, I knew I could not stop her without breaking her spirit.

But that didn’t mean I trusted him. Not for one second.

And if he thought I would let her go without my eyes on her every step of the way, he was more of a fool than I believed.