Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 204

Lisa's POV

I walked slowly down the corridor, my heart still heavy from what I had just done. My steps dragged as though weights were tied to my ankles. Every breath I took tasted bitter, as though the air itself accused me of failure. My hands still trembled from the energy I had poured into Baron’s body, energy that had drained me almost to the point of collapse. And for what? He had not yielded. His heart had refused to answer me, his spirit had slipped away despite everything I had tried. My lips still felt raw from coughing up blood, and every part of me ached like I had been beaten from the inside.

I clutched the side of the wall, trying to steady myself. I couldn’t collapse here, not in this corridor, not before I gave Bryan the news. He had asked me to come, had begged me to try, and even though I had done my best, I had nothing to give him now except heartbreak.

I found him in the waiting area, pacing the floor. His shoulders were stiff, his head bowed, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought he might break his own teeth. His eyes snapped up the second he sensed me, hope flickering across his face, desperate hope.

I froze, my throat tightening. How could I tell him?

“Lisa,” he said quickly, striding toward me. “How is he? Tell me he’s—tell me you saved him.”

My lips parted, but no sound came out. His hands gripped my arms, almost shaking me, and I had to lower my gaze so he wouldn’t see the guilt swimming in my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. My voice cracked, softer than a breath, but it hit him like thunder. “I tried. I swear I tried everything… but he’s gone.”

The words broke him. I saw it instantly. The strength in his arms collapsed, his body sagging as though all the weight of his world had just dropped on his shoulders. His eyes widened in disbelief, then clouded with tears before he even realized he was crying. He stumbled back, pressing a trembling hand to his face as if to hold himself together.

“No,” he rasped. “No, no, no—don’t—don’t say that to me. He can’t be gone. He can’t!” His voice cracked like a boy’s, sharp and wounded. “He was fine last week, he was still—he was supposed to—”

I reached out without thinking, my heart twisting at the sight of his collapse. I had seen Bryan angry, commanding, cold, manipulative—but this was different. This was a son breaking into pieces before my eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, stepping closer, gently resting a hand on his arm. “I tried. I swear, Bryan, I gave everything I had.”

He didn’t shove me away. Instead, he folded, pressing his forehead to my shoulder, his body shaking as grief tore through him. I stood there stiff for a moment, shocked by his vulnerability, before slowly wrapping an arm around him. For a second, I forgot everything else—the cruelty, the games, the past. All I saw was a grieving man, and my heart pitied him.

But the moment didn’t last.

The sound of heels striking against marble echoed like sharp daggers through the air. A storm was coming, and before I could even prepare, Irene appeared at the doorway, her face twisted with rage. Her eyes went straight to Bryan, then to me in his arms, and the fire that lit up inside her almost burned through the walls.

“What is going on here?” she spat, her voice sharp enough to slice the silence in half.

Bryan jerked back, wiping his face quickly, but Irene’s eyes were already locked on me. She marched forward, and before I could step away, she shoved me back with both hands.

“You bitch!” she screamed, her voice echoing across the hall. Her hand flew so fast I barely saw it before the sting of her palm exploded across my cheek.

My head whipped to the side, pain searing my skin. The sharp sound of the slap echoed around us, and I could taste the metallic tang of blood at the corner of my lip.

“Irene!” Bryan barked, but she didn’t stop.

Another slap landed, harder than the first. My vision blurred for a second, my ears ringing. My cheek throbbed, but more than the pain, it was the humiliation that stung.

“You killed him, didn’t you?!” Irene shrieked, her eyes wild, her body trembling with fury. She began throwing papers from the table nearby, scattering them across the floor. Reports, documents, anything she could reach went flying, raining down around us like accusations. “You poisoned him, you witch! You dared come into this house and murder the ex-Alpha!”

“What are you talking about?!” I shot back, my voice trembling, more with rage than fear.

As if on cue, the two maids who had accompanied me into Baron’s chambers earlier rushed in. One of them clutched a limp rabbit in her hands. My heart sank.

“Look!” the maid cried, her voice high-pitched, perfectly rehearsed. She held the rabbit up for everyone to see. Its small body dangled lifeless, its eyes dull, its fur matted. “We fed this rabbit the same potion she gave the ex-Alpha—and it died instantly! She killed him! She poisoned him!”

I stared, stunned, the blood draining from my face. My stomach lurched violently. “That’s a lie! That’s not possible! I—”

“Don’t you dare deny it!” Irene screamed, shoving me again. Her nails clawed at my arm, and then her fist slammed into my stomach. The breath whooshed out of me, and I staggered back, clutching my middle.

The rage in her eyes was feral, pure madness. She swung again, her nails raking across my cheek, and I snapped.

I had been holding it in, suppressing the tide of power that constantly clawed at my insides, but her blows, her lies, the betrayal all around me—it was too much. My power surged, breaking past the fragile dam I had built to contain it.

My eyes burned. My skin buzzed. The air around me thickened, crackling with violent energy. I could feel it—dark, raw, hungry.

“Irene,” I growled, my voice low, dangerous, and nothing like my usual self. I raised my hand slightly, and the air shimmered around my palm. “Don’t push me.”

She froze for half a second, fear flashing across her face, but her arrogance quickly swallowed it. “Do it, then! Show them all what a monster you are!” she spat.

I couldn’t stop it. The energy lashed out, invisible but deadly. Irene’s body jerked as though an invisible hand had gripped her throat, lifting her off her feet. Her eyes widened, panic finally breaking through her madness. She clawed at her own neck, her feet kicking helplessly in the air.

“Lisa, stop!” Bryan’s voice roared somewhere behind me, but I barely heard it. My own rage screamed louder in my head. My body shook as the power consumed me, veins bulging against my skin. My vision darkened at the edges, but I couldn’t release her.

Irene’s lips parted, gasping soundlessly. Her face turned red, then purple. A small part of me screamed to let go, but the larger part—the part drowning in fury—wanted to end her, to silence her forever.

Then, suddenly—

Something slammed into the back of my head.

Pain exploded across my skull, white-hot and blinding. My grip faltered, my knees buckled, and the energy around me collapsed in on itself. Irene dropped to the ground, coughing violently, her eyes wide and terrified, but I didn’t see the rest.

The world spun. My vision blurred. The sound of voices rose and fell, distant and muffled, until everything went black.