Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 215

Irene's POV

The torches along the stone walls flickered as I walked forward, my boots echoing faintly against the damp ground. The air was heavy tonight, carrying the scent of moss and iron, the faint rustle of leaves outside blending with the dripping of water from the cave’s mouth. Lisa’s body hung limply in the arms of the guard closest to me. She looked so small, drugged into unconsciousness, her head lolling to one side, hair sticking against her pale cheeks. Her chest rose and fell shallowly, proof she was still alive.

Two guards flanked me as I led them toward the cage’s entrance. They weren’t strangers; they had served me faithfully for years, answering only to me. Their armor clinked softly as they walked, their eyes sharp, but their loyalty blinded them to what I was about to do.

“Stop here,” I ordered, lifting a hand. My voice carried the weight of command that they never dared to question. “Set her down at the entrance.”

“Yes, Lady Irene,” the one carrying Lisa replied immediately. He lowered her gently, careful not to let her head strike the stone. Her body slumped, limp as a rag doll, her arms sprawled across the cold floor.

The other guard glanced toward the shadowy opening of the cave, his brow furrowing. “Do you wish for us to accompany you inside?”

“No.” I turned to face them, my cloak shifting around my ankles as I moved. My eyes locked with theirs, sharp and unyielding. “You will not step one foot beyond this entrance. Leave her here, and wait. I will summon you if I need you.”

They bowed their heads. “As you command.”

Fools.

I let my hand drift into the folds of my cloak, fingers brushing against the hidden pouch. The powder inside was fine, almost glittering when caught in the torchlight. I had kept it close, waiting for this exact moment.

The guards straightened again, still watching me for their next command, still blind to the truth. I stepped closer, lowering my eyes as if in thought, and then, with a swift motion, I pulled the pouch free.

“What is—” one of them began, but his words cut off when I raised my hand and blew.

The powder burst into the air, a glittering cloud that engulfed their faces. They staggered back, coughing violently as it invaded their throats and lungs. Their eyes watered, hands clawing at their faces.

“My lady—what—”

I was already moving. The blade slipped from its sheath soundlessly, gleaming in the torchlight. I drove it into the chest of the man closest to me, the steel sinking deep. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening in a silent gasp as blood bubbled at his lips. I twisted hard, pulling the blade free as he crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud.

The second guard was still struggling to breathe, his vision blurred, movements sluggish from the drug. He reached for his weapon, but his hand shook too violently to draw it. I stepped in quickly, my blade slashing across his throat. Hot blood sprayed against my arm, warm and metallic, before he dropped to his knees, choking, and fell face-first into the dirt.

Silence followed. Only the crackle of the torches remained, the faint gurgling breath of the dying fading into nothing.

I stood still for a moment, watching them, making certain their chests no longer moved. Then I wiped the blade against the fabric of one of their tunics, the dark stain spreading across the cloth. I sheathed it again, my breath steady.

No hesitation. No remorse. They had been loyal, yes, but loyalty meant nothing compared to the mission.

Turning, I crouched beside Lisa. Her eyelids fluttered faintly, but she was still deep in the haze of the drug I had given her earlier. She didn’t stir when I hooked my arms under her shoulders and dragged her toward the dark mouth of the cave.

The entrance swallowed us quickly, shadows wrapping around me as the moonlight disappeared behind. The air inside was colder, damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and age. The stone ground scraped beneath Lisa’s body as I pulled her deeper, my muscles straining with the effort but my focus unbroken.

Step by step, the passage widened until it opened into the heart of the cavern. Torches lined the walls, their flames casting flickering light across rough stone pillars. The air was thick with smoke and something older, something that clung to the skin like a memory of death.

And there, at the center of it all, he sat.

The Elder.

An old man, but not weak—never weak. His back was straight, his posture regal, his long gray hair tied back, his eyes sharp as steel. He sat upon a stone seat carved with symbols older than any language I cared to know, his hands resting calmly on the armrests as though he had been waiting for me all along.

I dropped to my knees before him, dragging Lisa forward until her body lay at his feet.

“My lord,” I said, lowering my head. My voice rang clear in the cavern. “I have completed my mission. She is here.”

The Elder’s eyes glinted in the firelight as they fell upon Lisa. His lips curled into a slow smile. “So you have brought her.”

“Yes.” I kept my gaze lowered, though I could feel the weight of his stare pressing against me. “She has been delivered without suspicion. No one knows. No one followed.”

“Good,” he murmured, rising from his seat with deliberate slowness. The sound of his steps echoed faintly as he approached. “You never fail me, Irene.”

The words stirred something dark inside me. Pride, perhaps, or relief. I bowed lower. “Your will is my command.”

He crouched beside Lisa, his gnarled hand reaching out to brush against her cheek. His fingers lingered, stroking the softness of her skin. “Yes,” he whispered. “This is the one. Fragile now, but she will not remain so. She will become what I require.”

I lifted my head slightly, watching him. “What do you plan for her, my lord?”

His chuckle was low, almost mocking. “Plans such as these are not for your ears. You have done your part. That is enough.”

Before I could respond, a faint sound broke the air. A groan.

Lisa’s lashes fluttered, her head shifting weakly against the stone floor. She stirred, her breath coming quicker, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

My muscles tightened.

Her eyes blinked open slowly, unfocused at first, then wide as they took in the cavern around her. Confusion filled her gaze, panic sparking as her attention landed on me, then on the Elder crouched over her.

“W-Where… where am I?” Her voice was hoarse, small, but it carried through the silence of the cave like a scream.