Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 225

Lisa's POV

I could barely breathe. My chest felt as though iron hands were pressing down on it, crushing me from the inside out. My wrists burned where the runes carved into the chains seared deeper into my skin, as if they wanted to carve themselves into my bones. The air was heavy, suffocating, vibrating with Malrik’s fury.

He stood before me, his tall figure cloaked in a darkness that seemed to bleed from him. His eyes glowed with that molten fire, his jaw tight, every line of his body rigid with rage. I had seen his anger before. I had felt his cruelty. But this was different. This was a storm, and I was trapped in the center of it.

“You dared,” he said, his voice low, each syllable dripping venom. “You dared to raise your hand against what belongs to me.”

His gaze flicked briefly to Irene, who clutched her ribs in the corner, still shaken from my attack, before snapping back to me. His eyes blazed brighter, the shadows thickening around him.

“I warned you,” he hissed, stepping closer, “that disobedience comes with consequences. Yet here you are, spilling the blood of my guards, daring to touch my servant. Do you think yourself strong, little healer? Do you think yourself untouchable?”

I spat blood to the side, forcing my voice past the burning in my throat. “I don’t belong to you. And if I have to die tearing down everything you’ve built, I will.”

His hand shot out before I could blink. The force of his grip clamped around my jaw, tilting my face up to meet his eyes. His nails dug into my skin, sharp and unyielding. His power poured into me, dark and suffocating, pressing against every corner of my mind.

“You will learn,” he growled, his voice reverberating in my bones. “You will learn what it means to defy me.”

He released me suddenly, and I collapsed to my knees, coughing. But before I could catch my breath, the ground beneath me glowed. Strange symbols, ancient and sharp, lit up in crimson. The circle flared to life, and pain lanced through me like fire.

I screamed as my body convulsed, every nerve lit ablaze. The runes dragged my power out of me, stripping it from the marrow of my bones. My lungs seized, my vision blurred, and still the pull continued, relentless.

Malrik stood at the edge of the circle, watching me writhe. His expression was cold, controlled, but his eyes burned with satisfaction.

“This is only the beginning,” he said, his voice echoing as though the room itself bowed to him. “You will feel what it means to betray me. You will wish for death, and I will deny you that mercy.”

The flames in the runes grew higher, searing my skin. My back arched violently, and I choked on another scream. It felt as though invisible claws were raking through me, tearing me apart from the inside out.

“I will break you, piece by piece,” Malrik continued, his tone calm, almost casual, as though he were discussing the weather. “Your body, your power, your spirit—everything will belong to me. And when you are nothing but ash and whispers, you will still serve.”

I tried to fight. I tried to summon the air, to twist it into a shield, a blade—anything—but the circle crushed every attempt. The moment I reached for my power, the runes drank it in, devouring it like a starving beast.

“Stop… stop…” The words tore out of me, strangled and raw.

He tilted his head, as if amused. “Already begging? How disappointing.”

He lifted his hand, and a dark energy surged from his palm, striking me in the chest. I was thrown back against the stone wall, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. My body slid to the floor, trembling, my vision spotted with black.

I could hear Irene’s laughter from the corner, weak but venomous. “She thought she could kill me,” she spat. “She thought she had strength. Look at her now.”

I wanted to scream at her, to silence her smug voice, but the agony was too much. My body wouldn’t obey me.

Malrik approached again, his boots clicking against the stone. He crouched down, forcing my chin up with a single finger. “Do you understand now?” he asked softly, almost tenderly, and that was what made it horrifying. “Do you understand what happens when you touch what is mine?”

I met his gaze through the haze of pain, my lips trembling, my voice a broken whisper. “I… I will never… be yours.”

For the briefest second, something flickered in his eyes. Then his expression hardened, and he stood.

“Very well,” he said. “Then I will teach you pain beyond comprehension.”

He gestured, and the chains at my wrists lifted me into the air. My arms stretched painfully as the runes glowed hotter, the links cutting into my flesh. The circle beneath me flared again, brighter than before, and another wave of torment ripped through me.

I screamed until my throat tore raw, my voice echoing off the walls. My body convulsed, every muscle seizing, my veins burning as though molten lead coursed through them.

I thought of my children. I thought of Elias’s small hands clutching mine, of Lyra’s laughter, of Aria’s gentle eyes, of Kael’s quiet strength. I clung to those memories, even as the pain threatened to swallow me whole.

Malrik’s voice broke through the storm. “Remember this pain, Lisa. Remember it well. For every attempt you make to resist me, every time you dare to defy me, I will multiply it. Until resistance becomes nothing but a memory.”

His power surged again, and the circle expanded, the light searing my eyes. I screamed once more, the sound ragged, broken, until my voice gave out and only silence fell from my lips.

And still, the pain continued.