Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 285

Ryan was exhausted by the time he pulled up in front of his house.

The long flight, the tense conversation with his father, the visit to Serena’s house—it was all weighing on him.

He just wanted to take a hot shower, get some sleep, and deal with everything else tomorrow.

As he stepped out of the car, Jefferson smirked at him from the passenger seat.

“You sure you don’t want me to come in and make sure no surprises are waiting for you?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “What surprises?”

Jefferson shrugged.

“I don’t know… maybe a very angry girlfriend who just found out you were in town from your parents instead of you?”

Ryan let out a sigh. “I didn’t tell Kate I was coming back today. But she doesn’t have any reason to—”

He stopped mid-sentence as realization hit him. Kate was with his parents.

She must have been there when his father called him earlier. If she had expected him to be home and he wasn’t…

“Damn it,” Ryan muttered, rubbing his temple.

Jefferson laughed. “Good luck, boss. You’re gonna need it.”

Ryan ignored him and headed inside.

When he stepped into his house, it was dark.

He frowned slightly and reached for the switch, flipping on the lights.

The moment the warm glow filled the room, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

Sitting on the couch with her legs elegantly crossed, her body dressed in a tight, black dress, and her face painted with heavy makeup, was Kate.

Her eyes were dark with anger, staring straight at him.

Ryan’s breath hitched. He hadn’t been expecting her. He wasn’t prepared.

“Jesus, Kate!” He placed a hand over his chest, his heartbeat racing. “You scared me!”

Kate only snickered, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh, did I?” Her voice was low and filled with something dangerous.

Ryan let out a breath, shaking his head as he loosened his tie.

“What are you doing here? And how did you even get in?”

Kate stood up slowly, her heels clicking against the floor.

“Your mother gave me a spare key, remember?”

Ryan clenched his jaw. Of course, she did. His mother had always been on Kate’s side.

Ignoring the tension in the air, he sighed and started taking off his suit jacket.

“It’s late, Kate. If you wanted to see me, you could’ve just called.”

“Oh, really?” Kate folded her arms. “And you would have answered?”

Ryan paused for a second before exhaling. “Kate, what do you want?”

Kate took a step forward, her eyes never leaving his. “Where were you, Ryan?”

Ryan frowned, confused. “Where was I? What do you mean? I just got back from Paris.”

Kate scoffed, shaking her head.

“Don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly what I mean.”

Ryan felt frustration creeping in. He was too tired for this. “Kate, if you have something to say, just say it.”

Kate’s jaw tightened. “You went to her house, didn’t you?”

Ryan sighed, already knowing this was where the conversation was headed. “If you’re talking about Serena, then yes. I went to see Amy.”

Kate’s hands curled into fists at her sides, but she quickly unclenched them, forcing a smile instead.

“Of course, you did,” she said, her voice laced with something bitter.

Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “Kate, it was just to give her a gift. That’s it.”

Kate let out a small, humorless laugh. “Just a gift? Ryan, do you even hear yourself?”

Ryan rubbed his temples. “Kate, Amy is my daughter. I don’t know why you’re acting like me seeing her is such a problem.”

Kate took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check.

She couldn’t afford to let her real feelings show—not yet. Instead, she did what she did best.

She played the victim.

Her lips trembled, and she looked down, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress.

“Ryan…” she whispered, her voice suddenly soft and fragile.

Ryan stiffened. Oh no. Not this.

When he looked up, Kate’s eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

She bit her lip and let out a shaky breath. “I just… I don’t understand,” she continued, her voice breaking slightly.

“After everything we’ve been through, after everything I’ve done for you, why do I still feel like I’m losing you?”

Ryan instantly felt a pang of guilt. “Kate…”

Kate sniffled and looked away. “I waited for you. I was here, excited to see you, thinking you’d come straight home. But instead, you went to see her.”

Ryan sighed. “I didn’t go to see Serena. I went to see Amy.”

“But you did see Serena,” Kate pressed, looking up at him. “Did you talk to her? Did you… did you laugh with her?”

Ryan hesitated, and that hesitation was all Kate needed. She took a shaky step back, her arms wrapping around herself.

“I knew it,” she whispered. “You still care about her, don’t you?”

Ryan felt a headache coming. “Kate, stop. It’s not like that.”

Kate let out a bitter chuckle, shaking her head. “You keep saying that, but your actions say otherwise.”

Ryan was silent. He didn’t know what to say.

Kate’s lips trembled again before she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

“Ryan… I love you. I’ve loved you for so long. Do you have any idea how much I’ve suffered just to be with you?”

Ryan swallowed, feeling the familiar guilt settle deep in his stomach.

Kate took a shaky breath.

“Do you remember what Serena did to me? How she kidnapped me just so she could force you to marry her?”

Ryan’s jaw clenched. “That was years ago, Kate.”

“But it still happened!” Kate cried, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Do you know how traumatizing that was for me? To be locked away, not knowing what would happen next?”

Ryan looked away, his hands clenching at his sides.

Kate sniffled again.

“And yet, even after everything, I stayed by your side. I waited for you. I was patient. I never left.” She wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

“I just… I don’t want to lose you, Ryan. I can’t lose you.”

Ryan exhaled slowly. “Kate… you’re not going to lose me.”

Kate looked up at him, hopeful. “Then… then prove it.”

Ryan furrowed his brows. “Prove it?”

Kate stepped closer, her eyes searching his. “Marry me, Ryan.”

Ryan tensed.

Kate placed a trembling hand on his chest. “We’ve been together for so long. Your father wants this.

Your mother wants this. Why are you still hesitating?”

Ryan’s chest felt tight. He didn’t know how to answer.

Kate smiled weakly.

“I don’t need an answer now. Just… promise me you’ll think about it.”

Ryan swallowed hard.

After a long pause, he finally nodded. “I’ll try my best to finalize things soon.”

Kate smiled, her heart swelling in victory.

But deep inside, she knew what she had to do next.

“Amy had to go!”