Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 33

Enzo's POV

Sleep was a luxury I'd long given up on. My nights were rarely quiet, and when they were, I never trusted them. Still, after yesterday's executions and the trail of rot we had uncovered, I had allowed myself to rest for a few hours, hoping the silence would hold at least till morning.

It didn't.

The knock came just after dawn. Sharp. Urgent. Not the kind that waited for permission.

"Enter," I called, already half-sitting in bed.

The door creaked open, and Atlas stepped in, his face pale, jaw clenched tight. Whatever he came to say wasn't routine.

"What happened?" I asked, fully alert now.

"There was another breach," he said immediately. "The rogues... someone tried to help them escape."

My blood turned cold. "Inside job?"

He nodded grimly. "It wasn't a coordinated ambush—just desperation. But they had help. An informant within the ranks. Kael caught them in the act."

I swung my legs over the bed, already moving toward the closet to grab my trousers and boots. "Is Kael alright?"

"He subdued them," Atlas answered carefully, "but he was outnumbered. He took the brunt of it before backup arrived. He's at the infirmary now. Ash is with him."

My hand paused briefly as I laced up my boots. The thought of Kael, injured, bloodied again after everything we'd just uncovered—it wasn't just an inconvenience. It was a message.

Someone still had access.

Someone wasn't afraid.

"Where are the rogues?" I asked, standing up straight.

"Locked back in the cell. Tight watch. The informant is being held separately."

I turned to him, my voice low. "Get them. Now. All of them."

Atlas gave a sharp nod. "Yes, Alpha."

The infirmary smelled of disinfectant and blood. Clean, but not clean enough. The kind of smell that clung to your nostrils and followed you long after you'd left.

Kael was lying on a cot near the window, his leg bandaged from thigh to shin and his arm wrapped and resting in a sling. His face was bruised, his lip split, and there was blood caked near his temple. But he was conscious.

Barely.

Ash stood at his side, murmuring something under his breath, probably trying to keep him calm. He looked up the moment I entered, his usual calm expression cracked with fury and concern.

"He needs rest," Ash said, before I could speak.

"I won't take long."

Kael chuckled softly through gritted teeth. "I'd stand up and bow, Alpha, but I think my leg might snap off."

"You're an idiot," I said, stepping closer.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Ash gave him a look, but Kael shrugged weakly. "I saw them sneaking into the holding area, trying to jimmy the door with a forged key. No patrol in sight, and I knew something was off. So I tailed them. Didn't expect a damn ambush."

"How many?"

"Five. Three rogues. Two in uniform." Kael's voice dipped, and the humor faded. "I recognized one. Patrol team four."

"Did you kill any of them?" I asked.

"Two rogues," Kael replied, his smile returning faintly. "The other three are tied up like pigs, screaming for their lives."

"Rest," I told him, already turning toward the door. "You've done enough."

Ash followed me without needing to be told. Atlas was already outside, waiting.

"They're secured," he said. "Guards are ready."

I didn't reply.

I didn't need to.

The rogues were dragged out into the courtyard, bound at their wrists and ankles with silver-laced cuffs that hissed against their skin. The two soldiers caught assisting them were kept separately, surrounded by four guards each. Cowards didn't deserve to share breath with real warriors.

One of the rogues, a filthy bastard with scars running from his cheek to his jawline, spat at my boots as I approached.

"Alpha," he sneered mockingly.

I didn't say a word.

I simply reached for the blade strapped to my back and drove it through his throat.

The courtyard fell into absolute silence.

He gurgled once, blood spraying across the gravel, before his body crumpled.

I turned to the next rogue. "Who helped you?"

He glared at me, defiant.

Wrong move.

I didn't use the blade this time. I used my hands. One clean motion. Clawed fingers. A sharp twist—and his head snapped sideways with a disgusting crunch.

The third rogue trembled.

"Please, please, I don't—"

"I didn't ask you to beg," I snapped. "I asked who helped you."

"I don't know names!" he cried. "Just voices. Notes. They passed them through the food crates. Said a distraction was coming. Said, -Said you wouldn't be able to stop them."

I studied him carefully. He was lying—partially. Probably didn't know who the real hand was, just a pawn. Still, I couldn't risk it.

I raised my hand to finish the job.

A soft gasp echoed from the edge of the courtyard.

I turned.

She was standing by the gate.

Lisa.

I didn't know how long she'd been there. I hadn't scented her, not over the blood and fury. She must've wandered out of the infirmary garden or taken a wrong turn.

Her eyes locked on the severed head at my feet. The blood. My claws. Me.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her legs wobbled, her face going pale like a sheet of snow.

"Lisa—" Atlas called, reaching out.

Too late.

She yelped and collapsed, fainting cold.

I didn't move.

Ash caught her before her head hit the ground, cradling her carefully as she went limp in his arms.

"She shouldn't have seen this," Atlas muttered, shaking his head.

"She's in a warrior's pack," I said quietly. "She'll have to learn."

Ash gave me a side glance but said nothing.

I looked down at the rogue again, still squirming in his cuffs.

"Lock him up. Strip him of food and water. If he lives till nightfall, maybe he gets to speak again."

The guards hauled the survivor away.

"Take Lisa to the infirmary," I added as Ash adjusted her in his arms. "Make sure she's checked."

"Yes, Alpha."

As they walked away, her pale hair glinting faintly in the sunlight, something flickered in my chest—gone before I could name it.

I wiped the blood off my hands, turning away.

There were more battles to fight.

And now, fewer people I could trust.