Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 35

Lisa's POV

Calla hummed as she adjusted the curtains, letting in soft golden light. "It's morning already. I was going to wake you up anyway. The girls are starting chores, and I figured you'd want a little distraction."

"Yeah... I probably need it."

She paused, giving me a look that hovered between concern and curiosity. "You don't have to say what happened, Lisa. But if something's bothering you..."

"I just want to forget," I whispered, and this time, the honesty slipped out too fast to catch.

She gave a small nod, her voice gentler than ever. "Then we'll forget together."

The rest of the morning passed in silence. I slowly forced myself to eat, even if the knots in my stomach begged me not to. Calla stayed nearby, humming tunes while folding linens, occasionally chatting about nonsense just to fill the space.

But my head?

It wouldn't stop replaying what I saw.

I thought I had seen the worst back at Baron's pack. Turns out, I was just scratching the surface.

Still, part of me wanted to believe Alpha Enzo did what he had to do. Maybe the rogues were planning something awful. Maybe that brutality was necessary. Maybe... maybe that was what power looked like when it had no choice but to protect.

But even that thought couldn't erase the sheer terror I saw in that man's eyes before Enzo snapped his neck.

It also couldn't erase the fact that I screamed like a coward.

And fainted like a fool.

Ugh.

I curled back into the sheets once Calla left to bring fresh towels. The sunlight now poured into the room, warm and inviting, a complete contradiction to the darkness swirling in my head.

I couldn't stay in here forever.

I had to push through it. Survive. Adapt.

That's what Omegas did best, wasn't it?

But the sound of bones cracking still echoed through my skull like a cursed lullaby.

I was still sitting on the edge of the bed, aimlessly picking at the hem of my shirt, when the knock came.

"Lisa?" Calla's familiar voice called softly from outside the door.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and padded across the room. When I opened it, she stood there holding a clipboard and a faint look of apology tugging at her mouth.

"Mira wants to run some tests on you," she said, eyes flicking up from the board. "Routine check. She just wants to be sure you're healing properly."

Great. Another visit to the infirmary. Exactly the place I wanted to go after passing out like a sack of potatoes at the worst possible moment.

"Alright," I nodded, wrapping my shawl around my arms as I stepped into the hallway with her.

We barely made it halfway down the corridor before another maid—one of the younger ones with her hair still rolled into morning curlers—rushed over, her shoes squeaking with every step.

"Calla," she panted, holding up a tray and a sheet of paper. "Mira asked for your help in sorting the supplies from the western wing. Something about the salves being mixed up with the food herbs."

Calla winced. "Again?"

The girl just nodded, clearly overwhelmed already.

"I'll go ahead," I offered quickly before she could decide between the two responsibilities. "It's just a few hallways away."

Calla looked at me skeptically. "You sure?"

I gave her what I hoped was a convincing smile. "I know the way. And I promise not to pass out dramatically in front of anyone this time."

Her laugh was soft, but her eyes still held worry. "Alright. But walk slowly. If anything feels off, you come right back or call someone, okay?"

I gave a mock salute, then turned and started toward the infirmary.

The walk was quiet, almost deceptively peaceful. A couple of maids passed by, carrying folded linens and chatting about someone's failed soup recipe. The hum of the estate filled the air—muted voices, the occasional footstep, the distant whistle of wind sweeping past the open arches.

When I got to the infirmary, Mira's assistant at the desk gave me a small nod but didn't stand.

"Hi," I started. "Mira asked to see me for some tests—"

"She got pulled into something urgent," the girl cut in, not unkindly. "Three warriors came in after a sparring match that got out of hand. You might have to wait a bit."

"Oh." I blinked. "No problem."

I could've left. Honestly, I should've. But I was already here, and since I didn't faint on the way this time, that felt like a small victory. My gaze drifted toward the hallway that led deeper into the infirmary.

Kael's room was down there.

I chewed on my bottom lip for a second.

He did get hurt saving me.

It was just polite, right? Checking on him? Not a big deal.

I hesitated one more breath before letting my feet take the lead.

The hallway curved gently, and as I neared the door I remembered from before, I slowed down when I heard voices.

Not just Kael's.

"...He should be resting," someone was saying—calm, cool, unmistakably Enzo.

"I am resting," Kael replied, and I could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. "Resting and slightly enjoying the royal treatment of having three insanely attractive men standing over me like I'm dying."

"Gods, someone shut him up," Atlas muttered.

I turned the corner just as the words left his mouth.

And that's when it happened.

The heat.

Like someone had suddenly tossed a warm blanket over my entire body. It crept up the back of my neck, pooled beneath my cheeks, and made my palms immediately damp. I froze, my eyes snapping to the three men in the room.

Kael, bandaged and dramatically laid out like a war hero basking in his fame.

Atlas leaned against the wall, flipping through some medical chart he was clearly not reading.

And Enzo, seated at the far end of the room, his gaze rising the moment he sensed me.

I should've turned around. Walked out. Pretended I got lost or changed my mind or suddenly remembered I left the oven on—even though I didn't have one.

But I stood there like a statue, caught mid-thought and mid-step, completely unprepared for the sudden wave of awareness rolling through me.

Kael spotted me first.

He straightened slightly and grinned. "Look what the wolves dragged in. Don't tell me you came to check on me empty-handed?"

I blinked.

Wait, what?

My brain scrambled to respond. Say something. Anything.

"I... I thought you'd be sleeping," I muttered.

"That's a no, then." He gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "She didn't even bring me soup. Or juice. Or a single sarcastic comment wrapped in affection. I've been robbed."

Atlas snorted.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

"I... I can come back later—" I turned to leave, but Kael's voice called again.

"I was kidding, sunshine. Come in. Don't let their grumpy faces scare you. They're just jealous I'm hogging all the attention today."

Ash, who I only just noticed sitting near the window with a half-read book, gave a quiet scoff. "You're so dramatic."

"That's what makes me charming," Kael beamed.

I stepped inside slowly, careful not to make too much noise. Every step closer, the heat in my face seemed to triple. Enzo's eyes were still on me. Calm. Watching. Not unreadable exactly, but something about them made me feel like he could see straight through my clothes to the nerves hiding underneath.

No pressure at all.

Kael patted the edge of his bed like he expected me to plop down and start feeding him grapes. "Don't look so nervous. I'm fine. Just a few scratches and a bruised ego from screaming louder than a newborn cub."

"You did not," Atlas muttered.

"I absolutely did. Mira said, I almost dislocated her eardrum."

I let out a tiny laugh, grateful for the lightness he brought into the room.

"You... saved me," I said quietly, wringing my hands. "I just wanted to say thank you."

Kael tilted his head. "Well, don't make it sound so serious. I'm not dead yet. Unless this is your way of saying goodbye in advance. In which case, say it with flowers."

"Kael," Ash warned.

Kael waved him off. "Fine, fine. You're welcome, sunshine."

I smiled, even if it was small. It still felt genuine.

"I'll bring soup next time," I said before I could stop myself.

That earned a chorus of dramatic gasps.

"She promises me soup!" Kael cried. "Truly, I am the chosen one."

I couldn't help but laugh again. And I caught it—the tiniest curve of a smirk on Enzo's face before he turned his head slightly, looking away.