Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 402

Ryan’s car screeched to a halt outside Rocky’s Designs. He barely remembered the drive here, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.

His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.

The moment Emma had told him Serena and Amy were missing, a deep, primal fear had settled in his chest—a fear unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Throwing the car door open, he strode toward the building, his pulse thundering in his ears. His gut told him this wasn’t a coincidence.

Serena wasn’t the kind of woman to disappear without a word, and she sure as hell wouldn’t take Amy out of school without a reason.

Something was very, very wrong.

As he stepped into the lobby, the receptionist immediately recognized him, her eyes wide with unease. “Mr. Winters—”

“Where’s Emma?” Ryan cut in, his voice sharp, leaving no room for pleasantries.

“She’s in Ms. Winthrop’s office.”

Ryan didn’t wait for further directions. He stormed to the eleventh and when it dinged, he walked through the hallway, pushing the door open without knocking.

Emma nearly jumped from her seat, her face tense with worry.

“Ryan,” she breathed in relief, but it was short-lived. The distress in her expression only deepened.

“What the hell is going on?” Ryan demanded, his voice low, dangerous.

Emma ran a hand through her hair, exhaling shakily. “I don’t know, Ryan. But something’s not right.”

Ryan took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. “Tell me everything you’ve figured out.”

Emma nodded, quickly gathering her thoughts. “Serena never showed up this morning. That’s already strange because she never skips work without notifying me. Then, when I tried calling her, her phone wasn’t connecting—not off, just completely out of reach.”

Ryan’s jaw clenched. That alone sent a warning bell ringing in his head.

“I went to her apartment,” Emma continued. “Nothing. No signs of struggle, but it was empty. Then I checked Amy’s school.”

Ryan’s breath hitched. “And?”

“She never arrived.”

A silence stretched between them. The air felt suffocating.

Ryan’s mind whirled, connecting dots, searching for logic. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him this wasn’t a random disappearance.

Then the realization hit him like a freight train.

His fists clenched. “Why is it,” he muttered, his voice dangerously low, “that the same night my father’s sex tape leaked, Serena and my daughter went missing?”

Emma sucked in a breath, her eyes widening.

Ryan turned away, his pulse pounding. He had spent all of last night drowning in alcohol, consumed by rage and humiliation. He hadn’t even confronted Thomas yet.

But now, it all made sense.

Thomas and Kate had been publicly destroyed. Their dirty little secret was out for the world to see.

And what better way to retaliate than to go after the woman responsible?

Emma spoke hesitantly. “Ryan… you don’t think—”

“Oh, I do,” Ryan growled, pulling out his phone. His stomach churned with fury as he scrolled through his contacts, landing on the name he hadn’t dialed in a long while.

Thomas Winters.

He pressed the call button, his grip on the phone tightening as the dial tone rang in his ear.

One ring.

Two rings.

Then, finally—

“Ah, Ryan,” came Thomas’ voice, smooth and unbothered, as if he had been expecting the call.

Ryan’s teeth ground together. “Where are they?”

A pause. Then a slow, mocking chuckle.

“Where are who?” Thomas asked, feigning innocence.

Ryan’s entire body tensed. “Cut the bullshit, Thomas. You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

Thomas sighed dramatically. “I must say, I’m disappointed, son. No ‘hello’? No ‘how are you’? Just straight to accusations?”

Ryan gritted his teeth, his voice a dangerous growl. “If you’ve touched them, I swear to God—”

“Oh, relax,” Thomas interrupted lazily. “Your precious little Serena and that bastard child of hers are just fine.”

Ryan’s heart pounded in his chest. Bastard child?

“She’s my daughter,” he hissed.

Thomas let out a humorless laugh. “Is she?”

Ryan’s fingers twitched around the phone. His blood boiled, but he forced himself to stay focused. “What do you want?”

There was a brief pause before Thomas spoke again, this time with an edge of amusement. “Fifty million dollars.”

Ryan went still.

“You heard me,” Thomas continued smoothly. “Fifty million dollars transferred to the account I’ll send you in an hour.”

Ryan’s fingers curled into a fist. “And if I don’t?”

“Then you’ll never see them alive again.”

Ryan’s stomach twisted. He was serious.

He inhaled deeply, trying to steady his shaking hands. “You’re out of your mind,” he said, though his voice was calmer now—controlled.

“Am I?” Thomas mused. “Think about it, Ryan. You’re a smart man. I’ve already lost my reputation, my standing in society. What else do I have left to lose? But you, on the other hand… you have plenty. Your business. Your daughter. That little ex-wife of yours.”

Ryan’s heart pounded violently against his ribcage.

“Tick-tock, son,” Thomas taunted. “I’d hate for something unfortunate to happen while you hesitate.”

Ryan swallowed down the rage threatening to consume him. Stay calm. Think.

Then a thought struck him.

Thomas was too arrogant for his own good.

He had made one crucial mistake—he assumed Ryan was just going to roll over and comply.

What Thomas didn’t know was that Ryan had already put his plan into motion the moment the call connected.

Because the call… was being recorded.

Ryan let out a slow, measured breath. “Fine,” he finally said.

Thomas chuckled. “That’s more like it.”

Ryan’s hand tightened around the phone. “But if you hurt them—if you so much as lay a finger on them—I will make sure you regret it for the rest of your miserable life.”

Thomas laughed softly. “Oh, Ryan. You’ve always been dramatic.”

Ryan didn’t respond.

He ended the call, his grip so tight that his knuckles turned white.

For a moment, he didn’t move, his breathing heavy.

Then, he turned to Emma, his expression dark.

She stared at him, wide-eyed. “Ryan… did he just—”

Ryan nodded, his jaw clenched. “We have him.”

Emma exhaled sharply, relief mixing with fear. “What do we do now?”

Ryan’s gaze was cold, determined.

“We will find them,” he said, his voice sharp as steel. “And then, we end this.”