Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 413

The cold air of the ice rink bit at Ryan’s skin as he skated across the smooth surface, his breath coming out in white puffs.

The crowd was cheering, the sound of sticks hitting the puck echoed through the large arena, and his teammates were yelling for him to pass the puck.

But none of it registered.

His mind was somewhere else.

Or rather, with someone else.

Serena.

The moment Amy’s innocent little voice had blurted out the truth over the phone, Ryan had felt the world shift beneath his feet.

She had been carrying his child for nine months.

Nine months.

And she hadn’t told him.

The thought kept slamming into him like a freight train, making his grip on his hockey stick tighten, his movements stiff and uncoordinated.

“Ryan, focus!” Ethan’s voice rang from behind him.

Ryan barely heard him.

Ethan must have noticed, because the next thing he knew, his best friend skated up beside him and knocked him hard on the shoulder.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost,” Ethan muttered, his brows furrowed in concern.

Ryan sucked in a sharp breath, trying to steady his thoughts. But it was pointless.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Not the game. Not the crowd.

Not even the fact that they were in the middle of an intense alumni match.

He needed to get to Serena. Now.

“I have to go,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

Ethan blinked. “What?”

Ryan looked at him, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “Serena’s pregnant.”

Ethan froze.

“What?”

“She’s nine months pregnant,” Ryan bit out, his voice strained with disbelief. “With my child.”

Ethan’s eyes widened, but before he could respond, Ryan was already skating toward the bench.

The second his skates touched the floor outside the rink, he began ripping off his gear.

First, his gloves. Then his helmet. Then the heavy jersey that felt suffocating against his skin.

Ethan ran after him. “Ryan, slow down! What do you mean she’s pregnant? How do you—”

“I just found out,” Ryan snapped, yanking off his elbow pads. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. “She wasn’t going to tell me, Ethan. She was going to have my child without me even knowing.”

Ethan let out a low whistle, rubbing a hand over his face. “Damn.”

Ryan didn’t answer. His hands were shaking as he reached for his phone, about to call Serena again—

When it rang first.

Emma.

Ryan’s stomach dropped.

He answered instantly. “Emma, where’s Serena?”

Her voice came out panicked. “She’s in labor.”

Ryan’s entire body locked up.

His grip on the phone tightened. “What?”

“I just got to her apartment to check on her, and she was in pain,” Emma rushed out. “She’s already having contractions, Ryan. She’s been rushed to the hospital.”

Ryan didn’t wait to hear another word.

He ran.

He didn’t even bother saying goodbye to Ethan.

He shoved past teammates, past the rink staff, past everyone.

Half of his gear was still on, but he didn’t care.

Nothing mattered except getting to Serena.

Outside, his father’s driver, who had been waiting by the parking lot, immediately stepped forward.

“Sir—”

“Take me to the hospital,” Ryan ordered, already climbing into the car.

The driver nodded without hesitation, stepping on the gas as they sped off into the snow-covered streets.

Ryan’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

His mind was racing. His chest was tight.

She had been alone through this entire pregnancy.

She had gone through everything without him.

And now, she was about to give birth.

To his child.

And he hadn’t even been there.

“Faster,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

The driver nodded, weaving through traffic at a speed that made Ryan’s pulse thunder.

His phone buzzed again—Ethan.

He ignored it.

He couldn’t think.

All he could see was Serena.

And the way she had looked at him the last time they spoke—the way she had shut him out.

How could she have done this?

How could she have gone through nine months without telling him?

And more than that—why?

Why hadn’t she wanted him to know?

The car skidded to a sharp stop outside the hospital entrance.

Ryan barely waited for it to stop before he jumped out.

The cold wind bit at his skin, but he didn’t care.

He stormed through the hospital doors, his pulse racing.

“Serena Winthrop,” he barked at the nearest nurse. “Where is she?”

The nurse, startled by his intensity, quickly checked the system. “She’s been admitted. But sir, you’ll need—”

Ryan was already gone.

He took the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator.

By the time he reached the maternity floor, his heart was in his throat.

He scanned the hallways frantically, his chest tightening with every second that passed.

And then—

He saw her.

Serena.

She was walking slowly through the corridor, gripping the railings along the wall.

Her belly— full and round with his child— was the first thing he noticed.

She looked so small compared to how she was before getting pregnant.

She wore a loose hospital gown, her hair messy, her face flushed from the contractions.

And yet, she was still so beautiful.

His breath caught.

His feet refused to move.

He had imagined this moment a thousand times. But never like this.

Never in a cold hospital hallway. Never with the weight of nine months of secrets between them.

Serena hadn’t seen him yet. She was too focused on her slow, pain steps, one hand on her belly, the other gripping the railing for support.

Ryan felt his entire world tilt.

She was having his baby.

Right now.

And he had almost missed it.

He took a step forward— But stopped.

For the first time in his life, Ryan didn’t know what to do.

He had faced business scandals, corporate takeovers, even betrayal from his own family…

But nothing, nothing, had ever shaken him like this.

He had lost Serena once before.

And now, she was bringing his child into the world.

His legs refused to move.

Because at that moment— Ryan Winters was afraid.