Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 55

Bryan's POV

By the time we returned to the pack house, I was still fuming. Every nerve in my body felt raw, and the weight of the day made me feel like I was going to explode if I didn’t release some of this anger. My father had praised me earlier for finally giving thoughtful input, but then Henry—his ever-loyal shadow—had to open his mouth with those smug, underhanded comments as if I were some lazy fool who didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as the council members. I wasn’t going to let that slide, not today.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I barked, “Get me Henry. Now.”

One of the guards scurried off without hesitation. I paced the length of the hall, my hands balled into fists. My chest felt tight, like there was something clawing its way out. Henry had been undermining me for too long, always looking down on me because I wasn’t the perfect soldier my father wanted me to be. But I’d had enough. Today, I was going to remind him that I was no longer the boy he could whisper about behind my back.

When Henry finally walked into the room, he carried that same rigid posture he always had, like he thought being Beta made him untouchable. He stopped a few feet from me, his brow slightly raised as though questioning why I’d summoned him. That look alone made my blood boil hotter.

“Do you think I didn’t hear your little comments today?” I said, my voice low but trembling with anger.

His brow furrowed in mock confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Alpha Bryan,” he said, stressing ‘Alpha’ just enough to sound condescending.

“Don’t play games with me,” I snapped, taking a step forward. “You think because my father trusts you, you can run your mouth about me? That you can look down on me as if I’m beneath you? I’ll tell you this once—if you ever disrespect me again, I won’t hesitate to strip you of your position and personally make sure you regret every word.”

Henry’s jaw tightened. He gave a stiff nod, but I could see the defiance flickering in his eyes. “If my words offended you, I apologize,” he said, his tone flat and grudging, like the words were poison on his tongue.

That… that set me off completely.

I don’t even remember fully deciding what I was going to do, but my hand shot out, grabbed the nearest vase filled with fresh flowers, and hurled it directly at his head. It shattered on impact, water and petals spilling across the floor as Henry staggered back, holding his head with a hiss of pain.

“You call that an apology?” I roared. “You think you can stand here and give me half-hearted words like you’re doing me a favor? I’m not one of your soldiers, Henry. I’m your Alpha—your future Alpha—and you will treat me like one!”

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. I turned just as my father, Alpha Baron, appeared with two guards trailing behind him. His sharp eyes scanned the scene—Henry holding his bleeding head, shards of porcelain scattered across the floor, my chest rising and falling like I’d just run a marathon. For a second, my stomach clenched. I thought he was going to berate me, that I’d gone too far.

“Father—” I started, trying to compose myself, but he raised his hand to silence me.

“Guards, take Henry to the healer,” Alpha Baron said calmly, his tone firm but not directed at me. “Get that cut cleaned and stitched. Make sure he’s fit for duty by tomorrow.”

Henry started to protest, “Alpha Baron, your son—”

“My son,” Baron cut in sharply, his voice slicing through Henry’s words like a blade, “is learning to stand on his own feet. Something I’ve been waiting to see for years. If you’re smart, Henry, you’ll take this as a warning and remember your place.”

I blinked, stunned. He wasn’t angry? He wasn’t even disappointed? For once, he was… proud?

Henry bowed his head, biting back whatever he wanted to say. The guards led him out of the room, his head still bleeding slightly. I stood frozen, watching the scene unfold, unsure what to make of my father’s reaction.

“Come with me,” Baron said after Henry was gone. His tone left no room for argument.

I followed him down the hallway into one of the smaller sitting rooms. He closed the door behind us and turned to face me. “Do you know why I didn’t chastise you just now?”

I shook my head, still trying to catch my breath. “Because… Henry deserved it?” I asked cautiously.

Baron’s lips curved into the faintest smirk. “Exactly. For too long, you’ve allowed others to walk over you, Bryan. You’ve been reckless, yes, but also too passive when it mattered most. Today, for once, I saw fire in your eyes. You didn’t just sit there like a useless boy waiting for someone else to speak for you. You acted.”

I stared at him, my mind spinning. “You’re not angry that I smashed a vase on Henry’s head?”

“Was he bleeding?” Baron asked, arching a brow.

“Yes.”

“Then he’ll remember not to disrespect you again. Sometimes, respect isn’t earned through words—it’s demanded. You need to show people who you are, Bryan. If you want them to follow you one day, they need to know you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. My father rarely praised me, rarely looked at me with anything other than disappointment. Hearing those words… it did something to me. It was like a switch flipped in my chest, a fire lighting up where there’d only been ashes.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, almost unsure if I should.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he replied, his tone hardening. “Standing up for yourself is one thing. Leading is another. If you want to earn my trust and this pack’s trust, you need to do more than smash vases. You need to prove that your mind is as sharp as your temper.”

“I can,” I said quickly. Too quickly.

He gave me a look that told me he wasn’t convinced but that he was willing to wait and see. “Then prove it. I want you to start taking part in the council meetings. Not as a silent observer—no, you will speak. You will give your opinions, your strategies. You said something earlier about traitors and false information. That was a smart thought. Develop that. Bring me a solid plan, and we’ll see how much you’ve grown.”

The weight of his words settled on me like a challenge I couldn’t afford to fail. “I will,” I said firmly. “You’ll see.”

Baron’s gaze softened slightly, just for a heartbeat. “Good. Because if you want to lead this pack after me, Bryan, you can’t just be my son. You have to become someone they fear and respect in equal measure.”

He turned on his heel, leaving me standing there, heart pounding. For once, I felt like I’d taken a step forward—like I wasn’t just some disappointment or spoiled heir. I felt… capable. Dangerous, even.

But beneath it all, I also felt something else: the gnawing weight of expectation. Could I truly live up to what he wanted? I didn’t know. But damn it, I was going to try.