Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 65

Alpha Rowland's POV

I had been pacing for the past ten minutes, but it felt like ten hours. My boots thudded against the wooden floor in a rhythm I couldn’t stop. Every step was a coil of frustration winding tighter in my chest. I didn’t care that my pacing had worn a faint path in the floor. My mind was on one thing only—my daughter, Irene.

The moment I’d heard she was in Enzo’s pack, my blood had run hot. My pack members knew I could be patient in politics, but when it came to my family, patience was not in my nature. Irene was my only child. I’d done everything to keep her out of dangerous situations, and yet here I was, unable to understand why she was in enemy territory.

I pulled my phone out and called my beta. My voice was sharp, leaving no room for excuses.

“Get outside. Now.”

I didn’t wait for a reply before ending the call.

My hands clenched into fists, the tips of my nails digging into my palms. My wolf was restless beneath the surface, pacing just as I was. It didn’t take long before I heard hurried footsteps approaching. My beta was older than most, a man who had served me for decades, his hair already streaked with grey. His loyalty had never been in question, but today, I didn’t have the luxury of gentle words or calm explanations.

The moment he stepped outside, I moved toward him. The air between us tightened.

“Why—” My voice came out a growl as I closed the distance in three strides. “—was my daughter iright here?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance. My boot connected sharply with his knee, sending him stumbling backward with a pained grunt. The sound did nothing to ease my fury.

“You were supposed to be watching her!” I barked.

“I—Alpha, I didn’t—”

The rest of his sentence was cut off as my palm connected with his cheek. The sharp crack of the slap echoed in the air. He staggered sideways, clutching his face, but I didn’t stop.

“You think I’m here to listen to excuses?” I growled, slapping him again, harder this time.

I could feel my breath coming fast, my chest rising and falling with each inhale. The wolf in me wanted to keep going, to punish someone, anyone, for this breach. But then I heard a voice.

“Enough.”

Ash’s tone was calm but firm, the kind that slipped under your skin and made you pause whether you wanted to or not. He stepped forward from where he’d been leaning against the outer wall, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. His dark eyes locked onto mine without flinching.

I straightened but didn’t step back. “This doesn’t concern you, Ash.”

“On the contrary,” he said evenly, walking closer until he stood between me and my beta, “it concerns everyone when an Alpha turns his frustration on someone who has no fault in the matter.”

My jaw tightened. “He should have known.”

“And you should have raised your daughter better,” Ash replied, his words like ice. “If Irene is somewhere she shouldn’t be, that’s not on him—it’s on you.”

His words hit harder than the slap I’d just given. I felt the heat in my face intensify—not just from anger now, but from the sting of truth. Still, my pride roared in my ears. My wolf bristled at the challenge.

“You think I don’t raise my daughter well?” I asked slowly, my voice low and dangerous.

“I think,” Ash said, tilting his head slightly, “that maybe you’ve been too busy being an Alpha to notice that your daughter makes her own choices. Choices that don’t include you.”

The insult was quiet, but it slid between my ribs. My instincts screamed at me to lash out, but there was something in Ash’s stance—a steady, unshakable calm—that reminded me who he was. He wasn’t just a pack member; he was a man who had earned his place by speaking the truth, even when it was uncomfortable.

I took a step closer, my eyes narrowing. “Careful, Ash.”

He didn’t flinch. “I’m always careful. But you? You’re standing here ready to cripple your beta over something he had no control over. Is that what you think leadership looks like?”

My beta shifted uncomfortably behind him, still clutching his knee. The sight should have fueled my anger, but instead it forced me to take a breath. He had been with me through too much to deserve this, and deep down I knew it.

I exhaled slowly. “Fine. You’ve made your point.”

“Good,” Ash said. “Now, if you want Irene back, you’ll need to be smart about it. Enzo isn’t the type to hand over what he has without a reason.”

“I don’t want negotiations,” I said sharply. “I want her home.”

“And you think storming in will make that happen?” Ash raised an eyebrow. “You’ll start a war neither side is ready for. If you truly care about her, you’ll use your head instead of your temper.”

His voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of challenge in it. I hated that he was right. The image of Irene alone in Enzo’s pack sent another wave of tension through me, but the rational part of me knew barging in would put her in more danger.

I looked at Ash for a long moment, my pride warring with my desperation.

“You have a connection to him,” I said finally. “Talk to him. Convince him to release her.”

Ash studied me for a moment, as if weighing whether my request was sincere or just another attempt to push responsibility onto someone else.

“I’ll try,” he said at last. “But I’m not promising anything. Enzo listens to reason only when it suits him.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” I replied, my voice quieter now. “Just… try.”

Ash nodded once, then glanced at my beta. “Get some ice for that knee before it swells.”

I watched my beta limp away, my chest heavy. I’d acted out of instinct, and in doing so, I’d almost lost sight of the real problem—my daughter was in the hands of another Alpha, and I didn’t know how long she would be in the holding cell.

Ash turned back to me. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know. But for now, you need to keep your pack calm. The last thing we need is panic.”

I gave a small nod, though my mind was already racing ahead, imagining every possible scenario. I wasn’t used to waiting, but for Irene’s sake, I would.

At least for now.