Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 68

Bryan's POV

I was already halfway to the door when Alpha Enzo finally called the meeting to an end. My head was buzzing with numbers, patrol schedules, and the usual political undercurrents that came with sitting through his leadership gatherings. I needed air. And space.

I had one hand on the door handle when a voice behind me cut through the noise in my head.

“Alpha Rowland! Alpha Rowland!”

It was Beta Kumar, panting like he’d just run the length of the training grounds. His eyes weren’t even on me—they were locked on Rowland, who had been lingering a few steps behind. Kumar skidded to a stop and lowered his voice, but I was close enough to catch every word.

“It’s Irene, Alpha… she’s in the holding cell. Alpha Enzo ordered it. Said she broke one of the pack rules.”

I froze mid-step, the cold metal of the door handle still under my palm.

My jaw clenched. Irene. In the holding cell?

A deep throb started at my temples, and I rubbed them with two fingers, trying to keep my frustration from boiling over too quickly. Of all the ridiculous, self-destructive stunts she could’ve pulled…

“What exactly did she do?” I asked sharply, looking between Kumar and Rowland.

Kumar hesitated, flicking his gaze to his Alpha. Rowland’s face was carved in stone. “It’s… not something you should involve yourself in, Bryan.”

I turned fully toward him, eyebrows pulling together. “She’s your daughter, isn’t she?”

His jaw tightened just enough to answer my question without words.

“So you’re just going to let her rot in there?”

Rowland exhaled through his nose, steady but firm. “Enzo’s orders aren’t something I can undo. I’ve already spoken to him. He wouldn’t listen.”

That did it. The pressure in my head flared. “You—” I stopped myself before the rest of the sentence came out too blunt for diplomacy. “You spoke to him once and just… left it at that?”

Rowland’s gaze hardened. “Bryan, this is a pack matter. She violated the rules, and Enzo—”

“I don’t care if she broke a hundred rules,” I cut in, stepping closer. “She’s not exactly built for a night in a holding cell, is she?”

“Bryan—”

But I was already moving, my steps eating the distance between us and the door to Enzo’s wing. I didn’t even know where I found the nerve, but I wasn’t about to stand by while Irene sat in a cell, no matter how infuriating she could be.

The guards at the hallway entrance shifted uneasily when they saw me coming. One opened his mouth to speak, but I raised a hand. “I’m here to speak to Alpha Enzo. Now.”

It didn’t take long for them to fetch him. Enzo emerged with that same calculating calm he always carried, eyes narrowing slightly when he saw me.

“What is it?”

“Irene,” I said without preamble. “Release her.”

One brow lifted. “She violated a rule.”

“I don’t care what she violated. I’m asking you—” I caught myself. No, begging wasn’t my style. But for some reason, the words still came out softer. “I’m asking you to let her go.”

Enzo regarded me for a long, silent moment. I could feel the weight of that stare, like he was measuring something about me. Then, finally, he gave a slow nod.

“Fine. But don’t make this a habit, Bryan.”

I didn’t answer. I just turned on my heel and went straight to the cell block, waiting by the iron door.

It didn’t take long before I heard footsteps on the stone floor. Irene appeared between the bars, arms crossed, chin tilted like she was walking out of a throne room instead of a holding cell.

The door creaked open, and before I could say a word, she stepped up and—

Smack.

Her palm cracked against my cheek so fast I barely saw it coming. My head turned with the force, the sting blooming instantly along my skin.

“I didn’t ask you to interfere,” she said, voice sharp enough to cut glass.

For a second, I just stared at her. My cheek burned, but the anger rising in me was hotter.

“You—” My voice came out rough, low. “Do you have any idea what it took to get you out of there?”

“I didn’t want you to get me out,” she shot back. “I can handle my own business.”

“Handle—?” I laughed once, harsh and humorless. “You call getting yourself thrown in a cell handling your own business?”

Her glare didn’t waver. “Better than owing you anything.”

That was it. Something inside me snapped. “You are unbelievable. I step in to keep you from spending the night in a freezing cell, and you act like I’ve just insulted your precious pride.”

“I don’t need you playing hero—”

“This isn’t about playing hero!” My voice rose enough that the nearest servants, who had been dusting along the corridor, stopped to glance over. “This is about keeping you from making an even bigger mess of your life than you already have.”

Her lips parted in shock, then pressed into a thin line. But I wasn’t finished.

“You walk around here like the entire pack owes you something, Irene. Like you’re untouchable. And maybe some people are too polite to tell you, but your arrogance? It’s exhausting. You think rules don’t apply to you. You think consequences are beneath you.”

“Are you done?” she bit out.

“Not even close.” I took a step forward, and she stiffened. “Because while you’re busy protecting your pride, people around you are left cleaning up the mess. And I’m sick of it.”

A faint giggle broke out from somewhere behind her. My gaze flicked over her shoulder. Two young servant girls had paused in the hall, whispering behind their hands. Another servant leaned on his broom, eyes wide in fascination.

Irene noticed them too—her cheeks flushed, whether from embarrassment or fury, I couldn’t tell.

“You can all stop staring,” she snapped at them.

But the murmurs only grew, spreading down the corridor like wildfire. I caught fragments—“Did you hear what he said?” “She got slapped down good this time…” “Finally, someone told her.”

Irene’s nostrils flared, and she turned back to me, eyes blazing. “You think humiliating me in front of them makes you better than me?”

“No,” I said evenly. “But maybe it’ll make you think twice next time.”

She took a step closer, voice low and shaking. “Stay out of my life, Bryan.”

I stared at her for a long moment, then stepped aside, letting her pass. She swept down the corridor, spine stiff, servants scattering out of her way. But their whispers followed her all the same.

I stood there, watching until she disappeared around the corner. My cheek still throbbed from her slap, but that wasn’t the part that stung the most.

It was knowing that even when I tried to protect her, she’d rather see me as the enemy.