Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 85

Alpha Enzo's POV

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the mountain of papers in front of me, though truth be told, not a single word was registering. My thoughts kept circling back to the library. To Lisa. To her smug little grin when the head librarian announced she had beaten me—me, Alpha Enzo—with a single point.

Just a single point.

I could still hear Kael laughing, still see Lisa bouncing like she’d just won some grand war. And then the worst part—Kael and Lisa hugging, ganging up against me like I was the villain in some silly story.

I rubbed my temples and groaned. “Unbelievable.”

“You’re still brooding?”

I lifted my head slowly to see Atlas leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, amusement practically dripping off him. He had that look—like a cat who had cornered a mouse and was enjoying the helpless squeaks.

“I’m not brooding,” I muttered.

“Oh, yes you are,” Atlas said, strolling inside like he owned the place. “That little wrinkle between your eyebrows? That’s the ‘Enzo just got humiliated’ wrinkle.”

“I was not humiliated.”

“Yes, you were.”

“No.”

“Yes,” another voice chimed in, and I groaned again, already knowing who it belonged to. Ash slipped into the room with a grin that made me want to throw something. “Our mighty Alpha, the great Enzo, the library champion of three years running… brought down by Lisa.”

I pointed at him sharply. “Watch it.”

Ash’s grin widened. “What? Did she not beat you?”

“She got lucky.”

Atlas snorted so loud I thought he might choke. “Lucky? That girl has been glued to books for weeks. She practically camped in the library. You saw it coming, Enzo.”

I slammed a hand on the desk. “I did not see it coming!”

“Oh, you saw it,” Atlas pressed, moving closer to my desk like he wanted front-row seats to my misery. “You just didn’t believe she’d actually win. And then she did. Fair and square.”

I glared at him. “Fair and square? With Kael as the scorer?”

Ash burst out laughing. “Oh, don’t blame Kael! He was just calling the answers as they came. Face it, Enzo, you were beaten. You lost. To Lisa.”

The way he said her name… the way both of them kept grinning… it was unbearable.

“I swear,” I muttered, leaning back in my chair and glaring at the ceiling. “You two are insufferable.”

Atlas pulled out the chair opposite me and sat, resting his elbows on my desk like he was settling in for a long night of teasing. “So tell me, Enzo… how does it feel?”

“How does what feel?”

“To have your pride shattered by someone half your size, with less than half your years of study in this house. Does it sting? Burn? Do you feel like crawling under the desk yet?”

I shot him a dark look. “You seem very interested in my feelings.”

“Of course I am,” he said, grinning. “It’s not every day the great Alpha Enzo suffers defeat. And by Lisa, no less. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone could manage it.”

Ash chimed in, dramatic as ever, “Truly, history has been made. We should write it down. Today, Lisa beat Enzo at his own game. The library champion dethroned.”

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “You’re both impossible.”

Ash gasped theatrically. “Oh no, don’t tell me you’re sulking.”

“I am not sulking.”

“He’s sulking,” Atlas said immediately.

“Definitely sulking,” Ash added.

“Both of you out,” I said firmly, pointing at the door.

Neither of them moved. In fact, Atlas leaned back, folding his arms behind his head like he was getting comfortable. “Nope. Not until we squeeze every drop of fun out of this moment.”

I scowled. “I should remind you both I’m still Alpha here.”

“Yes,” Atlas said with mock seriousness. “Alpha of everything except the library.”

Ash smirked. “That crown belongs to Lisa now.”

I wanted to throw my chair at him.

“Stop it.”

“No,” Ash said instantly, clearly enjoying himself. “You don’t get to stop us. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? How many times I had to sit and listen to you brag about your unbeatable score?”

“I don’t brag.”

Atlas raised a brow. “Really? What about the time you told us ‘no one in this house, not even combined, could best me in knowledge’? Or when you said ‘the library is my kingdom’? Hm?”

I ground my teeth. “I said those things in confidence.”

Ash threw his head back and laughed. “Confidence, arrogance, same thing.”

“Do you want to spar?” I asked through clenched teeth. “Because I’ll happily knock the grin off your face.”

Ash leaned forward, grinning wider. “Touchy. Very touchy.”

Atlas smirked. “He’s wounded. His pride has been stabbed.”

“Pierced clean through,” Ash added. “By Lisa’s pen.”

“Or her brain,” Atlas corrected.

“Or both,” Ash agreed.

I slammed both palms on the desk, making them both jump, though neither lost their grins. “Enough! You two think you’re funny, don’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Atlas said without missing a beat.

“The funniest,” Ash agreed.

“You’re both children.”

“And yet,” Atlas said, “still smart enough not to lose to Lisa.”

I gaped at him. “You didn’t even compete!”

“Exactly,” Atlas said smugly. “Which means I’ve never lost. Unlike someone else.”

Ash leaned closer, smirking. “Admit it, Enzo. You underestimated her.”

“I did not—”

“You did,” both of them said at once.

I threw myself back in the chair again, folding my arms across my chest. “You know what? Fine. Yes. Maybe I underestimated her a little. Happy?”

“Very,” Atlas said, smirk widening.

“Ecstatic,” Ash added.

I rolled my eyes.

There was a long silence then, only the sound of them both trying not to laugh. I could feel the weight of their stares. Finally, I sighed heavily. “She really did beat me.”

“Yes,” Atlas said softly, grinning like he’d just won something himself.

“She really did,” Ash echoed, shaking his head in mock disbelief. “And she looked so happy doing it.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Don’t remind me.”

“She hugged Kael,” Atlas said suddenly, like he was dropping a bomb.

I froze. “I know.”

“They were practically bouncing together,” Ash added, clearly enjoying the way my jaw clenched.

“I said I know.”

Atlas leaned forward, eyes glittering with mischief. “Are you… jealous?”

“What?”

“Jealous,” Atlas repeated, smirk widening. “Of Lisa hugging Kael?”

“No.”

“Yes,” Ash said instantly.

“I am not jealous!” I barked.

“Then why are you grinding your teeth every time Kael’s name comes up?” Atlas asked innocently.

“I am not grinding my—” I cut myself off when I realized my jaw was indeed tight. “That’s irrelevant.”

Ash laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. “Oh, this is rich. Our Alpha is jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!”

Atlas tilted his head, clearly enjoying this. “You know, if you keep saying it, maybe one day it’ll be true.”

I buried my face in my hands. This was torture. Actual torture.

“Don’t worry, Enzo,” Ash said between chuckles. “We’ll keep your little secret. Only us, and the entire pack, once we tell them.”

I lifted my head sharply. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Atlas smirked. “Wouldn’t we?”

“You wouldn’t.”

Ash grinned. “Try us.”

I glared at them both, though deep down, I knew they’d absolutely spread this everywhere if I didn’t stop them. And honestly, I wasn’t sure what was worse—losing to Lisa or the entire pack knowing I was jealous of Kael.

I groaned again. “I hate both of you.”

“No, you don’t,” Atlas said easily.

“Yes, I do.”

“You love us,” Ash teased.

“I’ll have you both scrubbing the training grounds until dawn,” I threatened.

Atlas only smirked wider. “If that’s what it takes to keep teasing you, worth it.”

I slumped back in my chair, defeated. Maybe Lisa had beaten me by one point, but Atlas and Ash were determined to drag out my humiliation until the end of time.

And I had no idea how I was going to survive it.