Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 88

Kael's POV

I stacked the last set of papers together, aligning the edges with a crisp tap against the desk. The pile was thicker than I expected—drafts, permits, budget outlines, games, schedules, and the final security layout. Honestly, I was surprised I managed to keep it all neat. Not because I couldn’t do it, but because Lisa had been running wild like a storm lately, and I had to match her pace. She handled the front-end chaos, and I tied the knots in the back. A good balance.

Carrying the paperwork, I made my way toward Enzo’s office. I already knew who I was going to find inside—the so-called “pack brains,” Ash and Atlas. Both of them always loved planting themselves in Enzo’s space whenever there was work that needed “drafting” or “structuring.” Translation: they sat around bickering and pretending their scribbles were the backbone of the pack’s strength.

As expected, when I pushed the door open without knocking, they were already seated, heads bent over sheets of paper. Ash looked ridiculously serious, glasses perched low on his nose like some scholarly alpha-wannabe. Atlas was leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers, pretending to focus while doodling on the margins. Enzo sat at the head of the table, sharp eyes flickering between both of them, his desk already cluttered with scattered notes.

“Well, well,” I said, strolling in like I owned the place. “Look at you three, planning world domination? Or just making sure the pack knows how to stand in line?”

Atlas smirked first. “Depends. Did you finally crawl out of your hole, or did Lisa kick you out?”

I ignored him, crossing the room and dropping the thick stack of papers on Enzo’s desk with a heavy thud. “Paperwork. Celebration prep. Security overview. Basically, everything you’re going to need to keep this annual circus from turning into a disaster.”

Enzo raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair as he glanced at the stack. His tone was dry, but there was curiosity in it. “What are you doing here, Kael? Shouldn’t you be… busy with the annual celebration preparations?”

That was exactly what I’d been waiting for. I smirked, letting the silence stretch just a little before I answered. “Done already. Preparations? Check. Security? Double check. Everything’s wrapped tighter than Atlas’ ego.”

Ash lifted his head, adjusting his glasses with two fingers, and gave me that slow, knowing smirk of his. “Oh, I don’t buy that for a second. You? Done? Thorough? Nah. You cut corners too often. I don’t trust it.”

“Of course you don’t,” I shot back, leaning against the edge of Enzo’s desk. “Because if I actually pulled it off, you’d have to admit I’m better at this than you are. And we can’t have that bruising your fragile pride, can we?”

Atlas barked out a laugh. “He’s got you there, Ash.”

Ash gave him a flat look, but his smirk didn’t disappear.

Enzo, meanwhile, was flipping through the papers. His expression shifted slightly with each page he turned. His brows raised. His mouth twitched, almost like he was impressed, though he’d never admit it outright without poking holes first.

“Hmm,” Enzo said, glancing at me after a long pause. “This is… organized. Detailed. Even the games are properly scheduled. Kael, you’re telling me you really pulled all this off by yourself?”

I tilted my head, feigning innocence. “Wouldn’t you like to believe that?”

Enzo narrowed his eyes. “Answer the question.”

I held his gaze for a second longer before I finally broke into a small laugh and raised my hands in mock surrender. “Alright, fine. No, I didn’t. Not entirely. Lisa… kind of oversaw the whole thing. Down to the celebration details. I handled security, tightened it where it mattered. But the rest? Yeah, that was her storm.”

Ash immediately smirked, leaning back in his chair like he’d just won some secret bet. “Knew it. You’re way too smug when you’re lying. Should’ve guessed Lisa was the one keeping this entire circus on its feet.”

Atlas slapped his hand on the table and burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the office. “Oh, this is priceless. Enzo, punish him. I mean, come on. He basically dumped the whole annual event on Lisa’s lap while he strutted around pretending to be efficient. That’s a crime.”

“Hey, hold on.” I straightened, glaring between them. “I didn’t dump anything. She volunteered. She literally said she was bored, and if I didn’t give her something to do, she’d set the office on fire just to create chaos. You want that? Because I don’t.”

Ash’s smirk grew wider. “Oh, so now you’re saying Lisa asked to be the one running helter-skelter for weeks?”

“Exactly,” I shot back. “She practically thrives on it. Give her chaos, and she’ll spin it into order. You all know this.”

Enzo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching the exchange like some quiet judge sitting in on an amusing trial. “So, you’re saying Lisa took control, and you just… let her?”

“Correction,” I said quickly. “She grabbed it out of my hands. I didn’t ‘let’ her. You try stopping Lisa when she decides to bulldoze through something. You’ll end up with bite marks and a bruised ego. So, yes, she handled the planning. And yes, I focused on security. Which, by the way, is flawless.”

Atlas chuckled again. “Still sounds like you let her do all the heavy lifting while you sat back enjoying the view.”

“Wrong,” I countered, pointing a finger at him. “I carried the weight she didn’t want. Guards, patrols, risk checks, lock-ins, backup plans. You think that’s light work? Try running twenty simulations in your head about what could go wrong with three hundred wolves drinking under the same roof.”

“Three hundred?” Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. “That’s conservative. Last year it ballooned past four hundred.”

“Exactly,” I said. “Which is why I wasn’t about to half-ass that part. Lisa’s good at managing chaos, but I’m the one who makes sure the chaos doesn’t explode into something worse.”

Atlas leaned forward, grinning like a wolf who’d just spotted prey. “Still doesn’t change the fact that Lisa was running herself ragged booking events while you were hiding behind security spreadsheets.”

“I wasn’t hiding—” I started, but he cut me off.

“Admit it, Kael. You threw her to the wolves.”

“Pretty sure she is one,” I muttered.

Enzo finally snorted, the faintest crack of amusement breaking through his composed exterior. “You should have balanced it better, Kael. If Lisa truly was running herself into the ground, it doesn’t matter that she volunteered. You’re second-in-command—you balance things. Delegate. Oversee. Not just… let her bulldoze everything.”

I bit back a sigh, rolling my eyes slightly. “Yeah, yeah, lecture received. But you should’ve seen her, Enzo. She was in her element. I swear she enjoyed the madness more than anyone else could’ve.”

Ash shook his head, still smirking. “We should probably get her a medal. ‘For carrying Kael on her back.’”

Atlas snorted, clapping his hands together. “No, no. Better. We should get Kael a leash. That way Lisa can just drag him around while doing all the work.”

The two of them burst out laughing together, feeding off each other’s energy. I gave them both a flat look. “Hilarious. Really. You two should start a comedy club instead of pretending to be pack strategists.”

Ash smirked at me over his glasses. “We’d still outshine you.”

“Doubt it,” I said smoothly, crossing my arms. “I’ve got better timing.”

Atlas wagged a finger at me. “No, you’ve got better excuses. Big difference.”

I groaned dramatically, dragging a hand down my face. This was going to spiral into hours of them tagging me from both sides, and Enzo was just going to sit back, watching us tear each other apart for his amusement. Typical.