Rejected By My Mate; Claimed By Lycan Quadruplets Chapter 91

Bryan's POV

I was dead asleep when someone shook my shoulder hard. I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. Whoever dared disturb me at this hour clearly had a death wish.

“Bryan,” a deep voice said firmly. “Wake up.”

I cracked one eye open and glared. “Beta Henry, for the love of the moon, it’s too early for this.”

He stood by my bed, arms folded, brows arched like a lecturing elder. His expression screamed no-nonsense, but I still wasn’t impressed. I rolled over, dragging the blanket with me.

“What time is it?” I muttered, my voice raspy with sleep.

“It’s time you were already awake. The council elders are waiting downstairs,” he replied curtly.

That made me crack both eyes open. “Council elders? Right now? You have got to be kidding me.”

“I don’t joke,” he said flatly. “Alpha Baron said if you’re not down in five minutes, you’ll be dragged by your neck. And you know him, he wasn’t exaggerating.”

I groaned loudly, throwing my head back into the pillow. “Five minutes? You can’t be serious. Let me sleep another thirty, then I’ll be fully charged to deal with their endless nagging.”

Henry’s glare darkened. “I am dead serious, Bryan. Get up. You wouldn’t want Alpha Baron humiliating you in front of them. He’ll do it without blinking.”

I cursed under my breath and sat up reluctantly, my hair sticking up in a wild mess. I stretched, letting out a yawn that nearly cracked my jaw. “Fine. But this is abuse, Henry. Absolute abuse.”

He didn’t bother replying. He just gave me that look—sharp, watchful, like a hawk making sure I didn’t crawl back into bed.

Dragging myself out of bed, I splashed some water on my face and tugged on something halfway decent. When I finally made it to the council chamber, I could feel every elder’s eyes on me. Their cold gazes were like needles pricking at my skin.

“Bryan,” Alpha Baron’s voice thundered from the head of the table. “You’re late.”

“Only by a few minutes,” I muttered under my breath.

“What was that?” he asked sharply.

“Nothing,” I quickly corrected myself, forcing a tight smile. “Apologies for the delay.”

Elder Marcus sniffed, his wrinkled face twisted with disdain. “The youth these days… no respect for punctuality.”

Another elder chimed in, “If he cannot rise early enough for council, how will he handle responsibilities in the future?”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I held back. Barely.

Baron’s gaze cut to me like a blade. “Sit. And keep quiet.”

I dropped into the nearest seat, arms folded, leaning back like I couldn’t care less. They launched into their endless discussions—land borders, treaties, complaints from villagers about livestock theft. My head nearly hit the table from boredom.

At one point, Elder George droned on for so long about crop yields that I almost fell asleep sitting upright. Henry jabbed his elbow into my side to keep me alert, and I shot him a murderous look.

Hours passed. I answered when addressed, nodded when necessary, but most of the time I kept quiet. The elders seemed to enjoy listening to their own voices anyway.

Finally, after what felt like years, the meeting adjourned. I pushed myself up, my bones aching from sitting too long.

“All right,” I muttered to Henry, already turning toward the hallway. “I’m going to my room before I collapse. Wake me only if the world’s ending.”

But before I could take three steps, a syrupy sweet voice called out.

“Bryan!”

I froze. My whole body tensed in irritation before I even turned. Irene.

She came gliding toward me, dressed in some soft-colored gown that made her look delicate and angelic. But I knew better. Her smile was wide, her tone dripping with fake affection.

“There you are,” she said cheerily. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I clenched my jaw. “And now you’ve found me. Congratulations.”

Before I could walk away, she hooked her arm through mine, clinging as though we were lovers reunited after years apart. Her head tilted toward Alpha Baron deliberately, as if making sure he witnessed the act.

“My dear Bryan,” she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “You work so hard, you must be exhausted. Why don’t you let me take care of you later?”

I stiffened, my wolf bristling at the unwanted touch. With a sharp movement, I pulled my arm free. My glare could’ve frozen fire.

“Don’t touch me,” I said coldly.

Her smile faltered, but she quickly masked it, pretending to pout. “Why so harsh? I was only being sweet.”

“I don’t want your sweetness,” I snapped, my voice low but hard. “Save the act for someone who cares.”

The atmosphere went stiff. Baron’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“Bryan,” his voice cracked like thunder. “Watch your tongue. That is no way to speak to a lady.”

I turned to him, my jaw tight. “With respect, Alpha, that ‘lady’ is pretending. I don’t appreciate being made into a puppet for her performance.”

Gasps echoed in the room. Henry shot me a warning look, silently urging me to shut up. But I wasn’t in the mood to fake civility.

Baron’s expression hardened. “Enough. I will not tolerate your insolence.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself not to bite back further.

Then Baron added, “Since you seem to need a lesson in manners, here’s your chance. You will represent me at Alpha Enzo’s annual pack celebration. And you will take Irene with you.”

My head snapped up. “What?”

“You heard me,” Baron said coldly. “You will attend the event with her as your partner. That is final.”

I stared at him, disbelief surging through me. “You can’t be serious. Me, parading around with her? That’s a punishment.”

“Consider it discipline,” Baron replied, unyielding.

Irene’s face lit up with triumph. She clasped her hands together, feigning delight. “Oh, Bryan, isn’t this wonderful? We’ll have such a memorable time together.”

I turned to her slowly, my gaze colder than winter. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ll endure this only because I have no choice. But don’t think for a second that this makes us anything.”

Her smile wavered again, but she quickly recovered, tilting her head coyly.

Baron’s eyes locked onto me. “If I hear of you dishonoring me at Enzo’s event, you’ll regret it. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” I ground out between clenched teeth.

With that, I walked out of the chamber, my fists clenched so tightly my knuckles cracked. The air outside felt a little freer, but my wolf paced restlessly inside me, furious at being cornered like this.

I hated being forced into a play I didn’t want. And worse, I hated that Irene was smiling somewhere behind me, already savoring her victory.

Not for long, I promised myself. Not for long.