Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas

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~Kaius' POV~

I opened our encrypted group chat—the one we only used for things that truly mattered.

Group Name: The Kaine Knights

Me: Rose is planning a family picnic. Mum says it's to reconnect. She's baiting Spring to come.

Me: We're expected to be there. All of us. Including Spring.

I didn't have to wait long. Within seconds, the bubble next to Rhys lit up.

Rhys: Absolutely not. There's no way I'm letting Spring walk into that mess. Not after the last time.

Eryx: That witch Rose is definitely planning something. She's never "mature" unless she wants something.

I sighed, already knowing this would be their reaction.

Me: I agree. But this might be the perfect time to expose whatever she's plotting. Mom's already made up her mind. This picnic is a test—for all of us.

Rhys: She wants a test? Fine. Let's bring fire. But Spring doesn't go alone.

Eryx: I'm glued to her side. I don't care if Mom or Rose likes it or not. They breathe wrong near her, and I'll break something.

Me: We'll keep it clean. For Spring's sake. This time, she won't feel like the outsider.

Rhys: I'll talk to her. We'll explain everything, make sure she knows what she's walking into.

Eryx: Also… if Mom says one more thing about Spring not being "real family," I swear I won't hold back.

Me: Easy. We ought to go in smart. Prepared. We stay close to Spring and at all times we must remain sharp.

Eryx: Then let's do it. For Spring.

Rhys: Always.

A long breath left my chest as I stared at the screen. Even through the chaos, through the twisted web Rose was trying to weave again, there was one thing I could count on: My brothers and I, we'd never let Spring fall alone.

Whatever this picnic was supposed to be, Rose had no idea what she just summoned.

It was ging to be a mental showdown of three Kaine brothers. One sister.

*************

~Spring's POV~

Yesterday, after Storm left, I caught sight of River stepping down the stairs, arms folded tightly across her chest like she'd been waiting for that perfect moment to pounce.

Frankly, I didn't care if she'd been eavesdropping. It's not like Storm and I had screamed our conversation across the house.

And we didn't do anything that needed hiding either. Just that kiss. Well… maybe a few more. He was good at stealing them when I wasn't paying attention.

We'd talked mostly about school. I told him about the Principal and the whole ridiculous cheating accusation.

I didn't expect the immediate flare in his eyes. As usual, Storm had that protective streak that was both exasperating and endearing.

He told me that he'd done a background check on me once—back when he first started getting curious. That caught me off guard.

Not because I was mad, but because I hadn't realized how long he'd suspected something wasn't right.

Apparently, my records had raised some red flags. My first school showed excellent grades until the last semester, where everything plummeted and led to an expulsion for cheating.

The second school had its own scandal attached to my name. The third followed suit. Like a perfectly constructed sabotage. He'd pieced it together, even when no one else had tried to.

"The stories didn't match," he told me. "Three schools, three different incidents, but the one thing they all had in common was you suddenly failing right after someone close entered your life."

He meant Rose.

The school had even noted it in a report once, chalking my downward spiral up to "poor adjustment to new family dynamics."

In other words, my parents believed Rose's arrival had disrupted my life. They thought I just couldn't adapt.

So they gave up. All of them. Rhys, Kaius, Eryx especially Mum and Dad.

It was easier to believe I was the problem than to see what was really happening.

But Storm believed me. He told me he'd help me prepare for the retests—especially the senior class exam.

When I protested, not wanting to drain any more of his time, he insisted.

If I didn't want him physically staying over, then fine—he'd spend the night highlighting every major topic from the where their tests came out and possible other question point.

That way, I'd have targeted study notes to work with.

I thanked him. Sincerely. I walked him to his car, and just before he slid behind the wheel, he leaned in and stole one last kiss. Short, sweet and familiar.

But as I turned to head back inside, I was met with the last thing I wanted to see—River. She stood halfway down the stairs like a guard dog with a grudge. Her arms were crossed, her smirk smug.

"Good thing the attention-seeking sister got a boyfriend to keep her busy," she sneered. "Fine then, stay away from my man."

I paused at the foot of the staircase, tilted my head, and removed one side of my earpiece. The look on her face when she realized I hadn't been listening was absolutely priceless, though I was but where was the fun in showing her that?

"Wait—" she blinked, taken aback. "You haven't been listening to me?"

I lifted my brow lazily. "Why should I when you're all bark?"

She opened her mouth like she wanted to argue, but I was already halfway up the stairs, sliding my earpiece back in and disappearing toward my room.

She wasn't worth my time. Not anymore.

Today at school had been quiet, which was both a relief and a challenge. The tests were looming, and although Storm gave me space, I could feel his gaze across the courtyard once or twice during lunch.

True to his word, he'd passed me a thick folder of notes. Highlighted, annotated, organized by importance.

I'd spent my free periods in the library with my head buried in them, grateful and focused. I could do this. I had to do this.

Because this time, I wasn't fighting for anyone's approval.

I was fighting for myself and name.

The soft rustle of paper was the only sound in the room. I sat at my reading table, legs curled beneath me, flipping through one of Eryx's old literature books he'd passed down to me last week.

It was annotated in the margins—his neat handwriting trailing alongside the printed text like little whispers of thought.

The room was cosy, my favourite kind of warmth: books scattered everywhere, the faint scent of apple from a nearby candle, and the window cracked just enough to let in the night breeze.

It should've calmed me, but my mind kept drifting—Storm's words, his kiss, the ache it left behind.

I was trying—really trying—to focus, when a gentle knock came at the door before it creaked open.

"Hey," Eryx's familiar voice called. "Didn't mean to interrupt the scholar at work."

I smiled without looking up. "You're safe. Only halfway through a paragraph in the last ten minutes."

He chuckled and stepped inside, his presence always managing to settle something deep in me.

Dressed in dark jeans and a navy hoodie, he looked like he'd just stepped off a magazine cover rather than out of the house.

"Just wanted to say I'm heading out," he said, leaning against the doorway casually. "Meeting a friend. Shouldn't be too late."

"Oh," I said, putting my pen down and turning fully toward him. "Be safe, okay?"

He nodded. "Always."

Then, he tilted his head and looked at me a bit more intently. "So... what happened? I saw the big bad alpha sneak in earlier. Was that Storm?"

I paused.

Right. He just used the word. Eryx didn't know. About me. About them. About any of it. To him, they were just overprotective, intense guys I somehow managed to charm.

"We talked," I said simply. "Patched things up, kind of."

He raised a brow. "Kind of?"

I gave him a small smile, the corners of my mouth tight. "It's complicated."

"I'll bet," he said, stepping closer now, his expression softening. "But don't stress over it. Honestly? If a guy can't recognize what he has when he has you, that's his loss. Let them chase you, Spring. Not the other way around."

He leaned down a little, grinning. "And if they don't?"

I blinked, confused. "If they don't… what?"

He tapped his chest lightly. "Then I will. I'll marry you myself."

The words struck me squarely like a hit to the face. I stared at Eryx, mouth parted slightly, unsure whether to laugh or blush.

"You're joking, right?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." Then added, with a wink, "But maybe not."

I threw a cushion at him. "You're ridiculous!"

He caught it and launched himself toward me, catching me in a tight grip as I squealed.

"Stop! Eryx!" I yelped, laughing, as he began tickling me.

"No mercy for traitors who insult my honour!" he declared, fingers dancing at my sides.

I twisted, flailing half-heartedly, until I lost balance and tumbled backwards onto the bed, taking him down with me.

"Oof!"

In one swift move, Eryx swapped our positions as his hand cradled my head from any possible danger.

We both froze, breathless from laughter.

I was on top of him, one hand braced on his chest. Our faces were close, much too close. His breath hitched slightly, and I saw something flicker in his eyes.

Then, in one swift movement, he leaned up and kissed me.