Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas

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~Spring's POV~

The moment it closed, I let out the breath I'd been holding and dropped onto the couch.

Eryx turned back to me, kneeling beside the sofa and taking my hand carefully like he expected it to fall apart.

"You slapped him?" he asked, inspecting my palm.

"Reflex," I muttered. "Should've used a bat instead, cause now my hand hurts. What's his face made of?"

A faint grin tugged at his lips, but his eyes were still sharp with fury. "You alright, though?"

"I am now."

"Troublesome little sis." Eryx reached over and pulled the teddy bear into my lap, then handed me the chicken and chocolate. "Peace offering."

I took the teddy from him and gently guided his hand to drop the others. "Did you think I was mad at you?" I raised a brow.

"No. I just know food makes everything better," he said simply, and that boyish grin broke through again.

I shook my head, a small laugh escaping me because I knew he was apologising. He just didn't know how to without stating what he was apologising for.

But Eryx wasn't done. He tilted his head toward the door. "Who the hell was that anyway?"

"Someone who clearly enjoys being the centre of attention and getting what he wants, I guess," I muttered. "His name's Neil. Supposedly, Rhys saved his life once."

Eryx made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a scoff. "Then he should've kept his mouth shut until Rhys came home, instead of sniffing around you and assessing you."

Something burned behind his eyes as Eryx pulled his lips tight.

"Are you jealous?" I teased, peeking at him over the rim of the chicken bucket.

He didn't answer.

He just stared at me, eyes dark and unreadable, and murmured softly, "I don't like anyone making you uncomfortable, Spring. Ever."

My heart skipped a beat because of how he said it, rather than what he said, like a promise he meant to keep with blood, if necessary.

I gave him a tiny smile and took a bite of a wing. "Well, thanks for showing up with my knight-in-chicken armour."

His shoulders finally relaxed, and a real smile broke through. "Always. You don't need saving, but if you ever do…"

He paused. "I'll bring bigger wings next time."

I laughed at his joke before poking at his nose. "Come, join me."

Eryx took a seat beside me, and we started eating. At one point, he decided to feed me the chicken himself, and I let him.

Later, we moved to the chocolates. And as usual, Eryx didn't let me off either. He fed me every chocolate I had and then let me lick it off his finger, then surprised me at one point by sucking it after I did.

I swallowed the huge lump forming in my throat, and right about that time, the door pushed open, and we both stood up at once, only to have our heads bump into each other.

"Ouch!" I rubbed the spot on my forehead where it had collided with Eryx's. His hand flew to his own, too, and both of us froze, like two kids caught red-handed.

"Spring?" Rhys' voice rang out from the hallway when he heard my small cry, panic already threading through it. A second later, he was inside the living room.

His gaze swept the room in a heartbeat—taking in the couch, the chicken bucket on the coffee table, the wide white teddy bear staring blankly from the seat beside me, the open box of chocolates… and then us.

I knew what he saw.

Eryx still standing close to me, and I, standing with chocolate smudged at the corner of my mouth.

And both of us nursing matching forehead bumps.

"Spring," Rhys said again, his voice taut, like he didn't know whether to yell or hug me.

Before I could answer, he was already in front of me. Eryx stepped back quickly, clearing the space.

Rhys cupped my face gently, scanning me for bruises. "Are you okay? Did he touch you again? Say anything else? I swear—"

"I'm okay," I cut in quickly with a reassuring smile. "I'll live."

His eyes darted toward Eryx, who was already placing the chocolate box on the nearest chair like it was a crime scene exhibit.

Then Rhys noticed the small red mark forming at the top of Eryx's forehead. He squinted. Then his eyes dropped to my forehead.

He put the picture together.

"You hurt her," Rhys growled, and without warning, smacked the back of Eryx's head hard enough to make him stumble forward.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Eryx cried, rubbing the new sore spot.

"Your bighead," Rhys muttered darkly. "You headbutted her."

"It was an accident! We stood up too fast and—"

"You stood up too fast," Rhys interjected, folding his arms. "Her head's smaller. Yours is a wrecking ball."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

Eryx just scowled and muttered, "Ungrateful siblings."

And just then, we heard footsteps. The sound of shoes on tile echoed from the hallway behind Rhys.

All three of us turned our heads toward the door just in time to see Neil stroll back in like he hadn't been slapped back into reality barely ten minutes ago.

Eryx's eyes darkened immediately. His entire demeanour shifted—shoulders squared, stance firm, the air around him turning tense like a triggered switch.

"What's he doing here?" he asked coolly. Too coolly.

He wasn't looking at me. He wasn't looking at Neil either, not directly.

He was looking at Rhys—but the ice in his voice was sharp enough to draw blood.

Neil paused when he saw all of us. His hand scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and he avoided looking at me this time. Smart choice.

"I—I forgot my phone," Neil said stiffly, nodding toward the couch like it was no big deal. "Didn't mean to interrupt."

"You already did," Eryx said, barely above a growl.

Rhys let out a long breath and stepped in before things escalated. "I invited him in."