Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 25: Her Mess: Birthday Surprise

Chapter 25: Her Mess: Birthday Surprise

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Chapter 25

~Rose’s POV~

My face was ruined.

Blotchy red patches covered my skin, especially around my mouth. My lips looked like they’d been pumped full of bad filler—swollen, cracked, and raw.

My cheeks were inflamed, and my eyes? Puffy, streaming tears nonstop. I looked like a cross between a pufferfish and someone who’d just lost a boxing match.

It was the powder. That damn pepper-laced powder.

I screamed—loud and full-throated this time. "AAAAAAHHH!" The sound echoed off my walls, vibrating through the floorboards.

I wanted to claw at my skin, to rip it off just to make the burning stop, but I knew that would only make it worse. My hands hovered in midair, helpless.

"This is not happening," I cried, pacing in small frantic circles. "This is not happening!"

The stinging got worse with every breath. Throwing caution to the wind, I staggered to the door, fumbled with the handle, and flung it open.

"MAID!" I screeched down the hallway, my voice hoarse and cracking. "SOMEONE—GET THE DRIVER! NOW!"

Within seconds, one of the housemaids appeared from the other end of the hall, her eyes widening like she’d seen a ghost.

Or worse—me.

"Miss Rose—oh dear heavens, what happened—"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I CAN EXPLAIN RIGHT NOW?!" I shouted, pointing a trembling finger toward the stairs. "Call the driver! I need to go to the hospital!"

"Y-yes, right away!" she gasped and bolted without another word.

I clutched the bannister and leaned against the wall, breathing through my mouth like I was on fire because I was.

My legs trembled beneath me as I tried to keep it together. But the humiliation, the pain—it was too much.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I was supposed to win.

I was supposed to be the one watching her scream, watching her fall apart. Not me.

And certainly not with my face looking like it had been deep-fried in embarrassment.

I heard the car honk outside and nearly collapsed from relief. I grabbed a scarf and my largest pair of sunglasses, wrapping my face like a mummy trying to sneak out of a scandal.

One day, Spring Kaine would pay for this.

But first—I had to survive the damn hospital.

And my reflection.

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~Spring’s POV~

By the time I got home, it was already early evening, and the sun was still slowly setting, casting beautiful colours over the Kaine estate.

I thought I’d be able to sneak into my room unnoticed—maybe even enjoy a bath in silence before anyone asked how my day had gone.

I hadn’t seen my brothers all day and I knew with their current actions, they would at least try to see me or call.

But the second I stepped inside, the air shifted.

Warm yellow lights flickered to life around the staircase, fairy lights twinkled along the bannister like something out of a magazine spread, and the scent of vanilla cake and melted wax filled in the air.

I froze, my eyes darting in their socket looking out for anything out of the ordinary, when I heard their voices.

"Happy Birthday!" three familiar voices rang out in chorus—Eryx, Rhys, and Kaius standing behind the living room couch like tall, overly smug bodyguards with party hats.

My eyes widened. "What—?"

Eryx grinned widely, holding out a cupcake with a single lit candle on top. "Surprise, little moon. You really thought we’d forget?"

"I..." I blinked, momentarily speechless.

Rhys was next to me in seconds, his arms wrapping gently around my shoulders. "Happy birthday, Spring," he said against my hair, softly and warmly in a way that made my throat ache a little.

Kaius didn’t speak right away. He just watched me from across the room with that blank expression of his—cool, composed, and maybe a little proud of himself.

Eryx pulled me into a side hug while Rhys still kept his hand on my back. "We know things have been... chaotic. But we still wanted you to know how loved you are," Eryx said with a smile that actually made my chest squeeze.

I didn’t even realise I was smiling until the corners of my mouth stretched without me knowing. "Thank you," I murmured. "All of you."

"We’re not done yet," Kaius said, finally stepping forward.

He approached me slowly, then turned slightly and gestured toward the entrance with a tilt of his head. "I have the best gift. I hope."

My smile wavered. "What do you mean by—"

I barely got the chance to complete my sentence when the sound of their footstep reached me. I heard the sound.

I turned just as the main doors opened and two figures stepped into the warm glow of the chandelier light.

My heart stopped.

Mom.

Dad.

My breath caught in my throat, all the air sucked out of my lungs in a single beat.

They stood there, a little awkward under the soft lights. My mother clutched a wrapped box in one hand, her other arm folded stiffly at her side. My father stood next to her, dressed in one of his usual navy suits.

They both looked very much like the rich folks they were.

Everything inside me twisted. I recalled from Spring’s memory that they had ignored her and showered their attention on Rose.

I didn’t know what to feel with them suddenly being here for my birthday and judging by Kaius’s words, he had probably influenced their coming.

My shoulders tensed a bit. I wasn’t the Spring they knew. I was a girl who had shifted into a wolf only hours before and wasn’t even sure who she was anymore.

And yet... my mother slowly lifted her hand, fingers opening in a quiet, simple gesture—an invitation.

Something small cracked inside me that I couldn’t name. And before I could question it, my feet started moving.

Step by step, I walked forward. Not fast, not slow—just enough until I reached her.

She didn’t say anything. She just opened her arms.

And I went in and hugged her.

The kind of hug that felt like muscle memory—like it didn’t matter how much had changed, because my heart and body still remembered how to do this.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," she whispered against my hair.