Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 31: Trust You?

Chapter 31: Trust You?

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

Chapter 31

~Spring’s POV~

The hallway was buzzing.

Whispers followed me like perfume as I reached my locker, the scent of rumours sharper than anything Jade could sniff. I tried to ignore it, to pretend their glances didn’t weigh on me, but I wasn’t blind.

A cluster of girls parted with their eyes wide.

"Look," someone whispered. "He’s going to her."

I frowned, about to ask Jade who, when I felt it—that subtle pull in the air.

I turned just in time to see Tyrion approaching, his silver gaze calm as moonlight, posture graceful as ever.

He said nothing at first, just reached out and took my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Whispers turned into full-blown murmurs.

"Hey, mate." The softness in his voice and the way the word ’mate’ rolled off his tongue created flutters in my stomach, just as it had in my past life.

His smile was infectious, the way his fingers locked with mine... I did not know what was going on, but just looking at Tyrion, his silver eyes...

I blinked, breaking my mind from whatever mate-bond spell I had gotten into.

Before I could ask what the hell was going on, Kael stepped out from the side hallway, adjusting his rings and eyeing Tyrion with a smirk. "You couldn’t wait for me?"

"I did," Tyrion said simply. "She didn’t."

My brows knitted together, and Kael rolled his eyes, then extended a hand to me as well. "Let’s go."

"Go where?" I narrowed my gaze.

"You’ll see," he said.

I resisted the urge to yank my hand back. "If this is another wolf-bond power trip thing, you can forget it."

"Not quite," Tyrion murmured. "Just trust us. For once."

"Trust you?"

Tyrion nodded like a cute child, all smiles.

"I literally don’t know you aside from the fact that you are my mate, which has proved to be a dangerous thing in the past."

"Come on. It’s gonna be fun," Kael added.

I sighed heavily. "I’ve trusted too many people."

Kael didn’t argue. Instead, he and Tyrion gently led me through the hallway. Girls stared. A few boys tensed. The entire corridor had gone quiet, save for the soft shuffle of our steps.

I did not want to go but if I wanted to have a conversation with them, I wouldn’t want the entire school to be about my business like the other day.

"Where are you—" I began, but the moment we turned a corner, Storm appeared, casually leaning against a pillar.

He straightened when he saw me. "You’re late." He barely glanced in my direction which put me off.

"What the hell is going on, Jade?"

"I don’t know. They are your mates." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her.

"She needed convincing," Kael replied.

Storm’s eyes met mine briefly, but he did not say anything other than, "Then let’s go."

"I—"

"Me too," came another voice behind me.

We all turned to see Jace, strolling up with a lazy grin, his hands in his pockets. "Didn’t think I’d miss this, did you?"

He winked, but rather than my heart fluttering, my face scrunched up.

Kael huffed. "Of course he followed."

"She’s our mate," Jace shrugged, then winked at me again. "Well...mine only."

"You wish," Tyrion retorted.

I rolled my eyes but said nothing as they led me into one of the old classrooms—one I remembered well. The one where we’d had that awkward "We’re all your mates" confrontation.

The second I stepped in, something changed, and darkness greeted me.

Immediately, Kael’s hand slipped from mine.

"Tyrion? Kael?" I spun, but there was no one in sight just complete darkness. "Storm...?"

Still, there was no sound.

"What the hell?" I hissed. "This isn’t funny."

I reached out, but nothing. My senses were dulled. Even Jade’s voice was faint.

"Jade?" A chill crawled down my spine. "Why can’t I sense them? Why does it smell like sweets? Paints? Are they masking their—"

The lights exploded on suddenly and then several voices all chorused at once.

"Surprise!"

I froze.

Glitter showered down from the ceiling, balloons danced around me, and in the centre of the room stood my four mates, flanked by Eva, Cleo, Nari, and...

One other.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. His eyes were downcast, but there was something strangely familiar about him.

Before I could even process that, the girls rushed me with squeals.

"Happy birthday!" they chimed in unison.

Eva tugged my hand. "You didn’t think we’d let it go uncelebrated, did you?"

"You... did all this?" I asked, stunned.

"Nope." Eva grinned and pointed. "Storm’s idea. He told us everything, then we added our sparkle."

Storm stepped forward then, holding a large gift box wrapped in deep navy paper and a gold ribbon. He gave a rare smile, then brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"Happy birthday, mate," he said softly.

I blinked up at him, speechless.

Jace came next with a crooked grin. "Mine’s not wrapped," he said, handing me a small black velvet pouch. "But it’s something I enchanted myself. Use it when you’re scared or annoyed. Basically... always. Do not worry, I owe you a much bigger present." He winked.

Kael handed me a box that looked like a puzzle. "Inside is something useful. But only you can open it."

Tyrion, ever quiet, placed a pale blue box in my palm. "It’s from the East. It belonged to someone like you, once."

I clutched all the gifts to my chest, overwhelmed by how... seen I suddenly felt.

Storm gestured to the corner. "Come. Let’s cut the cake."

There was one, I realised—a gorgeous chocolate cake dusted with edible shimmer, topped with my name in silver.

I took a step toward it and stopped cold when a loud, deep voice rang out from behind me.

"Come wish the birthday girl a happy birthday," the deep voice called from the side.

My heartbeat thudded wildly and loudly against my eardrums.

Time froze, and for a moment, I turned, slowly.

He stood near the wall, phone pressed to his ear, gaze flickering my way.

That face, that soft, slow smirk. And that voice.

Jade froze inside me.

"Rael."

He ended the call, walked over, and gave me a weak smile. Up close... I could see it.

Those eyes. That expression. It was him.

Or just the Moon Goddess punishing me right after tossing me into a sea of male testosterone for mates... Rael.

He extended a small box toward me, not saying anything at first. Then... "Happy birthday," he said softly.

"Rael," I echoed, barely able to breathe.

He tilted his head, and for a second, I saw the flicker of something darker behind his gaze.

"My name’s Ravyn Rael Ryan. Happy birthday, Spring."

The room faded around me. The warmth. The noise. Even Jade was silent.

Because that name—Rael Ryan—was the name of the man who killed me in my past life and now he stood here, smiling, offering me a gift as though it would change everything, and...

"He is not the one," Jade’s voice finally came through.

But at the same time, I heard my name getting called—one softly and another deeply.

"Spring?"

"Spring?"

My lips parted as I gave a slow smile. "Thank you."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.