Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 37: Playing Rose’s Game

Chapter 37: Playing Rose’s Game

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Chapter 37

~Spring’s POV~

The next thing I heard was the lie.

Rose, in that broken-glass voice of hers, dripping with sugar and manipulation.

"I just wanted to apologise," she whimpered. "To make things right... about the gift. I thought it was mine. I really did. And I figured, maybe if I said sorry, she’d understand, but... but as I got close to her door, she slammed it in my face."

I blinked slowly from my bed, still curled under the sheets. The laptop beside me cast a soft glow on the duvet, a quiet witness to the drama unfolding outside my door.

Then—like clockwork—came the knock.

No, not a knock. A bang.

Three sharp, angry slams, followed by my mother’s voice.

"Spring! Open this door!"

I sighed and rolled onto my back, covering my face with my hand.

Of course.

I waited a moment, just long enough to annoy her further. Then, with a tired groan, I climbed out of bed, dragging myself toward the door like every limb weighed a hundred pounds.

I unlocked the door and pulled it open slowly, letting it creak for effect.

And then yawned.

A deep, tired, totally innocent yawn.

Mum stood on the other side, face flushed and eyes burning with accusation. Behind her, Rose peeked out from behind her shoulder like a frightened lamb, wide-eyed and wounded.

Pathetic.

My mother faltered the moment she saw me. The fury in her gaze flickered.

"S-Spring?" she said, her voice dipping into uncertainty.

"Mum?" I blinked at her, half-lidded and sluggish. "What’s going on?"

Rose shuffled back another step as my gaze slid to her. Her body reacted before her mouth did—shuddering, shrinking. Good.

"Spring," Mum began, regaining her voice, "why would you do that to your sister?"

"Do what?" I asked, blinking again, tilting my head like the confused, feverish girl I now appeared to be.

"Slam the door in her face. She said she came up here to apologise for taking your gift."

I stared at Mum like she’d grown two heads. "I didn’t slam any door."

"You didn’t?"

"No." I leaned against the doorframe, rubbing my temple. "I came up straight after you yelled at me. Changed clothes. Got into bed. Didn’t even touch my phone. I wasn’t feeling well, and when I finally managed to fall asleep... your knock woke me."

Mum scanned me quickly. Her eyes dropped to my bare feet, then my flushed cheeks, then the dark circles under my eyes. She hesitated.

I didn’t give her time to second-guess.

"Jade," I called silently, "make it look real."

A pulse of heat spread through my chest. My skin warmed like I was burning up from within, and I saw the exact moment my mother’s eyes widened when her hand touched my neck.

Concern chased the last of her anger away.

"Oh no, Spring," she murmured, stepping closer toward me. She touched my forehead with the back of her hand. "You’re burning up."

I let her feel it, let the worry sink in. Her shoulders slumped slightly.

"You should have said something."

I didn’t answer. Just gave a soft shrug, eyes heavy-lidded. "No one would pay me heed. Besides, Rose is not feeling well."

"No. Nonsense. I’m sorry, love." She turned her head toward Rose, who stood stiff as a board. "I think this was a misunderstanding," Mum said gently. "Come, let’s leave Spring to rest. I will send the maid to get you something for your fever and call the doctor."

"No, Mum. Just a little rest and I will be fine."

Rose’s lips parted like she wanted to object—just a twitch—but then she caught my eyes again.

And froze.

She nodded. "Okay."

Mum gave me a final glance, eyes filled with mild guilt now instead of suspicion. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mum."

They turned away, and as the door closed again, I caught the bitter flicker on Rose’s face.

I smirked at her, then I locked the door.

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

And just like that, the buzz of the school games was all that went around Noxshade Academy. Similarly, there was a challenge between Madelyn and me.

I did not know how, but there were already side bets going on secretly with whispers between students while everyone hid the truth from the school authorities.

I exhaled. There was no escaping this. And for some reason, doing this brought back memories of my past life as a teenager.

Underground, Noxshade wasn’t like the rest of the school.

While the halls above held order and academia, the room I stepped into buzzed with chaos and heat.

Rows of glowing arcade-style screens lit the walls. Betting boards hovered mid-air, displaying names and odds in bold crimson fonts. Students crowded around circular tables, clinking drinks and tossing tokens.

This place was alive. And dangerous, and to think the teachers had no clue it even existed.

"Here?" I muttered, eyebrows raised.

Eva bit her lip beside me. "You don’t have to do this—"

"I’m fine," I said with a smile.

Chloe crossed her arms. "You shouldn’t have accepted the challenge. The last time someone played a game with Madelyn, they had to transfer out by the next week."

"She’s rigged it before," Nari added grimly. "She always does. Filters, prep, fake drinks, checking the card beforehand—she’s never played it clean, but that’s all just our speculation. No one ever called her out on it. It’s not cheating if she isn’t caught."

"That’s the rules," Chloe added.

I just smiled as my gaze drifted to the right.

Madelyn stood with her little clique: Liana, Beatrice, Justine and a few wannabe heiresses. She was laughing—but not with amusement.

It was the mean, kind, sharp and smug. The kind that made me want to ruin her more.

But what didn’t she know, I had already started.

As I approached, the crowd began to form. Hushed whispers rippled like a slow wave across the room.

Madelyn turned as I stepped into the circle. "Well, well," she drawled, placing a hand on her hip. "The little Alpha’s bitch showed up."

"Surprised?" I asked.

"No. I figured you’d come. I just didn’t think you’d come knowing you’d lose."

"If I didn’t know better, I’d think you actually cared about me."