Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 39: The Games: Exposed 1

Chapter 39: The Games: Exposed 1

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Chapter 39

~Spring’s POV~

Zoey brought out an untouched card box and unsealed it in front of the crowd.

The side-betting app spiked instantly on the electronic board hovering around. Wagers doubled and the crowd leaned in like sharks circling blood.

Madelyn looked like she might vomit.

I tilted my head. "So, shall we play a fair game now, or should I go ahead and call you my pet?"

She stared at me, looking trapped and rattled. And oh... how I loved the look.

The cards sat between us, shuffled fresh by Zoey, whose giddy grin said she knew this was going to be delicious.

"You rock, girl," Jade supported me and I felt even better knowing my best friend was with me.

Madelyn sat across from me, trying to keep her spine straight and her expression bored.

But I caught it—that subtle twitch of her fingers, the shallow breath she was hiding under her polished exterior.

The serum hadn’t sunk its claws in yet... but it was getting there.

Zoey tapped the deck and nodded to me. "Since you were challenged, Spring, you draw first."

I reached forward, flipped a card, and passed it to her.

She read, "What’s the most humiliating thing you’ve ever done for love?"

I didn’t flinch. "Nothing really. Just that I trusted someone who stabbed me in the back—literally and figuratively."

A few gasps whispered around the crowd but I didn’t care.

"Truth," Zoey confirmed, eyeing my aura with a slight nod. Another reasonw hy I had chosen her due to her fae lineage.

Then she turned to Madelyn.

Madelyn inhaled deeply, flipped her card with flair and offered a faux smile. She looked confident. Controlled.

Zoey glanced down. "Who do you secretly envy the most in this room?"

The crowd leaned in, all ears perked and ready for the big reveal.

Madelyn opened her mouth to lie. I saw it. But instead of naming someone convenient—Liana, maybe even Beatrice—she blinked... and said...

"Spring."

The word seemed to punch its way out of her mouth.

Silence followed like a graveyard and everyone knew well enough it had kicked in.

Even Madelyn looked confused for a heartbeat. Her fingers froze halfway to tucking hair behind her ear.

"Truth," Zoey murmured, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Madelyn’s pupils dilated.

Ah. There it was.

She licked her lips, swallowed, her smugness faltering a bit.

This time around, we weren’t drinking since we both did not lose and said our truth.

I smiled, gently picking my second card only to have Zoe stop me.

"To make it better, I think at every round you each drink a cup. I think that was the rules?"

The onlookers of students all nodded in agreement. I smiled, not holding anything back and picked a non labelled cup, then drank.

Madelyn too reached for the cup, and did the same thing.

Zoey smiled as she read out my card aloud: "What’s one thing you would never want your future mate to find out about you?"

My lips parted to answer but the painful memory that resurfaced made me halt.

A flicker of pain passed through me, but I answered without hesitation. "That sometimes I think I’m too broken to be loved."

The room was dead still. No laughter. No side chatter. Just the thick hush of raw vulnerability.

Zoey’s voice cut through. "Truth."

Madelyn’s hand twitched as she picked her next card. I saw the slight jerk of her chin, like she was forcing herself to stay upright.

She flipped the card with less flair this time and Zoey read: "What lie have you told that you never regretted?"

Madelyn pressed her lips together. Her eyes darted left, right. And then, against her own will—

"That Spring stole a gift I got for my brothers. I lied, planted the evidence in her bags and beat he for it"

Gasps. Liana’s mouth dropped open.

Beatrice whispered, "Wait. You lied about that?"

Madelyn looked... horrified. Her own hand covered her mouth for a second.

I tilted my head. "Feeling warm, Mads?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You... you—" she started, then stopped.

Zoey raised a brow. "Truth."

Madelyn was sweating now. Her knees bounced under the table. She glanced at her friends once more but even they did not say anything to help.

I leaned back. "Want to call it off?"

"No," she growled.

"Perfect," I said. "Let’s keep going."

We took the next set of shots before Zoey shuffled the next round of cards, her eyes wide now, mouth pressed into a tight line to stop herself from grinning.

Around us, the audience had gone from idle curiosity to rabid obsession. Bets were flying. Phones were buzzing.

Even teachers couldn’t have stopped this now.

"Third round," Zoey said, her voice almost reverent. "Spring?"

I drew and slid the card across.

She read, "What would you do if someone you cared about betrayed you?"

That was easy.

"Depends," I said coolly, crossing my legs. "If they were smart, they’d run. If they were stupid, I’d let them see exactly what I’m capable of."

Zoey didn’t even hesitate. "Truth."

But Madelyn wouldn’t have it. "Which is...?"

My lips curled at the side as I answered. "Kill them or do something worse."

A few nods were given but everyone waited for Madelyn’s turn. Her fingers shook slightly as she picked her card.

Her jaw tightened. Sweat clung to the edges of her hairline now, mascara starting to threaten her perfectly curled lashes.

Zoey read, "What’s one thing you’ve done that no one knows... but would ruin your reputation if it got out?"

Madelyn opened her mouth—and froze.

Her face twitched.

She tried to say nothing. Tried to hold back. But the truth serum was boiling now. It didn’t just nudge truths—it ripped them out, screaming.

"I told my uncle that I caught Liana stealing money so she’d be banned from my birthday trip... because she got more attention than me."

A silence like a slap.

Liana’s head whipped toward her, stunned. "You what?"

"I..." Madelyn blinked like she couldn’t believe it herself. Her lips parted, stunned. "I didn’t mean—" she clutched her skirt. "That’s not—it’s all a li..."

Zoey nodded. "It’s the truth."