Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 49: Pretense

Chapter 49: Pretense

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Chapter 49

~Spring’s POV~

I followed behind Eryx, slowly, but my heart was thudding loudly and fast.

The dining room fell into instant silence. A maid froze, a spoon still clutched in her hand. The housekeeper glanced up from adjusting the plates.

Mum looked up too, eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

But it was Rose’s face that said it all—her eyes wide, her lips parted like she’d seen a ghost.

"Umm... I... I didn’t know she was home," Rose stammered, her fingers clenching the napkin on her lap.

"So that’s how you go about slandering your sister?" Eryx’s voice thundered, cutting clean through the fake tranquillity of the dining room.

Rose paled instantly. She wasn’t expecting to see me, clearly not to mention seeing us together.

"I... I wasn’t slandering her," Rose muttered, trying to gather composure. "I was just—"

"Just what?" he interrupted sharply. "Just throwing lies, huh? I thought you were better than that, Rose."

Rose parted her lips, ready to defend herself, but Eryx did not give her a chance as he roared once more.

"Have you even seen her today? Did you confirm anything before running your mouth?"

I didn’t say a word. I didn’t have to. I just gave Rose a small, knowing smile—the kind you wear when you’ve lived through the same injustice too many times to count.

"I was only repeating what I heard," Rose said, eyes darting to our mother, desperate for rescue. "From some of the girls..."

"What rumours, Rose?" Eryx demanded, arms folded, expression stern.

She bit her bottom lip and twisted it slightly—her tell when she was cornered. Mum was watching her now with that disappointed tightness around her mouth, her fingers lacing and unlacing in her lap.

Then she looked at me.

"Spring, my dear, please come and sit. And I apologize on Rose’s behalf for her reckless words."

I nodded once, silently moving toward the long table.

But Eryx wasn’t ready to let it slide.

"No, Mum," he said, voice low but firm. "You always do this. You pamper her. You excuse her actions. And that’s why she keeps doing things like this."

"Brother..." Rose’s voice cracked slightly. I glanced at her. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. But it didn’t move me. Not anymore.

Eryx didn’t flinch. "Have you forgotten how many times Spring was punished in the past because of things Rose said she did?"

I saw it. That flicker of guilt in Mum’s eyes. She dropped her gaze, just like that, because she knew he was right.

"We believed Rose every time," Eryx continued. "If I hadn’t been with Spring in her room today, you’d have believed her again."

I reached out, touching his arm softly. "It’s okay," I said quietly, but my voice was steady. "You don’t have to fight for me. I’m used to it. In this house, whatever Rose says is automatically the truth. And I... I’m always the liar."

I turned to sit, but Eryx caught my hand and pulled me gently but firmly back into his embrace.

Jade did a whirl and a flip in my mind, jubilating on how I played Rose’s game against her.

He wrapped his arms around me. I felt the protective warmth Spring used to feel in the past.

I froze—just for a moment—before slowly leaning into him. His chin brushed against my head as he patted my back.

"I’m sorry," he whispered, his lips brushing my hair. "But from now on, I won’t let anyone bully you again. And I promise you this, that whoever tries will answer to me."

In my mind, I let out a small cheer. Rose had dug a pit, and she had fallen right into it. And the best part? She had no idea how to climb out.

Then her voice came, weak and trembling. "Brother... including me?"

Eryx shifted slightly, half turning me so I could see her too.

He looked her dead in the eyes. "Especially you."

The silence that followed was almost suffocating. Gasps whispered through the room.

Seeing how things were going, Mum stood abruptly and walked toward me, her expression forced into a gentle one. "Spring, darling, I truly am sorry. Please forgive Rose. She didn’t mean it."

Then she turned to Eryx, her tone harder. "And you—stop picking sides. You’re turning your sisters against each other."

"I’m not picking sides," Eryx replied, his voice ice-cold. "I’m calling out lies. If someone outside had spread rumours about either of my sisters, I would’ve destroyed their life, their family, everything. But when one of our own does it? That’s even worse. She needs to be held accountable too."

Mum’s brows pinched. "You’re taking this too far."

"No," he said. "I’m finally being fair. She’s crossed the line too many times. Actions have consequences and she must be punished."

Then he turned back to Rose, ignoring the sad look on Mum’s face, his tone final.

"Kneel and apologise or don’t expect anything from me—not gifts, not allowances, not even a single favour—for the next year."

For a long moment, Rose didn’t move.

She just stared at him, stunned. Her lips parted like she might protest. But the look on Eryx’s face told her not to push it. Not this time.

Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly pushed her chair back and lowered herself to the floor.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, voice cracking. "I shouldn’t have said what I said. I didn’t mean to..."

Eryx’s expression didn’t shift. And neither did mine.

No pity. Just the same tired understanding I always carried when it came to her.

Everyone started settling back down at the table. A few maids brought in the final serving trays. I moved to pull out my chair—but just then, I heard the unmistakable sound of Rose shifting on her knees behind me.

She stumbled and then collapsed.

Her body hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Oh my goodness!" Mum cried out, rushing to her side. "Rose!"

But Eryx didn’t flinch. Instead, he turned to me and held out his hand again.

I took it.

"I’m not eating here," he said flatly. "Not in a room full of pretense."

"Eryx!" Mum called after him but he didn’t turn back.

With his fingers wrapped around mine, he led me out of the dining room and down the hall—leaving behind silence, a girl on the ground, and a truth that could no longer be buried.

And this time, I wasn’t the one left behind.

Rose was. And that, more than anything, made my lips curl on the side.