Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 63: The Match Begins

Chapter 63: The Match Begins

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Chapter 63

~Spring’s POV~

The door creaked again, this time Jace walked in with a hand tucked into his school trousers’s pocket.

"The Council’s waiting," he said, then looked between the two of us. "Hmm, the tension’s so thick in here, I’m choking."

Lilith brushed past me, ignoring him as she headed out, but as she passed, her voice dropped low. "I won’t be kind."

I beamed. "Good. I wouldn’t want it easy." She snickered. "That is what I would have said if you were playing me, but your opponent right now is yourself and the mirror."

She said nothing further and left.

Jace inhaled sharply, and just before I turned to leave, his hand shot out, catching my wrist. In one swift motion, he pulled me flush against him. My breath hitched as I looked up, heart stuttering under the sudden closeness.

"Jace..." I murmured.

He leaned in slowly, his face hovering a breath from mine. The scent of mint wrapped around me as his eyes searched mine, but... something else flickered there too—a hesitation or was it worry?

Not fear of rejection—no, Jace was never afraid of that.

It was deeper. Like he knew the line he was about to cross... and still wasn’t sure if I’d follow.

And when I expected Jace to move, he didn’t; he only looked at me, waiting for any hint.

But I did not act as he wished. And moved my head back a little. A lopsided grin crossed his face.

"No matter what happens, Spring. You must win." His free hand reached up to gently caress my hair, then my cheeks. "I am not ready to let you go."

Just then, we felt a presence in the room, and Jace’s expression turned serious. "Leave," he commanded without missing a beat or seeing who it was.

"I’d love to, but she’s needed."

Jace exhaled sharply. "Fine, she’ll be out in a sec, Mira."

"Don’t make us wait, and I won’t tell her other mates."

I shot her a glare. Did she just threaten? What did she think I was... twelve?

I broke away from Jace, trying to control my anger as I walked past him, every emotion void from my face as I passed her too.. "Let’s go."

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~Storm’s POV~

The council chamber was unusually silent, like hawks watching silently.

All eight of us sat in the upper box, overlooking the amphitheatre where the arena shimmered—layers of enchantments warping the space below into a massive illusion field.

Students poured into the stands.

"She shouldn’t be facing this alone," Tyrion said quietly.

"She isn’t," Jace replied, arms folded, eyes narrowed on the maze below.

Lilith stood at one entrance while Spring stood at the other.

Their forms were distant, but not small. No, there was nothing small about what was about to unfold.

Mira, the fae, leaned forward, her golden hair shimmering like starlight. "This game isn’t just about speed. It’s about facing yourself."

Kael’s expression was grave. "And you’ve seen what happens when someone faces the wrong version of themselves inside."

"They break," Raphael said flatly. "Or they run."

"She won’t run," I cut.

Lilith might play politics. She might spin power like a blade but Spring walks into fire like it was born in her, and now everyone would see why.

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~Spring’s POV~

The entrance to the maze was a simple arch of silvered stone.

That was the only simple thing about it.

From the outside, it appeared to be glass corridors bathed in light. But I could already feel the magic pulsing—whispers curling through the air, promises of what I might see once I stepped in.

The rules were simple. Get to the centre.

That’s it.

But every thirty seconds, the maze would shift.

Some mirrors were harmless. Some reflected what you feared. And if you touched the wrong one—if fear consumed you—you’d be zapped back to the start.

Across the arena, Lilith stood in front of her own arch. Our eyes met briefly.

She smiled confidently.

But I’d seen smiles like that before. From demons. From traitors. From men who said they loved me while twisting blades into my back.

The whistle blew and I stepped into the maze.

The first corridor felt colder than it should’ve. Mirrors stretched on both sides—some narrow, some tall, while some were warped.

And then it started. The world glowed, the glass hummed a low chime that echoed like a heartbeat.

And then the maze shifted.

I took a breath and moved forward, keeping my steps even.

The First reflection was myself—bloody, broken, kneeling but I didn’t stop.

Second: My brothers looked through me like I didn’t exist.

Third: My mother, turning her back.

None of those stopped me as I continued walking but from where I was, I could hear familiar grunts from Lilith.

I pitied her a little but if I had enough time to pity someone then I was not being challenged enough.

I focused on my task, heading towards the centre through the maze until I saw another mirror. And it was the fourth mirror that did it.

I rounded a corner and came face-to-face with him.

Rael.

Not this Rael—the new one I was forced to tolerate—but him. The man from my past life.

The one I’d once loved. The very one who’d betrayed me and had killed me.

He stood tall, armoured, face as cruel as the night he broke his vow. Blood splattered his hands. And when I took a sniff, it was all my blood. My memories.

And just like before, he stepped forward with that same look in his eyes—like I was the mistake.

"Why didn’t you die when I told you to?" he whispered.

My mind and body was transported back to that fateful day, the last time I saw my world before coming here.

Pain, raw pain and fear encompassed around me and my knees buckled in protest. My heart screamed.

And Jade froze within me for a moment. I knew it was painful for her to watch, for he rto see him.

And unlike the Rael I met in this life, a certain kind of darkness surrounded my... I mean that Vampire Prince, as he stalked closer.

Jade whimpered in my head. "Spring—Sol—no—get away from him."

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