Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas
Chapter 74: Defended and Supported

Chapter 74: Defended and Supported

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Chapter 74

~Spring’s POV~

The silence that followed Rhys and Kaius’s defiant stance was deafening.

My mother’s hand still hovered midair as though she couldn’t believe what had just happened—that her sons had stood in her way. In my defense.

Her face shifted—shock, disbelief, rage. Her hand trembled as she slowly pulled it back and looked from Rhys to Kaius like she’d been betrayed by her own blood.

Then she snapped.

"So this is it?" she hollered, her voice high and sharp. "You’d treat your mother like this for her?"

Rhys didn’t flinch, but his voice was low and controlled. "Her? You mean our sister?"

"She’s your daughter too," Eryx said firmly as he moved closer, his eyes narrowed.

Our mother rounded on him. "No. Don’t start again, Eryx. You started this nonsense the day you chose her side."

Eryx didn’t back down. "So I’m the problem now? For choosing to see what’s right instead of letting you blind me with favoritism?"

Kaius joined in, his jaw tense. "Exactly, Mum. Did you even stop to ask what happened before slapping her? And twice at that!"

"No, I didn’t because you can clearly see who is wrong. It’s Spring."

"How can you say that without asking?"

I opened my mouth, ready to speak up—to defend myself—but Rose’s shrill voice cut through everything.

"She’s lying!" she screeched, dramatically staggering to her feet like she was the victim of a war crime. "Spring slapped me! She attacked me and my friends and ruined my party!"

A couple of her friends were still wiping their faces from the drinks I had thrown at them, their makeup smudged, clothes stained, and expressions a mix of shock and embarrassment.

The boy whose head I had slammed against the table barely stood up as my father’s guards helped him up, with blood staining his face from the cut on his forehead.

The other girl whom I punched had blood flowing down and staining her dress.

Bingo.

Even if I got scolded or punished, I paid them back in their own coin, and that to me was more satisfaction and joy than any punishment or embarrassment.

The chaos in the room was still intense: the shattered vase, the food mess, and the broken silence.

Our mother turned toward my brothers, arms spread wide. "You want to defend this? Look around! This is what she did."

There was a pause. My brothers exchanged looks, clearly conflicted. But Eryx stepped forward again, his eyes never leaving Rose.

"Yes, I can defend this. Because I know Spring. She wouldn’t start something like this without being provoked. So, Rose," he said, stepping forward towards her, his voice cold and deadly, "what exactly did you say to make her angry?"

Rose’s expression shifted instantly. Her gaze darted around, as if hoping someone would save her.

Her lip quivered. Then she shrieked, pointing a shaky finger at Eryx. Eryx angrily glared at her before thundering.

"I warned you! If you keep going against your own family or her, I won’t hold back! I won’t show you mercy even if you’re my sister!"

The room fell even more silent.

Rose’s tears started to fall—manipulative, but they looked real. She crumbled toward our mother, who rushed forward to support her, shielding her like the victim she always pretended to be.

"You see?" she sobbed. "He’s bullying me—for her. For her! And I didn’t do anything wrong."

But Rhys, still standing beside me, took a step forward and said, "And what about Spring? Look at her. Her dress is ruined, and her clothes are stained. Who did that to her? And what is her only crime? Standing alone?"

Kaius added, "What you call drama, I call injustice. If anything, we can check the security cameras. There are CCTV footages all over the living room. Let’s find out what really happened."

The moment those words landed, Rose’s face drained of all color.

She turned toward her brothers with wide eyes, panic etched across her face. "You don’t believe me?" she asked, her voice fragile and soft.

Before any of them could respond, the deep booming voice of our father thundered through the space.

"What in the name of the moon is all this noise?" His voice was enough to make the entire room stiffen.

He walked in slowly, his eyes piercing as he scanned the wreckage and the guilty faces. I instinctively recoiled, taking a small step back.

Rhys noticed and immediately grabbed my hand. His grip was firm, anchoring and reassuring me. "Let’s go," he whispered. "Before this spirals further."

I nodded numbly. Together, we turned and walked out, the eyes of the crowd following us.

Outside, the night air was cooler and quieter. He opened the passenger side of the car for me like a gentleman, then walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat.

The door closed, and none of us said anything, nor did I ask where we were headed. Silence again.

Rhys didn’t start the engine.

I folded my hands over my lap, trying to hide how badly they trembled. I hated that my eyes were misting.

I hated that I still hoped she would believe me. That even in all that chaos, I waited for my mother to defend me—for once.

"Sorry, Solstice. Do not think too much about it. She was never a worthy mother, and thankfully, you cannot call her your birth mother. I’m pretty sure your real mother would have been kind."

"If she is, then why did she give me away? And worse, she kept me with humans. Imagine how Spring’s life would have been, finding out she is a werewolf with no one to tell her secrets while getting bullied."

"I... I’m sorry," Jade apologized, and I just sighed.

"I’m sorry," I finally said, breaking the silence as Rhys’ car drove off. My voice cracked a little. "I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I know it wasn’t ladylike of me, but I—"

Rhys suddenly pulled over to the side of the road, parked, and then turned fully toward me. Still I continued. "Rhys, I know you want to say..."

He unfastened his seatbelt and leaned in. For a minute there I forgot to breathe as I froze.

His eyes searched mine for a moment, then, slowly, gently, he leaned forward and kissed me...

... on my forehead, not my lips.

My forehead.

I blinked fast, my heart stuttering.

"You don’t have to apologize for defending yourself," he murmured against my skin. "And definitely not for standing up for who you are. You must not do that to us or anyone."

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