Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas

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~Storm's POV~

Silence exploded like a bomb.

The only sound was the rush of the river behind us.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what to say.

"Storm, speak to us," Kael urged. I could see the worry in his eyes but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

To me, admitting it meant admitting I was losing Spring. I couldn't bring myself to lose the only lady that I had ever fallen in love with.

Spring lit up my days, my mind, my whole world in ways I haven't told her yet.

I should have told her, but when Spring synced with the others… everything hit pause for me and I had to tread carefully out of fear of losing her… and now…

"Storm," Jace called out sharply. "Talk to us. Tell us what he says isn't true."

Could I?

"Storm?" Tyrion's voice broke through my train of thought.

"How can he when all I said was the truth?"

A single tear slid down my face as I looked at Jace and admitted it. "It is. But he'd be damned if he thinks I'll give up on Spring because of that because I won't abandon my mate."

A small smile spread across Jace's face and the next thing I knew he rushed towards me and enveloped me in a hug, patting my back gently.

"Good. But you still have a battle to fight."

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

~Spring's POV~

I stood by the window, watching the late afternoon sun melt across the rooftops, the sky a lazy watercolour of peach and lilac.

Birds chirped somewhere beyond the trees, and the wind teased the curtain against my wrist.

But none of it eased the tightness in my chest when I think of Storm.

Something had changed.

I wasn't overthinking it, I knew that much. He didn't even glance at me when I called his name earlier today in school. He just walked off. Not a word. No reaction. Just… silence.

And for Storm, that wasn't just normal brooding. That was avoidance.

I sighed and stared at the unread message I had sent him two hours ago.

Me: Hey, is everything okay? You seemed off earlier.

I waited for a few minutes, but received no reply, even though he was online.

Perhaps he was busy, I excused him.

I opened our chat again, thumb hovering over the keyboard. Should I send another one? Would that be desperate? My heart warred with my pride, and pride lost.

I tapped to call him.

The phone rang once, then clicked straight to voicemail.

I stared at the screen, feeling a cold bloom across my chest. No message. No callback. Not even a "Hey, I'm busy."

I chewed on my lower lip, fingers tightening around the phone. My stomach had been twisting since lunch, and the silence only made it worse.

Storm wasn't the type to ghost someone, not like this to me at least. And I thought we had something good going on?

I knew I said I wanted to stay off relationships but against my better judgement, I was giving him a try, a chance.

I was halfway into composing a message for Jace—maybe he knew something I didn't know—when the doorbell rang.

I startled, my phone nearly slipping from my grip. My heart jumped, and for a split second, I foolishly hoped it was Storm.

Tucking my phone into my back pocket, I walked toward the door and opened it.

But it wasn't Storm.

Instead, Eryx stood before me, with a sheepish grin that spoke volumes of his joy to see me.

And, surprisingly, just seeing him reminded me of our parents. None of them called since that day to find out how I was doing.

I didn't know why I bothered thinking about it when they had their prized daughter at home.

At least she can rain at home and not on my parade.

"Hey," he said softly, eyes immediately scanning my face. "Aren't I gonna get a hug?"

My shoulders dropped a little in surprise. "Eryx."

He raised a brow. "Were you expecting someone else?"

Maybe I looked disappointed. I couldn't hide emotions well when I was off balance. But I quickly tried to cover it with a polite smile.

"No," I said. "Just… wasn't expecting anyone."

Eryx didn't believe a word of it.

"Let me in," he said, stepping past the doorway with that easy, older-brother confidence that never really needed permission. "Need to drop these."

It was then I noticed the brown bag of groceries it seem he was carrying.

His warm, familiar scent, instantly made the house feel smaller and safer.

I closed the door behind him, grateful.

"Kitchen?" he asked.

I nodded, and we moved into the room. He dropped his car keys on the counter along with the groceries supply, turned to face me, and crossed his arms.

"All right," he said. "Talk."

I blinked. "Talk about what?"

"Don't play dumb. You've got that look on your face."

I glanced away. "What look?"

"The one where you pretend everything's fine but your eyes are three seconds away from crying, and you're standing like someone just unplugged your soul."

I opened my mouth to protest, but the lump in my throat betrayed me.

Eryx took a step forward and gently gripped my shoulders. "What happened?"

I hesitated, then exhaled. "It's Storm."

His brows drew together. "What did he do?" Before I could explain, anger swirled in his eyes as he assessed me. "Did he hurt you? Do I have to go break all 206 bones in his body?"

For a split second, I was speechless before my mind picked up. "No… Nothing. That's the problem," I muttered, stepping out of his grip and leaning against the counter. "He ignored me today in school like I wasn't even there. He didn't even look at me when I called his name."

Eryx leaned back against the island counter, watching me. "Did you guys fight?"

"No," I said quickly. "Last night was… amazing. He kissed me, held me like I was all that mattered. But today, it was like someone flipped a switch."

"You called him?"

"He sent me to voicemail."

Eryx's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't comment on it.

"I even considered asking Jace if he knows anything, but then the doorbell rang and… here you are."