Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas

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~Spring's POV~

When I finally turned to face them, I smiled, giving them that unnerving, calm, "I'm-about-to-destroy-you-politely" smile.

"Wow. That's a lot of words for 'I'm intimidated and have nothing better to do with my breath.'"

The first one blinked, confused.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I continued sweetly, "Did you expect me to cry? Break down? Beg for your approval?"

I stepped slightly forward, lowering my voice just enough to force them to lean in. "Let me be very clear. I didn't trick the system. I beat it fair and square. While you were struggling with your foundation classes, I was rewriting the curve."

"You're still a repeater," the second girl muttered, but her confidence was already wilting.

"And yet," I tilted my head, "I'm sitting in the top class, with a higher test score than you could dream of. Funny how that works. Shouldn't that be shameful for you, huh, repeater?"

The third girl scowled. "You think because you have the Alpha heirs around you, you're untouchable?"

I laughed then. Not a fake one—an actual, genuine laugh. "No. I'm untouchable because none of you can even reach my level. But thanks for the reminder."

I started to walk off, but paused, just enough to twist the knife with my words.

"And if it helps you sleep better, feel free to keep calling me a repeater. That just means I did something twice as good while you're still struggling to get it right the first time."

The hallway went quiet as I strode away, the click of my boots echoing against the tiles.

Behind me, I heard one of them scoff. "Ugh, who does she think she is?"

"I think I'm Spring Kaine," I called over my shoulder, not bothering to turn. "Second top scorer in the school, Vice President of the student council, and the girl your boyfriends secretly stare at."

Mic. Dropped.

I didn't even need to see their faces to know I left their mouths hanging.

When I turned the corner, Jace was leaning against the wall casually with his arms folded, grinning from ear to ear.

"You terrify people. It's my favourite thing about you."

I smirked. "I only terrify the ones who deserve it."

"Please," he rolled his eyes, "they were ready to piss themselves. That was art."

"Did you enjoy the show?"

"Loved it," he said with a wink. "But I think it's time we stepped up security."

I raised an eyebrow. "Security?"

"Obviously. You're too precious for these peasants."

I snorted. "You're ridiculous."

Jace fell into step beside me as we headed toward class. "And yet, still your favourite."

"Debatable."

"Not for long."

I shook my head, hiding the grin that slipped through.

I was halfway down the corridor when I spotted two familiar faces weaving their way through the crowd.

"Spring!" Chloe called, practically skipping as she caught up. Eva followed right behind her, slightly more composed but still visibly excited to see me.

I told Jace I'd catch up with him and stopped to greet my friends. He agreed and walked away, but not before winking and blowing a kiss at me.

"Hey, you two," I greeted, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the morning drama.

Chloe leaned closer, her brow scrunched. "Where were you yesterday? I came looking for you after lunch, but you weren't in class."

I was just about to explain when the bright, digital flicker of the school board caught all our attention. The screen above the entrance hall lit up with bold, clean text in shining gold letters:

TOP PERFORMERS: SENIOR YEAR STATE TEST

1st – Storm Draven – 148/150

2nd – Spring Kaine – 147/150

3rd – Kael Kaiden – 147/150

3rd – Tyrion Levi –147/150

3rd – Jace Raith – 147/150

Directly underneath, a second announcement appeared:

Congratulations to Spring Kaine on her promotion to Class 3A

Appointed Motivational Student for Academic Excellence

There was a brief silence as students crowded the lobby. I heard the murmurs again—this time not laced with suspicion or cruelty, but with sheer disbelief.

Eva's eyes widened, and Chloe clapped her hands with a tiny squeal. "You did it?! You didn't tell us, Spring!"

"I was going to," I said sheepishly, but I couldn't stop the smile from blooming. Their joy made it that much better.

Eva reached out and squeezed my hand. "This is amazing. You deserve it."

Before I could reply, the school bell rang overhead, sharp and clear, snapping everyone back to the reality of the school day.

"I'll catch you guys later," I said, squeezing back before heading off toward my new class.

I entered the room with confidence, eyes forward, ignoring the glares and whispers. But as I walked down toward my seat… someone shot out their leg.

I caught the movement too late to stop mid-step.

My foot clipped against his ankle and my body pitched forward. But instead of falling, I let my instincts kick in.

And my foot landed squarely on the guy's face with a satisfying crack as I kicked up in the motion.

Gasps erupted all over the class.

When I landed smoothly on my feet, I straightened, brushing invisible dust off my skirt.

"Oops," I said with a sunny smile, tilting my head toward the guy—Lyon, if I remembered his name correctly. "My feet moved on their own trying to land… just the way yours slid out. And for a minute, I thought that was the ground."

Some students stifled their laughter, but most just stared in stunned silence.

Lyon growled under his breath, glaring at me. "You little…"

He lunged forward before I could leave, grabbing my wrist hard.

I didn't flinch, but I didn't need to because four feral growls erupted from different corners of the classroom like a ripple of thunder.

"Get your hands off my mate," Jace's sharp voice rang out first.

"Now," Kael added in a cool but dangerous tone.

Tyrion's chair scraped against the floor. "Do not make us say it again, Lyon," he warned, his eyes gleaming with heat.

"Let go."

Lyon froze, his hand still clamped around my wrist—but that hesitation cost him.

There was a sudden gust of wind.

A loud crack echoed through the room followed by a cry of pain.

Lyon stumbled back, clutching his wrist in agony. His eyes were wide, face contorted and while everyone wondeed what happened, I had seen it all.

Storm.