Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas-Chapter 179: Breaking Up

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~Spring's POV~

Before I could protest, his mouth found the curve of my jaw, soft at first, then lingering longer, his lips tracing the sensitive line of my neck.

My breath hitched when he grazed his teeth lightly against my skin.

"Storm…" I whispered his name as if to warn him, but it came out more like a plea.

"If you want me to stop, I will," he enunciated, his breath ghosting against the shell of my ear, making me shiver. "But if you don't, Spring, I won't hold back much longer."

I hesitated for half a heartbeat… and said nothing.

I did not need to speak to say it… my hesitation was all the answer he needed.

Storm's hands slid down my arms, slowly as though mapping every curve, every inch of me he'd been dying to touch.

His fingertips brushed my waist, lingering there, feeling the soft fabric of my dress beneath his calloused hands.

He exhaled harshly, his forehead dipping to rest against the crook of my neck.

"You have no idea how many times I've imagined this," he whispered hoarsely. "How many nights I've wanted to taste you, hold you, claim you…"

My entire body felt like it was humming, every nerve alive and attuned to him.

I wanted to answer, to tell him he wasn't alone in that longing, but the words were caught in my throat as his lips found my collarbone, leaving slow, burning kisses down to the swell of my chest where the neckline of my dress began.

My fingers fisted his shirt, tugging him closer without realising it. My head tilted back slightly, giving him more access, and he groaned against my skin, his restraint visibly fraying with every passing second.

"Storm…" My voice was shaky, breathless. "We… we shouldn't…"

"I know," he said against my skin, though his mouth never stopped moving. "But I don't care."

When his hand slid to the small of my back and gently pressed, I found myself straddling his lap before I'd fully processed how I got there.

The blanket beneath us was soft, but his body was warmer, solid and grounding beneath me.

I could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat through his chest, matching mine beat for beat.

Storm's hands framed my hips, as though he was holding me in place while letting me decide how far we went. His self-control made my chest ache, made me fall for him even harder.

It was never this way with Rael. We were wild and gentle sometimes. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I threw those thoughts away and focused on the guy beneath me.

Cupping his face between my hands, forcing him to meet my gaze. His eyes were wild, golden flecks swirling in that icy-blue.

His breath was ragged as if he was fighting himself with every second.

"I want you," I whispered, my voice trembling but not from fear, but from the weight of the truth. "But… I want to do this when nothing is hanging over us. No Serissa. No king's decree. Just us."

Storm froze as his chest rose and fell beneath my palms. For a moment, I thought he'd argue, thought he'd push, but instead, his hands slid up my back, pulling me close until my forehead pressed to his.

"Then we wait," he said finally. "I'll break the engagement, Spring. I don't care what it takes. When I have you… I want it to be without chains."

Tears prickled at my eyes, but before I could speak, his lips claimed mine again. This kiss was different, no longer too heated, but slower, softer, and no less intense.

It was a vow written in the press of his mouth, in the way his thumb brushed my cheek, in the way his entire body seemed to tremble just from holding back.

When we finally broke apart, we sat there beneath the glowing lanterns and the darkening sky, clinging to each other as though the world might try to tear us apart at any moment.

"Just know, I'll have you as mine, forever."

"I can't wait," I whispered back, leaning against him.

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~River's POV~

"Talk to me," I said again, softer this time.

"How can he," Kaius started between chuckles, "when he was too busy having a sister complex to let any other girl get close?"

Rhys, ever the instigator, added, "He had you on everything he owned. His phone, his lockscreen, wallpaper, and profile pic. It was borderline obsessive."

My jaw dropped. "Wait. What?"

"Oh, we're not done," Rhys continued. "Every time someone mentioned a girl, he found a way to bring you up instead. It got to the point that some girls thought he was in love with his kid sister. It got awkward fast."

My jaw dropped. I was speechless. I knew Spring and Eryx were close, but I never knew just how close they had become.

Eryx shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. I'd never seen him look this embarrassed. His mouth pressed into a thin line as if he were debating whether to say anything at all.

"Had he not been older, you two would have been considered twins due to how close. It was at that point Eryx knew he had to have a life lol. You and his tech were literally his everything," Rhys explained.

I blinked. The teasing faded as something deeper settled in the air—something still and heavy. I turned fully toward him, knees curled under me.

"Eryx…"

He didn't meet my eyes at first. "I had a sister complex," he said finally, and it silenced the room.

I blinked, unsure if I heard right the first time Kaius mentioned it and now he confirmed it. "A… what?"

He looked up now, gaze steady but quiet. "I didn't have real friends growing up. Not ones that stuck. The house was always tense. Rhys was busy while Kaius was distant, but when you came, when you were born, you grew up…"

He hesitated, the roughness in his voice suddenly obvious.

"You were my first real bond, my anchor, my best friend. I didn't mean to make it weird or clingy, but…" He ran a hand through his hair. "Every time someone tried to get close, it felt wrong. Like they were intruding on something sacred. And for a while, I thought something was wrong with me."

"You're not broken," I said softly before he hated himself.

I couldn't blame him. His need to be close to his sister ultimately led him to develop feelings for me. It turned out that Spring wasn't even his sister.

Eryx gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Maybe. But I didn't know how to separate my world from you. You were my world. Making you laugh, protecting you, being there—it filled everything."

Kaius sat straighter, thoughtful now. "That explains the constant 'Spring said this' or 'Spring likes that.' You basically worshipped her."

Rhys nodded, more serious this time. "It was intense, yeah. But we knew it wasn't romantic. It was… loyalty. Just turned all the way up."

I reached over, instinctively taking Eryx's hand in mine, my chest tightening. I could feel Spring's body responding too—warmth blooming, the ache of memories I hadn't lived but somehow remembered.

I felt both sad and touched at the same time. I could also feel joy. If only the real Spring knew her brothers, though things had changed in the past, they truly cared about her.

"You'll find someone," I told him softly. "Someone who gives you space for both me, and your own story. I'll always be your sister, your person, but there's more for you, too."

Eryx nodded, squeezing my hand back. "Yeah. And she's going to be really lucky. But don't expect me to stop being protective of you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," I smiled.

Kaius sniffled dramatically. "Aw, family therapy. Someone grab the tissues."

Rhys rolled his eyes. "We'll need one when we dig into your damage next, drama king."

"Please," Kaius said, sipping from his mug like royalty. "I am damage-free. I exude stability."

"Yeah, emotionally unavailable stability," Eryx muttered, and we all laughed.

As I looked between the three of them—one brushing my hair playfully, one fidgeting with a pen, one watching me like he'd never let anything touch me again—I felt something else sink into my bones.

This was it. This was what family felt like.

Not always easy, perfect, but honest, warm, and fiercely, stubbornly, unrelentingly loving.

Silence settled again, but this time, it was a soft kind of peace.

"You still shouldn't talk about it with Chloe," Kaius added dryly. "That girl's got a louder mouth than a town crier on market day."

I almost squealed with laughter. They did not know her yet, but her loud mouth had left quite an impression.

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, leaning back into the pillows. "And also… I'll be sure not to ever mention my love life on speaker again. Lesson learned."

Kaius smirked. "Hehhee, even if it's not on speaker, it would be to us."

I rolled my eyes but didn't fight the smile tugging at my lips.

For all the chaos, for all the awkward stories and confessions and too-much-information moments… this? This was everything I never knew I needed.