Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas

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Chapter 8

~Eryx’s POV~

The lights were dim in my room, just the way I liked it—soft enough to feel like the world was quiet, even when my mind wasn’t.

I sat at the edge of my bed, the corner of a worn picture frame pressed lightly between my fingers.

It was old, cracked slightly along the edges, but I kept it clean. I’d never thrown it out, though I’d hidden it for years behind books and forgotten drawers.

In the photo, my hand was looped casually around a younger Spring’s waist. She had icing smeared on her nose, mid-laugh, her mouth open, head tilted back, like life was simple. Like her world hadn’t started collapsing yet.

Her sixteenth birthday.

I stared at that frame, really looked, until my throat tightened.

Back then, we weren’t pretending.

I remembered that day. Kaius had flown in early just to be there. Rhys brought Spring her favorite cake, the lemon one with blue frosting.