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CHAPTER 17
~Spring's POV~
A shriek ripped from her throat as the white liquid soaked her pristine blouse and flattened her perfectly curled hair.
Several gasps tore around us as students immediately took out their phones to record the scene.
The school's top female bully was getting herself washed in milky egg wash.
"What the… what the actual fuck…"
Madelyn turned, sputtering in disbelief, just in time to be hit with a second assault—a full bucket of flour, dumped directly on her head by another confused accomplice who clearly hadn't gotten the memo that she wasn't the target.
PFFFTT!
The hallway exploded with raw, undiffused laughter at her predicament.
People covered their mouths, and some didn't even bother.
Those who weren't recording before took their phones out.
Snapshots of Queen Madelyn standing there—drenched in sour milk and flour—circulated the school's gossip site before she could catch her breath.
Thanks to all the pings that rang off like an alarm on various phones, I knew.
She was trending, and not in a good way.
"Not me, you idiots!" she screeched, wiping flour from her lashes. "It was supposed to be her! HER!"
My brows rose as my gaze landed on her finger pointed straight at me.
I stood there, unbothered, the tiniest smirk curling at my lips, not saying a word.
"Solstice, watch out, there's another one," Jade warned me immediately.
I turned to my right side just as the last guy holding the final bucket stepped forward, his eyes met mine, and he froze mid-step.
My eyes sharpened as I let my aura out a little, just a little, without drawing too much suspicion to me.
He hadn't even thrown the contents yet, but his hands trembled. Maybe, to him, it was the air around me that changed or the pressure.
I didn't care, but even as I suppressed Jade's aura, her energy suddenly surged through my skin, tightening the space around us.
My eyes narrowed as I stepped forward once, ready to deal with the last miscreant who served under the bully.
"Want some of that?" I asked, my gaze focused on him, but he knew what I was talking about.
I stepped forward, my hands tucked inside my school jacket. "I'd be happy to oblige unless…"
That was all it took to spook him.
A bone-deep chill rolled down the corridor.
He stumbled backwards as if pulled by invisible hands, and his foot slipped. The bucket tipped. The garbage meant for me splashed across him, drenching him in sludge and the sharp, unmistakable stench of rotten eggs and spoiled leftovers.
He screamed, slipped and fell straight into the filth with a smack that echoed off the lockers.
Another wave of laughter broke out across the hallway.
And I kept walking, but this time, toward Madelyn.
Her hands were shaking now, flour dripping from her lashes and shoulders. "What are you standing there for? Help me," Madelyn cried, her gaze fixed in one direction.
I followed her line of sight to see who she called for help when I spotted Beatrice retreating within the crowd.
Her eyes met mine, and they widened a fraction. The next second, she turned and ran off.
I stopped right in front of Madelyn, keeping my calm. My presence filled the air, thickening the tension.
I looked her dead in the eyes. "Today?" I said quietly but clearly. "You were lucky."
Madelyn's lips parted to retort, but no words came out.
"But next time…" My lips pulled at the side. "I won't forgive so easily."
I turned sharply, ignoring her and the tears that glistened in her eyes and walked away.
Behind me, whispers started to ripple through the crowd. People were murmuring, gossiping, piecing together the events, the shift in power, and the aura that hadn't existed around me before.
But what happened next silenced all of them.
Jade felt it—something was off. She was restless like a caged animal wanting to break free.
"Jade, what is going on?"
I got no reply, and my muscles tensed; my senses were on high alert. Maybe it was the aftermath of my first shift, I thought.
But the more I stayed, the harder it became to breathe. My nostrils were assaulted as five strange scents, all mixed, flooded my senses.
But that was the least of my problems, as firm footsteps echoed in sync from the other side of the hallway. Immediately, their scent washed over me strongly, alongside something sweet and enticing, and I recognized them.
The Alphas. All four of them—Storm, Jace, Tyrion and Kael.
Each of them moved with casual command, but the moment they entered the hallway, something inside me snapped.
No—shifted.
Jade surged forward in my mind without warning.
I gasped, stumbling back a step as a bolt of searing heat spread through my chest and down my spine.
My wolf stretched inside me, wide awake, wide-eyed, and growling in disbelief.
Immediately, memories from my past life came flooding in—memories of the first time it ever happened.
No… no, no, no—
"Mate."
That word hit like a drumbeat in my skull.
One word and as if on cue… Their eyes locked with mine, and their expressions darkened at the same time mine did, realisation slamming into all of us at once.
Then, like a cruel, twisted echo, their wolves roared in unison with mine.
"Mate."
I refused to acknowledge it.
But the second the word left their lips, gasps flew all around as all eyes shot in my direction and their scents overwhelmed me once more.
It wrapped around me, sinking into my lungs, clouding my mind, and taking over.
Memories flashed in my head; images of Rael and me, kissing under the full moon, and the betrayal of his hand stuck in my chest came rolling back.
No. No. No!
I took a slow, shaky breath, my entire body thrumming with heat, betrayal, and fury.
Four bonds—four fucking cruel bonds tying my soul to another.
I staggered back, my throat tightening. The world blurred at the edges of my eyes as tears threatened to spill.
I turned, not ready to face them and bolted.
I ran past the lockers and the crowd, ignoring the rising gasps, the confused murmurs, and the eyes burning into my back.
I kept going until I collided with someone.
Hard.
My breath choked out, and I nearly stumbled, but strong hands caught me by the shoulders before I did.
And that's when it happened again.
Jade stilled and screamed as the mate-bond snapped again, harder this time, and then I felt whole inside, complete.
Mate.
My eyes widened like I had seen my worst nightmare at the realisation that the Moon Goddess did not just shackle me with four but five mates.
I lifted my head slowly to see the person whom that twisted bitch, fate, had tied my soul to.
But the second I locked eyes with him… My heart skipped several beats, and the tears I had been holding back rolled down my cheeks.
L-Lucien.