CHAPTER 78: FOUR ALPHA EXECUTIONERS

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

Chapter 78

~Spring’s POV~

Rhys paused mid-step, his lips twitched. "Something like that."

I got up, moved to the bed and patted the space beside me. He took it without hesitation.

For a few moments, we just sat there, listening to the stillness settle around us.

Then I asked, "Tough night?"

Rhys leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. "You have no idea."

I waited and he didn’t speak for a while, but eventually, his voice drifted up like smoke. "The case... it was more complicated than I thought. We finally got a glimmer of hope, though."

I tensed slightly, though I masked it with another sip of tea. "Hope?"

He nodded. "Somehow... I got a message. Anonymous. Weirdly specific. It listed a set of ingredients—rare ones. One of them I didn’t even think still grew in this region."

He paused, raking a hand through his hair again. "But I researched it anyway. The preparation instructions were unorthodox, but the science made sense in a strange, ancient-medicine kind of way."

He shook his head slightly, still processing it. "There’s only one problem."

I tilted my head, pretending to be surprised. "What?"

"The main herb—Beryl-sap bark—it’s near impossible to find. At least not fresh. And the only person recorded as cultivating it locally is this reclusive old herbalist who doesn’t take visitors and lives somewhere in the mountains near Virethorn. At least that was where he was last recorded to be seen."

He let out a half-laugh, dry and tired. "The man hasn’t answered a single letter or call in six to seven years. I can’t even confirm if he’s alive."

"What’s his name?" I asked casually, keeping my voice light even as my heartbeat picked up.

Rhys rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Levi Thorne."

My fingers twitched slightly at the name, Thorne.

It was familiar but I wasn’t quite sure of it. Still, I leaned over and gently patted Rhys’s shoulder. "It’ll be okay."

He looked at me then—really looked. His gaze softened, the exhaustion flickering into something more human. "How are you always so calm?"

"I’m not," I said honestly. "But someone has to be."

He smiled faintly at that.

"You’ll figure it out," I told him. "You always do."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring down at his hands. "I hope so. I can’t lose this one, Spring. He’s just a kid."

You won’t, I thought silently, not if I can help it.

I reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze and he squeezed back.

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

~Lilith’s POV~

A few hours ago...

After Valerie left with her family’s driver—surrounded by whispers and stares, none of which she acknowledged—I slipped away.

I couldn’t face the school or the dorm, and the students I once governed. I couldn’t face anyone.

The weight of my guilt pressed hard against my chest, clawing at my throat like a living thing. So, I did the only thing I could... Hide.

I found an empty classroom tucked near the abandoned wing. The desks were dusty, the lights flickering above like the room itself had long been forgotten, like me.

The scent of chalk and cold stone filled the air as I slowly folded the last of my uniform into the open luggage, hand trembling slightly with each movement.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. I had power, position, and plans until Spring Kaine.

My fists clenched around a balled-up shirt.

I dropped my bag and began shoving my things into it as quietly as possible, not that anyone would come looking.

A bitter taste flooded my mouth. I was still grappling with the burn of her name when suddenly the air in the room changed.

I had barely zipped the first section when I felt it.

No. It didn’t change—it collapsed.

Pressure.

Heavy, suffocating pressure.

I gasped, instinct flaring, as the walls themselves felt like they were leaning in.

Four distinct waves of power—four Alpha auras—rolling in like a crashing tsunami, swallowing the air and burning the edges of my lungs. They crashed over me like a wave of molten iron.

My breath caught in my chest, eyes wide as pain exploded in my gut, my legs buckled beneath me and I coughed—blood staining my hand as it hit the tile floor.

And then... I coughed, warm metallic taste coated my tongue as blood spilt from the corner of my lips.

I looked up slowly, my hand trembling as I wiped the blood away and the classroom door swung open. They entered like shadows—dark, tall, and thunderous.

Storm. Kael. Tyrion. Jace.

Four of Valerie’s mates.

No. No, no, no.

Four of the most dangerous heirs in the entire kingdom, her protectors, her shield... now turned my executioners.

They stepped into the classroom one by one, each aura heavier than the last. The air crackled around them, pulsing with barely contained fury.

At first, they smirked. It was cold, mocking, and lethal.

Then, the shift. Their expressions hardened. Their eyes lost every trace of amusement.

And they closed in.

I backed away instinctively, stumbling against a desk. My bag fell with a dull thud. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

Jace was the first to speak, his voice like venom laced with disappointment. He smirked first, the kind of grin that never reached his eyes. "Looks like the rat found a hiding place."

Kael chuckled, but there was no humour in it. "Or maybe she thought we wouldn’t come find her."

Tyrion didn’t smile. He never did. He closed the door behind them with a quiet click that sounded more like a lock slamming shut than wood.

My heart dropped. The air thickened even more as they moved closer, surrounding me like wolves circling a wounded prey.

Storm’s face was the last to appear—his expression carved from ice. No warmth or kindness.

Their footsteps echoed, measured and slow and in rhythm.

I dropped to my knees, the pressure too much. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t listen. I swayed and collapsed to the ground completely, cheek brushing the cold tiles as I coughed again.

"So... you felt powerful, didn’t you? Riding the high of your vice president title? Thought you were invincible enough to bet our mate’s bond away like it meant nothing?"