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CHAPTER 10
~Rhys's POV~
The soft click of the office door signalled the departure of my last patient. I leaned back in my chair, the silence pressing in after a day of words, diagnoses, and carefully measured smiles.
But my mind hadn't been on work.
Not really. I turned to my desk, where it sat—Spring's phone.
Or what was left of it.
The shattered screen glinted under the white light, fractured like the pieces of something delicate dropped too many times.
I picked it up, fingers brushing over the cracked glass. My thumb hesitated over the darkened screen.
"Why didn't she say anything about her phone?"
The question left me thinking, like a whisper meant for no one.
I entered Spring's room earlier that morning, hoping to see her before she left and wish her a nice day, but he had already left for school.
I thought of asking Dad to change her school or rebelling and doing so myself. She did not deserve the punishments she was given.
But instead of doing anything, I'd lingered, unsure why. The place still carried her scent—lavender and something softer underneath.
I had told myself I just wanted to check on her space, maybe leave a note. But really, I had just… missed her.
Her presence, her tiny chaos and the time we spent with her growing up. The way she made everything feel slightly warmer.
All those times before it changed.
My mind replayed the words she had said to me, those cruel words one would not expect his most treasured sister to say, but she did, and even so, in a way that broke my heart.
Still, when Eryx told us of his past, our supposed future, Kaius and I took a moment to breathe.
I was still conflicted in my heart. Was Rose all that bad or was something the cause of changing both girls?
That's when I saw the broken phone, lying in the corner of her desk like a discarded piece of her story. Forgotten, but not meaningless.
Then Eryx's words echoed in my head.
"She's being bullied. Badly. But she's changed. Something's different about her."
I had noticed it, Kaius had, we all did. Shoving my thoughts to the back of my mind, I did the next best thing.
Thanks to Eryx explaining the scandal, I knew helping her out could possibly earn me a seat at her table of forgiveness and a place to start from.
So, I took the phone with me.
And now I was staring at it and something sharp twisted in my gut.
I opened my contact list and tapped the name I hadn't used in over a year.
Acer.
He picked up after two rings.
"Rhys. Still alive?"
"Barely," I replied. "Hello, Acer. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. Unlike those other two brothers of yours…."
"Listen, I need a favour," I cut in, going straight to the point and ignoring his squabbles. I heard him sigh, followed by a long pause. Acer always listened before he spoke when it came to serious business.
"Go on."
"I need help retrieving data from a broken phone. And… I also need access to my family's home CCTV. Every feed. Especially the ones facing the hallway and drawing room."
The moment I mentioned the exact direction, that got his attention.
"Kaine Estate?" he asked, tone shifting. "That's not light. Something happened? Tell me really. What's going on with your sister?"
I hesitated.
"It's about Spring."
A long pause followed before Acer added, "Send me the phone. I'll handle the rest."
"Thanks, Ace. Just go through it and forward all the data on the phone to me. Someone bullied my sister, and that someone has to pay."
"I know, and I'd hate to be in their shoes right now. Enjoy, Rhys."
I ended the call and glanced back down at the shattered screen, now resting in the centre of my palm, waiting to be boxed and sent to Acer.
I stood by the window, watching the shadows grow long outside. In my chest, something heavier stirred.
Spring had never told us. She never asked for help.
And yet… here we were. Only beginning to learn the truth.
There was more to this than any of us had wanted to admit.
And I was going to find out what.
One thread at a time.
But this time, we wouldn't look away.
A second later, I opened another app on my phone and placed an order.
iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Midnight frost colour. Maxed-out specs. Engraved initials on the back: S.K.
I added a note before finalizing the delivery instructions.
"No one breaks what's mine and walks away. —R"
The phone would arrive in her room before she got home. It was a little surprise, but I hope she loved it and feels loved.
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~Madelyn's POV~
There was something off about the hallway today.
I couldn't explain it—just a feeling. A weird tension hummed beneath the laughter, like the school itself was waiting for something to crack.
Spring Kaine passed by me near the main stairwell.
She didn't stop or speak, which was normal for her, until she glanced at me and I felt all hair on my hands and body stand on end.
But her eyes…
Those damn eyes.
They didn't look like they used to. Gone was the weak, whimpering girl I used to trip and mock in the hallways. No puffy cheeks, no hesitant glances.
She didn't even flinch when we made eye contact.
She just looked.
Like a knife being pulled slowly from a sheath.
My friends whispered beside me, still high off our latest joke about someone's fake lashes. But I wasn't laughing.
I watched Spring walk past with that eerie calm, that straight spine, and knowing smirk.
I shivered.
No.
It wasn't guilt. Because I didn't do anything, we'd just reminded her of her place. That was all.
But now... she didn't seem to have a place. She wasn't beneath us. She wasn't even beside us.
She felt above it all. Watching us like we were ants on a battlefield, we didn't realise she already owned us.
I swallowed and looked away, trying to shake the feeling that I'd just made eye contact with something different and dangerous.
I quickly tried to call her back to discipline her, but I suddenly saw Alpha Jace standing before her.
I froze and turned on my heel. I took a different path and walked downstairs. Once out of sight, I had pulled out my phone and texted our friend's group.
"Girls, we need to teach this bitch not to feel high and mighty anymore. Meet me at the sports class 2 after lunch break."