Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet
Chapter 63: Liberator, Saviour or Tyrant???

Chapter 63: Liberator, Saviour or Tyrant???

The door slammed behind her so hard that the entire hallway seemed to rattle.

Emerald didn’t stop walking. She strode through the stone corridors like a storm, boots echoing off the marble floors, her fists clenched so tight her nails bit into her palms.

By the time she reached her room, her breath was ragged.

She shut the door behind her with more force than she meant to. Then just stood there, breathing, seething.

Her clothes were still soaked in market chaos: blood, dirt, tomato pulp and her scalp ached from where the rock had split skin. Luckily, it’s healed already.

She peeled the ruined coat from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. Then sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the dying embers in the hearth.

Her mind wouldn’t slow down.

She replayed every word in her mind, every look, every silence, every flinch. Lucian hadn’t denied anything, not really. He hadn’t even tried to justify it. He just replied with silence and a vague promise that he’d "handle it."

She had thought him to be this calm, quiet and thoughtful leader.

But what kind of leader sets guards on children?

What kind of Alpha ruled with silence and secrets?

Her hands trembled as she pressed her palms into her thighs. She sat there for a long time, letting the quiet tick by.

Her mind spun through the pieces of what she’d gathered: Kieran’s warning, the little boy’s accusation, the guards’ brutality, and the growing sense that Lucien’s kindness was only skin-deep.

Would he come clean?

She doubted it.

She’d given him every chance. And still, he said nothing.

Emerald exhaled, stood, and headed into the bathroom. She undressed and stepped into the bath, letting the hot water scald the day from her skin.

And yet... even when she scrubbed her hands raw, the tension stayed.

Once she was out, Emerald changed into something clean and comfortable: soft black leggings and a charcoal tunic.

She started pacing again, moving back and forth across the rug like a trapped animal. Time seemed to stretch on forever; she lost track of how long she had been pacing until she heard a soft knock at the door.

Emerald blinked out of her thoughts and turned. "Come in."

The door creaked open, and the same young maid from before stepped inside. She carried a tray of food, her gaze flickering quickly toward Emerald before darting back to the floor.

"I brought your dinner, Alpha," she said softly.

"Thank you," Emerald replied, watching her carefully as she set the tray down on the small table near the balcony. The girl moved quickly, with the nervousness of someone who had spent years going unnoticed.

Emerald hesitated.

"You’re always the one bringing my meals."

The maid glanced up, startled. "Yes, ma’am."

Emerald gave her a small, tired smile. "That’s not a complaint. It’s just... nice. Having someone consistent."

The girl didn’t reply. She started to back away.

"Wait," Emerald said, rising. "Would you mind staying a bit?"

The maid froze.

Emerald gestured to her chair. "It’s been a long day. I could really use a bit of care. Think you could help with my hair?"

The girl hesitated again, her fingers tightening around the empty tray. "I... I can fetch someone..."

"No," Emerald shook her head. "I’d just rather not see anyone else right now. And I think you’d be better at it anyway."

The maid hesitated, but after a moment, she gave a quick nod. "Of course."

Emerald sat in the armchair beside the window while the girl retrieved a small bowl of oil from a nearby drawer. The silence between them was heavy at first, broken only by the gentle touch of fingers running through her tangled strands.

"What’s your name?" Emerald asked after a moment.

"Talia."

"Talia," Emerald repeated softly. "Pretty name. How long have you worked here?"

"Four years, ma’am."

"You don’t have to call me ma’am. Emerald is fine."

Talia said nothing; just kept working through her hair.

Emerald tried again. "Do you live in the estate?"

"My family has a house near the stables."

"Oh? Big family?"

"No. Just my mum and me."

Emerald nodded. "I see." She shifted slightly in the chair. "She must be proud of you, helping out like this."

Talia’s hands slowed for a moment before resuming. "She’s sick. I’m... doing what I can."

Emerald turned to look at her gently. "That’s a lot of responsibility for someone your age."

Soraya gave a weak smile. "We all do what we must."

"You’re doing more than enough."

A few more minutes passed before Emerald asked, with forced lightness, "Do all the staff act so stiff, or is it just when I’m around?"

That made Talia pause completely.

Her fingers pulled away from Emerald’s scalp, and she stepped back slightly. "I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I should go..."

"Talia." Emerald turned around. "Do you know something?"

Talia’s eyes widened. "No, I... I don’t. I shouldn’t talk. I’m sorry, Alpha, I really have to go."

"Are you scared?" Emerald asked gently.

Talia’s lip trembled slightly.

"You don’t have to be. I’ll protect you, I swear it."

But the girl only shook her head. "It’s not that simple. We don’t talk about it. If anyone finds out I even spoke to an outsider about anything... they’ll punish me. I have no one else. My mum can’t even walk without help."

Emerald stood slowly and stepped forward. "Talia," she said quietly, "I saw what happened today, how the guards treated people. I saw children thrown to the ground like animals. And I want to help. But I can’t do that if no one tells me the truth."

Talia stood there trembling for a moment, then slowly sat back down, eyes darting toward the door.

"You can’t tell anyone I told you," she said. "Swear it."

"I swear," Emerald said.

Then, finally, she whispered, "He wasn’t born here."

Emerald’s breath caught.

"Lucien... he wasn’t born here."

Emerald’s brow furrowed. "What?"

"He didn’t grow up in the Midnight Fang," Talia whispered. "He came from somewhere else. A different pack."

Emerald’s heart thudded.

Talia continued. "His father was a tyrant... corrupt. He sold his own people to the Midnight Fang as part of some political deal. He gave them to us... like property."

Emerald’s jaw clenched.

"Lucien led a rebellion and killed his father. But he didn’t stop there. H-He came to our territory... killed our Alpha, our elders... anyone who opposed him."

Emerald’s stomach turned.

"He merged the two packs and shut the borders. No one in. No one out. The ones who resisted were never seen again."

"My gods," Emerald whispered.

Talia went on. "They called him a liberator at first. A saviour. But after that... after the way he took over..."

"He became what he fought against."

Talia’s eyes filled with tears. "Please... don’t let them know I told you. Please. I could be punished... or worse."

Emerald stepped forward and took her hands. "No one will know. I promise."

Talia nodded shakily and turned to leave, but paused at the door.

She glanced back, her voice trembling. "If you’re smart... you’ll leave too. There are powerful people here who want him gone, and they’ll do anything to make it happen. If they think you’re helping him, you might get swept up in it too."

Emerald didn’t speak.

She couldn’t.

She could only watch as Talia slipped out the door and vanished into the night, her mind flashing back to the smoke... the fire... the shadow in the hall.