Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet -
Chapter 65: Packing Up...
Chapter 65: Packing Up...
Emerald stormed down the corridor, every footstep louder than the last. As she walked by the servants, they all turned to look at her with wide eyes, but there was nothing warm or welcoming in their gazes.
Instead, their stares felt cold and distant, like they couldn’t wait for her to be gone.
She clenched her jaw.
Lucien had done this. He’d built a kingdom on fear and control and then had the audacity to bring her here and pretend it was safe. Pretend she could grow something here, trust, maybe even love.
She reached her corridor when his voice stopped her.
"Emerald, wait."
She spun around with fire in her eyes.
Lucien stood just a few feet away, breathing like he’d run after her, his expression taut with desperation.
"You have to give me a chance to explain," he said, falling into step beside her.
She halted. "I don’t have to do anything."
He flinched. "Please. Just listen."
"I listened," she said through clenched teeth. "I listened when I came here with an open mind, when I gave you the benefit of the doubt. When I asked you over and over again what the hell was going on, and you chose to lie to me."
"I didn’t lie," he said. "I stayed silent because..."
"Because silence is easier when you’ve got blood on your hands?" she cut in sharply. "You killed your father in cold blood. And for what, Lucien? Power? A pack that loathes you?"
He lowered his voice as a few nearby servants turned to watch them. "Don’t do this here."
"No?" she said, laughing bitterly. "Isn’t this the perfect place? Out in the open where everyone can see the truth for what it is?"
Lucien sighed and stepped back. "You’re angry. You’re right to be. I should’ve told you. I should’ve said something from the moment you arrived."
She folded her arms, unmoved. "Then why didn’t you?"
"Because I didn’t know how," he admitted. "Because if I told you everything, I was afraid you’d never look at me the same way again."
"Well," she said coldly, "congratulations. You were right."
Lucien’s jaw tensed, his voice softening. "If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. I won’t keep you prisoner here. But I’m not done trying to make this right."
"I’m done," she snapped.
His eyes searched hers. "You don’t mean that."
Emerald turned on her heel. "You don’t get to decide what I mean."
He stepped forward again, but she cut him off with a raised hand.
"Stay away from me, Lucien," she warned. "You had every chance. You burned them all."
She entered her room and slammed the door in his face.
—
Alone again.
But this time, there was no comfort in the silence.
She stood in the centre of the room, breathing hard, chest rising and falling like she’d just sprinted a mile. Her hands trembled as she dragged her fingers through her hair.
She wanted to cry. Gods, she should’ve cried, but nothing came. No tears, just the deep, choking pressure of betrayal curling in her stomach.
"Not again," she whispered. "Not for another man."
She’d promised herself she’d never cry over a man again, not after Rick, not after what he’d done to her, and certainly not after she’d begun to believe stupidly that someone like Lucien could be different.
She opened her suitcase and started packing. She grabbed her clothes, weapons, and anything else she had used since she got there.
She folded some items, tossed others, and shoved everything into the compartments, almost as if she could pack away her feelings along with her belongings.
The faster she left, the better.
She reached for her phone and hovered her thumb over Darius’s contact.
But she couldn’t do it.
If she asked him to pick her up, he would come rushing over without a second thought. He’d drop everything just to be there for her, and she knew their pack back home couldn’t spare him right now.
So she scrolled down and tapped another name.
Kieran.
He picked up immediately. "Emerald?"
The sound of his voice nearly broke her. She sat down slowly on the edge of the bed. "Kieran..." she breathed.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
"No," she whispered. "You were right. About Lucien. But it’s worse than I thought."
His voice grew tense. "Tell me what happened."
"I’ll explain later. I just... I need a ride out of here."
"I’ll come myself," he said. "But Emerald, my territory is farther. I won’t reach you until tomorrow."
"I don’t care. I just... I don’t want to be here when the sun rises again."
"I’ll leave within the hour. Please keep your doors locked until I arrive. Don’t go anywhere alone."
"I won’t," she promised.
"And Emerald?"
"Yeah?"
"You’re not alone. Not anymore."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you."
They hung up, and she placed the phone gently on the table.
A knock came later, just after sunset.
Talia entered quietly, placing a fresh tray of food on the table. Her eyes flicked up to Emerald’s packed bags.
"You’re leaving?"
Emerald nodded. "Tomorrow."
Talia looked relieved. "That’s good."
Emerald approached her. "I meant to say thank you... for trusting me."
Talia gave a small smile. "You were the first person who asked like they cared."
Emerald touched her shoulder lightly. "Be safe. Take care of yourself, and your mum."
"I will... take care too."
And then Talia slipped out into the dark.
Emerald locked the door behind her.
The rest of the day passed in a fog. She sat by the window, didn’t touch her food, didn’t move from her spot. And when night fell, she didn’t sleep.
It was close to midnight when the pressure in her chest grew too heavy to ignore.
Something was wrong.
She sat up, heart pounding. Her wolf stirred uneasily.
"Something’s off," Viola murmured. "Get up."
She pulled on her robe and padded barefoot into the corridor. She told herself it was just for water that she wasn’t thinking of Lucien. That she wasn’t aching under the weight of all she now knew.
The hallways were quiet, with no one around except for a few guards. As she walked by one of the patrolling sentries, he didn’t even bother to glance at her.
She moved softly down the corridor, toward the kitchen, but something tugged at her to glance left, stopping her in her tracks.
His door was slightly open.
That door had never been ajar, not once since she’d been there. She stepped closer, heart pounding in her chest.
As she neared, she saw something, just beyond the threshold... a gleam of silver hovering over his sleeping form.
Without thinking, she screamed.
"Lucien!"
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