Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet
Chapter 82: Welcome Back...

Chapter 82: Welcome Back...

Emerald stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the perfectly made bed. Her chest rose and fell too quickly, her breath caught halfway between fear and denial. It was too neat... too empty.

The walls were bare. The room smelled faintly of herbs and cleaning solution, with a sterile scent. Not like Darius... Not like her uncle, who always left his shoes half-kicked under the bench and who hated anyone touching the stack of books on his desk.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

Her fists clenched.

Not again.

Her throat tightened, and her vision blurred. She took a shaky step forward...

"Emerald!"

Nessa skidded into the room, nearly tripping over herself. "Stop. Stop, look at me."

Emerald didn’t.

She stared at the bed like it would change if she just looked hard enough. Like maybe Darius would suddenly appear, stretch, yawn, and tell her she was being dramatic.

But the silence stayed.

"Is he... gone?" Emerald whispered hoarsely. "Just tell me, Nessa. Just say it. Oh my... I shouldn’t have left, I shouldn’t have..."

"Emerald!" Nessa grabbed her arms and gave her a firm shake. "Look at me. Breathe."

Emerald blinked at her, her chest still rising and falling like she was mid-run.

"Listen to me," Nessa said firmly. "He’s fine, okay? My dad is alive."

Emerald froze, looking as if the words had bounced right off her. "It’s my..."

"No, no, no... listen to me, he’s alive. Em, he’s alive."

Emerald’s chest rose and fell in shallow gasps. Her knees almost gave out. "I-I thought—" she started, but Nessa pulled her into a tight hug.

Nessa repeated it. "He’s alive. He’s not gone. He’s been in the infirmary since the attack, but he’s still fighting. Just... just breathe, okay?"

Emerald leaned against her, breathing hard.

"Come sit," Nessa said gently, guiding her to the edge of the bed. "I’ll explain, but I need to you calm, not passed out."

Once they sat, Nessa let out a long breath. "Okay... so here’s what happened."

Emerald turned toward her, her eyes still filled with tears and wide in disbelief.

"It was four nights ago, around two a.m. The alarms didn’t even go off," Nessa said. "The rogues came through the west perimeter. Somehow, they disabled the outer wards."

Emerald’s hands clenched on her lap, listening in silence.

"Uncle Darius was the first to notice. He was patrolling with one of the younger guards. He fought three of them before reinforcements even arrived," Nessa went on. "But... he took a hit."

"What kind of hit?"

"A blade," Nessa said quietly. "But it was coated with something. A poison we haven’t been able to identify. It burned through his skin like acid."

Emerald felt sick.

"They got him out in time," Nessa added quickly. "The medics worked on him all night. He’s stable now, but it’s a slow recovery. The medics still don’t know what was in the poison... they believe it’s synthetic, made to block shifter healing."

"Why didn’t I hear of this till now?" Emerald asked, voice shaking. "Why didn’t anyone call me?"

"You know my dad. He didn’t want you to leave Midnight Fang and cut your vacation short," Nessa said. "He just didn’t want you getting pulled back into more trouble."

Emerald’s jaw tightened. "Is he conscious?"

"Yeah. He has good and bad days, but he’s been stable for the last two."

"I want to see him."

Nessa nodded. "Come on. I’ll take you."

—

The infirmary was quieter than Emerald expected.

The curtains were drawn slightly, and the scent of healing salves filled the air. The head healer gave a soft nod as Nessa led her down the aisle, toward a corner partition.

Darius lay on the cot, propped up slightly with pillows. His chest was bandaged, and his left arm was wrapped in a thick cast. There were faded bruises on his cheek and a faint scar running along his neck, but his eyes were open.

As they entered, he turned his head slowly.

"Emerald," he rasped, his lips twitching into a faint smile. "I knew you’d come back with fire in your stride."

"Uncle..." Emerald’s voice broke, and she crossed the room quickly, kneeling beside him. "You’re alive."

"Bit too stubborn to die."

She couldn’t help but chuckle, trying to make a joke amidst the hurt in her, "You look like hell."

He smiled faintly. "You should see the other guy." He grunted and coughed.

"Don’t speak too much," Nessa warned, stepping back. "I’ll get the nurse."

She vanished, giving them privacy.

Emerald reached for his hand and gripped it tightly. "Why didn’t you let anyone call me? I could’ve been here. I should’ve been here."

"Because I didn’t want you coming back early and getting yourself killed," he muttered. "You had your own hell to handle."

She stared down at his worn face, and her chest tightened "You scared the life out of me."

"I’m sorry." He exhaled. "But I’m not dead. And we’re still piecing this mess together."

"You think it was someone from outside?"

"I don’t think." His voice lowered. "I know. I overheard one of the rogues when they thought I was unconscious. He said something... something about working with someone on the inside. I think we have a mole."

Emerald’s stomach dropped. "You’re sure?"

"I’d bet my other arm on it," Darius said grimly. "It wasn’t just a strike. It was a coordinated strike. Someone knew when you were leaving. Someone gave them that window."

Emerald’s jaw clenched. "Then we’ll find them."

Nessa returned with a nurse, who gently shooed Emerald back.

"You need to rest," the nurse scolded Darius.

"Yeah, yeah," Darius muttered.

Emerald brushed his hand one last time. "I’ll come back later."

"You better," he whispered. "And... Emerald?"

She turned.

"I’m proud of you."

She nodded once, then stepped out.

—

Back in her room, Emerald collapsed onto the edge of her bed, letting her head fall into her hands. Everything she thought she’d stabilised was spinning again. She didn’t even notice her phone ringing until the second buzz.

Lucien.

She swiped to answer.

"Hey," his low and familiar voice came through. "Made it back alright?"

Emerald closed her eyes, the sound of his voice grounding her slightly. "Yeah. But... something happened."

Lucien didn’t speak.

She told him everything: the ambush, the poison, and what happened to Darius. She even talked about how guilty she felt. It poured out like water from a cracked dam.

There was a pause. Then Lucien said, "Emerald... I’m so sorry. I never should’ve asked you to come if I’d known," he said quietly. "I feel like I pulled you into my hell while yours was falling apart."

"You didn’t pull me," she murmured. "I walked in."

Lucien’s voice was heavy. "And I was the one who asked you to stay."

She closed her eyes.

"It’s not your fault," she murmured. "But... I feel like I failed them."

There was silence on the line. Then Lucien said, "You’re supposed to see Adrien next."

"I’m not going."

"Emerald..."

"No," she said sharply. "I can’t leave again. Not now. Not while we don’t know who we can trust here. I’m not putting anyone else at risk."

Lucien sighed. "At least talk to him first. Just explain things to him."

"I’ll think about it," she lied.

"I’ll call tomorrow," he promised. "Sleep if you can."

She hung up and set the phone down, rubbing her temples.

But before she could fully breathe, her phone buzzed again. A message... from an unknown number.

"Welcome back."