Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet
Chapter 26: Same Face, Same Person?

Chapter 26: Same Face, Same Person?

"Emerald?" a voice whispered through the door. "I thought I heard some noises. What are you doing here so late?"

Emerald let out the breath she didn’t realise she was holding.

It was Nessa.

"Gods, it’s just you," Emerald muttered. She dropped the parchment onto the table and rushed to the door, pulling it open just enough to usher her cousin in.

She glanced down both ends of the hallway before shutting it quickly behind them.

Nessa blinked at her, still in her oversized nightshirt, and her hair all tousled. "Okay... why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

Emerald didn’t answer. She grabbed Nessa’s hand and tugged her toward the desk. "Sit. Quietly."

"Em, what are you—?"

"Shhh!" Emerald hissed.

Nessa sat down with a sigh, clearly confused. "You’re acting like you broke into someone else’s house. You know it’s your office, right? Why are you being so secretive?"

Emerald leaned against the desk, arms folded tightly. "Because Uncle Darius can’t know I’m here."

Nessa’s brows shot up. "Why not?"

"I don’t know if I can trust him right now."

That got Nessa’s full attention. "Okay," she said slowly. "What the hell is going on?"

Emerald rubbed her face with both hands. "You want the full story?"

"Obviously."

She sat down across from her cousin and laid it all out for her. "The assassin who broke into my room has been found... dead. Murdered. Not outside the estate... inside it. In the garden."

"What?" Nessa straightened. "I thought he escaped."

"Someone helped him escape. But it wasn’t a jailbreak. It was a cleanup job. They wanted to silence him before he could talk. And his body was dumped behind the wall."

Nessa stared at her. "Holy... okay, that’s bad. But what does this have to do with you sneaking around and not telling my father?"

Emerald licked her lips and dropped the next bomb.

"Because tonight... I met someone."

Nessa blinked. "Another someone? Em, that’s starting to sound like a full roster."

Emerald rubbed her temples. "He’s not just any someone. He’s... he claimed to be my mate."

Nessa’s jaw dropped. "You’re joking."

"I wish I was." Emerald leaned back. "He kissed me before I could stop him and then said he was my mate. My fourth mate."

Nessa blinked several times, then leaned forward slowly. "You’re living in some kind of twisted fairy tale," she whispered. "This isn’t normal, Em. You realise that, right? Three fated mates was already unheard of. Four? And this guy shows up the exact same night the assassin turns up dead?"

"I know," Emerald said, slumping in her seat. "You think I don’t know how insane it sounds?"

Nessa stared at her, then said softly, "And how do you feel?"

Emerald closed her eyes. "I hate it. I never wanted mates. They’re distractions. Every time I get close, it drags me further away from what I’m supposed to be doing. I have real enemies out there, and instead the universe wants me to play house with Alphas."

Nessa was quiet, clearly processing the situation.

Emerald shook her head. "I didn’t ask for all these."

"No, but you’re knee-deep in it now."

Emerald glanced at the sealed parchment, the edge still peeking out from beneath a scroll.

"And the worst part is... your father knew him."

"Wait. What?"

Emerald nodded. "Recognised him instantly. Called him the Rogue King."

Nessa sat back, eyes wide. "I thought the Rogue King was a legend. Like ghost wolf stories."

"Me too. But he’s very real. And he said I called to him."

Nessa was quiet for a moment, then asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

Emerald was silent.

Then: "I don’t know. But something about him feels... off. Not in a dangerous way. Just... old, powerful, and familiar."

"You said my father knows him. So why not just ask him?"

"Because I did," Emerald said. "And he clammed up. Whatever history he has with that man, he’s not ready to share it."

"So that’s why you’re here."

"Exactly. I came looking for answers," Emerald muttered. "I didn’t know what I’d find, but..."

She suddenly turned, remembering the parchment.

She rushed to the desk and grabbed the folded page. "I almost forgot," she murmured, unfolding it carefully.

Nessa came up, peeking over her shoulder as Emerald opened it.

The paper was thick and yellowed with time.

Inside... was an old photograph, faded, curled at the corners.

Emerald’s breath caught in her throat.

In the photo was her father, younger, maybe barely older than she was now. And beside him was a man.

Emerald didn’t need a second look to recognise the second man.

He looked exactly like the Rogue King—same height, same dark gold eyes, same black hair streaked with silver.

The exact same face.

He didn’t just look like him... It was him.

Emerald gasped. "That’s him."

Nessa’s eyes widened. "Him? Like the Rogue King him?"

Emerald nodded.

"And your dad... he looks like a youth. Goddess, Em. This photo must be thirty, maybe forty years old."

"Maybe more," Emerald murmured. "But he..." She looked at the man in the photo again. "He looks exactly the same in the photo as he did tonight."

Nessa stared. "You mean he hasn’t aged? No. No way."

Emerald swallowed. "Doesn’t even look a day different."

Nessa grabbed the photo from her. "Are we sure this isn’t, like... his father?"

Emerald leaned against the desk. "I don’t think so. Everything just looks too the same."

Nessa dropped the photo on the desk. "So either he’s immortal... or very, very old. Both of which are almost impossible."

They both stared at the photo in silence.

Nessa finally asked, "Do you think your dad knew he was your mate?"

Emerald didn’t respond right away. "I don’t know. But if he did... why would they keep it secret?"

Nessa looked up. "Well, if my father won’t talk... maybe someone else already did."

Emerald frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean your dad," Nessa said. "This photo was hidden for a reason. If he met that guy, if he knew him, then maybe there’s more... journals, letters, anything."

Emerald ran a hand through her hair. "I know I’ve heard that name before," she said. "Before I left for the Blood Moon Pack. I remember someone mentioning the Rogue King... years ago. But I didn’t care back then."

"Well, maybe now’s the time to care." Nessa crossed her arms. "Maybe the library has something. If there’s anything about him, about this... ’Rogue King’ and whatever history he’s tied to, it’ll be there."

Emerald sighed. "You think he’s written down in a history book?"

"Only one way to find out."

Emerald didn’t wait. She folded the photo and tucked it safely into her inner pocket. "Let’s go."

—

They quietly snuck into the estate library, doing their best not to alarm the night guards. The room had the scent of aged paper and oak, softly illuminated by lights lining the walls.

Nessa immediately went to the ’Historical Archives’ section while Emerald took ’Pack Histories and Rogues’.

"Not the ’I-told-you-so’ fan," Emerald muttered as she flipped through a heavy leather tome, "but I doubt we’re going to find some dusty old paragraph that says, ’The Rogue King: Born in darkness, immortal, hot, terrifying, kissed Emerald once—’"

"No offence, Alpha, but would you shut up and look?" Nessa hissed from the next aisle.

Emerald grumbled and kept flipping.

One hour passed, maybe more.

Piles of open books and scrolls surrounded them. Emerald yawned and leaned against the shelf. "Nothing. This was a dumb idea."

"Em—"

"I’m going to bed, Ness. I’ve had enough weirdness for the week. And month. And life. And..."

"EM, I’VE GOT SOMETHING!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.