Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet
Chapter 41: Just More Testing???

Chapter 41: Just More Testing???

"Emerald," Kieran called, still trying to keep his emotions in check, though failing. "Who did this?"

Emerald’s heart slammed in her chest. The heat of his body still lingered on her skin, but it felt like ice was crawling up her spine now. She sat up abruptly, dragging his coat tighter around herself as she rose to her feet.

"Kieran," she began in a raw voice, "it’s nothing."

His brows furrowed. He stood too, reaching for her hand. "Don’t lie to me." His tone wasn’t sharp, but the betrayal was already there, buried in his eyes. He gently turned her around and brushed her hair aside.

His breath caught.

The mark was unmistakable. It had a faint glow and looked slightly bruised, but it was still fresh.

Kieran stepped back. "Emerald." He said her name like it was a warning. "Who. Marked. You?"

She refused to meet his eyes. "It’s not your concern."

"Not my...?" he cut himself off, jaw clenching. "You’ve got my scent still on you and another man’s bite on your neck, and you’re telling me it’s none of my concern?"

Emerald looked away, her arms crossed tightly. "I’m mated to more than one person, Kieran. You know this."

His expression flickered with pain. "I thought..." he ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking exhausted, "I thought this was different. That we were different."

Emerald said nothing; the silence between them was suffocating.

"So what was this then?" Kieran asked, motioning between them. "Just more testing? Trying each of us out until one sticks?"

"That’s not what it was," she whispered.

"Then what was it?" he demanded.

Emerald’s mouth opened... but she couldn’t speak the truth yet.

She couldn’t tell him about the Rogue King. About the deal. About the way her father had promised her as a bargaining chip. About how her life was being claimed piece by piece by a man who belonged more to myth than reality.

She was still coming to terms with it all, unsure of what to say.

Instead, she turned her face away. "You’re free to think whatever you want."

Kieran’s expression hardened. "So that’s it?"

She didn’t respond.

He let out a dry, hollow laugh. "I should’ve known. I was the only one who didn’t try to push you. Maybe I should’ve." He began dressing, jerking his shirt over his head with frustrated, clipped movements.

When he turned to leave, Emerald reached out instinctively. "Wait, Kieran..."

He paused, just barely, his back to her.

"Just... don’t tell the others," she said softly. "About what happened between us. Please."

He looked over his shoulder with a hard-to-read expression. "Don’t worry," he said with a bitter smile. "I wouldn’t want to spoil your little game."

Then he walked out of the cave, and Emerald stood there, trembling. Not from cold, but from the aftershocks of everything falling apart before her.

She slumped back against the stone wall, her hand covering the mark on her neck.

Viola was unusually quiet, which was rare for her, like her presence was subdued.

Emerald’s fingers brushed her lips. She could still taste him. Still feel the weight of his body, the heat of his hands. But it was gone now, crushed beneath misunderstanding and secrets she wasn’t ready to share.

You ruined it, her mind whispered.

No, she argued. I protected him.

But it didn’t feel like protection. It felt like a loss.

—

The next morning...

"Are you sure you don’t want to come along?" Emerald asked, glancing over her shoulder as she climbed into her transport vehicle.

Nessa stood a few feet away, arms folded, eyes hidden behind oversized sunglasses. "Nope. I’d rather set myself on fire than spend three days locked in the same space as Rick and his new Barbie doll."

"Alia," Emerald muttered.

Nessa scoffed. "Whatever her name is. All I know is if I see her flip that fake hair again, I’m going to shift just to bite it off."

Emerald tried to smile, but it came out small and strained.

Nessa’s brow furrowed. "You okay?"

Emerald glanced at the car waiting behind hers. "Still not speaking to your father."

"So... not okay then."

Emerald opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the arrival of one of the guards, who opened the back door for her.

"I’ll text you through the summit," Nessa said, stepping forward and gripping Emerald’s hand. "Every hour. Annoyingly. Obsessively. You won’t survive Rick and council politics without me."

Emerald squeezed her hand, feeling grateful.

Then she climbed into the vehicle, the door shutting behind her with a soft click.

—

The convoy rolled through the thick woodland path leading toward the northern territories. The forest stretched for miles, heavy with the scent of damp leaves and early morning frost.

Emerald sat alone in the backseat, her fingers gripping her phone tightly than necessary.

She read the message again.

"I hope you have a safe trip, Alpha. The roads can get very steep."

Her gut twisted.

Darius was in the vehicle behind her, probably watching the road like a hawk, but she hadn’t spoken a word to him since their confrontation. She didn’t trust herself not to snap again.

Her wolf was restless. Something isn’t right, Viola said.

"I know," she whispered.

She rolled down the window slightly, letting the wind slap against her face. She tried to ground herself, tried to think of anything but the mark on her neck... or Kieran’s face when he saw it.

But it was impossible.

Her thoughts spun in a vicious loop.

The Rogue King. Kieran. Her other mates. Darius. Her father.

Rick.

The last name sent a wave of nausea rolling through her.

Seeing Rick again was the last thing she wanted.

Viola stirred sluggishly. "If he looks at us wrong, I’m biting him."

"Not helpful," Emerald muttered.

But even as she tried to steel herself for what lay ahead, a flicker of motion snapped her attention to the front of the road.

There, just ahead, a deer stood at the corner of the road, dashing into the middle of the road.

"LOOK OUT!" Emerald shouted.

The driver barely had a moment to react. The vehicle veered sharply to the right, the tires screeching loudly as he fought for grip. Trees loomed closer and closer, and then... impact.

The crash echoed like thunder.

Emerald’s head jerked forward, and a sharp pain shot through her skull, blinding her with a flash of white. Then... everything went black and silent.

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