Claiming Emerald: Four Alphas At Her Feet-Chapter 150: No Turning Back...

Emerald’s lips parted in surprise. "Rick? Are you certain? Maybe it was another pack with a similar flag or... or someone trying to frame him."

Kieran’s stare didn’t waver. His eyes were hard; he didn’t even blink. "I’m certain. Too many witnesses. Too many symbols left behind."

She shook her head quickly, almost desperately. "But it doesn’t make sense. Rick came to me. He called a truce. We agreed we’d work together to expose Alia, make her pay for what she’s done. Why would he throw that away and attack you out of nowhere?"

Kieran’s mouth hardened into a grim line. "Maybe he didn’t see it as unprovoked."

Her brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

He leaned against the edge of the table, his fingers curling into the wood as though anchoring himself. "Some of my men went rogue. They disobeyed orders."

Emerald blinked, her chest tightening. "Rogue? How?"

Kieran exhaled sharply. "There’s been tension between me and Icarus’ pack for months. His dealings were... questionable: smuggling, bribes, black-market trades. I was trying to keep things from spiralling, trying to resolve it without bloodshed. But not everyone in my pack has my patience."

She frowned, heart thudding faster. "What happened?"

"Three days ago," he said flatly, "a unit of my soldiers stormed his territory without my command. They burned, they pillaged."

Emerald’s stomach sank. "And?"

"Icarus died in the invasion," Kieran said flatly.

Emerald’s lips parted in shock. Her pulse stuttered in her throat. "I still don’t get what this has to do with Rick."

Kieran nodded once. "A little after we mated, Rick’s sister found her mate... Icarus and she moved to stay with him."

Her breath hitched, her stomach dropping. "Rhiannon."

"During the attack, she was nowhere to be found." He continued. "I didn’t even know she’d been mated to him until the conflict started."

The pieces clicked together too fast for her liking. Rhiannon had survived. She must have gone back to Rick. And now, reckless and furious, Rick wanted blood.

Emerald’s stomach churned as the weight of it settled. "So Rick believes you killed his sister’s mate and drove her from her home."

"He doesn’t believe it," Kieran said grimly. "He knows it. My men left trails. I cleaned up what I could, but the damage was done. And to him, there’s no difference between what my men did and what I condoned."

Emerald sank into the nearest chair, her mind racing through the consequences. "This is bad. Really bad."

"It’s war," Kieran muttered.

She shook her head. "This still feels wrong. Rick has always been reckless, but starting a war like this without the full picture? It doesn’t sound strategic; it sounds desperate."

Her voice dropped, almost a whisper. "And with the two witches back together, he won’t stand a chance of seeing clearly. They’ll feed his fury until it burns everything."

Kieran’s mouth curved grimly. "You think he’s been played?"

"I don’t think," Emerald shot back. "I know. Rhiannon wouldn’t pass up the chance to make you bleed for Icarus, and Alia..." She broke off, her chest tightening like a vice. "Alia wants me broken. She’ll use Rick as the blade."

There was a moment of silence.

Finally, Emerald exhaled shakily, pressing her fingers into her temples as though she could rub the headache away. "Rick’s always been weak. He never realised it, but he has. His ego’s too fragile, and now it’s been bruised beyond repair."

Kieran tilted his head, his eyes hard as ice. "Weak or not, he killed my people. Twenty-four lives, Emerald. Children included."

Her heart clenched painfully at the reminder. Images she didn’t want flashed: tiny hands, quiet laughter now silenced forever. "I know. And I’m not saying he shouldn’t be held accountable. But..."

"There’s no but." His voice was sharp, cutting through her words like a blade.

Emerald flinched at the force of it.

Kieran pushed off the table, his boots echoing against the floor as he paced like a predator.

"He didn’t just challenge me. He humiliated me. My pack looks to me for protection, and now they see twenty-four coffins. Do you know what that does to trust? To loyalty?"

Her voice softened, threaded with quiet fear. "Then what are you going to do?"

His ice-blue eyes gleamed dangerously as he turned toward her. "What do you think? I’ll repay him with fire. For every life he took, I’ll take two. For every wound he caused, I’ll cut deeper. He wants war? He’ll choke on it."

Emerald shot to her feet, panic surging hot in her veins. "No! Kieran, listen to yourself. This isn’t you."

His jaw flexed, every line of him rigid. "This is exactly me. I am Alpha. I don’t sit back while my people burn."

She stepped closer, gripping his arm tightly, feeling the tense cord of muscle beneath her palm. "I’ve seen you lead with restraint, with honour. That’s the Kieran I know. But this?" Her voice cracked. "This isn’t justice. This is revenge."

He looked down at her hand, his expression unreadable, as though a storm brewed just beneath the surface. "And what’s wrong with revenge when it keeps enemies from striking again?"

"Because it makes you like them!"

His nostrils flared, and for a heartbeat, he didn’t reply. Then he pulled his arm free, stepping back as though her touch burned him. "You should leave."

Emerald’s chest tightened painfully. "What?"

"You heard me." His tone was flat, cold. "Things are about to get bloody, and I won’t have you caught in the crossfire."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No. I’m not going anywhere. You think I’ll just walk away while you start a war that’ll tear everything apart?"

His voice dropped low like a warning. "You don’t get a choice. Not this time."

Her lips parted, stung as if he’d struck her.

Kieran turned, already heading for the door. His shoulders were tense, his fists clenched tight at his sides like he was barely keeping himself together.

He paused only once, looking back over his shoulder. His ice-blue eyes, burning with fury, locked onto hers.

"There’s no turning back, Emerald. Rick wanted war, and now he’ll have it."

And without another word, he walked out, the door slamming shut behind him.