The Arrangement

Madeline released a soft sigh as hands caressed her back. She tilted her head up and lips captured hers.

“It’s time to go,” Emerson murmured.

“You can wait a few more minutes, can’t you?”

“I can’t put it off any longer. I have to go.” He pulled away from her and got out of bed. He walked to the closet and dressed, covering his nakedness.

The two of them had spent their last night in each other’s arms, making love to each other. They only stopped to catch their breaths. There had been more than once that Madeline had burst into tears. Her mate just kissed her tears away and murmured such sweet things to her. It was only when the sun had started to rise that they were content with laying in beside one another. She had taken her time trying to memorize every bit of him.

“Are you just going to stare all day or are you going to get ready?” Emerson asked, amused.

She scowled. “No, I’m using my magical powers to take off your clothes.”

He snorted and walked back to her side. He sat down on the bed next to her. He reached out a hand and brushed back her unruly hair. She sighed and leaned into his calloused hand. Her eyes were starting to water again but she blinked them away. He kissed the top of her head.

“Get dressed. Unless you don’t want to see us off,” he said.

She shook her head and got out of bed. “I’m getting ready. I’m not going to waste a second of the time I still have with you.”

She walked to the closet with nothing but her skin. She heard Emerson’s groan and she smirked. She loved the effect she had on him. She changed quickly then went to the bathroom to take care of her hair. It was easiest to just throw it up in a ponytail then to attempt to do anything else with it.

Madeline turned to the doorway and there her mate was, leaning against the doorway, staring at her. “Come here.”

She crossed the couple feet to him and he took her in her arms. She hid her face in his chest. Her fists clutched his shirt. She didn’t want to let him go, she didn’t want him to go. He squeezed her then took a small step back.

“Come on.” He held her hand out to her and she took it.

The Alpha led his Luna down the stair and to the square where their Pack was gathered and waiting for them. They walked onto the platform and faced their Pack. They stood together, hand in hand. The two of them presented a unified front. They wouldn’t let anyone beat them down.

“Today we say goodbye to our loved ones as they go and fight for us.” Madeline’s hand was trembling as she spoke. Her mate gave her a small squeeze. “They are going to war, to stop a wolf and his army from harming any more of us. They are going to give everything they can to stop them, and they will stop them. It’s going to be hard. There’s no telling how long they are going to be away. But every day they are away, they will be fighting hard to get back to us. They will come back to us. And when they do, we will be waiting here for them.”

There was cheering and applause, though most of it was fake. They all knew the danger their loved ones were heading too. They knew that all of them would be returning, if any did. There was still a possibility that they could lose everything.

She tilted her head up and Emerson brushed his lips along her temple for a small moment. He offered her a small smile then his face became hard as he faced his Pack.

“Epsilon, we are about to face a dangerous enemy. Rogues can be feral but they are unpredictable and not to be underestimated. They will push us in ways that you can’t even imagine. Your skills will be put to the test. If you think the last war was hard, this is going to be ten times worse. You may think that you can run from this but you can’t. There is nowhere you can go that they won’t catch you. Our best option is to face them, united. Only then, will we stand a chance. Only then, we can win.” The Epsilon raised their fists and cheered. “Say goodbye to your loved ones. We leave in ten.”

Emerson led her off the platform. She didn’t let him get far though. The moment their feet were off the step, she tackled him in a hug. She clutched at his shirt and his hair. She let out all of her pent-up emotions. Her body shook violently as she sobbed.

***

It killed Emerson to see her this way, to know he was the reason for her sorrows. He wished there was something he could do for her but there was nothing. If he didn’t go, he and Madeline would spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders, waiting for his father to jump out and murder them. He had to do this.

He held Madeline as she cried, soaking his shirt in her tears. It didn’t bother him, he would be taking it off soon enough.

It took almost the entire ten minutes for her to stop crying. He tilted her chin up and gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead gently. He peered into her watering eyes. “It won’t be forever, my love.”

She looked up at Emerson with big eyes starting to tear up again. “But what if it is?”

“But what if we get to live happily ever after,” Emerson said, “I have to go and fight for that. For our happily ever after. We deserve it, don’t we?”

Madeline nodded. “Yes,” she said in a small voice.

“Good girl.” He kissed her brow. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was Brandon, telling him time was up. “I have to go. I’ll call you the moment I get there okay.”

She nodded again, frantically whipping her eyes. Emerson kissed her hard. It was their last kiss for a long time. he had to force himself away from her. He turned away from her and walked away because if he waited one more second, he would blow off the whole thing just to keep Madeline happy.

Emerson blocked out her cries behind him and focused in front of him. He met his Beta and together they walked over to the other wolves who would be leaving with him. On his command, they all stripped and shifted into their wolves. Their things had been sent ahead of time so they wouldn’t be weighted down as they ran.

The Alpha took the lead of the Pack, leading them through their lands and into Rogue lands. They ran through the day, only stopping to take sips from nearby rivers or ponds. They couldn’t waste any more time. They needed to get to Bloodmoon Forrest and meet the rest of the other Packs.

They were closing in on their destination when they were attacked by a group of Rogues. The Alpha leapt into action, tearing out the throat of the nearest Rogue. The rest of his Epsilon followed suit, engaging with the Rogues. The fight didn’t last long. The Night Walker Pack was able to overcome them in minutes.

It didn’t seem right however, so he sent his scouts out to scope the area. The rest of the Pack waited for them to return. But when they did, the Alpha did not like their answer. There were too many scents and tracks to find what belonged to who, and where which tracks led where.

It angered him but he had to join the others. He could not chase after them as he wanted too. He had to remain calm and collected. With a bark, they were on their way again, though slower so not to strain the wounded.

Clothes were laid out at the border of Bloodmoon Forrest for the Alpha and his wolves. They shifted back to their human skins and dressed in the clothes that fit him best. He waited until the rest of his Pack were dressed and presentable before leading them to the camps assembled deeper in the woods.

Alpha Ronan was the first to greet Emerson and his Pack. The two of them shook hands. “I’ll show where your Epsilon will be staying. We’ve been trying to separate the Packs so they won’t be tempted to get into fights. It’s not the most effective solution but it’s the best we have.”

Emerson nodded. “It’s fine Ronan. Soon enough they’ll be too tired to squabble with each other.”

“Right you are.”

Sebastian jogged over as they passed where his Pack was camped out. “How is she doing?”

“As well as can be expected. I’m going to call her as soon as I get everything set up. You might want to call her too. She hasn’t heard much from you since the attack.”

“I’ll call her soon then, after I finish calling Natalie. She promised to cut off my balls if I didn’t her the moment I got here. And since I have yet to call her, I’m going to get an earful.”

He chuckled. “That does sound like her. I doubt she’d do anything to hurt her favorite part of you but you might want to be on the lookout for a while. Just in case she jumps out with a knife.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

The two talked until they reached the part of the forest intended for Night Walker Pack. there they departed. Sebastian back to his tent, most likely to call his mate. And Emerson stepped into the tent meant for him and began to unpack. He called Madeline as soon as finished. He laid back on the bed. He told her about their journey and the Rogues attacking them. And then comforted her when her hysteria rose.

Alpha Zachary popped his head in Emerson’s tent and motioned that he needed to wrap it up. He said his goodbyes and promised to call before he went to bed, though he did warn her she would be well asleep by then she just told him to shut his mouth and that she would answer. And she promised a great many violent things if he did not call her before bed. He reassured her he would then hung up.

Emerson got off the bed and strode towards the other Alpha in the room. “The Alphas are gathering in the central tent. The scouts are back and we need to form a plan based off their reports.”

He nodded and walked alongside him. “Do you know what they found?”

“Nothing but dead ends. The Rogues have covered their tracks well. They’ve set false trails, have us going in damn circles. We’ll sniff them out eventually, it’s just going to take, unfortunately.”

“Everything takes time. Let’s hope too many haven’t died by then.”

“Let’s hope.”

Zachary flipped back the flap of the central tent. Most of the other Alphas were gathered around a large table in the center of the tent. He could see Alpha Carson and Alpha Reid were not yet there. He gave Zachary a questioning look.

“They’re on their way. The Moonstone Prowlers Pack was attacked badly on the way here. They had to stop for the day but they will be here by tomorrow. Carson was having some trouble back at his Pack, they should arrive sometime during the night.”

Emerson and Zachary walked to the table and took their places, peering at maps, patterns, information, and reports. The Rogues behavior was not like the last war, they did not function like this. They had grown much, learned more.

Just as they were in the middle of discussing their next move, the alarm blasted, signaling a Rogue attack.