The Arrangement

10 years later

The sound of the whip was she could hear. The screams of her people had faded in the distance.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

Each whip lash hurt more than the next.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

She could feel the blood dripping down her back and sides.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

She screamed for mercy but received no answer.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

She pleaded for it to stop.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip.

Someone was screaming, oh wait, that was her.

Whip.

Whip.

Whip-

“Madeline. Madeline!”

She jolted awake, her eyes snapping open.

Her mate was above her, holding her cheeks, eyes filled with concern.

With his help, she sat up, leaning back against the head board. She placed her hand on her rounded belly and took deep, calming breaths. Her nightmares hadn’t been that bad for years. She wasn’t sure what the cause of it was.

“I think it’s time you see Dr. Rachel again. Now, I know you don’t like, but your nightmares keep getting worse. Maybe she can help,” Emerson said.

She nodded. “I’ll schedule an appointment this afternoon.” Her mate gave her a look. “I swear I will.”

“That’s what you said last time.” He gave her a look.

“I promise I will.” She meant it this time. she really did. her nightmares were getting to the point where she was almost afraid to sleep. her dreams were too vivid, the pain felt so real. Her nightmares were almost like those ten years ago.

“You better.”

Madeline smiled. She winced as she felt a kick, then a foot pressed up against her belly. She rubbed her stomach.

“Little demon,” Emerson muttered.

She gasped and threw a pillow at him. “That’s your daughter you’re talking about. You’re sweet little angle. Now those twins are definitely demons.”

“Of course, they are, they take after you.”

She gasped again. “You take that back.”

She hit him with the pillow this time. Emerson only laughed and grabbed one of his own. He didn’t hit her hard, mostly because he still believed that because she was pregnant, she was as delicate as a flower.

“Mommy! Daddy! Why didn’t you wait for us?! You can’t have a pillow fight without us!” One of the twins, Mason, cried.

“Yeah! You can’t have one without us!” Cried the other twin, Amelia.

“Pillow fights are for babies.” Logan, their oldest said. Ah Logan, he took being the heir all to seriously. After seven, he stopped acting like a child, which worried Madeline and Emerson.

“No, it’s not!” Their little four-year-old Noah said, struggling to get on the bed.

“Yeah it is.”

“Get Daddy! He’s attacking mommy with his face again!”

The twins immediately got onto the bed and started to “attack” their father. They pounded their little fists on him, Emerson falling over dramatically, pretending to be seriously injured. Noah crawled to his mother, curling up against her stomach.

Madeline’s heart melted. Noah was in love with the idea of having a baby sister. He always vowed that he would be there for her ever since the day he learned that the baby was a girl. She ran her hands through his hair, mumming on what a good job he was doing to protect his mommy. He gave her a toothy grin.

She looked over at Emerson, who had the twins on top of him. Logan had even joined the fight, though she knew he would try to deny it at breakfast.

Madeline couldn’t help but smile.

They had been through so many hardships to get to where they were. Madeline still had the scars on her body as a reminder of them. But she would do it all again just to have this happy ending.