The Arrangement
Chapter Nineteen

The next few days were hectic as the Pack learned of what happened. There was talk of leaving, distrust among the members, the number of guards increased, and a lot of confused children.

Madeline had to put on her brave face. She remained strong, cool, and collected in front of her people. She spoke to many of them, trying to reassure them. It worked on some, though not all. Emerson and she had made a couple announcements to the entirety of the Pack. Together, they remained strong.

But in the bedroom, he held her shaking form. They tried to distract each other by watching movies or reading books aloud to one another. It worked enough that Madeline was able to replace sleep sometime in the night. It also helped that she was exhausted by the time she could go to bed.

The only good thing about what was happening was that she was too distracted to think about her feelings for Emerson. The downside was that she was worried about Benjamin and the threat of the Rogues.

A scream brought Madeline back to reality. She sighed.

Why did she agree to work at the daycare?

She picked up the noisy child and bounced her in her arms. She patted her back gently. The child calmed down and soon enough she was wriggling to get down.

The little girl ran off with her fellow friends, playing some cute little game of Family. Madeline wished she was young and carefree as they were. Unfortunately, she was a twenty-three-year-old with many responsibilities. She just wished that there were sometimes were she could stop adulting and act like a kid again. But alas, she was Luna and there were always things for her to do.

“You look tired dear,” Edna crooned.

She nodded. “I am. With everything that’s been going on, I’ve been none stop running around. It’s hard to sleep with everything on mind. I just…”

Edna nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re tired, go rest. Go drink some tea or hot coco, go watch a movie, or hang out with your friends. I can handle the horde today.”

“Are you sure? I know how much the love me being here and I don’t want to disappoint them by disappearing.”

“It’s quite alright. You’ve been running around with the weight of the world on your shoulders. You deserve to have a break. Now go. I’ll be alright on my own.”

Madeline felt guilty about not being there, to help and to be there for the children. But…Edna was right. She needed a break, no matter how small. She would crazy if she kept running around the way she was.

“Thank you. I’ll try to come by this week, if I’m not too busy.”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I understand how busy you are. It’s okay if you can’t make it this week.”

“Alright,” Madeline said wearily. “I’ll see later then.”

She waved and just awkwardly walked out of the daycare center. It was strange, but nice, to finally have some time to herself.

She walked into the Pack House. She knew better than to try and replace Emerson. He was either in a meeting, or checking patrols, or whatever else he had to do. She just knew he would be impossible to replace.

Madeline was surprised by the amount of people in the kitchen. It was usually empty in between meal time. It was strange to see so many people there. She would have questioned why if she had been bothered to care, but with everything that was going on, she just couldn’t bring herself to care. This was their kitchen as much as it was hers, they could use it if they wished.

Madeline put a pan on the stove and turned on the heat. Hot coco sounded really good, and Madeline knew her mother’s secret recipe. She made the best hot chocolates when she was a child. She eventually got her mother to tell her what her recipe was.

“Hey, I haven’t seen much of you.” She jumped at the sound, startled. She looked to her right and smiled when she saw Casey standing there.

“Yeah, I know. Life has just been chaotic recently. I barely have any time to myself.” Madeline grabbed the ingredients.

“I know.” Casey sighed and leaned against the counter. “When this is all over, you and I are going away. No boys, no nothing. Just you and me for a week to catch up.”

Madeline laughed. “I don’t think Emerson would allow that.”

“Since when did you listen to him.”

“When he threatens to lock me up.”

“Alright, that’s a pretty good reason.”

They both burst into a giggling state.

“What are you two laughing about?”

They turned to the newcomer. Madeline was pleased to see Mackinlay. Though she was surprised that her mate wasn’t with her. Newly mated couples normally stuck together for the first month or two.

“Just how pushy Emerson can be,” her friend said.

The young girl giggled. “That’s how males are, pushy. Especially towards their mates. I had to beg Dylan to let me come here. He’s worried that someone is just going to snatch me or something. I mean, it’s not like there’s a lot of people out and about who wouldn’t see.”

“Welcome to the life of being mated.” Madeline filled up three mugs with hot chocolate. She gave a mug to each girl. “It’s painful but worth it.”

“True that.” The young girl raised her mug and took a sip out of it. “This is delicious.”

Madeline giggled. “Thanks. It’s my mother’s recipe.”

She was just about to take a sip when Mackinlay started to make choking noises. Several heads turned their way, expressions of concern. Madeline opened her mouth to say something when the young girl collapsed.

The room was in hysteria. Many rushed forward, to try and help her. Others were screaming for help. And then there were wolves shouting, “She’s having a seizure!” and “I think she’s been poisoned!” and “Somebody do something!”

And in all the chaos, Madeline stood there in shock. Someone was shaking her shoulders, shouting at her. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t even stop her mug from slipping from her grasp and shattering on the floor. She stared hopelessly at where Mackinlay had collapsed, though her body was blocked by the mass of people.

Then there were warm, familiar hands gripping her cheeks and forcing her gaze upwards. Emerson came into view, his eyes laced with a mixture of fury and concern.

He looked away from her spoke to someone, but she couldn’t make out the words, she couldn’t hear anything. She was in utter shock.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She just froze.” Casey yelled to Emerson over the crowd.

“She’s in shock.” He looked over her, making sure she wasn’t harmed. He turned to her guards, who stood around Madeline protectively. “Take her to our rooms. No one gets in or out. I’ll be there as soon as I can calm down the Pack.”

Ricardo stepped forward and nodded. “Yes Alpha.”

He gently pushed Madeline away from the chaos.

Emerson watched her retreating figure. When he was sure she was safe, he got up on top of the counter and shouted, “Everybody move! We can’t help her if you’re all in the way! Clear a path!”

Emerson kept shouting until the sea people parted and the doctors were able to work their way to girl. He hopped off the counter and stood out of the way. He couldn’t leave until he had gotten a report from the doctors on what had occurred this. He hoped it wouldn’t take too long, as he needed to get back to his mate.

It felt like eternity went by as the girl was loaded onto a stretcher and transported to the infirmary. Emerson commanded the Epsilon to keep the crowds back.

He followed behind the team of doctors and nurses as they rushed to the infirmary. He stayed back and out of the way as they tried to save the convulsing, young wolf. The line went flat, and when her heart did not start, they sighed and pulled off their gloves.

“What happened?” Emerson asked when they had time to determine the cause of death.

One of the doctors stepped before him. “Poison, Alpha. She was poisoned.”

Emerson leaned back. Poison. Just one more thing to add to his list of problems. Someone in the Pack had deliberately put poison in her drink.

“Thank you.”

He turned to Brandon. “Find out what happened and call a meeting for the first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll discuss your replaceings then.”

He turned and left. He had a mate that he needed to tend to.

Emerson nodded to the guards as he passed by them. He stopped in front of the two guarding their bedroom door. “Go to hallway.”

They left and he walked into the bedroom.

He found Madeline curled in a ball crying. She had somehow wedged herself between the nightstand and the bed to conceal herself.

Emerson didn’t grab her or try and move her. He just sat in front of her. It hurt him to see her hurting. He would do anything to take her pain away. But this was something that just wouldn’t disappear. A young girl was dead. It would take time to heal from the loss of her.

“It’s all my fault,” she sobbed, her words muffled in her knees.

Emerson said firmly, “It’s not your fault.”

But she shook her head. “I made her drink. I gave it to her. And then she-she-“ Her sobs kept her from finishing. Emerson tried to hug her but as soon as he got lose to her, she flinched away from him. “She has a mate. They met only a couple weeks ago. And now she’s dead and he’s all alone. It should have been me.” Her voice cracked. “It should have been me.”

“No, it should not have been.” His voice was hard enough that Madeline raised her tear streaked face. “No one should have died but someone did. She didn’t deserve it, but neither do you. So don’t say that again.”

“Why?” She cried.

He cupped her cheeks and wiped away her tears, though only new ones replaced them. “Because I need you. And if I had lost you today, I don’t know what I would have done. Killed myself, most likely.”

“Why?” She cried again. “Why do that for me?”

He gently pulled her into his lap and she didn’t resist. Her legs straddled his hips. He placed his hands on her waist. “Because I love you and I would not survive if I lost you. I barely survived when I lost Abigail, but if I lose you two…I can’t. I won’t. I can’t live unless you’re here, with me. And if you’re gone, I won’t be here without you.”

His declaration of only caused her to cry harder. That wasn’t what he had intended to do. He had meant to make her see reason. He had meant to tell her that she is his life. Without Madeline, there is no Emerson. He had meant to make her happy, not sadder.

But then her hands were cupping his cheeks and there was a smile on her face, small, but there. So, happy tears then? He didn’t understand women and their crying.

“I love you too. With all that I am and all that I will ever be. I love you,” Madeline professed. “I can’t live without you. I need you, I love you.”

Emerson clasped the back of her head and did the one thing he had never done to her. He kissed her.