A/N
Wow. This is officially my longest chapter. It is exactly 3200 words long. Which is about over a thousand more words than normal. My chapters are usually around 2000 words. Hope you enjoy.
***
The following two weeks were hard. Madeline took time out of her day to visit every family of the deceased. There were a few that had killed themselves, for it was their mate that had died and they had no children to stay for. The others were in mourning. She cried with them more than anything else. She didn't know everyone in her Pack. She had only been there for a couple months. She didn't really know everyone, as much as she had wished. But that didn't mean it was any less heartbreaking.
The funeral was even worse. All Pack members that weren't on duty were required to attend. Madeline had managed to hold in the tears until they got to the children. Each one that was lowered into the ground, she had helped take care of at the day care. Little Lindsey, the shy, sweet girl who always hid in the corner. Aaron, who loved to run around with pointy objects. Landon, one of the children who loved to tackle her. Charlie, the little girl who loved to paint. Braxton, the boy who loved to play.
Madeline sobbed. She couldn't stop it. She didn't try. And Emerson didn't scold her for it. He just held her and rubbed her back. After the funeral, she made her way to Casey, who had lost her older brother. They went to her parents' house and cried together. Emerson came and collected her as the sun began to set.
He took her back to their Wing. It was salvageable for the most part. Their bedroom was unaffected, though his office and a couple of the other bedrooms had some damage to it. the living room was the worse, it had a big gaping hole. The bombs had taken out their tv, their coffee table, and part of their couch. Most of the carpet was scorched. Their kitchen had received some damage, just part of the wall was missing along with the stove and oven.
Everything that had been damaged had been cleared out and there was covering over the holes in the walls. Emerson had assured her that he would get everything replaced and the holes fixed while they were gone.
Gone. They were leaving tomorrow to head to the Alpha meeting. It was to be held in Alpha Zachary's territory. Out of all the Alphas, he was the most neutral. He rarely took sides in an issue.
The clock by the bed read two a.m. but neither Madeline nor Emerson were asleep. They just lay together, their naked bodies pressed up against each other. He ran his fingers through her hair and she traced his chest.
"Are you okay?" His gruff voice broke the silence.
She tilted her head up at him. "No. I just need time. We all need it."
He nodded and brushed a stray hair out of her face. He kissed her forehead. "You'll have as much as you need. As long as you promise to try. I won't let you wallow in pity."
"I won't. It's just hard, you know, loosing so many people. But I'll be okay, in time. Though I'm sure the Alpha meeting will take make focus elsewhere."
"That, or give you a headache with everyone screaming at each other."
Madeline rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you say."
"You're right. It's worse. The last time we met, we were barely able to form a battle plan for the last war."
"I guess I'll be finding out for myself soon," she sighed and snuggled into his warmth. His arms tightened around her and her eyes closed.
"Get some rest. Today has taken a lot out of you."
"And you," she mumbled, "You should sleep too."'
"I will. Now sleep." Madeline closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
They were running through the woods. They were young and carefree. Nothing could stop them. They were invincible.
The girl laughed as she once again evaded her mate's grasp. She had been "running" from him for the past fifteen minutes and he had yet to catch her. She cut through the brush and weaved in and out of the trees gracefully. Her mate, not so much. He stumbled and ran into the trees, getting tangled in the bushes. The sight of him, with rips in his clothes and twigs in his hair, made her laugh so loud her stomach cramped.
"Oh, ha ha, just laugh at my misery why don't you," he said with a scowl.
She giggled and walked to his side. She picked out the twigs and leaves out of his hair. "You look adorable," she cooed.
He swatted her hands away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."
She laughed some more and turned to run again, but his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. "Oh no no no, you're not getting away from me."
She struggled, but only for a moment. She slumped and leaned back against his chest. She turned in his arms so they were facing each other. She looped her arms around his neck. His hold on her loosened. He kissed her forehead.
"So, what do you want now that you've caught me?" She asked with a suggestive tone.
He smirked. "I know exactly what I'm going to do."
She laughed as he roughly jerked her shirt up and over her head. But the scene changed. Her beloved mate's body was mangled and bloody.
She gasped. "Lucas!" She cried as the body hit the ground. Her body shook as she backed away from his mangled corpse. She tripped however. When she looked to see what caused her fall, she shrieked. It was an arm, which belonged to a body. A body she had landed on. She screamed and scrambled away from it. she quickly got to her feet, backing away. Only too came in contact with another body. She turned a found a mountain of them, corpses. They were piled up on top of each other.
She screamed.
***
Hands shook Madeline awake and she bolted upright. Her mate sat on the bed in front of her, his face full of concern. "Are you okay? You were crying and thrashing in your sleep."
She swept her hair out of her face. She rubbed her eyes. "No, I just- a bad dream. With everything going on, it just surfaced bad memories."
"Maybe you should stay home." Emerson rested a hand on her check.
"No, I'm okay. I promise. If I stay here, I think it will only get worse."
He sighed but nodded. "Okay. But if anything happens, I want to know. Even if it is just a bad dream."
"I will. I promise."
He helped her out of bed. She went to the closet and got dressed. She walked out to see Emerson on the phone.
"Yeah, okay. We'll be there in about twenty minutes." He clicked off the phone. Only then did he realize she was standing there.
"What was that all about?"
"Just making sure our jet is ready."
Madeline nodded and walked to his side. Alpha Zachary's territory, the Solar Valley Pack, was across the states. Running as a wolf or driving would take too long. Over half a day. Flying was the fastest way. It would only take a couple hours by the jet. It made her a little nervous. Flying made most wolves nervous. They were meant to be on the ground, not in the sky. They shifted into wolves, not birds. So, flying naturally made most nervous.
"Let's get breakfast then we'll head to the airfield."
She nodded and walked out of their Wing, Emerson her heel. Breakfast wasn't normally ready at this hour, as it was still early, but the cooks had made them something. Madeline and Emerson ate in a comfortable silence. When they finished, they loaded themselves into the car and drove to the airfield.
***
The plane touched down in a field in Solar Valley Pack. There was a car there waiting to take them to the Pack House. The drive didn't take long, under half an hour. When Madeline stepped out of the vehicle, she couldn't help but admire the House.
It was more classically beautiful, while her House magnificent. When she stepped inside, the air screamed sophistication. There was a butler waiting for them.
"Alpha Emerson, Luna Madeline. Follow me and I will show you to your rooms." He turned on his heels and walked up the staircase. They two followed him, their luggage already being handled by a couple maids.
They stopped on the third floor. The butler opened one of the suites. "I hope this is to your liking. The meeting starts in an hour, so make yourself comfortable. If there's anything you need, just tell a servant and it will be done."
With a bow, he left the suite. Two maids came in with their luggage and left. Madeline spent her time unpacking and getting ready for the meeting. She dressed in a pencil skirt and a button up, collared shirt. She put on some light make-up, to hide the dark circles under her eyes. She put on some heels to top off the look.
"Come on. Let's get down there," Emerson said after forty-five minutes had passed. "I want to introductions done with so we can move onto what matters."
She nodded and walked to his side. He gently kissed her lips. He pulled back and took Madeline's hand. He gave her a squeeze.
He guided her through the Pack House. It was apparent that he had been there before and knew where to go. They came to a stop at a door. Emerson moved to open the door but the guards stopped him.
"She is not allowed," the one with the buzzed hair said.
"She is my mate and has been given clearance to enter. If you don't believe me, you can take it up with your Alpha. But I don't think he would be too pleased to be pulled away from his work, don't you?" Emerson growled at the guards. They shifted on their feet uncomfortably. "It won't look to good on your part to bother him for nothing."
They moved away from the door and he entered, with Madeline beside him. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You had to get clearance?"
He shook his head. "No. The only one who knew you were coming was Alpha Zachary, though he did try to talk me out of it. The other Alpha's are about to have quite a shock."
She couldn't contain the giggle. "What are we going to do with you?"
"Please him?"
She swatted his shoulder. "Gah, you're such a man."
"Last time I checked. You checked too."
Her cheeks reddened. Before she could say a comeback, someone cleared their throat.
Madeline's head whipped around and saw a man standing there. Her cheeks reddened more.
"Zachary, it's good to see you again." Her mate shook hands with the Alpha. "This is my mate, Madeline."
She held out her hand and he shook it. "It's good to finally meet you. I've heard stories about the woman who managed to capture Emerson's stone, cold heart."
Emerson scowled and she laughed. "I wasn't easy but we managed."
Her mate drew her closer to his side and he kissed the side of her head. He squeezed her waist before releasing her. She looked up at her mate. "I'm going to go to the bathroom really quick. I'll be right back."
He nodded. She smiled at them both and walked out of the room. They had passed the public bathrooms on the way to the meeting room. She walked the path and entered the bathroom. She went to the sink and wet a paper towel. She pressed it to the back of her neck.
She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. Madeline had only met a couple Alpha's other than her brother and Emerson, and it was never all at once. And now she was about to meet all twelve of the North American Alphas.
There were other Alphas and Packs all over the world. But they had never all gotten together and likely never would. Unless some extremely rare event threatened every Pack in existent.
Madeline took deep breaths. She needed to calm down. if she walked in that room as she was, they'd smell her fear and anxiety. They would prey on her and exploit her weaknesses. She needed to center herself. She needed to find her strength. The strength when she dealt with Dylan. The strength when she dealt with Benjamin. She closed her eyes and found it. Her eyes opened. She turned on her heel and walked out.
The guards at the door blocked her way. She sent them one of her glares that had most people running with their tails tucked between their legs. They shifted uncomfortably and moved aside. She smirked. She opened the door and stepped inside.
Twelve pairs of eyes glanced her way. She forced herself to ignore them and walked to her mate's side. She sat down in the empty chair beside him.
Zachary cleared his throat. "Alright, now that everyone is here, we can start."
Only no one spoke. They were all looking at her. She cleared her throat. "I'm Madeline, Luna of the Night Walker Pack. Now could you all stop staring at me. There's nothing on my face."
"Why are you here? Lunas are not allowed at these meetings," the Alpha with the gruesome scar on his face said. Alpha Lincoln. Anyone could recognize him with that scar.
"Because Night Walker Pack is as much my Pack as your Pack is to you. I have every right to know what you decide to do with my Pack you sexist ass," she glared at him. "Besides, I have information that you'll find useful."
Every Alpha in the room visibly stiffened. That didn't stop Madeline. She stood and picked up the bag that was beside her chair. She pulled out the folders that she had personally put together. She walked around the table, placing one before each Alpha.
"Inside you'll find various movements of the Rogues. Where they've been, where they've set up camp, who they've attacked. You'll also find their techniques that they've been using. How they attack, how they kill. There is even the recipe to create your own spray, similar to that of which the Rogues have been using. The spray masks will mask your scent so that not even a wolf can smell you coming."
Madeline sat back down in her seat. Her mate rested his hand on her knee. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. Her brother sent her a supporting smile before flipping through the folder. She crossed her leg over her knee and leaned back in the chair.
"How do we know these are real? For all we know, you could be giving us fake information," Alpha Reid said.
"Why would I give you fake information?" Madeline sat forward.
Alpha Carson sat forward. "As much as I hate to agree with them, last I heard, you were on good terms with the former Alpha Benjamin."
Madeline's expression became very deadly, very calm, very quickly. She leaned forward more, resting her elbows on the table. "That dog was the cause of the last war. A war that killed almost half of my home Pack. A war that cost my true mate his life! And he is the reason that Luna Abigail is buried six feet under! I would love nothing more than to see his head mounted on my wall."
"My mate's information is true. I would not allow her here if it weren't," Emerson spoke, his face stone cold. "Do not expect me to sit here idly while you insult her."
"I believe Luna Madeline. I believe her information is true," Zachary said, "This information will come in handy."
Madeline smiled and relaxed a little, as did her mate. The Alphas were chocked. It wasn't like Zachary to pick a side.
"As do I," her brother spoke up.
A couple other of the Alphas agreed as well. Xavier from the Imperial Warriors Pack, Jameson from the Evening Ash Pack, Weston from the Feral Shadows Pack, and Cayden from the White Fire Pack.
The others didn't agree. Some made it clear, like Lincoln, Carson, and Reid. Others were more...wary on the subject at hand.
She sat back as the Alphas argued it out. All the yelling was starting to give Madeline a headache. It was almost to the point that she wanted to invite some Omegas in the room. But with all the Alphas and dominance reeking the air, they'd probably faint. That was the last thing they needed. With so many dominate wolves in one room, it was harder to contain their anger for each other. They each wanted to dominate all the others. And Alphas weren't meant to be dominated. So, it made it hard to converse when there were so many in one room.
"Enough!" Alpha Ronan's voiced boomed over the others. "You've had your go at each other. Now it's time to get down to business, unless you would rather do nothing and watch your Pack fall to the Rogues. We can certainly let that happen if you aren't willing to cooperate."
They quieted down. That was another shock to the room, even to Madeline. Ronan rarely ever spoke, much less yelled. Ronan of the Red Lake Pack was more of a ruthless being. His motto was kill first, ask questions never. If you needed someone tortured, Alpha Ronan was the man to go to. it was a miracle that his mate could put up with him.
Ronan sat back down. "Good. Now that we're agreed that Madeline's information she's provided us is true, let's come up with a game plan. Preferably one that annihilates all the Rogues."
"Just because a wolf is a Rogue doesn't mean they deserve to die. Not all of them are bad Ronan. Some have chosen to go Rogue because they don't like being in a Pack or it's self-exile. And some have been born into it. So how about we focus on killing only those that want to kill us," Madeline butted in before anyone else could say something.
He grumbled some not nice things under her breath that made her giggle and the others laugh. Lincoln even offered a smile, though it was small. She felt bad for his mate and children. Though his mate did love him. He received that scar saving her.
Alpha Rylan of the Black Banes Pack stood and walked to the whiteboard at the front of the room. He did a rough sketch of the map that she had constructed, with the help of Emerson's spymaster, Lawrence, and his spies.
"I have intel that the Rogues are gathering in this spot." He circled an area on his makeshift map. "We have reason to believe that they are gathering their forces, preparing to go to war. Which we should be doing the same."
"So, what do you suggest we do?" Alpha Jameson asked them.
***
A/N
I had a hard time trying to get all the Alphas included and keep them organized, but if it confused you, here's a list of them and their Pack.
Alpha- Pack
Sebastian- Mystic Peak
Emerson- Night Walker
Zachary- Solar Valley
Lincoln- Bloodrose Claws
Carson- Sunset River
Xavier- Imperial Warriors
Jameson- Evening Ash
Weston- Feral Shadows
Cayden- White Fire
Rylan- Black Banes
Reid- Moonstone Prowlers
Ronan- Red Lake
The next chapter is going to be in the POV of a character that we haven't heard had before.
Want to know more about the other Alphas? If enough of my beautiful followers want to know more about them, I might make some short stories for them once I finish the book. Just comment the Alphas you want to know more about.
Until next time. XOXO