The Arrangement |1|

Chapter Twenty-Four

   "What!" Emerson exclaimed.

   "It came out of nowhere Emerson. One minute, everything was fine, and the next, there were explosions. Three of them. One at the Pack House, two in the marketplace."

   "How many did you lose?" Emerson asked.

   "A couple dozen," Sebastian replied.

   He quickly did the math. Mystic Peak's population was just about two hundred and fifty wolves. Not many. They were always a small Pack, but after the first war, their numbers had dwindled. To a larger Pack such as Night Walker, a couple dozen wouldn't have such an impact, though they would mourn the loss. But to a small Pack, a couple dozen was drastic.

   "What did the other Alpha's say?" Emerson's demeanor was chipping away and his voice became more of a growl. His fangs elongated and his claws erupted.

   "The same thing. They all said the same thing."

   He slammed his fist on the table, his Alpha strength kicking in. The table cracked and the collapsed in on itself. He picked up the phone, as it had fallen off the desk, and held it in his hand.

   "I think it's time that we have an Alpha meeting. I'll call the others and set it up." He hung up the phone and tossed it to the side. He walked around the broken desk and brushed off the rubble on his office chair and took a seat. He rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. What the hell was his father up to?

   The door creaked open. He didn't need to look up to see who it was. He could smell Madeline from down the hall. Parts of woods crushed under her feet as she made her way over to him. She crouched in front of him and took Emerson's face in her hands. He leaned into her.

   "What happened?" She asked in her soft voice.

   He placed a hand over hers. "We weren't the only ones they attacked," He said. "Your brother called. He said Mystic Peak, along with every other Pack in North America was attacked. Bombs went off. One in the Pack House and two in the marketplace."

   She sucked in a breath. "How many lost?"

   "Your brother said they lost a couple dozen. I don't know about the others. But we'll know soon enough." At her confused look, he continued. "We're scheduling an Alpha meeting. As soon as possible. We will discuss it then. And hopefully we can form a plan, not just argue the entire time."

   Madeline offered him a small smile. "Good luck with that. With so many Alphas in one room, I'll be surprised if anything gets done."

   "I want you to come with me."

   She looked at him with surprise. "What?"

   Emerson pulled her into his lap and locked his arms around her waist. "I want you to come with me. You have knowledge about the Rogues that could be useful. And besides, who's going to calm me down when I get angry? Certainly not anyone else there. I'd likely slit their throat if they tried."

   She rolled her eyes and cupped his cheeks. "You know it's not traditional for a Luna to be at an Alpha meeting. Hence the name Alpha meeting. It's for Alpha's only."

   Though Alpha meetings were very rare, they had a tradition to them. Every Alpha from each Pack agreed on a neutral location to meet and a date. The Alphas with a small entourage- just a handful of guards- would travel to the location agreed upon. The Luna and Beta of the Pack stayed behind and looked after the Pack. Occasionally a Beta was invited to the meeting if he had important information to share. But never had a Luna ever been to an Alpha meeting.