Emerson hadn't known peace like this in a long time. Things had calmed down within the weeks that had followed the death of one of their Pack mates. His work had lessened and the atmosphere had calmed after the funeral. The Night Walker Pack was finally peaceful again.

His eyes closed and he listened to the birds' chirp in the trees. He listened to the children playing. He listened to the wolves running through the woods. He let their tranquility and delight rush through him and take over.

A hand pressed against his cheek. "Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes and nodded to Madeline. "I'm fine. Great, actually."

She smiled. She dropped her hand and returned to his side. Emerson pressed his lips to the top of her head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as they resumed their walk around the Pack. It had been so long since he had been able to just breathe. It was nice.

"How are the winter preparations coming along?" Madeline asked, tilting her head up at him.

"I thought we took this walk to get away from work," He said, a smirk on forming on his lips.

"Yeah, well-" Emerson cut her off by throwing her over his shoulder. He took off running with her clutching his wait, squealing.

"Emerson!" She squealed.

All he could do was laugh. As did the people around them.it was the first time in a very long time that he's behaved this way. It was like Emerson just twenty years old again.

Emerson's feet carried him through the wood. He went over the rocks, around the bushes, avoided any predator that was lurking in the woods. Avoided any who dwelled. The Alpha wanted his Luna all to himself for the day. It had been far too long since they had alone time together. What with all the work they had been drowning lately. But now that the workload had gone back to its usual amount, they could finally have more than just seeing each other occasionally in bed.

"Emerson! Put me down!" Madeline demanded.

He smirked. "As you wish." And he threw her into a lake, clothes and all.

Emerson had found the lake a while back, not too long after Abigail had died. He spent a lot of time there, thinking about what to do next. There were many times that he wanted to jump in and next come out. But something kept him from doing so, and now he knew why. Madeline was the reason.

He quickly pulled off his shirt and shoes and socks. He threw his phone to the side, not wanting to get that wet. Then he ran and did a cannonball into the lake just as she surfaced the water.

"You little shit!" She screeched when he reached the surface.

She splashed water at him and he repeated the action. Soon enough, they were in an all-out splashing war.

Emerson ducked under the water and swam to her. He resurfaced just in front of her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Okay! Okay. You win." He nuzzled her neck and breathed deeply.

Madeline leaned into his embrace and let out a sigh. He felt her body relax against his. His lips turned upwards into a smile. He ran his nose up the curve of her neck and over her jaw until his lips were pressed against his.

He kissed his mate deeply, pulling her tight against him. One hand cradled her head, tangled in her hair. The other held her waist, flushing her up against him. He lifted her up and her legs wrapped around his waist in response. Their kiss deepened. He started to pick at her clothes. He wanted his mate.

"Won't anyone see?" She asked breathlessly.

He shook his head. "No one comes here, at least not often. And I don't really care right now."

Madeline giggled and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He could get drunk off the sound of her. He pulled her back into a kiss. Their teeth clashed as they smiled and grinned and laughed without a care in the world.

He nipped at her nose, her jaw, her neck, and finally her mark, drawing a moan from her. It made Emerson swell with pride, that he could give his mate such pleasure. That's all he wanted to do, is bring her pleasure and to care for her well-being. Nothing mattered more to him than her and any future offspring they may have. Which may be in the near future, as they had done nothing to prevent it. And while he wanted nothing more to have a child with her, he wanted this war over before then.

Madeline gently grabbed his chin and tilted his head up. He smiled at her and closed his eyes as he felt her lips on him, at his neck, at his mark. His chest rumbled in pleasure.

She whispered against his skin, "I love you."

"And I love you."

***

Emerson and Madeline laid bare on the shore, their clothes discarded around them. Neither made an attempt to move and collect them. They were content where they were, in each other's arms.

Madeline laid on his chest, eyes closed. Emerson laid on his back, and arm around his mate, stroking her back lazily. His other hand held onto hers and they dozed.

If only they could have days and days like to come. But it would have to wait until after this dispute with the Rogues were over, if Emerson would make it out alive, that is. War is unpredictable. Anything could happen. Though he would try his hardest to come back home. He would come back home. Madeline needed him. His Pack needed him.

"We should be getting back soon." Emerson finally broke the silence.

She sighed. "I know. I just need a few more minutes of this, please."

"Of course."

Emerson wanted this to last forever. Unfortunately, they had things to do. They were no ordinary wolves after all. They were the leaders of their Pack. And they needed to lead. They had been away for too long.

They peeled away from each other and grabbed their clothes, reluctantly putting them.

"My clothes are wet." Madeline glared at him.

He chuckled and walked to her. He slipped his dry shirt over her head. "Better?"

"Little." She finished dressing. "I'm still mad at you."

"And why is that?" He cooed.

She glared some more at him. "You threw me into the lake. If my shoes are ruined, you're buying me new ones."

Emerson laughed. "I'll buy you anything you want my love."

He held his hand out to her and they began to make the trek home.

They took their time, not running with Madeline over his shoulder. Their clothes dried out some on the walk, though they were still damp for the most part. When they showed their faces at the Pack, members grinned at them.

Casey, one of Madeline's friends, came bounding up to them with a knowing grin on her face. Emerson didn't want to stop and talk, but Madeline pinched his side when h grumbled to her.

He settled with burying his face in her neck. He barely listened as the two spoke. He was content where he was. He made soft purring noises when her hand started to rub his back. Madeline chuckled quietly and leaned her head on top of his.

"This one here," Madeline flicked his nose, "Needs a nap. But we're still on for our movie date later right?"

Casey chuckled. "Of course. Have fun putting him to bed," She teased.

Emerson let out a small growl. His mate tugged at his hair. "Oh, quit that. Just because your grouchy doesn't mean you can be mean."

"I'm not tired." He nipped at her neck. He could almost see her roll her eyes. He pulled his head out of her neck and stood straight. "Goodbye Casey. I'll make sure Madeline isn't late like last time."

"And who's fault was that?"

Emerson just grinned like a proud male. She pinched him again, harder his time. enough so that he yelped.

"I'll see you later Madeline, try not-"

Whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the sound of an explosion. They were thrown off their feet. Emerson grabbed both his mate and her friend and shielded them with his body as debris rained down on them. Two more went off before he heard to howls of the Rogues, deep within the woods. They were claiming this wreckage.

Emerson jumped off the two girls and helped them to their feet. He cupped his mate's cheeks. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

No. His back was on fire. But he didn't want her to worry about him. "No, I'm okay. But when I get my hands on those...those pieces of shit. I'm going to tear them all apart with my bare hands."

"Now is not the time for vengeance. Round up your warriors, try to find any survivors. Uncover the dead so that we may give them a proper burial."

He kissed her forehead. "Will you be alright?"

"Yes. I'm going to go stay with the children, try and calm them down. Casey will come with me. And Isiah and Ricardo if it will make you feel better."

He sighed but nodded. "Be careful. We don't know if anything else is going to happen. There may be Rogues still on Pack grounds."

"I will be, now go." She pushed him gently.

"Be careful."

She nodded and walked away, her friend in tow. He quickly made a call to her guards, telling them to get their asses over there. He wished he could be the one there to take care of her. But his Pack needed him more. There were many possible casualties and many that were injured. He had to be there to help find everyone.

He quickly gathered all of the warriors that weren't too injured in the square, which was mostly untouched. One of the explosions blew up half of the Pack House, the other two were in the market square.

He stood on the small stage there, his hands behind his back. He was in full on Alpha mode now. "Alright!" He yelled, silencing them. "You're going to be counted off in threes! Remember your number! It'll dictate where you will be going!"

His commanders started to number each and every one of them off. They had a hundred and twenty-five warriors. Now, there was less than a hundred. He hoped they would be able to find his missing warriors and members all unharmed, or at least alive.

"All the ones will accompany Brandon to the Pack House. Twos will go to the first explosion in the market square with Davidson and threes will go to the other with me. Half of you will be in wolf form to help search for survivors. The other half of you will help dig them up. Survivors are our main goal. We need to find them as quickly as possible and get them to the infirmary. Many are going to die if we don't. If you find a deceased pack member, inform either Brandon, Davidson, or me, and we will take care of it."

They broke up into their groups, obeying their Alpha. They knew the seriousness of the situation and got hard at work. They worked without breaks, digging up all the gravel and pieces of the buildings. Those that they found alive were rushed to the infirmary. And unfortunately, they found dead bodies. They placed the bodies in a field a little way away. There were more casualties than he had thought there would be, though any life lost was a tragedy.

There was a point where he had to stop helping. He had his clipboard, taking down names on a casualty list. Once everyone was uncovered, he would post it in the square. That way friends of the deceased knew. Their families would already know, having felt the bond snap.

"Emerson! There's someone on the phone who wants to speak to you!" His Beta yelled as he ran across the field to him.

Emerson passed off the clipboard to him. He jogged to the Pack House, well, what was left of it. His office was spared, for the most part, there was only a mild hole in the wall. He picked up the phone. "Alpha Emerson."

"Emerson, it's me, Sebastian. There was an attack here, in Mystic Peak. I've called all the Alphas in North America and they've all said the same. There were explosions."