The Arrangement |1|

Chapter Thirty-One

   "You still haven't told him?"

   Madeline sighed. "I don't want the baby to become a distraction for him. One slip-up, no matter how small, could cost him his life. And I can't-" She sighed and looked down.

   Casey put her hand on her shoulder. "I understand."

   Madeline was thankful that her friend didn't say anything else. She had already thought of every possible way of telling or not telling Emerson could go wrong. And then she had cried for hours.

   She had come to the decision that she would wait another month. If he wasn't home by then, she would tell him. and if he came home, well, he would know.

   Madeline rested her hand on her stomach. She had a small bump that could easily be concealed if she tried. Most of her pants still fit, though several of her shirts were too tight. It didn't matter. Most days she wore one of Emerson's shirts.

   "I need to get back to work. You'll be alright on your own, won't you?"

   "I'll be fine Casey. Go, I won't keep you here any longer."

   "Alright." Casey was hesitant to leave, but after a moment's pause, she walked out of the office.

   Madeline got up and sat down in the office chair, Emerson's chair. It was his office she was occupying. It still carried his scent, however faint. Hopefully, he would be back soon, so she would no longer have to rely on his scent to bring her comfort, it'd just be him.

   She shook her head clear of these thoughts. There were things that required her attention, she couldn't let herself be distracted. She opened up the laptop and went to the emails. She had been trying for weeks to set up a trade negotiation between her Pack and the Moonstone Prowlers Pack, but she was having some trouble. The Beta was a stubborn wolf who didn't want to listen to a thing she was saying, just because she was a she-wolf. So she started to contact the Luna and she's made some progress.

   A knock at the door had her rising her head. "Come in."

   Dylan walked in and she instantly smiled, one that he returned, though it seemed forced. Over the few months, the two of them had gotten closer. She was happy to see him finally starting to move on from Mackinlay's death. For the longest time he would keep himself busy constantly, so he didn't have time to even think about her. But Madeline started to wear him down. he was starting to smile, even if it was just with her, and he was starting to open up to their Pack mates.

   "Hello, Dylan. What's brought you to my office today?"

   "The reconstruction of the building is finally finished. When you have a spare moment, they want you and Beta Brandon to come to take a look at, make sure that everything is the way you want it."

   "Does Brandon know?"

   "Yes."

   "Good. I have an opening at 4:30. Will that be okay?"

   "Perfect."

   Madeline closed the laptop. "Good, now sit. I can tell there's something on your chest. Out with it."

   Dylan sighed and looked at his lap for the longest time. She waited. She would wait as he needed to get him to start to talk. And if he needed to cry, she had tissues for him.

   "I went through her things today," he whispered, his voice laced with hurt.

   She nodded and sucked in a breath. She remembered when she went through Lucas' things. It was heartbreaking to do. To put away the last of his things.