The Alpha kept nudging his mate. She couldn't go to sleep. He would lose her if she did. He couldn't lose her. He kept whining and whimpering, trying to urge her to get up.

There was movement in the corner of his eye. One of his pack was moving closer. He was going to steal his mate!

He growled and bit at him and he jumped back.

The Alpha settled back over his frail mate, protecting her. He wouldn't let anyone touch her, harm her. He would kill them all before letting anyone near her. No one would ever touch his mate again. No one.

Someone else moved forward and he growled again, biting at him. He sensed someone approaching from behind and he turned and snapped at her as well. They kept moving in from all sides and the Alpha kept driving them away.

His mate moved slightly, catching his attention. He moved off of her and leaned his muzzle down to her. His breath caused her hair to stir. He nosed her cheek.

Come on. Move. Get up. Be well my mate.

But no matter how much he wanted her too, she just wouldn't get up.

A woman approached, carrying a bag at her. The Alpha quickly covered his mate and snapped at the woman. She bared her neck to him but did not back away. Instead, she crept closer.

He was just about to pounce on her when his Beta intercepted. His Beta growled, though he bared his neck when the Alpha towered over him. The Beta rubbed up against his Alpha's side in a calm and soothing manner.

His Beta barked, reassuring him that the woman was there to help his mate.

He only shifted his body we necessary and he kept a close watch on the woman. He would not allow her to hurt his mate. His precious mate.

When the Alpha heard his mate make a sound of discomfort, he growled and snapped his jaws in warning to the woman. He would kill anyone who hurt his mate. She was his to protect and he had failed. So he would not let it happen again.

The woman spoke words he could not understand. All he knew was that the woman had stopped and his mate was not better.

Why wasn't she better?

Someone moved forward. The Alpha watched him very carefully. But when he started to reach for his mate, he bit his arm. No one would touch her, take her, harm her. He let go of the man and back up to his mate, taking his place back over her.

There was something sharp that pierced his thigh and then everything went black.

***

One thing for sure, Emerson was not in his room. The question was, where was he and why was he there?

He sat up in the bed and looked around.

The infirmary. That's where he was-

Emerson's eyes landed on Madeline, laying on the bed next to him. And she-she looked terrible. She had several bandaged wrapped around her and there were more bruises than he could count.

Right. The attack. Rogues had attacked his mate. His mate. He had lost control of his wolf. He just remembered his vision going red when he saw that Rogue ready to kill her. He just remembered bits and pieces after that.

He slid off the bed and dressed in the clothes left for him. He pulled a chair up next to her bedside and sat down. He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. "I-I'm sorry. It's my fault you're hurt. I didn't protect you."

This was Abigail all over again. He didn't protect her and he lost her. And now he could lose Madeline, because he wasn't strong enough to, fast enough to save her.

He had been sitting there for over an hour before the door opened and the doctor walked in. He raised his head to look at her.

"Alpha." She bowed her head in respect.

He nodded and turned his attention back to his mate. He only lifted his head to her when she spoke again.

"She will recover Alpha. We're keeping her in a medically induced coma to help the healing process. We'll take her out of it when she's healed. She'll probably be sore for a couple days but she'll be okay." She said as she checked Madeline's vitals. "The wolfsbane is still wearing off so you may be drowsy. They had to inject you with some to knock you out so we could treat Luna."

He just nodded. He reached his hand up and brushed Madeline's hair out of her face. He'd never tell her, but he didn't mind her company. When she wasn't nosy, she was actually quite enjoyable. If they had lived in another life, another world, he could see himself falling in love with her.

But this wasn't another life, another world, so he couldn't fall in love with her. It was impossible. But perhaps he could be her friend, if she would stop poking in places that shouldn't be poked at.

He barely registered the doctor slipping out and his father slipping in. Benjamin placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I called her family. Her mother and father are on their way over. Her brother won't be able to make it but he wants to talk to her when she wakes up, just to make sure she's okay."

He couldn't do anything but nod again.

"She's a strong girl. She's going to be fine. The worst she'll have is a scar." His father said as he took a seat in one of the other chairs.

"I know." He murmured at last.

The father and son and sat in silence, watching the Luna before them, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

It was almost dusk by the time Madeline's mother and father appeared. They burst into the room, her mother crying out at the sight of her daughter. She rushed to her side, gently picking up her hand and holding it. Her father looked as though he had seen a ghost. His face had lost its color as he took in the sight of his daughter. Then he turned to Emerson and his eyes went from sorrow to rage.

Perhaps Emerson wasn't fast enough, or perhaps he didn't care to block the punch his mate's father swung at him.

He heard the breaking of his jaw before feeling. But it was nothing compared to what his heart felt.

He didn't stop him as he pulled Emerson up and slammed him against the wall. "You were supposed to protect her! She was supposed to be safe here you bastard! She was supposed to be safe!"

It took Benjamin and two other guards to haul Madeline's father off their Alpha. When asked what to do with him, he simply said to let him go. His family needed him right now, and he couldn't do that if he was locked up in a cell.

The father walked to his mate's side, slipping an arm around her. She turned her head into his neck and sobbed.

Emerson was fine up until that point, up until he heard his mate's mother cry so painfully. It was too much for him. he needed to get out of that room. He needed to break something, break someone.

He would kill all those damned Rogues for doing this!

"I will give you some privacy." He said and turned on his heel, the guards and his father following him out.

His Beta met him half way to the cells.

"We managed to capture a couple of Rogues from the attack. They haven't spoken yet about who was behind this." Brandon gave him a quick report as they walked.

He nodded. Good. Torturing always helped simmer his anger. Or it would at least make him feel better for the time being.

The stench was awful in the cells, smelling of blood, sweat, vomit, and other body excrement. If he wasn't used to the smell he would have gagged and thrown up, but he had been down there enough to have gotten used to it. or at least not feel like losing the contents of his stomach.

Brandon stopped in front of two cells, in which the two Rogues occupied. They were both bloody, not having been cleaned nor taken care of. It didn't matter. They would be dead soon enough.

He gave a silent command to the wolves on duty. They grabbed the first Rogue out of the cell. He fought them but was too weak to do any real damage.

Emerson followed behind as they took the Rogue to one of the rooms levels under the prison. It was far enough that his pack members wouldn't hear the screaming.

Emerson was silent as the yelling and thrashing Rogue was strapped to the metal chair. He dismissed the wolves with a flick of his hand.

The Alpha had yet to speak. He was just studying the Rogue, a boy. He was no younger than seventeen by the looks of it. His hair was cut though chaotic from the fight. He was dirty and bloody, but well fed and trained. Rogues were not supposed to have been taken care of. And yet, this boy, this Rogue, before him, was obviously taken care of.

Emerson finally opened his mouth, speaking in a quiet, but not weak, voice. "Why did you attack my mate?"

The boy grinned. "Because she was there, looking so pretty and happy. She was the perfect opportunity to bring you down."

"Who was behind the attack?"

"No one."

This time, Emerson smiled. "Who orchestrated the attack?"

And when the Rogue refused to answer again, that's when the screaming started.