The Huntress - The Hunt #1 (COMPLETE)

3. Aftermath.

Ella ran back to the camp and quickly collected her hides. She had no interest in sticking around longer than needed.

"Just my luck!" she mutters to herself. "Getting to live the rest of my life with this banging need to be with a werewolf. What the actual fuck is wrong with this world?" she yells out to no one particular. Ella has always enjoyed talking out loud to herself, it calms her down and allows her to hear her thoughts. Everything makes more sense to her after saying it out loud. But this time, even that didn't help her out. What was she supposed to do with this information? She felt overwhelmed and angry, one of these emotions was new to her. All she could decide upon, was to leave this place and try moving on. She had promised the wolf, that she was going to do just that and Ella may have been many things, but a liar was not one of those.

She packed up her weapons and collected all her shell casings, no need to leave behind too much evidence of her presence. The local police will eventually be around and they will do a half-lackluster investigation, as soon as they discover the connection with these assholes and the girls.

"Oh, well. Time to head home," she laughed. Ella didn't actually have a place on our planet that she could call "home". Her life was spent on the road, from one monster to the next. Those few moments she's had to stay still, well, those moments may never reach big wolfman's ears. If nothing else, Ella knew that werewolves were highly overprotective with their mates and pack members. Alphas had more raw power than regular wolves and thus were even more volatile. Ella made a promise to herself, that if she ever felt like getting lucky again, she will be kind and use her mate for it. No more strangers in seedy bathroom stalls.

Ella hiked through the deep forest, back to the main road and her car. The hike took her half a day, as she didn't have to follow any zigzagging tracks. The rogues had been total shit bags and never simply walked in a straight line. Once she reached her car she had to curse out loud, the rogues' camp was so close to the main road, she wasted so much precious time on them. And she didn't even get all of her hides, one was locked up in a pack dungeon. If Ella had been sure she could walk away from her mate again, she would have gone to collect it, by either asking nicely for it or simply taking what was hers by right. But unfortunately, she wasn't too sure she had enough willpower to simply walk over there and never leave again. Plus, alpha-boy might go a bit possessive and not let her leave at all. She was strong, but in a straight up fight, an alpha would easily overpower her.

Therefore, Ella swallowed her anger and rage down, got in her car and drove off.

***

Dorian's wolf was hurting. He was angry and annoying. All the wolf wanted was his mate. All Dorian wanted was for Ella to change her mind on her own and come home to him. He had been around humans enough to understand that things didn't work exactly like it did with wolves, they were way more out of control and lacked discipline. Humans had this awful tendency to be rebellious, while werewolves had rules they needed to follow, unless they wanted to be on their own and become hunted.

Dorian sighed, he needed to deal with the rogue his men captured. He could pass the obligation over to Mick, betas were assigned for a reason after all, but he needed to show his pack that he wasn't going to become an alpha who kept his hands clean. All wolves had their place in society and his was full of obligations.

"So, your mate?" Mick asked him, shaking Dorian out of his thoughts. "Where is she?"

"She... Ella isn't interested in being with a wolf. Not much I can do about it," Dorian replied. Honesty was something he valued above everything, no secrets, that was his pack's main rule. And he was not above rules.

"Good. We don't need a luna like her. Who knows how many wolves she has slaughtered," Mick said in a matter of fact tone. Dorian's wolf growled angrily. Even if she wasn't interested in them, Dorian felt the possessive need to protect her. Even from his own beta.

"Mind your tone, beta. She is and always will be my mate and your luna. Even if she's not around to claim her place, it belongs to her and you will respect her. I will not tolerate this kind of insubordination from anyone, including you," Dorian slammed his hands on the table. Mick visibly flinched. Mick had his mate, he knew what it felt like to find her, he should be more understanding to Dorian's situation.

"My apologies, alpha. I will mind my tongue and thoughts. What do you want to do with the rogue?" he changed the subject. Dorian thought about their problem one more time before he made a decision.

"Prepare the filth for execution. I will carry out the sentence in the morning," Dorian replied, deciding to go along with the change of subject. Thinking about Ella only hurt his soul and heart.

"You don't want to interrogate him? We should at least find out what he did to attract a hunter," Mick offered. Dorian thought over his suggestion. Yeah, it did sound like a good idea.

"Ask him, but don't waste too much time on it. It won't change the outcome." Dorian was done with this topic. He waved Mick off and relaxed into his chair. Mick took his leave and left Dorian alone.

Ella. A constant thought in the back of his mind. He rubbed his face with force, feeling his claws as he did so. Mick was a good beta, good for the pack, but he was too hot-headed. He had hoped that finding his mate would mellow the man, but it might have made him even more ruthless. Overprotective as a male wolf was supposed to be. Nothing he could do about it, there wasn't anyone else qualified to fill the beta position, no one he could trust like that.

Dorian lived in a lonely world, he might have been surrounded by wolves, but all he had hoped for was his mate. Someone to share his burdens and worries with.

"Just my luck. I find her and she doesn't want us," he muttered.

She didn't reject us. His wolf points out.

"Yeah, maybe she just doesn't know enough about the mate bond. Once she figures it out, she will reject us. We need to look for an heir. We won't be able to produce one in the old fashioned way. I cannot leave the pack without one," Dorian told his wolf. The idea in itself made them both anxious and angry. He had waited for her, kept himself clean of all attachments, always pushing willing she-wolves away. Eight year, that's how long he had been the alpha and when he thinks about the time wasted, he growls in annoyance. Once the news reaches his pack, it's going to become extra hard, keeping the she-wolves away. His pack had many rejected or otherwise mateless females, there will be an open season for the luna position.

"Just our luck!" he growls out and turns his attention back to pack documents. An alpha's work is never done.