The Huntress - The Hunt #1 (COMPLETE)

24. Battle for Life.

Ella stared at the people she used to call her parents. She could hardly wrap her head around what was happening. Dorian was standing beside her, supporting her and her messes, as per usual. She turned her focus back on the scene before her, hoping she'd wake up in her bed. How had it come to this? There were 50 hunters standing before her, all hungry for her and her family's blood. Behind her, she could feel the strength and love from her pack, all 200 wolves capable to fight. It was going to be bloody, many would be hurt or worse, and it was all her and Dorian's fault. She knew it was fate that brought them together, but the guilt was still evident in her thoughts. If she hadn't chased that rogue into his lands, if she hadn't decided to be with him, if she hadn't been careless with that vampire, if she hadn't gotten pregnant, if she had been better in hiding her kids and pregnancy - the list of ifs was too long. And even though she knew it was mostly her fault, she had to admit, that she'd do it all over again, because life without Dorian, Dylan, Daniel and now Elise, would be meaningless.

"Just give us the hybrids and your vampire, no one has to die for these monsters!" Ella's father, Jack, shouted. He'd tried that line a few hours before and it hadn't gone over well with the wolves. Hunters were ignorant to how the supernatural creatures really functioned, all they cared about was how to best kill them. As before, the pack responded with a vicious growl, declining the ill-made offer once again.

"What are they waiting for?" Dorian asked Ella, looking at the army of humans before him.

"Back up, maybe. Maybe their rethinking their plan. Maybe they're just stalling for something. I haven't been a hunter in more than six years, there could be some new weapons they have or whatever," Ella responded, feeling the anxiousness from both Dorian and herself growing. This waiting around for something to happen, it was driving her insane. She was thirsty and missing her babies. Elise was just a couple of days old and needed her mommy. The boys kind of understood what was happening, but they were just small children. Dylan's wolf wanted to partake in the battle, leaving her with the she-wolves was tricky. Daniel was always linked to her emotions, he knew how worried Ella really was and that made it so much worse for her.

"Actually, I did perform this spell earlier, making it hard for them to make decisions," Mirelda interjected. The witch had arrived a day earlier than the hunters, calming Ella down a bit. She was a powerful witch, who was clearly a helpful member of the team. And she was determined to keep everyone safe. Mirelda had extended her protection to the whole pack, as she knew how important they all were to both Ella and Dorian.

"That will buy us time to figure out what to do with them," Dorian mentioned. Ella didn't need time to figure anything out. She knew they all needed to die, as they would never stop coming after her family.

"This is your last chance, mutts!" Ella's mother added with a sneer. She had always been the more hateful of the two. Ella never got the full story as to why she felt such blind hatred towards the supernatural. It might just have been ignorance, she was afterall raised in the hunting community as Ella had.

"I want to slaughter them all," Ella mumbled. Dorian glanced towards his mate with curiosity.

"Really now?" he smirked. "I'm not stopping you. They came for you and our babies. I think you will have to get in line," he added. The entire pack was ready to tear these hunters into tiny unrecognizable pieces. Ella felt the love vibrate through the pack members. She felt oddly at peace, given the gravity of the situation.

"I'm bored, let's do something," Mick insisted. He, as the beta, felt he needed to get things rolling. Alphas and lunas want to maintain peace, betas want to fight and protect. The warriors behind them agreed with their beta with a chorus of growls. They too were tired of standing around while insults and threats were being shot across the nomansland.