56 - It's Not Over

56 - It's Not Over
~Ellie’s Point of View~

I woke up more exhausted than I could have ever thought possible. I felt all three of the triplets laying on me in some way and I just felt an overwhelming sense of safety and protection. I felt Violet knocked out cold and I was actually just… normal for the first time in three days.
I wiggled myself out of bed and took the quickest shower on record, wanting to ensure I could get through it alone. I wandered out to the kitchen and saw a huge breakfast with a note. Had someone been here?
“Left this super quick, you were all asleep. Hope everything is well … Love, Angel.”
“Aww,” I said, grabbing some grapes.
I instantly felt hands around my waist and lips on my neck, Skyler. I turned and fed him a grape.
“Good morning baby,” Hunter said, coming into the kitchen.
“How do you feel,” River asked, sitting at the table.
“Exhausted beyond anything I could ever imagined, but insanely happy,” I said, giving them all a smile.
“So are we baby, you were everything we could have ever wanted and so much more than we could have imagined,” Skyler said, pulling me into his lap.
I was pretty sure if he had his way I would never walk anywhere on my own or sit in a chair on my own. It will probably be a million times worse when I’m pregnant!
“I wanted to just say, I don’t want anyone calling me Ellie anymore. That was what Gunner named me and I don’t want it,” I said.
“We were going to ask you about that,” Hunter said.
“I think we have a whole lot to bring each other up to speed on,” River said.
About an hour later Ash and Isaac came to discuss everything as well. Godfrey wouldn’t be able to come until dark since it was a sunny day.
“We don’t think Gunner is interested in you anymore but of course we can’t totally be sure. We’re going to keep you here with guards just to be safe,” Isaac said.
“Who can we spare though, we need everyone with us,” Ash said.
“Chance and Max volunteered,” Isaac said.
“I don’t want to take someone as valuable as Chance from your fight,” I said, quite serious.
“There’s no one I would trust more than Chance to watch her,” Hunter said.
“Or you could be wasting his talents having him babysit,” I said.
“It is already decided,” Isaac said, dismissing me.
“It’s okay Lilly, remember what I told you about Chance that day he came over,” Hunter said.
“Yes, you trust him more than anyone,” I said.
“Yeah and now that he has a mate he’ll understand all the more. So he’ll be careful,” Skyler said.
I jumped to my feet. “He has a mate!”
“Oh yeah we forgot that part. Katrina is his mate, weird huh,” Skyler said.
“Aww that’s so sweet,” I said, feeling overjoyed.
“We can’t spare Katrina, don’t let anyone say otherwise,” Isaac said, matter of fact.
“I still can’t believe Tyson fights for us, I would never … I could never trust him, he’s still Gunner’s son at the end of day,” I said, wanting to get my point across.
I shivered. Everything about Tyson gave me the creeps.
“We’re keeping him on a short leash but we can’t deny that he’s been helpful,” Ash said.
Just then, there was a knock at the door and Chance came in, followed by Max. I quickly got to my feet and ran toward the weretiger.
“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you both,” I said, giving him a hug.
Skyler was immediately at my side trying to get my arms from around his neck. Chance smiled.
“Easy killer, I’m a happily taken man. Thank you though, I am very lucky,” Chance said, pulling back.
I heard someone else and looked up to see Daisy and Sunny coming in with bags of groceries.
“We’re staying too sis!! So glad you’re okay,” Sunny said, giving me a hug.
“Don’t forget us,” I heard, and looked up to see my mom and Grammy.
I burst into tears and ran to them.
“Sorry honey but you need to say your good-byes to the boys, we have to go,” Ash said, kissing Daisy on the cheek. He was really talking to me I assumed ... but Daisy made her way over to hug the guys.
When they were done I said, “come back here a minute.”
I went to our bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Make sure you wash the sheets okay,” River said, looking kind of embarrassed.
I laughed and actually snorted.
“Take care of each other, be brave but not too brave okay, I need all of you in one piece … for our pup,” I said, holding my belly.
“Pups plural,” Skyler said, reaching for my belly. I giggled.
“That’s just an old tale,” I said.
“I still want to believe in it,” he said, rubbing my belly.
I stood and we all hugged, I never wanted it to end.
“Don’t cry Lilly,” Hunter said.
“I love hearing you say my real name,” I said.
“I love you Lilly,” they all said together at once, as if rehearsed.

~River’s Point of View~

In the time we were gone the Shadows regrouped our army, and we were able to get everyone back together. However, this time we had a completely different mission since we technically couldn’t invade a pack that hadn’t done anything wrong.
The plus side though, was that we were pretty confident the pack only housed werewolves and they had zero magic on their side.
At dusk, we surrounded the compound and in our human forms my brothers followed Godfrey, Raul, Quinn and Isaac to the main gate. They only had a dozen or so guards patrolling but after seeing vampires, they all immediately surrendered.
Werewolves and vampires were of course natural enemies but wolves knew damn well that physically they were no match.
“Where … is your Alpha,” Godfrey said.
“You’re looking at him mate,” said a large man with a British accent who had just shifted back to his human form.
“You’re housing a criminal, guilty of mass war crimes. Turn him over to the council and we’ll leave your pack in peace. You would be absolute fools to fight us, but if you do so you’ll leave us no choice,” Isaac said.
“You’re the council? I seriously doubt the council is going to kill she-wolves and pups,” he said, clearly in defiance.
“If we do, it’s on you, I’m giving you the choice. Give us Gunner,” Godfrey said, moving quickly to be just a foot in front of the Alpha.
“Look, whatever he’s promised you, is a lie. His old pack is gone, his Luna is dead, his magical powers are gone, he has nothing to give you but false promises,” Isaac said, getting impatient.
“You’re not gonna do shit,” the Alpha said.
In the blink of an eye, the Alpha shifted back and ran. Most followed him and the rest remained on the ground.
Quinn growled and stomped his feet, then suddenly his demon took over and a fifteen foot tall fiery being stood, the heat radiating off him was unlike anything I’d ever felt and we all ran as far back from him as possible. He began hurling fireballs at the buildings, and growling with a fierce terrifying rumble that shook the ground.
All teams full ahead, Shane said, over mind-link.
Several she-wolves and pups ran from the homes while our fae and witches began teleporting them to a safe location.
All shifters turned except my brothers and I. We had told everyone we wanted to save our energy but wanted to face Gunner on two feet at first if possible.
Tyson shifted and ran full speed ahead once he saw what everyone else was doing. He couldn’t mind-link with us but he was putting it together.
Part of me wanted to tail him, make sure he wasn’t tipping off his dad somehow. When Gunner kicked him out of the pack, his ability to mind-link was severed but we all wondered if he could still do it because they were family.
The wolves that initially ran turned to fight but there were only eight of them and they were shredded to pieces within minutes.
Anyone have eyes on the Alpha, Isaac demanded over mind-link.
There was no response.
Twenty-two she-wolves and pups moved to safe house, they claim all remaining are male wolves, Angel reported.
Shit, that was about a fourth of their population and I was glad they could be taken out of the fight.
“Come out, come out you coward,” Godfrey taunted, while levitating about twenty feet in the air.
It was eerily quiet so much so that I could hear everyone’s hearts racing. I saw Raul and a couple other vampires flying overhead, scouting. They could land on a roof and count the heartbeats inside, it was insanely useful in battle.
Raul dropped in front of me, “I got a good look into the woods, there were make-shift shelters there, probably twenty tents set up.”
Shit, they had help? Another pack staying here?
I felt Hunter’s scent getting further away and quickly began looking for him, seeing him duck into a house. I began to run after him, hating that he didn’t ask for back-up but that was “Mr. Warrior” for you.
Something was just off and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was a damn good investigator and I had to slow things down and think. I stood in front of the house and looked around me. There were easily eight houses on fire and another three still standing in my line of sight that were untouched. There had to be a few more I couldn’t currently see.
There was another large building a quarter mile in that the vamps reported seeing overhead, that would be their packhouse. This was just too many buildings, too many houses for so few people.
“Raul do some of the houses look new, can you tell? Maybe just built in the last couple weeks,” I asked.
“Yeah actually, some looked new. You think Gunner brought some reinforcements here,” he said.
Does anyone think there are far too many houses here for the amount of people that we’ve found, I mind-linked to everyone.
This house is empty, no furniture or anything, still being built, Hunter mind-linked, jumping out of a side door to join me.
We hadn’t sensed the ability for them to have any magic so we didn’t use any ourselves. There were no force fields in place over the grounds and there was nothing stopping any teleportation. My heart sank just as Angel seemed to read my thoughts, and she wasn’t even anywhere near me.
A flurry of mind-links began to run in at once like a stream with everyone trying to talk over each other.
Vamps reporting large group of warriors in the west end field, with a bright light coming from their center, magic sensed, Shane said.
Mobile portal!! Witches and fae block it, Angel screamed.
They’re disappearing … someone block it, yelled a shifter.
They’re shrinking, half have made it through the portal, yelled another shifter.
FUCK!
Hunter and I dropped, shifted and took off with all we had, Gunner was trying to flee!