Chapter 338 The End of the Hunters

Chapter 338 The End of the Hunters
Gavin's POV

The smell of death hung heavy in the air as I continued to survey the battlefield. Dawn had broken, and bodies lay scattered across the forest floor—most of them hunters, thankfully. My team worked methodically, gathering the remains. Some of the bodies were barely recognizable, torn apart in the heat of battle.

"How many?" I asked one of the wolves, who'd shifted back to human form to report.

"About forty hunters, sir," he answered. "They never stood a chance."

I nodded grimly. "And our side?"

"Fifteen casualties total. Three vampires, four werewolves, five faes, two witches, and a troll."

Fifteen souls lost. It was better than I'd expected, but still fifteen too many. I helped drag another hunter's body to the pile. This one had his throat ripped out—probably my work, though the night had become such a blur of violence that I couldn't be certain.

"Most of them didn't even realize they were being attacked until it was too late," I explained to the younger wolves who seemed disturbed by the brutality. "We had overwhelming numbers and the element of surprise."

As one of the field commanders, I should have been at the hospital already, but I couldn't leave until the battlefield was secure. I paused when I spotted a witch trapped under a fallen tree. She was still breathing, though barely. I signaled two wolves to help me lift the trunk, then carefully extracted her.

"Get her to the medical tent," I ordered. "She might make it if they work quickly."

The wounded vampires were being transported to Nicholas's club for recovery, or collected by their human servants. The werewolves, elves, and witches had their own taking care of their injured. Everyone was working together—an unprecedented alliance that had saved all our lives.

I spotted Sebastian across the clearing, directing the last vampires to leave before sunrise would force them into shelter. I made my way toward him, stepping over broken weapons and bloodstained earth.

"You got all your vampires accounted for?" I asked.

"Yes, all accounted for," Sebastian confirmed. "Theodore will escort me back to the house. Raymond has already left. Helena will make a final sweep after daylight and then return."

I swallowed hard before sharing the news I'd received. "Theodore says Eleanor is alive. She's recovering at the hospital."

The relief that washed over Sebastian's face was palpable. "Thank the Moon Goddess," he breathed.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Never heard you mention the Moon Goddess before."

Sebastian's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Honestly, after losing my family and being turned, I stopped believing in any gods. But the Moon Goddess gave me a new family. I'm grateful to her."

We stood in silence for a moment before I brought up something that had been bothering me. "Did you know about Eleanor's condition? The situs inversus?"

"Never heard of it," Sebastian admitted. "But I'm glad she has it. It must be why she was able to resist the fear."

I stared out at the lightening sky, feeling the weight of everything we'd been through. "If she does turn," I said quietly, "I'm going to ask you to turn me too."

Sebastian looked at me with surprise. "You'd rather be a vampire than a servant?"

I shook my head. "I can't bear the thought of both of you being asleep all day and me only getting to spend a few hours with her each night. Hours I'd have to share with you."

Sebastian's mouth twitched. "Even if you were a vampire, you'd still have to share her with me."

I laughed despite myself. "I guess I didn't think that through."

We walked together toward the parking lot, and I clapped Sebastian on the back. The fact that I could touch him so casually now showed how far we'd come.

"I'm glad I drove here," I said. "I can head straight to the pack hospital."

Sebastian nodded. "Drive carefully. Take care of our Eleanor. When it's dark enough for me to leave the house, I'll come immediately."

I grinned. "Like she won't decide she doesn't need the hospital and just come home."

"You'd better convince her to stay," Sebastian said, his tone serious. "Make sure she knows I'll be coming to see her. I want her to still be there when I arrive."

As we reached my car, I turned to him. "This is it, right? No more lurking enemies, no more curses, no more people trying to kill us?"

"As far as I know," Sebastian confirmed. "The only thing we have left to deal with is your wedding to Eleanor."

I smiled, an idea forming. "About that... come sit in my car. I don't want anyone to overhear."

Once inside, I shared my thoughts about the wedding. Sebastian listened attentively, occasionally nodding or offering suggestions. By the time Theodore appeared to take Sebastian home, we had a solid plan.

"She's going to love it," Sebastian said with genuine warmth.

"I hope so. Don't tell her, though. I want it to be a surprise."

I watched as Theodore led Sebastian away, then started my car and headed for the pack hospital. My body ached from the night's fighting, but all I could think about was seeing Eleanor. My mate. My future wife. The woman I'd do anything to protect.

When I arrived at the hospital, a nurse at the reception desk recognized me immediately.

"Mr. Brown," she greeted me. "We've been expecting you. I'll take you to Mrs. Green's room."

I followed her through the sterile hallways until we reached Eleanor's door. There, I hesitated.

'What if she's awake and upset?' I thought to myself. I reached out through our mate bond and felt her calm, sleeping presence. Relief washed over me.

I pushed the door open quietly. Eleanor lay peacefully on the hospital bed, looking small and fragile against the white sheets. Aurora sat beside her, holding her hand, looking exhausted but vigilant.

When she saw me enter, Aurora looked up and our eyes met. No words were necessary between us. We both loved Eleanor, and we both had nearly lost her tonight.

I smiled weakly and pulled a chair to Eleanor's other side. Gently, I took her free hand in mine, careful not to disturb any of the tubes or wires connected to her.

I brought her fingers to my lips and kissed them softly, then rubbed the back of her hand against my cheek. "I missed you so much when you were gone," I whispered, not caring if Aurora heard the vulnerability in my voice.

I must have dozed off at some point, because the next thing I knew, a nurse was gently shaking my shoulder. I blinked awake, momentarily disoriented.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," the nurse said softly as she adjusted something on the blood pressure monitor attached to Eleanor's arm. "I just need to adjust this. The doctor will be in soon to update you."

I nodded, still groggy, and noticed that Aurora was gone. In her place sat Olive, looking even more exhausted than his sister had.

"Where's Aurora?" I asked, my voice rough from sleep.

"I sent her to rest at the pack house," Olive answered. "She'll be back in a few hours."

"Are you going to rest too?"

Olive shook his head. "Not until Eleanor wakes up. I got a little sleep while you were out searching. It should be enough."

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was around 11 AM. I'd been asleep for about five hours, though it felt like minutes.

The door opened, and Dr. Vittori walked in. He was a middle-aged werewolf with salt-and-pepper hair who'd patched me up more times than I could count.

"Mr. Brown," he said with a warm smile. "Nice to see you as a visitor rather than a patient for once."

"Dr. Vittori," I replied, "this is Olive Windsor, Eleanor's brother. I'm her mate."

"Congratulations on finding your mate," the doctor said, turning his attention to Eleanor's chart. "She's a strong girl. If twins weren't so rare among werewolves, I might have had more experience with situs inversus."

"Will it affect her health in any way?" I asked, concerned.

"Not at all," Dr. Vittori assured me. "It's a rare condition, but she doesn't have any of the complications that can sometimes accompany it. She's perfectly healthy otherwise."

He flipped through some papers on his clipboard. "We did a pregnancy test, as we do for any young woman requiring surgery. The result was negative."

I felt a small relief at that, remembering that Helena had mentioned Eleanor wouldn't be fertile until she was 19, but still glad there were no surprises. I noticed Olive shift uncomfortably at the mention of pregnancy tests.

"Once Eleanor wakes up, we'll check her wound again," the doctor continued. "After we removed the silver fragments from her chest, she began healing rapidly, like a vampire or werewolf would. The wound is closing nicely."

"When can she go home?" I asked.

"I expect she can go home tonight. But she needs to avoid strenuous activity for at least three days." He gave me a pointed look. "And that includes mate activities, Mr. Brown."

I felt my face heat up. "Understood, doctor."