I'm Sorry, Did You Say Mate?

Chapter 37

Ok, I lied. There's one more chapter after this and then the Epilogue. I wasn't planning on adding another chapter but there was a certain scene I wanted to add to help wrap things up. I'm hoping I'll be able to end this story by Sunday. This was originally supposed to end by New Years but that obviously didn't happen, so hopefully (with better time management) I'll be able to finish on time this time around. 

Thank you to everyone who votes/comments/fans. This story really is dedicated to you. 

(Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.)

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                                    Chapter 37

Evan’s POV:

            The fight was over and once again we were blanketed in silence. We all stood still and quiet, privately basking in the joy that we were still alive. Bodies cluttered the field and the grass was stained red with blood. I wish I could say there were only hunter bodies lying on the ground but unfortunately I recognized the faces of fellow pack members, still and a ghastly shade of white. As I had predicted, not all of us made it out alive. For a moment, it was like time stopped, and with it, the world stood still. There was an almost eerie stillness, an untouched peacefulness. For a moment, we were immerged in absolute silence.

            Then, like everything in life, the moment passed and time restarted itself. The world began to move, as did the wolves around me. Slowly, we regained ourselves and made our way to the cover of the trees where our clothes were. Some had already and shifted and changed before the fight was even over to care for the wounded. Stopping behind a tree, I shifted and changed. Emerging from the shady woods I took a hesitant head count. There were still some people changing in the woods and others had already run to get the pack medics here, but all in all, I’d say we lost a good amount of people. Sobs started filling the silence as family members and mates recognized their loved ones lying on the ground. Sorrow filled my heart for them and I turned away. Glancing to my side I realized Sutton wasn’t standing there. I started panicking as I tried to think back to the last time I’d seen her.  She’d killed Lockey and then after that…After that I don’t know where she went.

            My head snapped up and frantically scanned the field, searching the faces of the people that were moving. I refused to look down for fear that she would be one of those, lying cold and lifeless on the ground. I tried to pinpoint her scent but it was scattered all over the place. Worry set in on another level when I couldn’t find her in the woods. I paced around the field quickly, asking various people if they had seen her. They each shook their heads, their eyes drifting towards the ground. Each time I asked the question, fear set in in their eyes. They feared the same thing. The death of their Alpha Female.

            “Sutton?” I called. No response. I noticed the pack medics had already come and were tending to the wounded. “Sutton!” I called once again.

            My wolf was already begging me to let him out and find his mate but I reeled him in. We’d made sure no hunter was left alive so there was no one that could have dragged her off. She had to be around here somewhere. Fear wormed its way into my heart as I thought of the only place she could be. If she’s not answering your calls, it’s because she’s gone. Hesitantly, I looked at the bodies on the ground. I tried not to spend too much time on them, not wanting the haunting images to stick with me. Unfortunately, I noticed among the dead were Paige’s parents. I don’t know how her and Sadie are going to take this.

            I’d just walked by the outer edge of the field when I heard a soft sob. I spun quickly on my heel and bounded forward. Just beyond the tree line I found her, sobbing quietly. She already wore a long shirt and as I got closer I realized there was someone lying in front of her. From the stillness of their body and the lack of movement from their chest I knew they were dead.