HUNTED

Damon led her towards the table where the pack leaders sat. Off to the side, she noted an elderly man with a middle-aged man with brown hair and eyes sitting next to each other at the end of their table. The pair of them stood up and approached Aila, bowing their heads as the elderly man took her hand and shook it.

"Aila Cross?" His raspy voice asked. She nodded and smiled at the man. His back straightened as an electrical jolt travelled through him; she could tell a form of power shot through him as her hand felt the powerful energy radiating off him.

The man pulled her into a mind-link, "Ah yes. You are your mother's daughter. You may be a mirror to her and her kind heart, but I also see your father in you, courageous, strong, a leader. May you use the power of your ancestry wisely. Once knowledge is found, it cannot be unfound. Others in the past have struggled with such knowledge and abilities." He tilted his head to the side as he stared at her blankly.

Aila was about to ask further on what he spoke, but the small pause was filled once again with his words, "Hmm, I cannot fathom your future. It is not set in stone. The outlines of the puzzle pieces are visible, but the image flickers and distorts. Each time I reach for it, it scrambles away and returns in place, mocking me, taunting me…"

He withdrew his hand and looked back at Aila as though a cloud passed across his eyes, and he could see clearly again. Before she could make sense of what he was rambling about, he grabbed her hand again, clinging onto it tightly as his eyes misted over again.

"My powers do not work how they used to…." He stiffened again as a shock passed through him, "You have been through a great deal.. I am sorry for the part I played in your pain.."

Aila frowned.

"His part?" Malia asked her thoughts.

"Ah, hello sweet Malia…. I .. I .. The hunters.. seek for you.. The Moon Goddess is waiting for you…A man.. Will not stop until he has you again."

He was saying so much. But Aila caught on to what he last spoke; she questioned, "Silas?"

"…" He paused and closed his eyes.

"I cannot get his name.. let me look.. deeper," His voice whispered through the mind-link. 

Aila waited patiently; she could feel Damon's grip on her waist tighten after seeing the worry forming on her face.

"White hair. Shoulder length white hair, lean body. Or, no, his hair is black and gelled back. NO. Power, power. There is power. He.. is … powerful. Very powerful," He rambled, but before he could continue on, his hand was pulled back by the middle-aged man next to him.

"Sorry about him. He can't help but use his ability. And why wouldn't he for you, princess," The man held the elderly man by the shoulders and rubbed them gently before an elderly lady came forwards, and they walked off together. 

"He is a seer of sorts," Damon explained while his hand gently massaged the side of her waist. What he meant to probably be comforting only sent shockwaves of desire through her body. 

Dammit, Damon.

"So he can 'see' the future? He certainly had some interesting things to say.." Aila tried to disperse his words into meaning. 

Someone was coming for her. It had to be Silas. Who else would be after her? His words were jumbled, someone with white shoulder-length hair, maybe he is an accomplice of Silas. What did he mean by the Moon Goddess waiting for me? His words started to give her a dull ache of a headache forming.

After zoning out of it over the questions filling her mind, she focused on the brown-haired man still standing before them. He scratched the back of his head and extended his hand, "Anyway, it's amazing to meet you and to see the woman you have become."

Aila tilted her head at his words. A crease formed in between her brows before she shook his hand.

"You look exactly like Lexa, and I see Titan in you too. Sorry, where are my manners.. My names John. I was friends with your parents and beta of Moon Valley," He smiled. Aila relaxed her shoulders and retreated her hand. 

"It's so nice to meet someone who knew my parents. Thank you, I would love to hear more about them sometime," She replied genuinely.

"Of course! I have many stories of your dad before he met your mum. I bet you are just as rebellious as him!" He boasted, making Aila chuckle in delight. 

"Very rebellious," Damon smirked. 

John looked at Damon and bowed his head, "Anyway, I have taken up too much of your time already. Your highness, Luna Aila." 

John scampered away into the crowd, meeting a few of the other older pack members, sitting down and raising a pint of beer with them.

Damon shook his head and looked at her, "Your first meeting, and you are already messing up my schedule.. What will I do with you," He drawled with a rumble behind his voice.

"Well, I was here on time!" She exclaimed. 

He chuckled before motioning her towards her seat. Damon pulled her chair out from the table, and she happily sat down, and he scooted her forwards. Her mind was swirling with the thoughts of the seer, and by John, it was nice to finally meet a friend of her parents. He was another person she could ask him more about them. 

Aila glanced around at the different faces in the room, wondering how many of them knew her parents. She felt her stomach knot and hoped that her parents were proud of her, even if it did take 23 years to finally become a werewolf. The weight of the pack, their old friends and their legacy now rested on her shoulders.