HUNTED

"I know you won't. But you will make it up to me."

Damon's lips were still resting on Aila's neck, inciting a shiver down her spine from the warmth of his lips and breath. She bit her bottom lip and placed her hands on his biceps. This man was shameless, but at the same time, she felt herself wanting 'to make it up to him.'

"What do you suggest?" Aila whispered breathlessly.

Damon chuckled into Aila's neck, the small vibration a delight to her already inflamed skin from his touch. He inhaled deeply, smelling behind her ear before stepping away. Aila felt herself leaning in after him but regained her senses once more and rebalanced herself. Damon's eyes gleamed in amusement by her small action before replying, 

"Go on a date with me."

Aila looked at Damon in surprise by his suggestion. She was expecting something more.. sexual; man, was she becoming a horny bugger. Either way, she felt ecstatic by his request. Her lips curled up into a full-fledged smile, brightening up her stunning features. 

Damon chuckled, "I take that as a yes.."

"Yes! I mean.. I will see. I'm quite busy these days.. I will need to check my calendar.." Aila tried to nonchalantly reply.

"Oh yes, very cool and collected," Malia barked out into laughter. Her wolf was also a little worked up by the events with Damon.

"Oh, hello, Malia. So nice for you to return," Aila replied sarcastically. 

"My absolute pleasure, Aila!" Her wolf replied upbeat. Aila rolled her eyes.

"Good, now come." Damon turned around, not waiting for Aila to decline or not follow. She obediently followed behind him towards his black motorbike, only to stop a few paces away. 

"I have ordered Finn to return to the packhouse," Damon said, interrupting her thoughts; his back still turned. Aila closed her mouth from the question she was about to raise.

"He can't drive.." 

"Kane will drive him," Damon replied as two SUV's reversed and sped off. 

Aila caught up to Damon, who now stood in front of his bike; she bit her lip, looking at its beauty and the powerful man who handled it. Damon raised his hand and beckoned her to come to him with a single finger.

"Someone told me you know a thing or two about bikes?" Damon grinned.

Aila scoffed, "Not really.. Are we.. going home on that!?" 

A smile lit up his handsome features, "Yes." 

Her eyes rounded as excitement filled her features. Damon took his jacket off and held it out to put her arms into it. He done up the zip and handed her one of the helmets placed on his bike. She looked at the one he gave to her questionably.

"Luckily, Chiara thought ahead and brought this with her." He explained.

Aila shook her head, "Not just that.. But.. we are werewolves, if we fall off, we'll be fine?"

Damon burst out into a peal of throaty laughter, "We aren't invincible, Aila! And besides, it would still fucking hurt to fall off this. Now put your helmet on."

On his command, she placed the black helmet on her head and accepted a backpack from him also. Aila frowned but placed it on her back anyway; she, of course, was the only one who could wear it if they were sharing the bike. She swung her leg over the bike and settled behind him on the seat, wrapping her hands around his waist.

The sound of the engine starting caused a pounding against her ribcage and adrenaline to pump through her veins. The rumbling and the vibration made her anticipate the ride ahead.

"Hold on tight," Damon mind-linked. 

Damon kicked the kickstand and set off; the instant speed made Aila fling back slightly. She held onto him tighter and squealed in delight, bringing her head closer to his back. He didn't hold back from speeding off. The wind blew the remaining hair of hers out of the helmet out of the way. 

Instead of going back towards the mansion, Damon zoomed past the entry gates and continued. 

Aila didn't realise it, but she felt quite relieved to not be returning just yet; not only was the ride thrilling, but it also cleared her mind even further about the pack politics. Here and now, with her mate made her heart and stomach warm up. He knew she needed more time away, and what better way than to enjoy the open road. 

He sped past any cars on the road, but at that time of night, most people were now settled, and the only drivers out would be lorry drivers and workers who started evening shifts. Aila breathed in and closed her eyes briefly as Damon overtook a truck, the feeling of leaning to the side and back upright was something similar to being on a rollercoaster. 

Aila was elated at the time alone, and the peace and quiet other than the roar of the engine. The darkened countryside whizzed past them, and she took comfort in the sights by her sides; to a human, they could not see much, but to a werewolf, she could still see the outlines and most of the scenery up close. The mountains were a sight to behold, and as they drove closer to them, the bike began to slow down. 

He drove towards an area on the side of the road meant for drivers to take a rest on the long road. Parking up, he died the engine down and the rumbling stopped. Aila leaned back and climbed off the bike before removing her helmet, shaking her hair out as she did so. She bit her tongue as she watched Damon remove his helmet and flick some of his hair out of his face. 

After placing the helmets on the bike, he reached out and gestured for the backpack. Putting it over his shoulders, once Aila handed it to him.

"I want to show you something," He said mysteriously. He walked off towards the side of the road, jumping down the small ledge that led into the forest. Aila followed behind him, traipsing through the woods and staring up at the moon and stars that twinkled in the distance. The woods were alive with the night animals as the wind breezed through, playing with Aila's hair, and the only other sound was their footfall. 

Aila was quite happy with her choice to ditch the heels; if she wore them now, she would hide them behind a bush. She narrowed her eyes; that would never stop Nairi from getting her more, though!

They continued further into the woods until there was a clearing that displayed a vast lake with a stone formation of a cave on the side. It was very peaceful, and from Aila's brief observation, the area looked almost untouched. There were no trails other than prints of animals in the area.

Damon turned around and found her hand to gently pull her forwards. 

While she stared at the scenery, she was fully aware that he was staring at her, "This is where I come sometimes to get away from everything. Only Kane and Chiara know of it. In fact, they are patrolling the surrounding area as we speak."

Aila's forehead creased, "They don't need to do that."

"Aila, they are our friends, but they also have a job to do. You need to get used to their roles as well as your own. You need to be protected at all times." By now, his other hand had found hers, and they stood staring at each other.

"Do they do this when you come here?" She queried. 

Damon kept his face impassive; the only indication that he came here alone without any extra protection was his silence. Aila resisted the urge to roll her eyes, she knew it would annoy him, and at the moment, she was enjoying the peace. An angry Alpha would completely disturb the peace. Instead of replying, Damon let go of one of her hands and pulled gently for her to follow.

They walked towards the cave, and Damon undid his backpack to reveal a picnic blanket he threw out onto the rocky terrain. He lay down on his back and pulled Aila down gently to rest beside him. Yet she sat for a moment and overlooked the lake. Aila was enchanted by the moon's reflection on the water's surface, along with the stars that shimmered gently.  Sighing, she lay down beside him and stared at the night sky.

"This is really nice," Aila commented dreamily. She waited for Malia to make a remark, but for once, her wolf seemed content with everything. 

"Yeah, I thought this would be nice for a first date," Damon replied as he put his hands behind his head, showcasing his bulging biceps against the now tightened shirt he wore. 

Aila swallowed slowly after watching his small action and taking in his features once again. Would she ever get bored of such a face? No, no, she would not. Shaking her head, she joked, "So you have taken plenty of girls here. You're right, though. It's perfect first date material."

Damon chuckled, "If you are trying to find out if I have been with anyone else before you, I hope you are not disappointed. I don't date. This is my first ever date. And I have not taken anyone here, besides you."

Aila's head snapped to the side and looked at him in shock, "I'm your first ever date!? You're 27.."

"And I knew I had a mate somewhere. There's no point wasting time with anyone else when the perfect soul mate was out there, waiting for me," Damon shrugged nonchalantly. 

Oh My Goddess..

Aila held back a smile she felt tugging at her lips; she really did get quite the catch from this whole mate malarky. Not only was he drop-dead gorgeous, built with muscles upon muscles, but he was also a romantic and a gentleman under that hard and domineering exterior. Not to mention a devil with his tongue.