HUNTED

Aila watched as Damon set off at a jog and disappeared into the trees, with Beta Kane and Finn trotting behind him on all fours. 

"Ajax is covering the sky, Aila. We won't be long," Finn mind-linked her. Aila glanced up and chuckled to herself, realising she wouldn't be able to see a black eagle in the night. 

Sighing, she turned to the remaining wolves standing on guard before putting her feet back in the water. She was cooling off from earlier, but the kiss he left her, even though it was quick, still left her flustered and caused a stirring in her core. 

I'm acting sex-deprived.. 

"Because you are.. when was the last time you did it.." Malia chirped. Aila didn't even want to think how long it had been, two years? Either way, she didn't have an issue until she met Damon. I'll just blame it on him..

Malia snorted at Aila's thoughts.

Aila sighed and squatted down to scoop some water up and splash it on her face. She didn't care if she was wearing makeup; her body needed to calm down. The water was fresh on her face and seemed to do the trick; she shuddered as the iciness slapped her awake. Turning back around, she decided to sit down near the lake and watch the night sky for a bit. 

Nairi positioned herself near her while Chiara patrolled the surrounding area, only to the point of the treeline. Aila lost herself in her thoughts as she stared at the moonlight's reflection, it was calming and also quite nostalgic, but she couldn't think what for. After frowning and trying to interpret her memories, she gave up and decided to just take it all in. 

The moonlit water and the surrounding sounds of wildlife seemed to make her feel sleepy. Maybe all of the excitement from the night finally caught up to her.

With a yawn, she stood up and walked towards the cave where the picnic blanket still lay. Aila grabbed the backpack and checked the contents, delighted in finding a flask, and when she took a tentative sip from the near-boiling hot drink, she found it to be hot chocolate. She sat down, crossing her legs and offered the drink to Nairi, who chuckled in the mind-link, "No thanks. Most of us can't handle chocolate.. maybe it's an Alpha and Luna thing.."

"Huh? Wait.. you can't have chocolate?" Aila looked at the reddish-brown wolf who now lay down next to her. Now Aila didn't need to strain her neck by looking up at her all the time. 

"Duh!" Nairi chuckled, "we are wolves! Just like dogs.. we can't have chocolate! We throw up, have diarrhoea, stomach pains and can sometimes have seizures.."

"Jeez, well so far.. so good. I mean, I only took a sip?" Aila grimaced at the thought of getting an upset stomach, but she shrugged it off and took another sip. 

"We are fine. Damon wouldn't put something in there that would make us sick," Malia added, letting Aila enjoy her hot chocolate under the starry night sky. 

Aila yawned again, "I think I might take a nap, Nairi."

Nairi nodded her head before laying it down on her paws, her eyes still alert on their surroundings. With the night drawing on, Aila took her nap, although she felt terrible for Nairi and Chiara guarding her. Still, her fatigue won out as she curled up on the blanket, using the backpack as a pillow and Damon's jacket as a cover before closing her eyes. 

Darkness consumed her almost immediately, and she swore for a moment she heard Malia calling out to her, panicked. But she, too, drifted off into the background, almost like an enchanting dark fog took over.

When Aila next opened her eyes, it was still nightfall with the twinkling stars out. She wondered how long she had been asleep for; reaching into her pocket, she checked the time, only to see it turned off. Shit, the battery must have run out. She was terrible with phones now. Since being in a pack, she rarely used one; the only times she did was to get in touch with her parents or her human friends.

There were no sounds of birds to indicate it was nearly early morning; that was a sign at least. Sighing, Aila put on Damon's jacket and realised Nairi was fast asleep in her wolf form. That was strange, was her wolf also sleeping? Aila shrugged. Maybe she has mastered the art of staying in wolf form for long periods without there being consequences. 

From what she had observed so far of Nairi, she was a kind-hearted soul, and her wolf didn't seem to be feral, unlike Chiara's, Kanes and, of course, her own and Damons. Speaking of her wolf, she tried to get a grasp on her, but she felt nothing. Hmm, Malia must be asleep. 

With that thought, she decided to stand up and stretch her legs. She knew Chiara was roaming about somewhere. Unlike Nairi, she more than likely didn't have the luxury to sleep. Maybe they were taking turns sleeping? Again, she felt awful for taking them away from their evening.

As she took a pleasant stroll in the cool night air, Aila felt herself feeling lighter as she breathed in the freshness around her. She could hear an owl hoot every few minutes, the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves in the trees and the odd cricket chirping. The scenery was something magical, and she couldn't wait to spend more time with Damon in such a spot. 

Aila could see why he liked to come to such a place when things became overbearing in the pack duties. Or for an Alpha King.. duties of many packs.

She stopped after getting to the other side of the lake and looked back to see Nairi still fast asleep. 

"Chiara?" She spoke through her mind. But there was nothing; she didn't even feel a connection to the mind-link. 

Her forehead creased in concern. Did something happen to her? Aila suddenly became fully aware that the calming sounds of the night went to a deadly silence, almost all at once. The hairs on the back of her nape stood on end, and her body tensed up. 

There was a predator nearby. 

And she had a feeling it was a vampire..