HUNTED

Chiara looked ahead again as they passed more trees. "Seriously though," Aila touched Chiara by the arm, and the pair stopped jogging. "I think you would be good for each other."

Chiara looked at Aila dubiously as she placed her hands on her hips while the air became thick with tension. Aila held her breath, she was not scared of the Gamma like she used to be, but she was more fearful of hurting her feelings or pushing her too far. She could not imagine how it feels to lose a mate, but now it seems Chiara may like Ajax. 

"So, I have the approval of the Luna.." She smirked. Aila's shoulders sagged as she released her breath with a smile.

Aila raised her chin up and knighted Chiara with her hand, tapping one shoulder and to the other, "As your princess, you have my approval!"

Chiara rolled her eyes as Aila giggled.

"What are you guys doing?" Finn looked at them sceptically. 

Aila opened her mouth, but Chiara was quick to cover it with her hand, "Nothing, Delta. Our Luna here was being silly."

"Aila."

Aila's head whipped in the opposite direction to Finn. Damon had mind-linked her, but his voice sounded urgent. His black wolf appeared along with Kane's golden one; their alert ears and features made Aila scan the trees for any threats. The weather suddenly darkened, and the wind picked up as though it was setting a scene for the pack leaders.

Finn came to Aila's side while Chiara immediately shifted into her wolf, not caring about her clothes ripping. 

"Humans have been on our land.. Come," Aila looked back at Damon and nodded before shifting into her wolf and immediately following after her mate. He had mind-linked all three of them, so Finn shifted and instantly flanked her right side, and Chiara flanked her left. 

After running a fair distance and past the clearing of where they hold their challenges and rituals for pack members, the wolves stopped atop a rocky hill. Malia growled in her mind immediately, ripping through Aila as it erupted through her chest. Although the area looked as though nobody had been there, there was a slight smell still lingering on the ground. 

Damon turned around with Kane lying atop another rock above them. Aila could still tell he needed to rest, but his stubbornness must be one of the reasons he was a Beta, other than being a good second in command.

"They doused themselves over with vinegar from the last smell that I picked up," Damon growled. His teeth lips pulled back slightly, and his ears were capped. 

"How did they get here without being caught?" Finn asked what Aila was thinking. He was pacing back and forth, his eyes scanning the trees still.

"We don't run patrols through this bit," Kane replied flatly.

Aila narrowed her eyes, "But how did they know we don't patrol this area? The pack is huge. How did we miss this?" She snapped, letting her fear and anger get the better of her. This caused Kane, Chiara and Finn to lower their heads as a low whine left their mouths. 

"We have barely had time to mourn for our people and Hollie. And already there's a fricken issue," Malia barked through Aila's mind, adding to Aila's rising temper.

Damon walked back to her and licked the side of her mouth before sitting tall. The small action made her relax slightly. Only, slightly. 

"It's near impossible to find these gaps in our patrols. It is clear they had been watching for months, no, possibly years to find these locations."

His words made Aila still, and her back legs collapsed into a seated position with a huff. "So the hunters were here.." Aila finished Damon's thought process.

The white and black wolves stared at each other, crystal blue meeting molten silver before their heads snapped to the side at a long howl. Everyone became alert, standing and looking in the direction it came from.

"Alpha! Luna!" 

A pair of grey wolves sprinted around the corner and skidded to a stop as they found who he was looking for. "You have to come see this. You have to.. the children.. They have the children!"

Aila and Damon immediately stood; their fur bristled, and their ears flicked up. "Who has them?" Damon barked as he looked down at the pair of grey wolves. By now, Beta Kane, Gamma Chiara and Delta Finn had lined themselves up behind the Alpha and Luna, alert and ready at any threats.

"Humans! I think the hunters!" 

Damon immediately leapt down to the ground, not bothering to run down the hill. "Show us!" He roared. His temper nearly blew Aila away through the bond, but instead, it just added to her own. Of course, the hunters were behind this.

"We know what they are going to try, Aila. What should we do?" Malia queried. She was tense, pacing at the end of the wall that separated them. Aila shook her head; she had no idea. Aila swiftly followed the Alpha, and the pair sprinted off at incredible speeds, barely able to stick to the slow run of their pack members, who started to show them the way.

"Where do we need to go?" Aila barked through the mind-link. She kept her panic at bay, only releasing the real power rising within her along with her anger at the hunters and the situation.

"The lake!" 

Aila sprinted ahead but slowed ever so slightly for Damon to keep up. She knew running off without the others was a stupid idea, but the adrenaline rushing through her veins caused her footfall to quicken. At least, she had Damon by her side, and he didn't tell her off.

The pair arrived at a high advantage point near the edges of the trees that led to the lake. The mountains were behind it, and standing with their hands bound in front of them, with their faces covered, were the four missing children. Standing behind each one of them was a gun pointed to their head.