HUNTED

Aila's parents led her back to the open spaced living room once they were done demolishing the food. Her mum gestured for her to sit on the dark leather sofa. After she sat in the middle, a cup of tea in her hand, Ajax plopped down next to her, his arm casually stretching over the back.

At that exact moment, Alpha Damon walked into the room, his wavy locks damp from a recent shower. Her core clenched at how delectable he looked, his presence once more tugging at her to be next to him. Aila shifted in her seat as she fought against those urges.

Alpha Damon's eyes hardened as they moved to the shifter sitting comfortably next to her, their bodies close enough to almost be touching. Aila glanced at Ajax after she felt him play with her hair, a smirk on his face, amusement flashing behind his eyes while he stared back at the Alpha. She watched as Alpha Damon's eyes darkened, a low growl vibrating from his chest.

Aila slapped Ajax's hand away and then shoved his feet off of the coffee table he just placed them on top of.

"What are you, an animal?" She scolded him.

Ajax hissed back at her, a playful look in his cat eyes; her own eyes glowed back at him, warning him to behave.

"Those pretty eyes don't work on me, sweet cheeks. I don't do orders."

"Sweetcheeks?! Eww, don't ever use that again. Not on me or any other female for that matter." A cheeky grin formed on Ajax's face causing Aila to smile in return; his smile and playfulness were contagious.

"Are you guys done?" Finn interrupted while he slouched down on the other seat beside her.

Aila grinned at him before her attention went back to her parents. They each sat in an armchair that Alpha Damon pulled together for them to sit side-by-side. The Alpha stayed standing behind them, in all his 6ft4 glory, arms crossed. His powerful presence would be distracting if it were not for the look on her parents faces pulling her back to the topic they needed to discuss.

"Aila, honey. We should discuss this alone," Her mum said quietly, her hands holding her cup tightly as she glanced at Finn and Ajax.

"Whatever you tell me, you can say in front of them. Everyone else seems to know more about me than I do anyway," Aila snapped back at her but regretted the harshness in her voice immediately as she watched her mother look down sadly.

"AILA," Alpha Damon warned her. His tone sent a chill down her spine, not in fear but delight at his voice, yet she still snapped her teeth together with an audible "Click".

Sighing, she spoke more gently, "So, I am a werewolf from a strong Alpha bloodline, oh and apparently my parents were King and Queen of this pack? The pack who murdered them."

Alpha Damon suddenly came towards her like a bull, a growl ripping through his lips, eyes burning with rage. But before he made it to her, Finn leapt in front protectively while she jumped lithely behind the sofa, spilling her cup on the floor in the process. Ajax moved into the Alpha's line of sight so he couldn't see Aila.

Aila was surprised that her eyes were not glowing, or her nails had not changed, but she was more concerned with Finn at that moment. She watched only an hour beforehand, the Alpha fighting and knew how lethal he was. Yet what astonished her was that he did not fight Finn but stood in front of him, breathing heavily as he tried to control his temper, almost as if he was reining something in.

"ENOUGH" Aila raised her voice in an authoritative tone that she was newly accustomed to. She moved around Ajax so she could see Alpha Damon; her eyes then landed on Finn, who was making a whining sound,

"Aila, please… don't, don't command me to back down. I am protecting you. You are my Luna."

Luna?

"Finn, I am hardly a werewolf, let alone a Luna.." She muttered under her breath, but everyone in the room heard as they looked at her.

"You ARE my Luna." Finn retorted; he continued to face the Alpha as he spoke, his stance still protective. Aila was at a loss for words as she stared at the back of his head.

At Finn's words, surprise replaced Alpha Damon's stance as the anger on his face dissipated. He immediately backed away to his original position, but she could see the bristling energy radiating off of him. When she glanced back at her parents, she could also see the shock on their faces.

"Was it something I said?" Aila half-heartedly joked; her body was still tense, ready for a fight, but she still sensed that Alpha Damon would never hurt her for some very odd reason. Even after he charged at her, she continued to feel that way.

Her dad sighed, relaxing his tense body as the atmosphere shifted slightly. Aila sat back down with Ajax by her side; Finn, however, stayed standing, his arms crossed as he eyed the Alpha who paid no heed to him. Whose eyes only burned into Aila's. She looked back to her parents, waiting for their answer.

But before they could, Alpha Damon spoke up in his gruff voice,

"The Silver Crescent Pack would NEVER kill one of their own unless called for. But NEVER the King and Queen. Your parents were well-loved, and their deaths were a tragedy to all of us."

Aila sat back, stunned as his low voice rumbled across the room. She gulped down her feelings and replied calmly,

"The hunters said they killed thousands and in vengeance were killed in return."

A growl left Damon's mouth, and her dad scoffed at her statement,

"The hunters were the ones who killed them. Whatever they have told you is a lie."

Aila nodded her head in agreement with her own thoughts being said aloud.

"But you knew that.." Her mum spoke up gently from her seat.

"I had my suspicions about what they told me. The memories I do have of them always showed them as loving and caring. Nothing like how those wackos described." Aila glanced down and pulled the sleeves of her hoody over her hands more. A habit of hers she formed over the years when she felt emotional.

Looking back up, she said, "Tell me everything, don't leave anything out. I am old enough to know now, especially after what I have been through."

"Where should we start?" Her mum asked, meeting her husband's gaze.

"From the start." Aila interrupted. Her dad gave her a nod and grabbed his wife's hand, taking a deep breath in.

"Your parents, the Alpha King and Queen, ruled over most of the lands. The Cross family are royals in the werewolf world, your lineage as a royal goes as far back as the 15th century. When the royals originally emerged, essentially, the royals came into existence through many challenges between Alphas." Her dad spoke confidently as he glanced from each person in the room.

He continued, "The strongest won, but it wasn't just about strength but also tact. An alpha is an Alpha for a reason, and being able to control not just your pack but to rule over many; now that takes some serious skill. And the strongest bloodlines were able to do so. The Cross family were the strongest of all werewolves."

Aila looked down into her lap, absorbing the mini ancestorial history lesson.

"The Cross's were also well known to have the distinctive features of white hair and blue eyes. Each generation would have white hair and blue eyes, and of course, the only ones who ruled the throne had these features." Her dad continued.

"I take it I don't have any other family members?" She asked to see her parents shake their heads. "And the white hair and eyes are not normal?"

"Come on, who else has white hair and stunning blue eyes like yours?" Ajax interrupted with a wink. She rolled her eyes at him and snapped her attention back when she heard a low growl.

Jeese, Damon needs to lighten up.

"Not for a wolf. Most werewolves have amber eyes. Blue eyes are the rarest. The only wolves to have them are the Cross family," Alpha Damon spoke up from his position, his eyes hard as he looked at her. Aila stared back at him,

"But your eyes glow silvery.."

The corner of one side of his lips went up, "The Cross family are not the only royals. The Steel family are also of royal lineage. We rule the other half of the werewolves."

"So, the silver eyes are distinctive in your family?" Aila enquired, eager to know more about the deliciously hot Alpha before her.

"No, that's just me." His eyes glinted with amusement. Aila stared back into his dark pools of silver until Ajax overacted a cough by her side, distracting her.

"Titan and Alexandra, they knew the hunters were up to something. Their attacks across the lands were increasing, werewolves were being kidnapped. They worked out what they were looking for and started putting plans in place. Back up plans in case, they were next. The hunters needed to believe that you did not exist.." Her dad explained. He pulled his hand back from her mothers and clasped them together as he leaned back in the armchair.

"Hold up. If they were after our blood, why did the hunters kill them? Silas intended for me to live out the rest of my days as a blood bank." Aila cut in, her eyes thoughtful as they stared back at her dad.

"It was an accident on their part," Alpha Damon growled lowly, his eyes cold. Aila brought her knees to her chest before playing with her sleeves again. She noted how Alpha Damon watched her every move; she forced herself not to look at him. But she sensed a bit of déjà vu.

How odd.

"We had to do everything in our power to make sure you stayed under their radar.." Her dad's voice trailed off, looking at her face as though he knew what they were about to tell her would upset her.

"Tell me," She whispered, her voice already betraying how she felt.

"Titan and Lexa, they begged me to. I didn't want to, but there was no other option.. As an Alpha, he ordered you to keep your wolf at bay. To make sure you could not shift or even talk to one another. But when he died, you became the next in line, and so, your wolf came back.." Her mum held her cup tightly, looking into it as she spoke, but she glanced back up to meet Aila's confused expression.

"There's no easy way to say it. So, I will show you."

Aila's brows furrowed even further as her brain puzzled over her mum's words. Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief as her mum raised her hand in front of her cup slowly. The brown liquid began to float in the air under her fingertips, the light from the windows shining on it. She then swayed her hand, and the liquid went higher into the air, turning into a small tornado.

All eyes in the room were on the liquid spinning; Aila looked back at her mum, who seemed to glow, a small smile on her face as she twirled one finger. Then with a swift action of her wrist, the liquid fell gracefully back into the cup without making a splash.

"No fricken way," Aila said incredulously, not believing her eyes.

"You're a witch!" Ajax gushed, his mouth gaping in shock; his expression made Aila and Mandy smile.

However, Aila's face suddenly dropped as she began to figure out the rest of what her mum was going to say. Her eyes hardened when she met her mum's; looking away quickly, she calmed herself down. Aila couldn't be mad at her; she knew it was to protect her. Inhaling deeply, she met her mum's gaze and her own softened as she gestured for her to continue.

"I cast a spell on you to keep your wolf hidden. She has been caged inside of you since you were eight." Her mother confirmed her suspicions, although she was surprised how young she was when the spell was put on her.

"Eight!?" Finn interrupted. His knuckles had gone white from where they were fisted so tightly, by his sides. Aila looked over at him, confused as to why he was angry.

Her dad cleared his throat, "In the Cross lineage, they get their wolf at a younger than normal age, it does skip a generation, but it landed on Aila. Although Aila was one of the youngest known to first turn at the age of six."

The room fell silent while Aila felt everyone staring at her. "What's the normal age?" She asked casually, ignoring the strange atmosphere.

"Between 16 to 18," Alpha Damon, for once, spoke softly. His features softening as he gazed at her. That seemed to make her feel worse than if he were growling at her. She felt numb by the news, but she masked her features.

"How do I not remember being a werewolf? Or having my wolf?" Aila spoke coolly, looking at her mum. But once again, she made an assumption that her mum proved correct.

"I created a spell to lock the memories away." Her mum looked back down, ashamed, "But they should come back in time when your wolf is back."

Instead of wallowing about the past, Aila caught her mother's attention again, "So, what happens now? How do I get my wolf?"

Aila never thought she would be asking such a question; it wasn't too long ago that she learned she was a werewolf. Now, not only was she a werewolf but of royal lineage and her wolf was trapped inside of her.

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