HUNTED

{ Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences ~ Robert Louis Stevenson }

**

"You've been so focused on your revenge, Aila.. That you didn't notice who is surrounding you.."

Aila stared back into the deep depths of Silas' black eyes; a slither of amusement flashed across those pits from the words he spoke. Though the look on his face was chilling, he was in no position to act like a crazy mastermind, planning to be exactly where he was- held by the back of his head in front of her like a rag doll. His words, however, only made her fearful for a fraction, but one look at Gabriel and Luther's clothes at killing 200 hunters in the time it took them to search the building, didn't even make her flinch.

Instead, she smirked at him, her gaze still not looking away from the man who once sought for her life to be lived as nothing more than a blood bank. The man who caused Hollie's death. The man who might have been the one to cause her parent's death, and the man who caused not suffering in just her own pack but many across the country and possibly the world. This man wanted to destroy the creatures.

Her eyes glowed once more, filling with a burning rage trying to engulf her. She could end his life then and there, one swipe of her claws across his neck, a hand in the chest ripping his heart out, or a more cruel fate only the mind of someone like Gabriel could come up with.

"Easy, Aila. We kill him once we find the information.." Malia whispered calmly. Her wolf, for once, seemed calmer than her, not at all feral-like. But maybe that was how she and Malia worked; when one was overly bloodthirsty, the other was calm.

Aila leaned closer to Silas; they were eye to eye, her face a mask of composure, not letting her hatred of him consume her. "Did you think I would not notice your little experiments lurking in the woods.. Or any of us for that matter.." She smirked. Though she knew they were there, she was unsure if the others did, but he did not need to know that.

"Take Chase to search that office or anywhere else for documentation on someone of a higher status than Silas. Don't take too long. If we leave empty-handed, that's fine," She commanded Kane through mind-link while keeping her eyes on Silas. It was true. If they couldn't find what they were looking for, they could attack another compound at a later date. Right now, she had precisely who she wanted to see in front of her.

Silas looked away for a moment, most likely watching his son and the Beta runoff inside the building behind them. He snapped his head back to look at Aila. She could see the burning flames behind those cold eyes, but they were quickly replaced with a look of amusement.

"Why, Aila, are you so confident right now? You are surrounded by those things and my men.. You should also not be making any rash decisions right now.. sending your mutt and my s-, Chase away. To do what, I wonder?" He replied in a relaxed, calm voice as though he was not being held against his will to kneel in front of her. But his words made her waver slightly.

I thought the hunters were all killed? Gabriel?

"We killed the ones in the barracks.." The vampire's voice echoed in her mind, instantly responding to her thoughts. But she did not look in his direction for fear of looking weak in front of Silas. "There are more closing in. But about twenty of those lycanthrope- hybrid- experiments.."

Aila gritted her teeth then relaxed her features into a sly smile. "How does it feel, Silas?" She replied in an overly sweet voice, "To see your only son working with the creatures you hate most?"

His face scrunched up and instantly went a beetroot type colour. It was the first time his fake charade of charming smiles rooted with murderous intentions cracked to show his utter hatred for her and possibly his child. Silas spat in her face taking her by surprise, and grabbed her by the top. "He is no son of mine! He's a pitiful excuse of a man! Take him, do what you want with him!" He screamed in outrage. Aila grabbed his hands and ripped them away from her now crumpled top, Luther dragged Silas away from her, and he burst into laughter after searching their surroundings.

Aila accepted Gabriel's bloodied handkerchief, turning it inside out and wiping her face with the clean side. Damon was growling by her side but did not do anymore after seeing and feeling how calm she was about his outburst. It was a reaction Aila expected, minus the spit. She walked forwards again, though her eyes flicked to the side after hearing the sounds of footfall closing in and the clicking of guns.

"If you think that this is over once you kill me, then you are mistaken!" Silas shouted with such malice; his chest heaved as he glared at Aila. "You will always be hunted, Aila Cross!"

Aila tilted her head to the side but ignored his blatant goad. "Why would I be hunted?" She questioned sweetly before inhaling deeply and letting her eyes glow. She looked to the side, and seemingly out of nowhere, one of the 8ft experiments with the same glowing blue eyes as her slowly approached them, stopping only to stand on its hind legs before them.

"Attack these foul creatures!" Silas sneered. But after moments of the creature not moving, Silas' triumphant smile dropped, and he looked back at Aila, whose eyes were still shining brilliantly.

Aila smirked. "He doesn't answer to you," Silas' eyes widened as realisation flashed across his features. "He answers to me." The experiment stepped forwards and growled, but Aila raised her hand, silencing the beast. "But you know I'm not going to kill you, Silas.." She glanced at Gabriel, then at Finn, "I'm not the one you experimented on for years.."

Suddenly a black falcon swept down and knocked Silas to the ground as it transformed into a panther that clamped its sharp teeth on his neck. Luther watched in astonishment, raking his hand through his curls. But the panther stopped and pulled back after filling the air with the scent of blood once more. Silas groaned on the ground holding his neck with his hand.

Ajax shifted back into his human form and yanked Silas up by his hair. Aila swore he ripped a few strands out, but she had no sympathy for him. Silas, Robert and the many other hunters had taken years away from each of their lives, causing them to live with their loved one's deaths.

Finn and Gabriel closed in on him as Ajax smiled like the Cheshire cat again, this time making a shiver go down Aila's spine. "Oh heeeellll no. Ajax being creepy?! That's on a whole other level!" Malia gasped. Both Aila and her wolf never thought they'd see such an expression used so coldly from the lovable shapeshifter. Was it suddenly really cold here?

Ajax held his hand out, halting Finn and Gabriel. "I should put you in at that building and burn it to the ground, laughing as I hear your cries.." Ajax' low, threatening voice made Aila's eyes widen. She still didn't know what happened to Ajax, but her intuition told her he lost someone he loved to the hunters.

A snap of a twig resounded in her ears, and she looked to the side, but her attention flew back to the shapeshifter. "But I can't stand looking at you," Ajax snapped before punching him in the face so powerfully he flew backwards, landing behind Gabriel. The vampire dashed to his side and put his boot on top of Silas' neck.

Finn growled, his fur bristling as he stepped towards and Ajax shifted into his panther form once more. They circled the man on the ground until Finn was at Silas' feet, Ajax was at the side of his body, and Gabriel still held his foot on his throat. All at once, Finn and Ajax snapped their teeth into Silas flesh, pulling instantly, and Gabriel crunched down on his neck. Another sickening, ripping sound echoed across the lot. Silas was torn into three pieces. Gabriel picked up his head and threw it out of the fence where the hunters were now standing with their 'obedient' beasts snarling at them.

Aila's head whipped back after hearing the footfall of two people. Chase and Kane emerged from the building and assessed their surroundings. Chase' eyes flickered from Aila to Damon, then landed on Silas' body. But his gaze did not stay long as he looked back at Aila and raised the papers in his hands. Aila beamed at what was in his hands but was flattened to the ground suddenly.

A second later, the sound of a bullet pierced through the night sky. Aila's body was frozen on the ground as she stared at Gabriel in shock. But he did not seem hurt; she moved her grazed head to look around and saw Chase on the ground, the papers scattered around his body.