HUNTED

Aila didn't know how long she had been asleep, but from the pain gone from her body, she knew it had to at least be two to three days. Her mind, though foggy from wolfsbane, was more alert from the much-needed rest of being shot.

She rolled onto her back, staring up at a grey ceiling, while the sounds of birds chirping and the wind ruffling through the leaves of trees filled the air outside the window. She could tell there was a window, the sunlight cast through a chequered shadow shape from either bars or the usual shape of a window. But she did not want to check her surroundings just yet, and continued to stare at the ceiling.

Aila wanted to reorganise her thoughts, even with the slight headache and dull pain in her body. It didn't seem whoever was with her beforehand was in the room with her now. If he was, her senses would have picked up on his movement, breathing or something. For one thing, she knew right now; her wolf was locked away because of the wolfsbane. She had no access to her. It was odd to think that the one thing keeping them apart was what unbound the spell of keeping her locked up in the first place.

She sighed as flashes of her memory from the day her party attacked the hunter's compound flickered across her mind. They managed to kill Silas and Robert. Aila officially declared that she could control the experimental beasts, though they turned on them just before she collapsed. Was it because her hold, her Alpha power, was drained? Was that even a thing?

She had no idea if Chase was alive when she saw him in the car or where Finn was. Her wolf was right; Aila would know if Finn died. Being Luna to the pack connected her to the pack members, not in the way she and Damon were, but she would tell if someone lost their life. Finn being her Delta would make a much more significant impact on her if he was dead. Her conclusion was both reassuring and worrisome; Finn must have been taken by the hunters. He was free for nearly two months, and her rash, reckless decision to get those papers was what caused him to get caught. She could only hope that Damon had those papers now, and everyone was okay.

To her dismay, it seemed her position was much worse off than the first time she was kidnapped. Even though she now had her wolf, a mate and a pack behind her, there was no way of them finding her. The wolfsbane currently in her system is said to cut ties between a mate bond, not completely getting rid of it, but enough for it to be hard to find the other.

Aila could feel Damon through the bond, but she couldn't tell what he was feeling or if he was hurt. She tried to reach through her mind to touch at the silky golden strands between them. Was her mate okay?

She touched it, and the bond snapped back at her like an elastic band flinging her head into the cushion more. Tingles of sharp, fiery pain flickered through her body and caused her mind and chest to throb. The edges of her eyesight dimmed with black and red splodges.

Okay, maybe trying to touch the bond wasn't the best idea!

Aila moved her hand and rested it over her eyes, waiting for the pain and her eyes to relax somewhat. She should be better accustomed to wolfsbane now, especially after trying to get her wolf free, but it was a poison that caused just as much effect as the last time. The only difference was, she had a higher dose of wolfsbane in her system the last time, so maybe her body wasn't that weak?

With a sigh, she removed her hand from her face and slowly pulled herself up. She gritted her teeth from the sharp pain in her chest and rested her head against the wall. Even if she wasn't too weak from the wolfsbane, the bloody silver bullets in her chest made her recovery slow as well. She knew without a doubt that the person who kidnapped her was a hunter. At least she knew Silas and Robert were dead.

The only thing she wondered was if the person who took her was worse than Silas or Connor. Aila blinked and looked around the room, wondering if that person was there, but it was empty. She blinked profusely after her mind caught up with her on where she was.

Instead of a cell, basement or bedroom in a house, she found herself looking around a wooden room. Was she in a log cabin? Aila's eyes widened, and she whipped her head to the side and looked out the window. From her side view from the single bed she sat on, she could see tall trees, grassy fields and no roads.

Aila frowned. She needed to investigate further. Someone had her and planned to have some 'fun'. Now she knew from her previous time with the hunters that fun meant torture. It was a man's voice, so it could be even worse; the possibility of being raped crossed her mind, but who would want to do that to a 'mutt'? 

No, she shook her head; torture was their fun. With those dreary thoughts running through her mind, she swung her legs over the bed and placed her bare feet on the wooden floor. What the hell? Aila looked down at what she was wearing. A floral, flowy pink dress.

WHAT THE HELL!?

Someone dressed her! And not even into coveralls or something plain and simple, but a girly tea dress. From the looks of it, she had also been cleaned. A shiver went down her spine. Aila hoped it was all in her head where her thoughts were going. Was someone treating her like a doll?

'Such beautiful skin.'

That's what the man said. Aila gasped, and her heart began to pound against her chest. She looked around the room for a means of escape. Aila gripped at the bottom of the window, the wooden panels not budging. Obviously, the window would not be unlocked.

Aila spun on the spot, leaning her back into the window, staring directly at the wooden door across from her. The room was still plain with a rug on the ground, a wardrobe to the side and a desk. Nothing there could be used as a weapon. Figures.

Aila sighed and walked towards the door, keeping her steps light. She paused when the floorboard creaked, and her face cringed at the thought of them knowing she was awake. But there was no other noise indicating they were aware she was up. Her body sagged in relief but tensed again by the idea of trying to escape.

The door was not going to be open, but she would feel like an idiot if the hunter was an imbecile or arrogant enough to leave it unlocked, and she never tried to open it. Her hand clasped around the round golden doorknob and turned it slowly. Her eyes widened as the click sounded and the door unlocked.

Aila narrowed her eyes. She still needed to be cautious. Slowly she pulled the door ajar and tilted her head out, looking for any traps. Before her was a small hallway, to each side were two closed doors, but across led to what looked like a lounge area on one side of the cabin and the opposite must have been the kitchen.

That's.. strange.

She crept forwards, her eyes flickering to each little spot in her surroundings. Looking for someone to jump out like in a scary movie. Her heartbeat was slowly increasing with anxiety as her hands became clammy. She made it to the centre of the cabin and turned in a clockwise circle in anticipation to see her kidnapper. She stopped, nobody was there.

Or so it seemed, Aila narrowed her eyes, still suspicious. The log cabin was set up like a cosy holiday home. To the right of the room was the lounge area with two white settees covered in blankets and pillows, a red Aztec patterned rug with a coffee table above. On top of the table rested a crystal glass ashtray next to a few bottles of whiskey. Across from that was a grey bricked fireplace and above it was a real deer's head mounted on the wall.

Aila turned on her heel slightly, her hands fisted by her sides as she eyes the kitchen and dining area. It was simple, wooden, pots and pans hanging on the walls and many herbs and sauce pots resting atop the wooden shelves mounted on the walls. Plant pots hung on the side, and the circular wooden table had different, odd chairs, one of them being a leather armchair.

If Aila wasn't in the situation she was in, she would appreciate the cuteness of the cabin. Even the view from the windows at the far end overlooking a valley was breathtaking and trying to fill her with ease. But this was not the time to be at ease. Her eyes roamed the open-spaced room again, her body still tense, and she took a step back when she saw behind the fireplace was a little corridor that led to a staircase going to another floor below.

Nope, not going there. That's just screaming to be a horror movie scene.. The petrified girl was lured into a dank basement.. only to be murdered. Only now, she was a she-wolf and would get drawn into a torture chamber. Nope, not happening.

Aila snapped her head to the front door again. She should try it, at least. But the chances of it being open like that bedroom were slim. She took a step forward then halted. Her heart was pounding immensely. No, it wasn't her heart she could hear. It was someone else's.

It was so quiet there; even with the wolfsbane in her system, her senses were still slightly heightened. She could feel the presence of a predator in the room. Their sweat smelled of delighted anticipation.

She spun around again and instantly took a step back, a step away from the man standing across from her. His hands were in his pockets as his cold gaze looked her up and down appreciatively. His eyes flashed back to hers with a dangerous glint to them.

It was Clint.