HUNTED

[Little note from Author: part two will be released tomorrow]

The pair continued to cuddle in bed, and soon after, Damon's breathing became slow and long as he dozed off. Aila began to drift off as well until the door burst open, startling the both of them. Damon growled at the intrusion, and Aila only gawked at the Gamma werewolf who stood in their room, arms crossed against her chest, wearing her shorts and sports bra.

"You have training," She said coolly. 

"Beta Kane is leading today," Damon snapped back before covering his head with a pillow.

"I was talking to the future Luna.." Chiara's cool gaze moved from the giant in the bed to Aila, who now sat up alert in the covers.

Before she could say anything, Chiara went to the other side of the room, rummaging through the chest of draws and wardrobe until she found what she was looking for and threw some shorts and a sports bra at Aila's head.

"You need to be able to protect yourself. From other werewolves, vampires and the hunters. So, get up! I'll wait outside," Chiara said before closing the door behind her. 

It seems her quiet morning had to come to an end; even if she could order the Gamma to leave her in peace, she knew it was best to go. Chiara had a point, if she was randomly attacked, her Delta would have to protect her, and she didn't want that, even if it was his job. She needed to become competent in fighting; there was no way she was going back to the hunters again. 

After getting changed, she left Damon in bed, sound asleep, who only stirred when she turned the knob on the door. 

"Thank you for looking after me last night," She whispered before shutting the door. 

"Of course. I'll always protect you," Damon mind-linked back in a sleepy voice. 

Aila smiled from the sound of his voice; that smile dropped immediately when she saw Chiara's stern face. 

This is going to hurt…

The pair walked side by side across the grounds, making their way towards a building at the far end, where part of the driveway led there from the mansion's entrance. The power of the two she-wolves was evident as they walked past pack members sparring and training. The ones who rested on the sides would bare their necks to Aila, and if they were close enough, she would hear them greeting her as 'Luna' or 'Your highness'. Any time their eyes landed on Chiara, they instantly tensed and looked away.

"Why do I get the feeling that you'd stab someone if they look at you?" Aila mind-linked the Gamma. 

Chiara chuckled, "I would never stab someone for looking at me… I did punch someone in the throat and then another time poked someone else in the eyes for staring too long."

Aila looked at her in mock horror as the Gamma smirked at her response.

Well, I did think she was stunningly scary when I first met her. Aila waited for her wolf to make a snarky comment but realised she was still asleep. It was now very strange to have no one inside her head talking. Very strange indeed.

Chiara opened the door to the building and let Aila go through first to see a high-quality sports hall. To the far left were some stairs that led to a gym that was clearly seen through the high ceiling windows that overlooked the hall.  There was a boxing ring along with punch bags, mitts, and gloves to the opposite side of the hall. There were also mats piled on the side, ready for when the weather would not allow the pack to train outside. 

Chiara nodded her head towards the boxing ring area. Aila walked ahead, and once she made it past a few punching bags, she found herself turn swiftly and blocking an attack from Chiara. Her eyes were wide at the sudden ambush but quickly recovered when Chiara's leg swung round to kick her in the face. Aila ducked and rolled to the side out of the way.

Chiara hmphed and scrutinised her, "Your reaction time is good. But you need to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Even if you are with friends." 

The Gamma walked around and grabbed a pair of mitts, "Warm-up using the skipping rope, then we'll get down to business."

After going through the basics and learning more advanced moves, the pair began going through them, increasing the speed and tempo. Chiara would shout out a combo, such as "4-2-2-3", and Aila responded with the moves, going from punches, kicks and grappling. After a few hours, they went back to boxing combos so Aila would still get a cardio session from the training.

The pounding of fists to mitts at a rapid speed was the only sound in the hall. Chiara swiped overhead, which Aila dodged before side kicking her in the ribs. 

A grunt left Chiara's lips but still stood there solidly, "Good. Again!"

Aila repeated the new combo she learnt from the Gamma and found that she was actually a quick learner. Instead of the workout they did the day before, the pair focused on Aila's fighting skills. The Gamma didn't mention running or doing any push-ups, which Aila was relieved about. She found fighting fun, and it was considerably more fun being taught by a badass Gamma like Chiara. 

Another two hours later and the pair of them drank thirstily from their water bottles, sweat glistening on their bodies and hair. Chiara was an animal to Aila and barely gave her any breaks, but she didn't complain. It was the Gamma's job to toughen her up. 

"Good job today. We'll do the same tomorrow. Go through what you've learnt, then go from there.."

"I want you to be ready for anything. You can't rely on your powers alone. Your speed is impeccable, even for a werewolf.. I haven't seen anyone that can react as quickly as you or, from what I saw the other night.. how fast you can run. It is a good thing we are training alone," Chiara continued through the mind-link as her eyes glanced around the hall where a pair of men walked together towards the boxing ring. 

Aila followed Chiara out of the hall and back across the grounds towards the mansion.

"You think I should keep my abilities to myself?" Aila replied in their mind-link. 

Chiara nodded her head, "For now, maybe until you officially become Luna. All Alpha's and Luna's are genetically stronger and faster than the average werewolf. But it seems, maybe because you are a Cross, you are incredibly quick. But yes, for now, you should keep it away from unwanted eyes. Lydia may not be your only challenger."

Aila nodded her head, her expression becoming serious after the Gamma's words. Although Lydia is the only one who has mouthed off to her in front of the pack, she had a feeling there were others who looked at her like an outsider unworthy of the role. But that only motivated her more to be better.

Not to mention that if she was challenged, it would be a fight to the death. And she quite liked living.

**

That was how her routine went for the next two weeks; Aila would be at training with Chiara from 7am to 11 and sometimes to noon. She would also eat with the pack members who stayed after their own sessions to eat. The pack was so big that bodies on top of bodies sat in groups around the field, and only a few ate in the kitchen. Aila took the time to get to know more about the pack members. 

This took quite a bit of her time, and many wanted to officially meet her. Her instincts told her that the pack were 50/50 with her. They either adored her or the idea of her, or they looked at her with calculative glances, snarls or did not bother talking to her at all. 

Aila knew she needed to win them over, but she had to deal with their judgment until then. They were not stupid enough like Darren or Lydia to make any comments to her; as a Luna, that would be challenging her position. But Darren and Lydia also knew that she was in no position to fight when they backchatted her at the time.

Although her first-time training session with Chiara was still being discussed in hushed whispers. From what Aila did hear, the haters were wary of her and could see how powerful she was. Even without any training, Aila was a force to be reckoned with. 

Initially, their whispers were the only thing that encouraged her about how 'powerful' she was, that and the fact the hunters kidnapped her precisely for her bloodline. However, she still couldn't quite believe it. Until after her first week of training, she started to believe in herself. Aila was improving at a rapid pace and landed more and more hits on Chiara; in the end, it was the Gamma walking off with more bruises to her body than Aila.

But Aila knew that a leader wasn't just about being able to protect the pack; it was also her decision making. Their loyalty was not yet placed in her because they didn't know her or her capabilities as a leader.