HUNTED

The rest of her days consisted of going into the library and reading as much as possible about being the pack, their rituals and ceremonies. Damon also took the time out of his busy schedule to go through certain aspects of her powers with her. Including her shifting and going to sleep while Malia took control. This was only done for an hour at a time.

Each time Malia woke her up, she would find some source of blood on her, and when she looked at Damon's wolf, he was perfectly clean. This made her worry, but Malia couldn't help herself and would hunt until Damon commanded otherwise. When they weren't letting Malia take the reins whilst Aila slept, she would follow Damon and listen to his instructions. 

"It's easy to run and fight in wolf form, but you also need to familiarise yourself with your senses. Everything is heightened anyway, in wolf form- It can be overwhelming," He said on one occasion. 

Aila found herself closing her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths, her heartbeat decreasing, and she listened to the forest come to life. From the sound of birds chirping in the trees to the children playing by the lake and their parents scolding them for going too deep in the water. Aila sighed in content at the magnificent powers she now had.

Damon's seriousness only made her want him more as he instructed her on how to control some of her Alpha powers. One power, in particular, was to order another werewolf to do something without giving them a choice. 

This was the first power she initially had and previously used on Finn without realising it. Damon taught her in the library away from other pack members, not that any lingered in the packhouse unless they were pack leaders or guarding the area. Finn agreed to be Aila's test subject for these times, making both Aila and Finn happy. Aila didn't have to see Darren, who was technically her bodyguard, and Finn was more than happy to step up.

This also meant that Ajax would come along; the pair seemed a little inseparable, much to Damon's delight. But the shapeshifter only caused a few minor power struggles between the Alpha and Luna, after he made small silly comments that were annoying but did not warrant him to be attacked by the bristling and possessive Alpha. 

"Deep breath and close your eyes," Damon's deep voice filled the room. He stood to her side while Finn was in front of her. Ajax slouched on the sofa watching the werewolves in interest. 

With her eyes closed, she felt the surge of power deep within her, the pit of her stomach hardened as a rushing feeling grew and grew; she opened her eyes and knew immediately they were glowing. Without saying anything, Finn bent his knee and bared his neck. 

"Okay, now breathe deeply. You don't want to control him," Damon's words felt like a whisper in her ears, like the rushing feeling of power coursed through her dulling out the sounds around her.

Breathing deeply, she relaxed her muscles and felt her abs release the tension she felt. She drooped forwards, as did Finn before they looked at each other. Aila's eyes were back to normal and the powerful energy radiating from her dialled down. 

"It's getting there. Soon you won't need to do the breathing techniques. It will come naturally to you," Damon nodded. 

Aila's lips stretched into a grin, but she felt fatigued from 'holding herself back'. Controlling someone came naturally to her, and she didn't like it; she could see how easily some Alpha's abused their powers. She also realised that Damon never used his own power, meaning his commands were followed due to his natural leadership and impact on the pack. 

Aila was left exhausted and exhilarated by the time evening came. Being a mate to a dominant Alpha was like being jolted around in a cart on a rollercoaster ride that never seemed to end. Most of their evenings or when they saw each other ended up in power struggles and debates that always finished with Aila being 'punished'.

On one occasion, she didn't know how it escalated so far, but she ended up throwing dishes at him, which smashed into the wall behind him. His look alone made her immediately run out of the kitchen but was soon grabbed roughly and slammed into the hallway wall. The next thing she knew, her legs were wrapped around his waist as they kissed passionately, biting each other with growls erupting from their chests. 

Beta Kane and Gamma Chiara dashed down the hallway, alerted by the noise of dishes, and halted, turning around instantly when they saw the pair grinding each other in heated passion against the wall. 

The bond and Malia were also a constant nag to Aila. The pull was strong, and it caused her to be agitated by the most minor things. But she immediately melted and calmed down whenever she was touched by Damon. He ignited a fire in her and, at the same time, cooled her down after their heated power struggles. 

Malia was also becoming harder to control. Sometimes when she saw Damon, Malia would snap and take the reins from Aila, leading her to march up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down into a kiss. Her wolf would also shift when she became restless, which was quite often. Aila didn't realise how hard it was going to be, resisting the urge to be mated and marked. But there was a lot on her mind about how her future would be. 

Her phone was also a constant reminder of her old life. Once she announced she had her phone again on her social media profiles, it blew up with messages from her friends. This died down after a week, but she still received messages from them who begged to see her. Even calling her parents would make her sit down and contemplate everything. This and the worries of pack life laid heavily on her shoulders.

Aila could also see how hard it was for Damon to resist the need to mark her. Their fights always rattled him to the core, and he always ended up storming off after their heated make up session after to then returning later when he calmed down, and they would snuggle in bed under the covers.