HUNTED

Large black paws thudded against the earth at a rapid speed, splashing through puddles as the wind flew across the wolf's face, ruffling its fur. Damon snarled as his silver eyes shone menacingly. He barked threateningly at the wolves falling behind, but he was far too powerful and quick to keep up with. 

"Alpha! Alpha!" They called for him through the mind-link. He could hear the panic in their voices echoing through his mind. But he couldn't respond, he couldn't think, all he wanted was his Aila, his mate. His sole focus was to get her back. 

That leech's foul scent of strawberries was what kept him going. Damon was on the right track, and he hadn't lost the bastard's trail. Even if his lungs screamed for air and his legs collapsed beneath his feet, he would get back up and continue forwards. His everything had been taken from him AGAIN. Nothing else mattered until he had her back.

The voices in his mind merged with the howls of the wind as Damon ran and ran on this never-ending trail. The trees whipped past him, but they all started to look the same, and his vision started to become blurred. The darkness that trapped the earth in shadows became suffocating, and he gasped for air, gasped for his Aila. 

But the more he ran forwards, the more the woods seemed to continue on taunting him. The smell of strawberries had vanished, the sounds of his fellow pack members were gone, and all that was left was the sound of laughter. Damon snapped his jaws and reached forwards with his claws only to land hard on his face.

Damon growled ferociously; the rumbling of his voice made the walls vibrate, awakening the pack to their Alpha's anger and despair. His eyes snapped open, and he pushed up from the ground into a kneeling position. His body was numb to the world around him. His face didn't feel the sting from where he'd leapt out of bed because of his nightmare.

It was the same recurring nightmare he had nightly. But the thing about nightmares is that they end as soon as you wake up. Damon was forever living in his one. Even when he woke, the circumstances hadn't changed. Cassius had taken Aila; it was not a dream.

Damon wiped his hand tiredly down his face, feeling his stubble now growing into a beard. He looked like a mess and acted like a beast; his temper was at its worst, he felt bad for those around him, but he couldn't help it. Darius had spun out of control on several occasions as well, yanking the reins of control over Damon's body and shifting on the spot. 

Many windows and patio doors were currently broken because of the Alpha, whether it was Damon losing his temper or Darius shifting and jumping through the glass taking off. His office was in the process of being repaired after he received more news telling him that there were no traces of Aila or Cassius. Damon and Darius flipped out at the time and shifted, almost killing Beta Kane in the process, who had delivered the news. 

The lack of sleep and constant worry about Aila was taking its toll, and he didn't know how much longer he could take it. Damon knew if there was a lead, anything to indicate where she might be, then he would have more control over his emotions. The packs didn't complain under his command, though; luckily, he could say he hadn't completely lost it; he made sure Beta Kane would tell him if his orders seemed too risky or not. Kane knew how to deal with him and especially his wolf.

With a sigh, Damon finally got up from the floor and walked to the couch, where he left his shorts. Once he pulled them on, he left the bedroom he'd grown used to sharing with Aila and headed down the hallway to the former Alpha King and Queen's bedroom, stopping once he was through the patio doors and standing on the balcony. He leaned his hands on the white concrete letting the chill in the breeze dry the sweat on his skin from his nightmare. 

Since he kept shifting, he gave up on wearing a shirt; he smirked, knowing Aila would enjoy ogling at his body. In fact, this spot always seemed to soothe him the most, reminding him of the first morning Aila was with the pack again; she'd been watching the training, but he knew she'd been watching him the most. He felt her curious eyes eying his body; while he kept his composure, his wolf was thrilled by his mate's attention. 

He was so impatient, waiting for Aila's wolf to return and find out he was her mate. Damon smiled sadly at the recent memory. 

Aila..

"She will probably get jealous that the she-wolves here have been able to openly check us out again," Darius muttered lightly, thinking of their mate fondly, but his wolf's words made Damon grit his teeth. 

"Those bitches need to stop pestering me. Aila is not dead, and she will be returning," He growled back. The she-wolves hadn't yet approached him, but he could hear their whispers growing louder the longer Aila was not by his side. 

His hands tightened on the concrete, causing parts to crumble beneath his fingers. A storm swirled behind those silver eyes as he stared across the grass to where his warriors normally trained. But today, like all the other days, his men were out searching for his Queen, his mate, his Aila.

A month had passed since Cassius took Aila away from him. A few days after she was taken, something stirred in the mate bond, causing him to halt mid-run in his wolf form. He could feel Aila's overwhelming emotions. She was confused, scared and annoyed but appeared uninjured. 

He'd howled loudly in the woods, causing his pack members to join in, calling for his mate to come home. Though he knew she couldn't hear them, it made him feel better at the time, especially after feeling her for the first time in days. 

But that momentary relief was soon ripped away from him. Aila blocked the mate bond the following day. Throughout the month, though, Damon would suddenly feel her emotions washing over him at full force, pausing him from whatever activity he was doing. Each time, Damon and his wolf's mood would improve for a few hours, even if he could feel the high levels of anxiety coming from her. He knew she was checking in on him and showing him that she was okay. 

That was enough for him for now.