HUNTED-Chapter 368: Decision Making

[Aila]

That evening after the little torture Aila and the others gave the man named Allen, leaving him there with his wounds and blood dripping onto the cold floor of the basement, she cleaned her hands before going to her office with the other pack leaders. She had kept the dress on from earlier. Luckily, there were no blood stains on it, and she had noticed how much Damon’s eyes were full of desire.

He couldn’t stop undressing her with his eyes, devouring her legs and staring at her ass. Her mate always seemed aroused around her, but this time it was definitely from such an outfit.

The pack leaders, Ajax, Nairi, Harry and Aldric, Gabriel and Esme, and their vampire bodyguards, basically those in the inner circle and most trusted of Damon and Aila and Gabriel, were gathered together. The pack members were scattered around the large white office, a few on the sofas, while the vampires seemed to be cupping a glass of whiskey or wine, looking stoic.

Ajax and Luther seemed the most nonchalant, lounging at either end of the sofa in front of the fireplace.

They discussed what happened and the measures they were putting in place so another attack would not happen, this then led to what the vampires would do, and finally, there was another discussion about the upcoming meeting the following day. Aila was the most unnerved by it, it seemed.

She put it down to the fact that she was the ’newest’ supernatural creature and the most recent to rise to such a powerful station.

Damon grew up with these expectations, as did the other pack leaders, and she didn’t bother even explaining about Gabriel. He had centuries of experience throughout the history of power struggles and shifts in society. After some more time, she relaxed, feeling better than their pack leaders under Damon’s orders resolved issues in the town.

The meeting was also set up for the following day, set at 2pm so that the others in the meeting could arrive in time.

Ajax has not revealed the location, but the ’elders’, the three leaders of the shapeshifters, lived further away, and apparently, it had taken them a few days to travel. Aila didn’t know if that was true or not, but she loved his loyalty to them.

Aila stepped away from the armchair she had been sharing with Damon. His hand had been straying a little too close up her thigh under her skirt, and it was overly distracting. They still had one more topic to discuss before they could all call it a night and go their separate ways.

Damon followed her retreating form, his eyes glinting in a challenge, as though she was running away from him and he was going to have his way with her at some point. Well, she wouldn’t mind being caught and ’taught a lesson’. A smirk played on her lips as she held his gaze while she backed away and sat down behind her large desk.

The others turned to her, and she could see Gabriel leaning against the mantel of the fireplace, amusement lighting up his features as he looked around the room. Aila could see why. They were an odd bunch, but they mixed together so well, even her lycan’s, Harry and Aldric, chilled together beside Chiara, engaging occasionally. But they were her odd bunch, her family, and she absolutely loved them.

Stapling her fingers together and leaning her elbows against the desk, Aila leaned forwards and flicked her gaze across a few of the pack leaders until her attention landed on Finn. He was currently sitting on the other armchair, his legs sprawled out and resting on Ajax’s lap, where he sat in a white beanbag.

Gamma Chiara was in ’pack leader mode’ and was paying the meeting more attention than the shapeshifter, who was a little pouty about it.

"How is Darren doing?" Aila asked, her thoughts turning to the ex-Delta and remembering how the man who seemed to despise her when she first arrived at the pack was now injured from saving her.

Aila didn’t know if she would be killed from being shot in the head, or like how she saw Cassius heal himself from such a wound, she too would survive. But Cassius was an ancient vampire, the first to walk among their kind and a god. It wasn’t something she wanted to test out anytime soon.

So, yes, Darren did save her life.

"He will recover. He’ll probably be out for a few days," Finn informed them, putting his phone away.

He was most likely messaging his mate. Sariah was also coming tomorrow with Chase, although she wasn’t allowed in the meeting, just like the other pack leaders weren’t besides Beta Kane.

Aila nodded at his response and looked to the others in the room to gauge their reactions as she continued to ask Finn questions about the man. "Do you think he has proved himself enough?" She asked Finn.

"I think that is only something you and Alpha Damon can answer. I am only a Delta.."

"Yes, but you are the one that has been closest with him. He has been following your orders without complaint, right?" Aila asked, resting her chin on her stapled hands.

"Hmm, at first, he had a few begrudging comments, as expected of a pack leader that was demoted that then had to start taking orders from the guy who replaced him.. But he gradually improved and seems to have humbled himself," Finn replied.

"Seems?" Chiara asked, arching an eyebrow. Of course, the Gamma revealed her dislike for Darren from the beginning when Aila first ’joined’ or should she say ’re-joined’ the pack. A knife to the hand at dinner was a pretty obvious sign of animosity from her.

"He has not commented anything since and has been following orders. It’s almost like he is a different man," Finn said, backing up his words by straightening his back, his chin tilting up as confidence showed through his eyes.

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"Almost? Can we really trust that he has flipped his personality?" This time it was Kane who asked the question. Although he always seemed moody and angry, he was now calm, and his question came from a neutral point of view.

Aila knew that Beta Kane did not have much against the ex-Delta. In fact, Darren used to follow his orders well. It was only his arrogance that annoyed him from what she found out from Damon. But it was nothing that ever affected his work until Aila came along.

"I think he was misguided by his.." Aila began thoughtfully.

"Dick," coughed Ajax.

’..lust." Aila looked at Ajax pointedly. "For Lydia. He has proven himself a few times now."

Finn nodded in agreement. He was leaning forwards now, his arms resting on his spread legs as he looked at only his Luna.

"What do you want to do?" Kane asked, looking from Damon, who kept his eyes on Aila to his Luna and Alpha Queen.

Damon was giving Aila full command about this. All eyes fell on her, but she didn’t feel the weight of the decision or the anxious feeling of so much attention like she might have once before.

"I think once he has recovered, Darren should have permission to free roam and leave the pack territory when he wants to, like any other pack member. His house doesn’t need to be guarded anymore." Her gaze fell on Chiara. "Our warriors will have better use of their time. They’re probably bored out of their minds by now."

The Gamma’s deep blue eyes twinkled at that. Aila was right. They would be put to better use by either guarding the territory or Silver Thorne.

"The rest.. I leave for Delta Finn. You are the one in charge of Darren. Should he be your second?" Aila asked, a small smile on her lips as she watched Finn blink back in surprise at her decision.

He quickly recovered and nodded. "Darren has proven himself. His family has a history of Delta’s in the pack. The role will be in name only, meaning he will be another security guard for our Luna but nothing more. He will not have the role of a pack leader."

Aila and Damon shared a look, nodding in agreement. That was exactly what they thought should happen, and this was why Finn was perfect for the Delta role.

"Then it’s decided. Darren will be your second for you to command, and he will be granted his freedom back. If he betrays us or messes up in some other Goddess-awful way, then he will be sentenced to life as a rogue or death, dependent on the severity of such a crime. But let’s look at the positive.

Darren has proved himself time and again," Aila finished on a positive note and a bright smile on her face like she had not just announced the death penalty.

But the group also did not disagree with her. Aila may have ’grown a pair’, but she was right in her decision-making. This was not human law. It was werewolf law, the Alpha King and Queen’s laws.