HUNTED-Chapter 355: New Furnishings

[Aila]

As the days passed, Aila was all too consumed with the news about the world and humans’ reactions to supernatural creatures. Their views were still mixed, most of their comments filled with fear about what it meant for them now. The recordings of their fight at the castle and on the street seemed to be on replay, along with muted versions of Chase’s speech.

Reporters were still working on the public’s fear of the supernatural population to make headlines which made their fear worse. It was disturbing, but Aila hoped once they had a meeting and put their faces out to the world, it would humanise them. People would see that they lived and breathed mostly like them.

The only difference was that they could shift into wolves or other animals, and some needed human blood to survive, although the vampires might scare them more or find them equally scary than there were the witches.

Aila sighed, putting her head into her hands as she stared down at a news article on the desk. The Alpha Queen now had her own office that had been locked up across the hall from Damon’s.

Now that Aila had returned, they couldn’t keep sharing his office. They found out that after a few times working in the same space together, they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. After sleeping together on every surface available, leaving their scents mixed together in a heady state, the office became untidy, with claw marks up the walls and desk.

Like petulant children, they were forced to separate. Surprisingly it was by Beta Kane’s orders. They then unlocked the unused Alpha Queen’s room, cleaned it and refurbished it. Damon’s office was also refurbished after most of the furniture was found unusable.

Since their little meeting was also in the library, they had builders in to extend the size of his office so they could hold meetings there when it was necessary to have so many people attending.

Damon was currently using the library as his office space in the meantime. They thought it was best to stay clear of each other during these hours for a while until the current threats were distinguished. That didn’t mean Aila wouldn’t pop in on him from time to time.

Instead of destroying the furniture, though, they cuddled by the fire in the library, among a few other physical activities that forced their Delta to go on a break and nobody to enter the library.

Aila peered up from the stack of papers and stared at her white and golden marbled floors and walls full of modern art, potted plants on shelves running down the side of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the side of the pack house.

Her large, sleek, black desk stood in front of the windows and before white sofas with large fluffed pillows, a black marble coffee table and a large wall-width fireplace with logs on the side. Rugs of white sheepskin fur were under the desk, and sitting area, adding more warmth to the chilled floor.

Although there was also underfloor heating, Aila still liked sinking her toes into the faux fur. A door was also fitted into the side beside the window whenever she wanted to leave to go for a run.

"Why don’t you take a break?" Finn suggested. He was still her little protector, but she forced him to relax more, so the Delta sat on one of the leather armchairs by the fire, back still stiff and straight, eyes scanning the whole room.

Darren was also with the Delta, but he was posted outside the newly fitted door. It was strange to think the ex-Delta was following Finn’s orders so well, but Finn had yet to complain about him. Although he seemed a pretty awful person, Darren seemed to be really trying.

Aila wasn’t the type to hold any grudges. If Darren continued to work hard, she would reward him. He would never get his Delta role back, but he could get more privileges back.

Aila sighed. "I can’t wait for Monday," she murmured, leaning in her desk chair. "I feel stressed and nervous, and like I might throw up. We are also about to take charge of more than our share of packs."

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Finn stood and shook his head. "If anyone’s got this. It’s you and Alpha Damon. His parents wouldn’t leave their empire to you unless they thought you were ready for it."

That was what she and Malia kept repeating to themselves, like a mantra. But the weight of that and this whole ordeal with the humans was getting rather heavy.

Finn leaned his hands on her desk and stared at her with a small smile. "And you’re not doing it alone. There’s a reason why an Alpha needs his Luna and vice versa. You strengthen each other and push each other to limits that you need to, for each other, for the pack and now for all of the packs."

Aila released a breath and then jumped to her feet, startled when her door banged open. Finn spun around, claws elongated, a growl erupting from his chest, posture going defensive. Darren also burst through the door behind Aila.

"Girl, what the hell are you still doing here?" Nairi exclaimed, waltzing into the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor, her curly hair bouncing around her shoulders, a wide grin on her face, revealing her pearly white teeth.

Finn and Darren relaxed, but her Delta still stood before her defensively. "Working," Aila rolled her eyes, flopping back down into her chair. She felt tired and not at the same time. Her vampiric side kept her energy levels high, and she only needed a few hours of sleep.

It was possible that the stress was making her mentally tired and nothing more.

"It’s Saturday!" Nairi crossed her arms and jutted her hip out to the side in front of Aila’s desk.

"What is she still doing here?" This time Gamma Chiara came into the room, expression fierce, slightly angry and a little pouty, followed by a skipping Ajax who went by everyone and yanked Aila out of her chair by her wrist.

"You and Damon are in some dire need of alone time!" He sang.

"Oh, if we really aren’t.." Aila replied drily, a smirk on her lips. Still, she could never say no to more time with him.

Ajax shook his head and twirled her around under his arm before tugging her behind him and out of the room. "You saucy little sex addict. You don’t always have to be romping each other to spend time together, you know," he wiggled his eyebrows and smirked.

Now Chiara walked by her side, seemingly protectively of Aila, though she watched Ajax in amusement and seemed happy to be going along with whatever this was. Nairi was also pushing her from behind, urging her down the corridor. She heard Finn give Darren orders to guard outside the pack house, and the Delta followed behind them, still alert as ever.

"I obviously know it’s not always about.. mating," Aila replied to the shapeshifter’s comment.

"Well then, get your butt upstairs and get ready. Your Alpha has made plans with you." Ajax swirled her around again, making her giggle at his ridiculousness before he released her to go up the stairs.

"And why hasn’t our Alpha told me this himself?" Aila asked no one in particular.

"Beats me. We just need to get you ready," Chiara replied as she tugged on Aila’s arm while Nairi linked her arm with hers going up the stairs.

"No, no. Aila will be fine." She looked over her shoulder to the bottom of the curved stairwell to where Ajax slung his arm over Finn’s shoulders and kept him downstairs. "Besides, if there was an attack, do you really think she’d need your help? She’s a hybrid with loads of power now."

"I’ll still act as her shield," Finn grumbled and met her eyes, reading her expression to see if she would give him permission to stay downstairs.

Aila didn’t know why he was seeking it. She was always telling him to loosen up and relax.

"Go, you don’t have to be with me 24-7. Take breaks. Talk to Sariyah." At the mention of Finn’s mate, his eyes lit up, and he nodded before slipping his hand into his pocket and pulling out his phone. "You know she’s always welcome here, Finn. Invite her to stay."

Finn beamed at that as he started to call her and walked off, almost skipping like Ajax.

"Enough of this!" Nairi exclaimed as the two women took her through to the bedroom. They paused for a moment, looking at the new furniture, and even the floor and walls had been changed. Everything was brighter, with only a few scratches on the bed revealing the Alpha and Luna’s nightly passions.

"Shower now," Chiara ordered as Nairi pushed her through to the bathroom.

"I don’t need-"

"You clearly haven’t seen yourself all day," Nairi interrupted with a giggle. "You’re beautiful. We all know that, but you can’t turn up looking like that."

"What’s wrong with.." Aila trailed off and saw herself in the bathroom mirror. "Oh."

Aila’s hair was in a messy bun, and she wore her comfortable black hoody and leggings again. She should really start dressing up again like how she did at Cassius’ castle. She felt better from doing it, and she would look more like the part of an Alpha Queen to go with her new, sleek office.

"Yeah.. Oh.. Wash your hair.. and we’ll look through your closet and set up your make-up. I made some new jewellery just for you as well," Nairi smiled at her before closing the door to the bathroom.

"They’re acting real suspicious," Malia commented in a light-hearted jest.

But Aila agreed with her wolf. They really were. "I wonder what the big deal is."