If the men were going to run off into the woods and hunt without her, that was fine; she had a mission of her own.
Julius could have his little mission and keep them all occupied.
That gave her the perfect opportunity to slip away.
Ayla's hunt was on, as she perched herself in a covered area just outside the hotel where the men had recently been staying.
She was stalking the door, feeling more in her element than ever, waiting for her intended prey to make its appearance.
The young woman watched as she saw Shaw exited the doors.
After a short while, she saw him enter them again, nervous.
Her curiosity was more than piqued.
That wasn't the same man that she had seen on the camera before.
The poised, arrogant, cocky man was gone.
This man was timid, worried, nervous, almost scared, if she had to put an emotion to it.
It didn't take long for the young man to emerge again, looking even worse.
Something wasn't right.
Ayla decided to find the right time to approach him, as she stalked him.
Watching from a safe distance, she followed the young man with locked eyes.
He walked a short distance, and she realized that he was meeting with a man she didn't recognize.
She recalled that the others would sniff the air to detect others' presence, so she tried.
Her eyes widened.
The smell that came through her nostrils was strong.
They both had their own unique characteristics to them, but it was a blend of salt and sweetness.
She was instantly reminded of the ocean and fir trees, but then of an almond kind of mix twisted in,
Was he dealing with an enemy?
Could that be why he was so nervous?
They clearly didn't have the same smells.
Just what had Shaw gotten himself into?
Ayla was more curious than ever as she tuned her ears into the conversation.
"It isn't worth it anymore. The longer I stay, the further I tie myself into the pack. I told you I wanted to come to your pack years ago. Deep Fang Pack isn't for me, and neither is Sharp Fang" Shaw said.
The man Ayla didn't recognize started to speak.
"I know how hard this has been for you. Trust me. We needed information, and you got it for us. If you really can't stay any longer, then you are welcome to come with me. The first time you cross us will be the last. We may be best friends, but my pack doesn't do deceit. That is not okay in any way".
She could appreciate his up-front approach and how he handled his friend.
Honestly, she would have probably not been able to do the same, seeing as where he was from.
Ayla was listening as Shaw responded.
"Thank you, Orion. I don't think I would have survived going back to Ralph's room, let alone the pack".
So, he was the mysterious Orion that had been mentioned.
He hadn't been seen in days.
Her hunt had been successful.
The prey was right in front of her, and she was ready to pounce.
Ready to be done running, it was time to stand her ground.
She slowly stepped around the corner, speaking low and steady.
"So, the mysterious Orion and Shaw" she said, rounding the corner.
The men, unsure of what was happening, looked at each other.
Shaw thought it was just another woman throwing herself at him.
Suddenly, his cocky, asshole facade was back.
"Who might you be"?
Ayla thought this would be fun.
Before she even knew she was a wolf, she loved to play with prey.
"Oh, don't tell me you two are all the way in this isolated corner and are scared to talk to one lonely woman. Don't mind me, I'm just a little thing".
Orion wasn't sure they weren't in danger when he responded.
His nostrils flared the tiniest in an effort to sniff out if she was a wolf, but he couldn't catch anything, and his eyes tightened slightly.
He wasn't sure what she was playing at, but he would go with it for now, because he was not afraid of a little girl.
"Of course not. What is that we can we help you with"?
Ayla smiled.
"You know. Same old, same old. What brings two men like you to this town".
Shaw was starting to get suspicious.
What did she mean by two men in her question?
What was she really after?
"That's private. What did you say your name was"?
She laughed in a cocky way and raised an eyebrow, "I didn't, but aren't you the clever one".
Shaw looked insulted.
"Are you calling me stupid"?
Ayla looked at him, dead in his eyes as if issuing a challenge.
"Do you feel stupid? I never said you were. That was your assumption. You will make a good General, though, or was it, Lieutenant? So hard to keep up".
She knew exactly what she was doing, and it was working.
Both men's ears dropped down as their expressions seemed to fall with them.
Their noses lifted slightly as if they were trying to pick up her scent even harder.
Orion was the first to speak after failing to pick one up again.
"If you don't mind me asking, who are you"?
Ayla smiled.
"Actually, I do mind. I don't wish to tell you who I am. Partly because you haven't said who you are".
He didn't like that answer, because now he knew she was baiting them.
"Clearly, you know exactly who we are".
She looked at him as if he had insulted her.
"No, I really don't. I know your names. I know which pack the Shaw person beside you is with. Other than that, I don't know who you are".
Orion raised his eyebrows.
"Well, you clearly know more than we do. Are you even like us? How do you know the information you have is correct"?
Ayla laughed slightly.
"I like you. You know how to keep your composure. You must be high in the ranking. Alpha's son? Maybe? I'm curious which pack, though. HHHMMMMMM. You don't seem aggressive, though. Should I tell you anything"?
Shaw was getting angry.
"Let's just be done with her. All she wants to do is play games".
That got Ayla's attention.
"Well, I do love a good game. While I realize a long game of cat and mouse seems to be the pack favorite. I think maybe you call it chase, or capture the wolf, whatever the title, I'm tired of it. Seems you are too".
Shaw's jaw nearly dropped.
"No way. If you were her, you wouldn't be standing out here in the open and talking so bluntly".
Ayla looked offended.
"Excuse me. I never said who I was, and you act as if you know me so well. Have you ever met me or anyone who knows me? I'm sorry, or her".
Orion hit his friend.
"Why are you coming to me? Why now"?
Ayla smirked.
"Like I said. I think I might like you. You seem calm. I'm done with the chase game. Oh, and Shaw, good luck finding General Mason. He tried for the last time to catch me" she winked.
Shaw suddenly had a bad feeling, but he also realized exactly who he was talking to.
"Is he dead"?
Ayla turned her head to the side.
"Well, if he isn't, he probably wishes he was, doesn't he? He should have never come after me".
She knew that in that manner, she didn't acknowledge directly if she had done anything to him, but she made them suspect she was fully aware of anything and everything.
Orion got the idea that it was probably a good thing to get on her good side.
"Thank you for taking care of that problem for us. He was really starting to be a thorn in our side. Now, how can we help you, Ms. Ayla"?
He was making it clear to her that he knew who she was and showing her respect at the same time.
"So, you have heard of me. Now, you have seen what I look like. Does my appearance make the stories any more intriguing"?
The men looked at each other, not sure how to answer.
Shaw scratched his head.
"What is the meaning of this"?
"I told you. I'm tired of playing this game. I'm tired of running. I have no plans to meet with Alpha Ulfric because, from what I gather, he's a piece of work. The same could be said for Alpha Theo. I can probably say the same for his Alpha. What do you have to say about your alpha? What is he like? Obviously, if Shaw wants to join you and your pack, he must not be too bad".
Orion thought about it for a moment.
"You don't know anything about me, or if I will lie. How will you trust what I say"?
Ayla laughed.
"I won't. Not when you tell me. At the minimum. It will give me a baseline about you. It will tell me more about you than your pack or Alpha".
He was intrigued by her answer.
Ayla had an unusual approach to how she was handling not only meeting them but also attaining information.
With little more hesitation, he came up with his response.
"Well, they are private people, just like myself. Neither my alpha nor my Luna cares to join in other pack matters. There is one thing that has piqued their interest over the last few years, however. That would be you. I have to say, I agree after meeting you".
His answer wasn't what she expected, and it was obvious to him by her expression and her response.
"Well, that's not what I've run into so far. If that turns out to be true, maybe we can arrange a visit and make that happen. I have one question before I consider it for the future. Have they never said that they thought I was their daughter, or planned to match me to you"?
Orion laughed this time himself.
"Never. They have never said that you were their daughter. I am their eldest son, yes. I'm not their only child..."
He paused for a moment, holding a painful thought deep, as if he carried it for a heavy burden himself.
After a moment, he continued.
"That is not what is important. The answer is no".
Ayla knew something was bothering him, and she felt the need to comfort him.
The only problem was that she wasn't sure if she was able to trust him not to kidnap her.
With that, she knew there was only one thing she could do.
"It seems I need to do some thinking".
She went to leave, and Shaw spoke up.
"How will we be able to find you to meet with you"?
She gave a coy smile.
"Meet with me? Don't worry about that. When I'm ready, I'll find you".
As the last word fell off her lips, she rounded the corner and was gone.
Just as quickly as she had materialized at the hidden sanctuary, she had disappeared.
The two men darted to the entrance in an effort to try and see where she would run to, but there was no point.
Ayla was like a ghost.
Shaw turned to Orion, amazed.
"How did she do that? She is faster than I could have imagined, and I can't smell a trace of her".
Orion smirked.
"That's what interests me so much. She's special. Why do you think all the Alphas want her? My parents knew it was pointless to claim her when all the others were so brazenly doing so. There was no point. All it would do was run her off and incite a war. Maybe that was wise on their part. If you want that girl, she clearly had to come to you willingly. Plus, they never intended her for me. As amazing as that would have been, had my brother never been taken so young, I bet she would have been perfect for him".
Shaw grabbed his friend's shoulder.
"I know you still mourn your brother. I'm sorry, man".
As the two men looked down the alley trying to find her, speaking freely, she was a little higher up, soaking up every word.
She knew there was more to the story, and now her hunt was a complete success.
Ayla waited for them to walk away, stalking her prey before she ended her victorious hunt and headed back to check on Dominic.
Now she just hoped she wasn't in too much trouble with the boys later.
What she had done was not okay, and she knew it.
Speaking of the boys, their hunt wasn't going quite as planned, not like Aylas.