The sound echoed through Aila's ears as her eyes stilled on Chase' body on the ground. She inhaled sharply at the sight of blood already staining the paved floor. It seemed as though time stood still, her breaths were slow and loud, her heart slammed against her chest loudly, once, twice, she could count it.

"Aila!"

​​

Damon's voice whipped through her mind bringing her back from the edge of despair at seeing another friend dying. Aila gritted her teeth, "Gabriel.." Before she finished her sentence, Luther appeared by Chase' side, and the pair disappeared into the building. She looked up at Gabriel, "Thank you-"

"Do not thank me yet," He replied, pulling her up and standing in front of her protectively. Damon was by her side, instantly pulling her into a hug as the pair looked at their surroundings. There were a lot more hunters than anticipated.

How many..

"I count another 200," Gabriel spoke over his shoulder.

Aila spun in Damon's arms that did not falter from around her body. With him holding her from behind, she looked at the sea of hunters and beasts whose eyes glowed in the dark. Aila reached her hand up behind her and caressed Damon's cheek, leaving a chaste kiss on the other cheek. She pulled away from him and walked closer to the fence, inhaling deeply, letting her eyes glow, and the knot in her stomach release as power thrummed through her veins.

"Kill them all," A soft command left her lips.

Instantly the beasts turned on their 'masters' and began attacking. Shots were fired, screams echoed through the woods as the wind picked up in the dark, bloody night.

"Come on!" Damon growled, grabbing Aila's hand and pulling her towards him. They sprinted off in a group towards the exit. Adrenaline pumped through her body, urging her to run quicker, but thoughts of Chase filled her mind, keeping her at the same pace as the others.

Finn and Ajax flanked her sides, with Damon still leading. But as soon as they made it to the gates, they stopped. There were about 20 hunters standing there aiming their guns at the group. Gabriel reacted first, taking out five of them at once; they didn't hold back and shot the vampire in the back with their AK47's. Aila gasped and stepped forwards, but Damon threw her back so powerfully that she landed a few feet behind the group. Finn sprinted to her side, growling at the onslaught in front of them.

Aila rose up, her leggings now torn, her hands grazed though they healed quickly. She patted at her wig and looked around. The other hunters were distracted by the experiments attacking them. Unlike the werewolves, it took 10+ hunters to one beast to try and take it down.

Aila crouched down after a loud shot echoed across the pavement once more. It was like a rumbling sound; was it a different type of gun? She had no clue. She was not familiar with firearms, only the basics. Finn circled her, flanking her right instead, protecting her from view. Aila gulped at her position and looked ahead, worry forming in her chest at her mate and the vampire king, who had yet to get up from the ground.

"That bastard. Everything was a trap! Aila, we need those documents!" Malia snapped. Her wolf was getting riled up, and for once, Aila couldn't be the opposite to her. Chase had been shot, Gabriel had multiple wounds, and the others ahead were fighting. Even Ajax was taking down hunters in his panther form.

"Gabriel needs to get out of here. Where's his lacky!?" She shouted to nobody in particular. But as soon as her words left her lips, Vinnie and Luther appeared. That was something, at least.

Aila looked behind her and saw the paperwork flown about on the ground and made the decision then and there to get it. They went through all this trouble; she was not about to let everyone's injuries and possible deaths be for nothing. They needed to kill the hunters at the core. Silas was someone with great power, but he couldn't possibly be the one to fund such a group.

"Aila, don't!"

Aila spun on the spot and sprinted towards the building, ignoring Damon's mind-link. The distance was not far, but far enough if someone wanted to jump her. She was so quick that it took Finn a moment to realise the Luna had left his side. In seconds, Aila was on the ground scrambling up the papers, skidding on the ground, grasping at them as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

A screeching sound in front of her made Aila look up and jump out of the way. The fence suddenly collapsed on the ground where she was crouched. She looked through the rising dust and narrowed her eyes. Twenty more hunters ran through, aiming their guns at her, but a grey wolf tackled into some of them, already tearing into flesh. Aila growled and put the papers down, and she changed her stance, preparing to shift and help her Delta out.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Finn snapped through the mind-link.

"AILA!" Damon's commanding voice whipped through her mind, and without refusing with tears in her eyes, she turned on the spot, sprinting with the papers towards the cars. There were only three hunters left now at the gates.

Aila ordered the remaining group to retreat to the cars. She skidded to a stop at the front SUV after hearing a yelp and more shots fired. Her heart pinched at the sound, and her eyes flickered in the direction of where Finn was. "Get in the car, Aila. AS YOUR ALPHA, I COMMAND YOU!" Damon's voice ripped through her body, shattering any rebellious thoughts and acts from her mind. She gripped onto the door handle, her hand shaking.

"Aila, listen to Alpha Damon. You will get ill if you go against his Alpha voice. Finn.." Malia trailed off in barely a whisper, "You can feel that Finn is still alive. You know he is. It's in our gut. He.. he is probably taken away-"

Another shot pelted through the trees. Aila was blasted into the car from a crushing weight that ripped from her back and through her chest. She gasped and looked down at the black door where the silver bullet was etched into. Her body shook from the flames burning from the hole in her chest. The silver that pierced her halted her healing.

Damon and Luther appeared by her side. One shielding her from view and the other ripping the door open for her. But a bark from behind them made Aila turn and look wide-eyed at the five beasts surrounding them. Aila pushed her hand against her wound, trying to clot the bleeding as she parted her lips, she felt the power surge through her again, but it was dim, draining her of energy. She gulped and locked eyes with the first beast racing towards them.

"Do NOT attack us!" She screamed. The beast slowed down and turned its head in confusion. Aila leant back into the car, catching her breath; her power was drained, her body was becoming feverish, and she couldn't hold on to her command. Her lids were slowly closing, but she blinked back and stilled. The beasts were once again running towards them at full speed.

Damon, Luther, Vinnie and Kane jumped ahead, taking on the beasts.

While Aila slowly turned around to climb into the car, but another four shots were fired, then two more pierced through Aila's chest, and another skimmed past her neck. Her body was only held up by the car seat that was drenched in her blood.

Aila's weakened body coughed up blood as her head relaxed into the seat cushion. Pain erupted through her being, each bullet leaving a burning, sizzling sensation as though the bullets were not just silver but coated in wolfsbane. The sounds of fighting, gunshots and the breeze swirling through the trees were the last things she heard as she gazed upon the golden-haired hunter who was lying in the backseat of the car. And her eyes finally shut with a thick blanket weighing down on her body, letting her fall into the darkness.

**

Gabriel was draining the blood out of his fifth hunter behind the car for protection. If it wasn't for his men, then he might have been dead. Gabriel chuckled. No, he wouldn't. The silver bullets didn't affect him; it was more of a nuisance to have them in his chest. It was apparent that they were not expecting the help of vampires. Otherwise, he would be dealing with the splinters of wooden bullets in his chest.

He dropped the man to the ground and looked at his wrecked suit with a sigh. He ripped the cloth away from his chest and threw it into the woods across from him. Gabriel looked over the car, calculating what to do next. He heard some vital gunshots go off and Aila's attempt at controlling those beasts again, but it seemed they weren't always under her control. Why was that? Wait, why could he smell so much of her blood?

Gabriel turned his head and narrowed his eyes. Five more of those beasts appeared in front of him. Someone really did not like him tonight.