Chapter 23: Pack Leaders

Others?

Aila stopped but continued to follow Kane after he looked back over his shoulder, a confused expression on his face. 

"There are more than just an Alpha and a Beta as leaders in a pack. Though there are not many, just the Gamma and Delta left. But, unless we are busy, we tend to have dinner together. We stay in the packhouse. Kind of like a family." Kane shrugged as he led her past the kitchen and to a big dining room with one huge window that viewed another part of the estate. 

Modern art hung on the opposite wall with a low hanging crystal chandelier above the long dining table that could fit twenty people. Kane pulled a chair out at the far end of the table and gestured for her to take a seat, but she opted for the seat in between Ajax and Finn, causing the Beta's eyes to go hard and inhale deeply. Aila's attention then went to two women that walked into the room.

The first was a woman of similar height to Aila, with curly brown hair brushing past her shoulders in beautiful waves, her eyes dark and captivating on her olive skin. She smiled at her before she skipped to Kane's side and kissed him on the lips.

His stern features immediately softened as they gazed at one another and sat down, still staring lovingly at each other. Malia pretended to be sick, causing Aila to roll her eyes; she found it sweet that the Beta had someone, although she had a feeling that they were polar opposites. However, her attention instantly moved to the second woman who sat down across from her. 

She was tall and slim. If it weren't for her athletic build, Aila would have guessed she was a supermodel, with her short black bobbed hair, dark blue eyes and stunning face. The only 'blemishes' that interrupted her otherwise smooth skin were two scars. The first was a claw mark cut across her neck, and the other was a scar going from her eyebrow and curving around to the bottom part of her eye. It wasn't just her looks that caused Aila to stare but the intimidating aura she projected.

"She must be a warrior or something. I'm afraid to keep looking at her. The guys are drooling at her looks, but the 'evils' she is giving them are making them nearly pee their pants!" Malia whisper-shouted, afraid that the woman would detect her words. Aila silently snickered at her wolf. 

The woman gave her a single nod as she began to cut the roasted meat in the middle of the table. The brunette slapped her hand away with a 'tsk' before smiling broadly at Aila, "Hey Aila, my name is Nairi, I'm Kane's mate. It is such a pleasure to meet you. This here is Chiara-" 

"Gamma Chiara," The stunning woman named Chiara interrupted.

"Nice to meet you both. This here is Ajax and Finn." Aila pointed towards the guys next to her. She smiled politely at Nairi and Gamma Chiara, but the Gamma did not look interested in small talk as she once again went to slice up some meat. Neither did the guys who sat by her sides as they, too, were piling up their plates again. 

Shrugging, Aila began to do the same, although she wondered if Alpha Damon would turn up. But from the way Kane did not order anyone to wait, she guessed not. Relief flooded her as she could not face him just yet, and even if she did, she wasn't sure if she could hold herself back from punching him in the face or wanting more of his advances. 

"Not much of a dilemma there Aila, you would definitely jump his bones.." Malia snickered, causing Aila to sigh at her wolf. She was almost as bad as her, or possibly worse. 

Aila took a bite from the food while another figure she recognised from the day they rescued her walked into the room and plopped himself down in a seat near Gamma Chiara. The red-haired man who removed her silver chains. He glared at her before scooping some mashed potato onto his plate. 

"Darren," Kane's voice was laced with a warning. The red-haired man rolled his eyes, causing Kane to growl at his disrespect.

"Yeah, yeah. We already met. Aila, all you need to know about me is that I am the Delta, Delta Darren, and I won't be taking orders from you." 

Gamma Chiara dropped her cutlery on her plate; the noise made everyone come to a halt and look at her. Her cold gaze was fixed on the Delta. He smirked back at her, which caused her to smile and flutter her eyelashes at him before grabbing her steak knife and stabbing it into his outstretched hand; the force was hard enough for the blade to pierce through muscles and stick to the table underneath.

He screamed in pain as the knife stuck out of his hand, blood trickling out along the table. Aila and the guys sat there stunned with wide eyes as they glanced between the pair. The Gamma stood up and grabbed him by his dress shirt, bringing her face close to his.

"Do I need to teach you some more manners?" She growled into his face, her voice slurring into one of an animal's. Delta Darren shook his head. 

"Good. Next time I will aim for your balls," Gamma Chiara's come hither-me smile made a shiver crawl up Aila's spine. The colour drained from Delta Darren's face as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. Gamma Chiara turned her head to look over her shoulder, giving Aila a wink before walking out through the double doors and shouting through the halls, "I'm going to help Alpha Damon and the others." 

"I LIKE her," Malia applauded the act of violence shown at the dinner table. 

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"Of course, you do," Aila grimaced as she watched Delta Darren yank the knife out of his hand. She glanced at Kane to see he was unconcerned with the events at the table and went back to talking fondly to his mate. 

"Was it like this in your pack?" Aila mind-linked Finn while she drank from a glass of water.

He moved his wide eyes away from Delta Darren, who grabbed some bread and stormed out of the room without another word said, "I know leaders have a lower tolerance for disrespect, but even that was a bit extreme." 

"I meant the whole, having dinner together thing," Aila replied nonchalantly. She already moved on from the scene that happened moments ago. If that scene unfolded before her two weeks ago, though, she knew she would be acting in a completely different way.

Finn looked at her as though she had gone insane, but he looked back down and played with his food so as not to raise suspicion about their secret conversation. Although, if the others focused on them, they could tell from their slightly misty-eyed look that they were in a mind-link. 

"I think so. I wasn't a part of any of the lead families, so I didn't stay in the packhouse," He took a bite from the meat on his plate. 

"Packhouse?" Aila questioned him aloud, which made Ajax glance between the pair.

"This is the packhouse, Aila," Kane interrupted, "If you want to read up more about werewolves, you should go to the library." 

Ajax snorted, "Yeah, you can find a bunch of fictional books about it," 

"I meant from the library in the house," Kane gritted his teeth in annoyance. Ajax raised his eyebrows at his comment but didn't say anything else.

Aila completely forgot that there was a library in the house. She remembered an early memory from her childhood sitting on her mother's lap in front of the grand fireplace. Aila would read through a book while her mother played with her hair. The memory brought some tears to her eyes, and she dismissed herself from the table to go back to her room.

Halfway up the stairs, she felt her hoody yanked back, and she smacked into a hard chest. Looking up, she found a pair of emerald-green cat eyes looking down at her before she was enveloped into a hug. 

"What's this for?" She whispered into his chest.

"You looked like you needed a hug, sweet pea. I know there is a lot happening but remember you have Finn and me to confide in. You don't need to take it all on your shoulders," Ajax said sincerely. Aila looked up at him and smiled, grateful to have found a friend like Ajax, even if it was through disturbing circumstances.

"Ahem," Kane fake coughed, interrupting the pair who jumped apart. Aila felt the heat from Kane's eyes on her face.

"Alpha Damon would not be pleased with this little display of affection," Kane reprimanded her through the mind-link.

"Fuck the Alpha. He does not control me," She spat before storming off to her room. She heard his growl as she slammed the door shut behind her.

"Let's hope that doesn't get back to him," Malia said wearily; for once, there was no sarcastic or funny remark. Her wolf was actually a little bit scared of the Alpha. As it were in the wolf hierarchy, if she acted out of line too much and she was not injured anymore, then the Alpha could potentially cause some severe harm to put her in her place. 

"Kane's probably already told him like the good little lapdog he is," Aila muttered back to her. She was leaning against the door, sighing; she slung herself on her bed, looking up at the white canopy above the bed.

Aila didn't know how much she could get away with, but like the first day she had met him, she could tell he would never hurt her. A crease formed between her brows as she thought harder; there was something at the back of her mind that felt like an itch. An itch of some information that would help her understand more about her relationship with the Alpha. However, for now, she just needed to get through another day seeing him without her body and mind-melting.

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