After arriving back at headquarters, the group of men were on pins and needles. They had Ayla isolated and, in a position to easily talk to her, capture her, and bring her home, yet they failed and lost her.
This was the worst they had screwed up yet. They had never been so close. She had always managed to stay so elusive and fox herself away and stay clear of them. What made her so damn special anyway? Why was their alpha so insistent on capturing her? She was just one young woman among many.
Then they remembered the rest of the evening, and they knew that he was going to be livid. She not only escaped them, but it was with a man, and he wasn't just any man. He had a domineering presence. That didn't bode well for them. They were now all apprehensive about their alpha coming into the update meeting.
'SLAM'
"WELL, I know you encountered her. Why is she not with you? I can smell her on all of you. She has a strong scent. You all know that. Why is she not with you" he demanded an answer.
The first voice came in from the leader of the group, "We did what we could, but sir, we can't control her. She has a mind of her own, and she is fast, smart, and tactical. She bested us" he thought quickly and figured if he talked well about her, then maybe they would live.
Their alpha paused for a second, "What do you mean she bested you? Are you all not the best of the best in my pack? Do you not have the best minds, the best bodies, and the best tracking abilities? Yet you are telling me that she bested all of you. I want to know how. Tell me how one simple woman bested all of you" he demanded.
They looked at each other as if they knew what was about to happen. None of the men wanted to speak because they knew he was right. All of them worked hard to prove they were the best, and one small woman kept proving that she was better. Not in one aspect, but in all aspects of their training. The men felt shame and like they were ultimately unworthy of the mission they were continuously sent on.
One man to the side went to speak when the leader put his hand up to let him know that he would continue, "It was going great at first. She was finally away from the edge of the town. We know that never happens, so it was an opportunity, and we didn't take the time to investigate it properly. We were unsure of what drove her into the woods, but it was perfect because there is no sanctuary for her out there. She couldn't hide from us. That was what we assumed anyway. We quickly went after her and started to surround her at the river. Unfortunately, that's where it all started to go wrong"
Alpha looked at them, confused, "What do you mean" he asked with an even more confused tone than his face revealed.
"Eh, we were startled for a second because we saw a man standing between us and her. She was in the middle of the river at the edge, and he looked like he was trying to stop her from jumping".
"What do you mean by jumping. She wouldn't do that. That is suicide. She would never harm herself. Why would you make up such stories just to get yourself out is punishment" he roared.
"It's not like that. I beg you to let me finish. Even if I get punished, I need you to listen". He waited for a response, and his alpha nodded, so he continued, "She realized we were there, and she panicked, I guess. I'm not sure what they were up to or why she was there. I'm not sure if all the times we attempted to bring her here before stressed her or what, but suddenly, she nodded her head, and he ran to her, and they grabbed hands and jumped together" he finished speaking and closed his eyes, waiting for the wrath he knew was coming.
There was nothing.
It was silent for more than a minute, and it made everyone in the room uncomfortable. "She jumped and he held her hand" he asked in a surprised tone.
"Why would she do that. That is do reckless and dangerous and, oh" he looked at the guards, "Did you see her afterward" he asked, panicked.
"No, sir. We went down and searched everywhere, but she never resurfaced, and we didn't find any prints anywhere" he finished. He was positive this was going to be his last few seconds alive.
"That means she is still alive. Do not stop searching for her. Keep a lookout. She is somewhere. Now, she is not alone, and it will be harder, but it is important that we find her now more than ever. We are on a clock; you have to find her" he said with urgency in his voice.
Just then, Theresa came into the room, "She found him, didn't she" and alpha Theo nodded. "It's only a matter of time now. I don't know what to do. Ayla is smart, strong, and independent, but she has a long road ahead of her. She needed to come home, or things would be hard not only for her but for her mate, too. She has no idea what she is or who she is. If my suspicions are correct, neither does her mate. That is going to lead to more than one problem.
They heard the lead guard clear his throat as if to speak, "You are not to repeat any of this, but you may speak" Alpha instructed him.
"Sir, did I hear you correctly that Ayla is your daughter, and she doesn't know it? That she doesn't know she is a Werewolf and neither does her mate, which is who found her" he asked.
" Correct".
"I don't think you should worry as much as you are. I believe her instincts are kicking in, and so are his. They may not know, but their wolves do. They found each other and trust each other already. That is more than most people and wolves they know. If anything. It will make it easier to accept us if they accept each other first".
Alpha Theo couldn't disagree with what his lead guard said, "Is that what you observed between them, General? That they were bonding" he asked.
"Yes, sir. They seem to recognize each other, and it made sense after I heard what both of you said. If they helped each other and left the waterfall together. How about we give them some time to bond in the forest before we try to approach them again? If she doesn't know she is a werewolf, then she has probably been terrified every time we have tried to approach her. Unless you know we are werewolves, and that you are one of us, we are a bit petrifying when we approach. Maybe having a mate will help with that. It doesn't have to be long. Maybe in a day or two, we can look for her again. I know you mentioned time being an issue".
Alpha Theo listened and knew that his guard made a valid point, but he wanted his daughter home. He had her taken away from him, and they had finally found her. Reluctantly, he nodded his head in agreement.
Luna Theresa leaned over to grab his hand and kiss him lightly on the lips, "I guess you do have the best guards sometimes," she said as she gave a small wink at the General standing before them, glad for the praise, "We waited this long, what's a few more days to ensure that she is not frightened by the men that are just trying to bring her home to us, right".
"If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you tell us you had a daughter, and why did you keep it a secret that it was your daughter that we were trying to bring home all this time? We would have gladly done it"
"It wasn't that I didn't trust you, so please don't think that. It was for Ayla's protection, purely for her protection. I'm sure if you think about it long enough, you will understand why" he said with hesitation, "I want to thank you for all of the work you have put into bringing her home. Hopefully, this will be the last time you have to go after her. Let me know when you head out again so I can wait for your return"
When the guards left the Alpha's office, they immediately began hushed conversations.
"Do you think that she is the one that everyone has those stories about, you know, the one" Phoenix, the Lieutenant asked.
"Couldn't be, we would know" said Dominic, the General who had done all the talking. He knew that the probability was fairly high that Phoenix was right, though. He just wanted to make sure to do his best to ensure his guards were focused on the mission and not the girl from the stories.
"What do you think that she is up to right now" Rapheal, his major, winked, "You know she had been a loner until now, so if she did stick with that man, I doubt it's purely innocent. There is no way a man like that is just sitting there. I wouldn't be if it was me" he said before chuckling.
Dominic didn't know what to say to his friend, "Really, are you that much of a dog" he said as he pushed Raph's shoulder.
"No, not at all, I'm a wolf" he started laughing, and the others joined in as they rounded the corner to find their dinner.