Ayla: Always an Alpha

Chapter 6 - A Natural-born Predator

~Ayla~

1 month later

I tried not to glare at the warriors hovering around the edges of our outdoor training space; it wasn't their fault their alpha decided to place them here. Still, I knew everything I did was reported back to Alpha Cox via them, so their presence irked me to no end, especially now that I could barely go anywhere without seeing them.

Alpha Cox had had more of his warriors stationed within my pack after Killian's assassination attempt. Under normal circumstances, that would be fine, as that is the reason why the warrior regions exist. However, Alpha Cox still felt the need to critique my every move, and having them here just gave him more fuel to use.

Today, quite a few of the men had "showed up" to watch the training session, the co-ed ones that Alpha Cox had such a large problem with. I knew the warriors were waiting for me to mess up on something, to explain a move improperly or to show weakness, so I had to go pretty tough on my pack members today.

Feeling sorry for them, I sighed; they'd definitely feel sore tomorrow.

In an effort to help reduce potential aches, I led post-training stretches instead of having them do it on their own like they normally would.

Just as we were finishing up, I picked up on a distinct scent in the air. It was almost the same, off-putting herbal scent as it was last time, but it had changed a little bit; it more closely mimicked my pack's scent. Now that I knew I had to be on guard, though, I noticed it immediately. However, I pretended I hadn't. It seemed Killian was back, or one of his fellow assassins had come instead. I was willing to take the chance it was Killian, so I kept my eyes on my pack members and continued wrapping things up as usual.

Today's attendees slowly started to leave the space. Noticing the fresh bruises that were just starting to darken on their bodies, I intently watched them leave. As soon as the outdoor training space had emptied of people, including the warriors, I pulled my blade from the holster on my boots. When I was training, I couldn't use my preferred one at the waist; it got in the way.

I turned towards the direction of the scent and waited. If it wasn't Killian, I was prepared to aim. This wasn't a throwing knife, but I had practiced throwing with it enough to know I could make a target.

Slowly, Killian slunk from his hiding spot in the woods. His movements were absolutely silent; the undergrowth didn't snap and crack under his feet, and nothing on his person flurried with the wind, not even his hair. He was a natural-born predator, a beast from the woods, and here I was, trusting that he would not make me his prey.

Killian stopped just at the border of the cleared area. Although his attire was still all black, he wasn't covered head to toe in the color today. This time, he wore a short-sleeve, showcasing the intricate-looking tattoos that covered his left forearm.

Unlike last time, I didn't wait for him to make a move. Instead, I launched my blade into the air, aiming for a spot next to his head on the tree beside him. I shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't even blink when the knife whizzed past him and sunk itself into the exact spot I had aimed at.

"You missed," he noted with amusement in his tone.

I shrugged. "I intended to."

"That wasn't smart of you."

"Don't talk down to me, Killian," I scorned. "Let's skip the bullshit. What are you here for?" I gestured to the knife in the tree. "I've already said I won't kill you. Now, if you're going to kill me, then just do it already."

Smirking, Killian grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled the blade out of the tree. He ignored my question. "You upgraded. It's silver."

I narrowed my eyes at him. My biggest pet peeve was people making me wait. I was impatient; I preferred people to get to the point and to be honest while doing it. As far as I knew, Killian hadn't been dishonest with me yet, but whatever little game he was playing needed to end now.

Killian spun the blade around in his right hand a few times before walking forward. Irritated, I stood in silence. When he reached me, he leant down and secured the knife into its holster at my ankle. "My boss sent me back here to finish my assignment," he finally revealed upon standing, "but I won't."

"Then why are you here?" I challenged him.

"The client raised your value to half a million."

Trying not to appear visibly shaken, I consciously forced my exhale to remain even. "While I appreciate that information, you can't be here, Killian. Alpha Cox's warriors are crawling all over the place."

"Soon assassins will be too."

"I got that already, thank you," I said. The sarcasm dripped from my words. I really did not appreciate the whole indirect conversation thing he was going for. "Now, if that's all, you need to leave before you get the both of us into trouble."

He grinned. Clearly, my irritation amused him.

"I'm here to help," he revealed, finally getting to the point of all of this.

Confused, I blinked. "And how are you going to do that?"

"I'll be on the lookout for the others."

"Listen, Killian, I don't need your help." My tone was matter-of-fact. "Your presence here will just cause more trouble for me."

"I've managed to sneak into the middle of your territory twice now." He was back to smirking. Even his coffee-colored eyes were twinkling now. "You need me."

"Well then, if, as you say, I need you, then you can tell me how I'm supposed to keep you here without losing my position." 

~~~

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Question of the week: Half a million dollars is a lot of money. If Ayla wasn't his mate, do you think Killian would have killed her?