The wolves lunged at the humans even before Azimir could stop them. In just the blink of an eye, the scene turned chaotic, with the wolves attacking the humans while the humans defended themselves with equal vigor.
'Everyone, back off.' Azimir mind linked his people. But they were too far gone to listen or heed his orders as they continued to attack the group of people who had dared to threaten their Alpha. To them, it had been a show of disrespect towards their Alpha, a declaration of war and they could not tolerate it anymore.
'Everyone, stop fighting.' Azimir's harsh voice fell on his pack members and Vasili was the first one to snap out of his mad thirst for blood. His amber eyes met his Alpha's grey ones and he immediately realized the sin they had committed.
Whimpering softly in guilt, he moved away from the human he was attacking, startling the man with his unexpected actions. He stared blankly at the wolf that had stopped hurting him, unable to understand what had happened.
All hell broke loose when Azimir watched one of the older wolves attacking the girl who had captured his attention at first glance. And his heart thundered in fear on seeing the beast aiming for her neck, wishing to rip her apart.
Azimir gnashed his teeth and his fury was now at its peak to see his pack members hurt the innocent humans. Unable to hold his anger anymore, he growled so loudly that the leaves on the trees shook and the sleeping birds, flew away, clamoring in fear.
'I said back off.' He ordered, his voice low and menacing, and one by one, all the wolves snapped out of their lust for blood. They stopped attacking the humans and stared at their fuming Alpha before they lowered their heads and returned to him, remorse and terror occupying their minds and hearts.
It was only after they noticed the rage in their Alpha's eyes did they realize what they had done and how much they had disappointed their Alpha. They apprehended their mistake but it was too late. Mewling softly as they approached him, they bowed at him, showing their regret and apology.
But Azimir stayed unrelenting, not bothering to acknowledge their apology. They had disobeyed him even though it was unintentional and they now had to bear his wrath. He was extremely upset by their actions and he did not hide this feeling from them, punishing them silently.
The humans stood in shock as they watched the other wolves return to the gigantic wolf the moment they heard the beast's snarl. The bizarre turn of events rendered them confused for a moment. Even though no verbal orders had been passed, they understood what might have transpired for the other wolves to stop attacking them at once.
All the wolves now stood on the other side of the stream. Yet, the humans did not lower their guards as they held their weapons. Azimir took a few steps back, forcing the other wolves with him to retreat, showing his intentions to the humans. It was evident that he had no plan to harm them and they could trust him on this.
Azimir's actions were directed at all the humans but his eyes were solely fixed on the girl in the front. He observed her carefully this time, savoring in her astonishing beauty to his heart's content. Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed for a moment as she stared back at him before she turned to one of the men beside her.
A silent conversation ensued between them, and Azimir so badly wanted to intervene and find out what was transpiring between them. Nodding at him lightly, the girl turned to face the wolves and Azimir's eyes sparkled in delight to find her eyes on him again.
"May I ask a few questions to you? Will you answer me?" Her alluring voice fell on his ears and Azimir felt his heart burst in joy. To him, it was the most beautiful melody he had ever heard and he was instantly captivated by her. Even though there was a commanding tone in her voice, he did not care about it and nodded at her right away.
"Thank you." She smiled at him in gratitude and Azimir's never felt anyone be so beautiful until then. Her smile held the ability to soothe all his pains and calm his raging heart. The darkness of the frightful night too did not affect him as he kept his gaze fixed on her.
"Are you the Alpha of this kingdom?" She asked, waiting for his response hopefully and Azimir stifled a smile to himself. He nodded at her again, only to find her letting out a sigh of relief in response.
"We apologize for intruding this way into your kingdom, Alpha. We were returning from a quest when we were ambushed and we ended up in this jungle unexpectedly." She continued and Azimir just focused on her voice, instead of her words. His heart was thumping madly and by now, he had got a grasp of what was happening to him.
He had taken an instant liking to her even before he learned who she was. Even though he discerned that his feelings were just based on her looks alone, he could not stop himself from venturing further towards what his heart was craving. His eyes held a rare fondness for her which nobody noticed.
"Alpha?" Azimir snapped out of his reverie when he heard her and stared at her in confusion, wondering what had he missed in his momentary state of absent-mindedness.
Azimir blinked at her, waiting for her to repeat her question, and fortunately for him, she iterated her words.
"It is a dreadful night and there is still a lot of time for it to end. We were fortunate enough to have found you, Alpha. Otherwise, I cannot even think of the consequences. Would it be possible for us to take shelter in your kingdom until the night ends?"
She gave him an expecting look before pointing to herself and other humans with her. "It is dangerous for us to stay here and some of us are wounded."
She did not even have to continue for Azimir nodded at her right away, stopping her from speaking further. He turned his attention to his pack members who still had their heads lowered.
'Stay here and wait for my return. Do not leave the jungle irrespective of what happens and do not even dare to enter the kingdom before the night ends.'
Azimir threatened and this time, he did not hold back from showing them how incandescent he was. The wolves just lowered their heads further in response, showing him their obedience.
'I am trusting you this once. Do not let me down.'
Azimir directed his gaze at Vasili who lifted his head the moment he felt his Alpha's eyes on him.
'Stay here and take charge. Make sure everyone is safe. You may all leave.'
Azimir waited until all the wolves dispersed from his sight before he returned to the humans. he tilted his head to his right, and the humans understood his actions at once.
Though still suspicious, they followed the gigantic wolf until they reached the boundary wall that separated the kingdom and the jungle. Azimir growled, indicating his arrival to his guards and the gates opened at once.
Two guards rushed to him, utterly surprised to see a group of humans with their Alpha. All Azimir had to do was tilt his head and the guards understood his instructions right away. They bowed at him before they ushered the group inside politely.
Azimir's eyes were on his guards. So, he did not notice the girl falling behind.
"Thank you very much, Alpha." He heard her, and for a moment, he was surprised to see her still here. "I sincerely appreciate your help. Thank you very much."
Azimir so badly wanted to speak to her. But given the state he was in, he could not converse with her and all he could do was blink at her in response.
"We will meet you in the morning, Alpha. Until then, take care." She smiled at him gratefully before she too joined her fellow humans, leaving Azimir to stare at her back, his mind now filled with strange yet pleasant emotions.