Aylin stared at the map of Ideni and the surrounding kingdoms and Azimir's eyes gleamed with anger when she pointed towards the spot where they had been ambushed. It was right near the border of Ideni and the kingdom of Versei, their neighbor.
But what infuriated him more was that someone was trying to frame his people and they dared to attack the General Commander and her army. This was a grave offense, treason.
Attacking the General Commander without any reason was nothing but a provocation against the Alpha King and once the matter reached him, a thorough investigation would take place. And he being Alpha of Ideni would also have to bear the responsibility as they were attacked on his land even though he had no hand in this ambush.
"Commander Aylin, thank you very much for approaching me first regarding this matter. Otherwise, I do not know how grave the consequences would have been."
"You do not have to thank me, Alpha. This has to be someone's ploy to frame you and your people. The contest for the Alpha King's throne is near and in such a situation if you were charged under treason, then they would be taking down one of the strongest contenders."
"Are you suspecting the Alpha of Versei?" Azimir immediately understood the underlying meaning behind her words and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"He is on my suspect list. But we cannot ignore the others and that includes you too." Aylin replied in all honesty and watched the man's face for any fear or panic, only that there was none.
"I understand, Commander. You have every right to suspect me and I will not stop you from investigating me either. But since you have revealed this to me, shall I presume that you suspect me less compared to others?"
Aylin smiled at him but neither agreed nor disagreed with his claims. Her gaze returned to the map and she tapped on the borderline between Ideni and Versei.
"After your people, Alpha, the only people who possibly can attack us are the people of Versei. They are the only ones who also have direct access to the path we were taking the previous night." Aylin continued and Azimir listened to her notions calmly.
He was pleasantly surprised by how composed and collected she was in the situation. Even though she was in the presence of an Alpha, she did not hide her surmises towards his people, stating her claims boldly in front of him. Every word of hers was careful yet rational and he could not refute her even if he wanted to. He was in awe at her abilities and could not stop smiling as he stared at her.
"How do you wish to investigate this matter, Commander?" Though Azimir had his plans, he allowed Aylin to take up the lead for she seemed to have made a decision already regarding this issue.
"Alpha, I would like to search the jungle again, especially the place where the attackers had ambushed us."
"Do you think you might find some clue over there, Commander?"
"I am hoping to." She gave him a look and Azimir discerned the meaning immediately.
"Commander, previously, you said that the people who attacked you and your men were humans. Could they not be werewolves? Since it was right before the moon turned red, they were yet to shift into their wolf form." Azimir voiced out and Aylin shook her head immediately.
"No, Alpha. The physical strengths of werewolves in their human form and humans are entirely different. Humans are less strong and since I have fought with both of them before, I can discern who they were. They attacked us with the intent to kill us. So, none among them held back their strength."
"Did you see their faces, Commander?"
"No. None of us did and that is what makes matters worse. It was too dark and the men had their faces covered. Except for their eyes, we could not make out anything."
Aylin sighed in regret and Azimir's frown deepened on seeing her worry. He did not understand why he did not like the look of distress on her face, and all he wanted was to see her smile. He had the sudden urge to embrace her and console her. But he refrained from doing so, confused by his own thoughts.
'Why am I having such thoughts?' He wondered and stared at Aylin whose focus was on the map. His eyes took in her beautiful sight as his mind memorized her features to preserve them forever.
Azimir had seen a lot of beautiful women, among humans as well as in werewolves. But none had the appeal she had. He did not understand why he was so fascinated by her when it was just the first time he was meeting her.
Not noticing the man's intense gaze on her, Aylin continued to study the map.
"Since the jungle divides the two kingdoms and it belongs to the kingdom of Ideni, no doubt, anyone would suspect the attackers to belong to Ideni. But if we see the map, we can see that it is easy for the people of Versei to enter into the jungle."
Aylin bit her lip and traced her finger on the borderline that separated the two kingdoms. "Alpha, is it possible for you to send a few of your men for my help?"
She continued to look at the map. It was only when she did not receive any response and raised her eyes in confusion that she saw the raw intensity in Azimir's eyes. It was beyond anything she had seen and his sterling grey eyes had turned dark, darker than they were before.
Her heart started to thump madly and she did not know if it was out of alarm or excitement. Aylin stared blankly at him and just as she was about to speak again, Azimir stepped forward and pushed a strand of her hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear, touching her soft cheek in the meanwhile.
The sudden action not only stunned Aylin but even Azimir himself was dumbfounded by what he had done. His lips parted in shock and he took a few steps back, not knowing how to explain his behavior. An air of awkwardness surrounded them.
Neither Azimir nor Aylin knew how to get out of the situation they were in. While Azimir was flustered, Aylin could not stop herself from blushing. Though she was too stupefied to speak a word, she did not despise what the man had done to her suddenly.
The young Alpha was just about to apologize to her for his behavior when a knock at the door stopped him.
"Alpha, I have an urgent message to convey to you." Zavid interrupted and both Azimir and Aylin let out sighs of breaths.
"It concerns Beta Vasili." Zavid continued and waited outside. Even though the door was half-closed, he did not open it.
As soon as Azimir heard his Gamma, he rushed to open the door and let the man inside.
"What happened to him? How is he? Is something the matter?" He was filled with fright and he kept questioning his Gamma frantically.
"Alpha, please calm down. Beta Vasili has gained consciousness." Zavid revealed with a grin on his face and Azimir stood still on hearing him.
"What? What did you say, Zavid?" He was in disbelief and he asked him again to confirm the same and Zavid nodded at him immediately.
"Yes, Alpha. Beta Vasili has gained consciousness and is now out of danger."