Azimir proceeded in the direction from where he could sense the intruders while the warriors followed him, with Aylin trailing behind. Though he wanted her with him, beside him, he let her do as she wished for he understood her intentions.
Again, he could not help but commend her leadership and abilities and be joyful about the amount of trust she had in him. While it was easy to lead people from the front, only a truly skilled warrior could lead from the back and protect from behind when they were in an unknown location with danger lurking around from all sides.
Aylin's gaze was sharp and focused as she tried to discern the sounds in the eerily quiet jungle. At first, she heard nothing. But soon, she heard the rustling of leaves and she narrowed her eyes in wonder. It was not any wild animal for sure.
Azimir had already pointed out the places on the map where they could find the wild animals and they were yet to reach the denser part of the jungle.
'Intruders.' She thought and prepared herself.
The previous night, they had been unguarded. Their discussion with the Alpha of the kingdom of Renada had gone till late evening and since the Alpha had not offered her and her warriors a place to stay, she could only leave and search for an inn to stay for the night. But who knew that before they could even find a place, they would be ambushed?
Though they had kept their guards up, having in mind that it was the first night in the year of the moon, they had never expected an ambush from the humans.
Azimir gestured for the warriors to spread out and the group divided into two. While they led them from where they were, Aylin moved towards the side stealthily, preparing for the unavoidable attack. Though she had not heard the exchange between Azimir and his Gamma, she discerned what their plan was. Their enemy was now almost surrounded and it was impossible for them to escape.
Neither Azimir nor Aylin moved from their spots as they waited for Zavid to take action. And just as anticipated, they heard screams in the air barely a few moments later. Footsteps echoed through the jungle and soon, they saw humans hurrying towards them in fear. But even before they could escape, Aylin and her army attacked them, charging towards them with full vigor.
While a few among them tried to fight back, some of them attempted to escape from the open space only to be attacked by Azimir and the other warriors. They were now completely trapped and all they could do was fight back even though they were bound to lose it.
Azimir and Aylin had the intruders subdued in no time, rendering them incapacitated.
Fear. That was all the intruders had and they stared at the terrifying man, the Alpha of Ideni in horror. Not only had they entered the jungle without permission, but they had also dared to attack the General Commander of Aranill on his turf. This was a vice and considering the person they had attacked, they would be charged with treason.
All they could do was plead for mercy. But it was futile. Neither Azimir nor Aylin gave them another look as they waited for Zavid to return with the only wolf among the opponents.
"Do you know anyone among them, Commander?" Azimir queried as he stared at the group of humans who had their masks forcibly pulled off after being caught.
Aylin observed everyone they had captured and shook her head with a frown. She knew no one among them and from their situation, it was evident that they had attacked her and her army intending to kill them. But why?
Aylin almost glared at her enemies, making them cower in fear. They were already scared after getting caught and injured, her glower only petrified them more and they lowered their heads in shame.
A bone-chilling growl reverberated through the jungle and except for Azimir and Aylin, everyone trembled in shock. While Azimir knew who the growl belonged to, Aylin was exceptionally calm for she had heard and faced wolves more capable and formidable than them. In front of the Alpha King of Aranill, even the Alpha of Ideni was weak and she had faced him head-on when she had contended for the position of the General Commander.
"We will soon find out who the person behind this ambush is, Commander," Azimir commented and when Aylin looked at him in confusion, he pointed towards his right from where a fierce wolf was dragging an unconscious man towards them.
She gasped at the condition the man was in. But before she could take a better look at his face, Azimir turned her towards him, forcing her to lean against his chest. The sudden action stunned not only Aylin, even the warriors with her were flabbergasted and they looked at them in wonder.
Aylin was now too close to Azimir and she could hear his powerful heartbeat. It was thumping madly and fast and for a moment, she was lured towards the comforting sound. It was as though all her miseries vanished on hearing his powerful heartbeat.
She took in his scent, a unique refreshing fragrance that smelled of the air around the ocean and she felt her heart calming down. All her worries vanished and Aylin did not know why but she wanted more of his warmth. Unknowingly, she moved closer to him until she heard him take a deep breath. His hold around her tightened and Aylin immediately realized what she had done.
"Please forgive...." Aylin tried to pull away. But Azimir did not let her go, forcing her to stay still. Aylin lifted her head to look at him only to find his eyes already on her, his sterling grey orbs swirling with emotions she could not comprehend. "What...."
"Let him be presentable first. I do not want you to see him naked." Azimir said with such a domineering tone that Aylin could not refute him and she stopped struggling with him, laying silently in his embrace.
Now that she could not move away, Aylin waited for Azimir to let her go and at the same time, continued to inhale his intoxicating scent, not noticing the devilish smirk on the man's face.